Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis

Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis
Assignment: Scholar of Change Video #3

For this week, you will observe and create field notes for the third Walden Scholar of Change video. These field notes will inform your Major Assignment 2: The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data, which is due in Week 10.

To prepare for this Assignment:

· Review the Video Field Notes Guide in the Learning Resources for this week and use this guide to help you create your field notes for your video observation.

· Review the Scholar of Change Video #3 found in the Learning Resources for this week. Note: You will have to view this video several times.

For this Assignment:

· Download the transcript of the video found in the My Media Player for the video and save it to the “Video Transcripts” folder you created. Label the transcript clearly based on the name of the video.

· Observe the Walden Scholar of Change Video #3 and use the Video Field Notes Guide to take field notes.

· Save your notes in your Video Transcripts folder with a name that clearly connects the transcript to your notes for this video.
Discussion 2: Considerations in Designing a Qualitative Study

Using what you have learned about your topic from your literature search, you are working towards formulating a research purpose and question. Note that in the Learning Resources for this week, the language of qualitative research is incorporated into how the research purpose and question is formulated. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts.

Quantitative (Don’ts)

Qualitative (Do’s)

· Predict

· Examine differences, effects, or impact

· Correlate

· Analyze

· Explore

· Understand

· Describe

· Variables

· Indicators

· Measures

· Experience

· Meaning

· Essence

· Narrative

Hypotheses

Broad, open-ended questions

For example, in the ongoing scenario for each of the weeks of this course, the qualitative research question is formulated based on:

DO: The purpose of this study is to understand the narratives of childcare and support in families in impoverished communities.

DO: What is the meaning of a “well-behaved child” to early childhood caregivers in impoverished neighborhoods?

While as in this example, the research question is formulated based on quantitative information

DON’T: The purpose of this study is to examine the demographic and family factors that predict the use of childcare services in impoverished communities.

DON’T: What are the differences in early childhood social skill acquisition between children that do receive childcare services and those that do not?

For this Discussion, you will examine qualitative research as it relates to qualitative design considerations.

To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review the Learning Resources and the Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods: Developing a Qualitative Research Question video and consider the basic guidelines for qualitative research design.

· Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help found in this week’s Learning Resources and search for a qualitative research article. (Note: This article should be the research article you are using for your Major Assignment 1.)

· Review the qualitative research article you found and identify each of the components of the research design and consider what is present and what is missing.

· Identify what the authors did to document positionality, reflexivity, and bias.

By Day 4

Transform your notes from your preparation work into three paragraphs and post the following:

· A brief statement of the purpose and primary research question the article addresses

· An assessment of how thoroughly the research design was presented, including what was missing

· An assessment of the extent of the researcher’s presentation of positionality, reflexivity, and bias

Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Major Assignment 1: Developing a Research Topic for a Qualitative Study

In Part 1 of your Major Assignment 1, you examined a problem and created a problem statement for your topic of study. You also began your research to support the problem you identified. For this week, you will work on Part 2 where you will write your purpose statement, a justification for your qualitative study, and your research question.

To prepare for this Assignment:

· Review the Learning Resources related to research design and methods.

· Review the Detailed Major Assignment 1 Guidelines for proper formatting of your paper.

· Review the Walden Writing Center websites related to annotated bibliographies

· Attend the Walden Library Lab webinar and consider how you will need to use the library to assist you in your research. Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help for additional information.

· Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help to continue your search for the three articles related to your personal topic of study. You will need one literature review meta-analysis article, one theory article, and one research article. The research article may either be from a quantitative or qualitative perspective. (Note: You previously used this research article for your Discussion 2 in Week 3.)

· You will continue your work on your Annotated Bibliography that will contribute to your research topic for the final Assignment.

Part 2

· Write a purpose statement using terminology of qualitative research. The purpose statement should contain:

1. A statement using the following template: The purpose of this qualitative study is to[choose one: explore, describe, understand, explain] the meaning/experience/culture/stories of [phenomenon of interest] in [population/setting].

2. A justification of why the purpose of your study is suited for the qualitative approach in terms of:

· The phenomena you choose

· The “fit” with a constructivist epistemology and ontology

· The relevance of the naturalistic setting or context to the phenomena of interest

Based on your knowledge of reflexivity, explain your relationship to the problem; and the issues of bias and positionality to be addressed. Include a brief description of the setting and possible sources of data.

· Write a research question using terminology of qualitative research. (Note: This could be the same research question you created in your Discussion 1 for this week ONLY if it applies to your topic of study for this Assignment.) The research question should incorporate and mirror the purpose statement using the following template: What is the meaning/experience/culture/stories of [phenomenon of interest] in [population/setting] ?

· Include your updated Annotated Bibliography section.

Intro: Field notes are taken during an observational event to record and remember behaviors, activities, and events. They are also used to record and distinguish the researcher’s experience and interpretation of those events.

Field notes general consist of 4 parts:

1. Some record-keeping notes (e.g., date, time, etc.)

2. Descriptive information: where you attempt to accurately record the “facts” of the situation

3. The meaning/reflection of what you observed

4. Reflexive notes – How did this affect you? What personal moment did this bring up? How did it alter or inform you?

Date:

Time of Viewing:

View #:

Your Physical Setting:

Name of Video:

Describe physical setting(s) in which the video takes place

Setting 1

Setting 2

Setting 3

People: (identify and briefly describe. Include what their role was in the video)

Person 1

Person 2

Person 3

Did these individuals interact? Briefly describe.

Other unusual or interesting setting characteristics?

Meaning and Reflection.

What meaning did you observe in the video? (there may be more than 1)

Reflection (impressions, thoughts, critiques, unanswered questions)

Reflexivity: How has this made you aware of, or changed something, about yourself?

For discussion 2, (due Thursday), we will explore further the connection of the research goal to the research question, and their alignment to the overall research design. A keyword in the final project document, and your upcoming dissertation document, will be ‘alignment’.

Here are the discussion 2 headings

Article Research Purpose

Article Research Question

Article Research Design Alignment

Article Positionality

Article Reflexivity

Article Researcher Bias

Personal Reflection

References

Your response post should provide feedback that demonstrates that you read their post and reflected on it. Next, discuss how their post assist your understanding of research design and alignment for your own dissertation research document.

Structure

In addition to the headings, be sure that all paragraphs are at least four substantive and relevant sentences, that the work is formatted according to APA guidelines, and that each paragraph is cited, using the course information and your own independent research (no cites needed for the personal reflection).

Assignment Paper (due in week 4)

Hopefully, you have been keeping up with the drafts of the sections for this milestone paper due in two weeks. This week, you will create PART 2. Refer to the prior week’s announcement that presented the full final project heading structure, and continue to use that for your content. A few additional headings will be added:

Purpose Statement

Research Justification

Phenomena to be Addressed

Qualitative Fit

Qualitative Relevance

Researcher Bias and Positionality

The Research Setting

Sources of Data (e.g. names of databases to be used)

The Research Question (written using qualitative phrasing)

Annotative Bibliography (updated to include the above section’s sources; be sure to use the subheadings indicated in the week 2 announcement)