Assignment task 1: Project: Interview
Purpose:
This assignment is designed to help you:
- Develop an interview protocol that effectively captures qualitative data.
- Conduct an interview and collect responses from a participant.
- Code and analyze interview responses using qualitative data analysis techniques.
- Reflect on the process and discuss challenges and insights gained from the experience.
Overview:
This assignment involves designing, conducting, and analyzing an interview to explore a specific research question. You will gain hands-on experience in qualitative data collection and analysis techniques, including creating effective interview questions, conducting interviews, and coding responses for thematic analysis. Need Assignment Help?
Action Items
1. Interview Design
- Research Question: Select one of the scenarios below and identify a specific research question based on the information provided in the scenario. Ensure that the question is suitable for qualitative inquiry.
- Interview Protocol: Develop a set of clear, unbiased, open-ended questions that align with your research question and encourage detailed responses.
- Seek feedback from two individuals and modify your instrument as appropriate.
B. Your topic is about the effectiveness of professional development programs for teachers in improving instructional practices and student outcomes. Your goal is to understand how these programs are perceived by teachers, what aspects are most effective, and what challenges teachers face in implementing new strategies learned from these programs
2. Interview Implementation
- Participant Recruitment: Identify and recruit a minimum of two participants for your interview. Ensure that informed consent is obtained before the interview.
- Data Collection: Conduct the interview using an appropriate method such as face-to-face, phone, or online platforms (e.g., Zoom, Teams).
- Ethical Considerations: Follow ethical guidelines, including maintaining participant confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and ensuring voluntary participation.
3. Data Coding and Analysis
- Transcription: Transcribe the interview responses accurately.
- Coding: Develop a coding scheme to categorize responses. Use qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo, Atlas.ti) or manual coding techniques to identify themes and patterns.
- Thematic Analysis: Conduct a thematic analysis of the coded data, identifying key themes and insights related to your research question.
4. Write up
- Description: Provide a clear overview of your inquiry, including the research context, research question, protocol used, and the process of data collection and analysis.
- Discussion: Summarize the key findings from your analysis and explain how they relate to your research question. Discuss the broader implications of your findings and acknowledge any limitations of your study.
- Reflection: Reflect on the process of designing, conducting, and coding the interview. Discuss challenges encountered and how they were addressed.
- Appendix: Attach your interview protocol as an appendix.
- Your paper should be 3-4 pages in length and double-spaced, using APA formatting.
Assignment task 2: Reflexive Journal
Purpose:
This assignment is intended to help you:
- Develop self-awareness and reflexivity in qualitative research.
- Critically engage with course readings, discussions, and research activities.
- Document personal growth and learning throughout the course.
- Identify and reflect on ethical considerations and challenges encountered in qualitative research.
Overview:
Throughout this course, you will maintain a weekly reflexive journal to document your learning experiences, thoughts, and feelings as you engage with course material and conduct qualitative research. Reflexive journaling is an essential practice in qualitative research, helping researchers become more aware of their biases, assumptions, and the impact of their positionality on the research process.
Action Items
1. Reflect on your weekly learning. Consider insights gained from course materials and qualitative research activities. Identify any significant "aha" moments, challenges, or lessons learned.
2. Write a 1- to 2-page journal entry (typed, double-spaced) that addresses the following topics (but is not limited to them):
o Reflection on Course Material: Discuss your thoughts and reactions to the readings, meet sessions, and discussions. Which concepts resonated with you? What questions or concerns arose?
o Research Activities: Reflect on any qualitative research activities conducted, such as interviews, observations, or data analysis. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them?
o Personal Insights: Consider how your background, experiences, and positionality influence your understanding of the research process and the data you collect. What biases or assumptions have you identified in yourself?
o Ethical Considerations: Reflect on any ethical dilemmas faced in your research and how you navigated them.
3. Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
4. Access your Turnitin report by reviewing your Submission Details for this assignment. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.
5. By the due date indicated, re-submit the final version of your work.
Assignment task 3: Reflexive Journal
Purpose:
This assignment is intended to help you:
- Develop self-awareness and reflexivity in qualitative research.
- Critically engage with course readings, discussions, and research activities.
- Document personal growth and learning throughout the course.
- Identify and reflect on ethical considerations and challenges encountered in qualitative research.
Overview:
Throughout this course, you will maintain a weekly reflexive journal to document your learning experiences, thoughts, and feelings as you engage with course material and conduct qualitative research. Reflexive journaling is an essential practice in qualitative research, helping researchers become more aware of their biases, assumptions, and the impact of their positionality on the research process.
Action Items
1. Reflect on your weekly learning. Consider insights gained from course materials and qualitative research activities. Identify any significant "aha" moments, challenges, or lessons learned.
2. Write a 1- to 2-page journal entry (typed, double-spaced) that addresses the following topics (but is not limited to them):
o Reflection on Course Material: Discuss your thoughts and reactions to the readings, meet sessions, and discussions. Which concepts resonated with you? What questions or concerns arose?
o Research Activities: Reflect on any qualitative research activities conducted, such as interviews, observations, or data analysis. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them?
o Personal Insights: Consider how your background, experiences, and positionality influence your understanding of the research process and the data you collect. What biases or assumptions have you identified in yourself?
o Ethical Considerations: Reflect on any ethical dilemmas faced in your research and how you navigated them.
3. Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
4. Access your Turnitin report by reviewing your Submission Details for this assignment. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.
5. By the due date indicated, re-submit the final version of your work.
Assignment task 4: Participants & Operationalization of Constructs
Purpose:
This assignment is intended to help you learn to:
- Describe research participants and their characteristics.
- Operationalized the constructs of your study into variables.
Overview:
Include the following in an APA-formatted Word document of approximately 500 to 1,000 words:
Description of Research Participants
Briefly describe your research participants and their characteristics. Include the setting, general population, target population, and study sample.
Operationalization of Constructs
(Refer to previous chapters for this)
Include all of your constructs for the study and describe how you will measure each construct into variables. For example, if you were interested in acculturation of migrants in the United States, how can you measure "acculturation?" How would you capture it in variables? A construct may need more than one variable.
Action Items
1. Describe your participants and your operationalization of constructs as directed in the overview.
2. Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
3. Access your Turnitin report by reviewing your Submission Details for this assignment. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.
4. By the due date indicated, re-submit the final version of your work.