Different Data Collection Methods in Qualitative Research

In qualitative research the researcher directly interacts with participants in a group setting in order to get a deeper insight into the phenomena he/she is studying. Among the main methods for collecting qualitative data for there are individual/ focus group interviews, observations and written materials. Depending on the nature of the study being conducted, the most suitable data collection methods of any research varies from one study to another.    

While the ‘Unstructured interviews’ allows for an 'in depth' investigation of a topic, yet the lack of structure, as the interviewer may frame the interview questions based on the interviewee and his/her previous response, would be less planned and therefore could create a difficulty in the analysis and interpretation of the data being collected, therefore it could be better to use ‘Semi structured’ interviews in a certain research because of the fact that the researcher can plan the series of open ended questions to be based on and related to the topic areas he/she is interested to cover during the research project.

The open ended questions can help the researcher to define the topic under investigation and also can provide more opportunities for ‘in details’ discussion with the interviewees in order to cover different aspects of the topic and gain more solid interpretation for the data being collected. 

The focus group method for data collection would allow to further investigate the phenomena being studied by having a collective discussion with a group of participants to be able to understand the circumstances and opinions that can help researchers develop further insight.

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I have selected the Design-based research as an approach for my thesis in order to design a learning environment while empirically explore its effectiveness across various levels.

As a researcher I am interested in conducting a research in technology-enhanced learning within the area of learning languages in order to understand how, when, and why a technological innovation works in a pedagogically effective way.

To develop a further insight into the topic of my research I would like to mix semi structured interviews together with observations in a natural teaching/learning settings while taking lengthy and descriptive notes of what is happening. I am considering ‘observation’ after or before the interviews with the groups to be able to collect more authentic and reliable data for my research.  

Main things to consider when planning the empirical research

What are main things to consider when planning the empirical part of your research?

There are several things to consider in planning for the empirical part of any research; first, we need to decide on the nature and framework of the problem, aim, question or phenomena which we are interested in researching, that includes problem statement, benefits, challenges and procedures so that the reader can understand what is it  that we are trying to find out. and what kind of data are we going to end up dealing with.

This first step leads to understanding the type of research method we should be using for our research, whether Qualitative, Quantitative, Design of Experiment, or Mixed approach. This in turn makes it very crucial to know the differences between the Qualitative and Quantitative in order for the researcher to make a decision on which research methods to choose.

In my research I would like to use design of experiment and qualitative methods to develop effective multimedia for language learning. When it comes to data collection, different methods of data collection such as interviews, surveys & questionnaires can be integrated into cycles of design, evaluation, and redesign in order to reach the most effective model of designing instructional multimedia for language learning.

The challenge in my research is that the theories of multimedia design and use are still developing and thus it has been difficult to bridge the gap between research and practice. That is the reason why I have chosen the Design of Experiment research method as it is becoming increasingly accepted especially in the study of teaching interventions in authentic settings (Lagemann & Shulman 1999, Klahr & Li 2005). Muller, D. A. (2008).

The worldview of the researcher determines the purpose of his/her research, for example in my own research I have adopted the empiricism and determinism views in order to determine the causes and effects of what enhances learning from multimedia by designing experiments that can reveal the crucial factors behind.

After deciding on the strategy we are using in our research to gather data, that means what is the source of our data then we need to deal with the issue of sampling that is random, purpose, single case..etc. This stage is very crucial in the empirical research as it influences what comes next, namely the data collection and data analysis stages of the process.

The final stage in this complex process of empirical research is the Conclusion where we are able to describe the results and generalize the findings. Since I have never made an empirical research before using Design of Experiment so I have a mixed feeling of excitement and uncertainty towards carrying out this type of research, yet I am rather optimistic about the findings and the feeling of excitement is stronger than any doubt. So I am looking forward to getting tarted in this process of empirical research.