Research Methods and Design

Background reading list:
Ayiro, L. P. (2012). Chapter 4: Specifying purpose for research and research questions or hypothesis. A functional approach to educational research methods and statistics: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. (pp. 151-164). Edward Mellen Press
Edmonds, W. A., & Kennedy, T.D. (2017). Chapter 9: Observational approach. In An applied guide to research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (2nd edition). (pp. 125-129). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Case study method. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 236-238). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Ethnography. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 618-622). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Experimental designs. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 642-645). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Grounded theory. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 753-756). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Narrative research. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 1127-1130). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Phenomenology. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 1246-1249). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Quasi-experimental designs. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 1353-1356). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Single-case research. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 1525-1528). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Frey, B. (2018). Survey methods. In The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (Vols. 1-4) (pp. 1638-1642). SAGE Publications, Inc.

After reviewing the background readings and content provided below the assignment instructions, write a 3- to 5-page paper with the following components:
Assignment:

1. State whether you will use a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research methodology for your proposed study. Provide rationale for your proposed research method selection (2-3 paragraphs).
2. Identify which research design you will use for your proposed study and support your rationale with course readings. Common quantitative and qualitative designs are outlined in Case 4 (2-3 paragraphs).
3. Draft a purpose statement. Refer to the Ayiro (2012) reading on pages 151-156 for guidance on how to develop a purpose statement (1-2 paragraphs).
   o The purpose statement should begin with “The purpose of this qualitative/quantitative/mixed methods) study is to…”
   o If your study is qualitative, the central phenomenon under study is explained.
   o If your study is quantitative, the variables are identified and defined.
   o If your study is mixed method, both the central phenomena and variables are described.
4. Pose your research question(s). Develop a research question (1-3 is acceptable). A research question should be directly influenced by your statement of problem and purpose statement. A quantitative study can include several research questions that include measurable variables. A qualitative study will usually include one central research question and a few sub-questions. Please review the Ayiro (2012) reference, pages 157-164 for guidance on what makes a strong research question.
   Before completing this assignment, please review the guidance below:
   Research Methods and Design
   Describe your overall research approach. Discuss why qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods have been selected to address your topic. Discuss the selected research design and justification for the selection of the design for your study.
   Provide detail on your research design. Justify why the selected design is appropriate for the study.
   Qualitative Research Designs
   • Case Study: the school, program, job, etc., is the unit of analysis. May use interviews, observation, document analysis.
   • Ethnographic/Qualitative Interview Study: the individual is the unit of analysis, 1:1 or focus group interviews are used.
   • Ethnography: the culture is the unit of analysis; observation, interviews, and artifact collection (documents) are used.
   • Narrative Study (or its permutations): the story is the unit of analysis. Several individuals are interviewed in depth.
   • Grounded Theory: variables needed to develop the theory are the unit of analysis; many 1:1 interviews are used.
   • Phenomenological: the phenomena is the unit of analysis; many 1:1 interviews are used.
   Quantitative Research Designs
   • Experimental Research: To establish a possible “cause-and-effect” relationship between variables
   o Types of experimental designs
    True experimental designs
    Quasi-experimental designs
    Pre-experimental designs
    Factorial designs
   • Non-Experimental Research: To describe an existing condition
   o Types of descriptive research
    Correlational research: to determine relationships between variables
    Causal-comparative research (aka ex post facto): to determine the “cause” for preexisting differences
    Survey research: to describe the attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of the population
    Cross-sectional survey designs
    Longitudinal survey designs
   Research Hypotheses (Quantitative study only)
   If the study is quantitative, provide a null hypothesis and an alternative (or research) hypothesis for each research question. Use the notation for null (H0) and the notation for the alternative (H1).
   Helpful Resource: Loftus, G. (2010). Null Hypothesis. In Neil J. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Research Design. (pp. 939-943). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
   Purpose Statement
   Purpose statements mention the participants, the setting of the study is explained, and the purpose statement complements the problem statement.
   • Review your problem statement to confirm alignment.
   • If you do not know where your participants will come from, propose some ideas for recruiting participants. As a reminder:
   o Quantitative methods and designs: The collection of information from a large number of participants, sites, or time points using instruments with preset questions or responses; only numerical data is gathered.
   o Qualitative methods and designs: The collection of information from a small number of participants using an interview protocol that allows for open-ended questions/answers; words of the participants are gathered.
   Research Questions
   Example quantitative research questions:
   • How frequently do [participants] [variable] at [research site]?
   • How does [independent variable] relate to [dependent variable]?
   • How do [group 1] compare to [group 2] in terms of the [dependent variable]?
   Example qualitative research question:
   • What is the [central phenomenon] for [participants] at [research site]?