Assignment task 1: Open-Ended Survey
Purpose:
This assignment is designed to help you:
- Design an open-ended survey that effectively captures qualitative data.
- Implement the survey and collect responses from participants.
- Code and analyze survey responses using qualitative data analysis techniques.
- Reflect on the process and discuss challenges and insights gained from the experience.
Overview:
This assignment involves designing, implementing, and coding an open-ended survey to explore a specific research question. Through this process, you will gain hands-on experience with qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. You will develop skills in creating effective survey questions, administering the survey, and coding responses for thematic analysis. Need Assignment Help?
Action Items:
1. Survey Design:
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.
Develop a set of clear, unbiased, open-ended questions that align with your research question and elicit detailed responses.
Seek feedback from two individuals and modify your survey instrument as appropriate.
Scenarios:
Your research will explore how different leadership styles influence employee performance and overall organizational success. Your research will focus on identifying various leadership styles, understanding their impact on employee motivation and productivity, and analyzing how these styles contribute to achieving organizational goals.
Survey Implementation:
Participant Recruitment: Identify and recruit a minimum of two participants. Ensure that all participants provide informed consent before completing the survey.
Data Collection: Administer the survey using an online platform or another appropriate method.
Ethical Considerations: Adhere to ethical guidelines, including maintaining confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and ensuring voluntary participation.
Data Coding and Analysis:
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.
Write Up:
Description: Provide a clear overview of your inquiry, including the research context, research question, instrument used, and the process of data collection and analysis.
Discussion: Summarize the key findings from your thematic 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 overall experience of designing, implementing, and coding the survey. Identify any challenges you encountered and describe how you addressed them.
Appendix: Attach your survey instrument 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:
Reflect on your weekly learning. Consider insights gained from course materials and qualitative research activities. Identify any significant "aha" moments, challenges, or lessons learned.
Write a 1- to 2-page journal entry (typed, double-spaced) that addresses the following topics (but is not limited to them):
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?
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?
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?
Ethical Considerations: Reflect on any ethical dilemmas faced in your research and how you navigated them.
Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
Access your Turnitin report by reviewing your Submission Details for this assignment. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.
Assignment task 3: Formulating a Research Question and Hypotheses
Purpose:
This assignment is intended to help you draft your research questions and hypotheses.
Overview:
In an APA-formatted Word document of approximately 500 to 700 words, draft your research questions and hypotheses. Research questions are the key questions you want your research to answer. They tell your audience what you want to know. Good research questions are focused and concise.
A hypothesis is an assumption that you will test in your study to see if it is or might be true. Hypotheses are what you expect to find in your research based on the limited knowledge that has informed the development of your investigation. Include as many hypotheses as you need. Include at least one alternative hypothesis and one null hypothesis.
Action Items:
Draft your research questions and hypotheses according to the directions in the Overview.
Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
Access your Turnitin report by reviewing your Submission Details for this assignment. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.