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In Chapter 3 of your Thesis, you discuss details about the methodology you
employed in collecting data for your study. Here the title 'Methodology' is
adopted for this chapter in which you tell the reader how you collected the
data to answer the research questions in Chapter 1 - Introduction. You will
describe the methods and procedures (or techniques) used in the your study
in sufficient detail that will enable future researchers to follow your
methodology for their respective study. You should write the methodology
of your study as though it were a 'recipe' which can be followed closely by
individuals who read what you have written.
In short, Chapter 1 describes why the research question is being asked and
Chapter 3 describes how the research question is answered. Note that there
are several ways of writing Chapter 3 and the following is a suggestion on
the sub-sections to include. Here, Chapter 3 for qualitative research has been
divided into 8 sub-sections. Please check with the requirements specified by
your respective institution.
1. PREAMBLE
The 'Preamble' sub-section would normally consist of TWO parts. In the first
part, you restate the 'problem statement', the 'purpose of the study' the
'research questions' (unless your study is based on the grounded theory
method) and the theoretical framework. Again you may ask, why should I
keep on 'retelling' about the purpose, problem statement, research questions
and theoretical framework of the study! You would assume that the reader
should know what the study is all about. You should keep in mind that when
your thesis is later kept in the university library or in an online database,
researchers interested in your study may 'jump' straight to Chapter 3 to find
out how you went about collecting data for your study. Hence, it would be
appreciated by future readers if you told them briefly the problem statement,
purpose, research questions and the underlying theory of your study so that
they understand this chapter.
In the second part of the 'Preamble', you tell the reader the sub-sections in
Chapter 3 and how you will address each sub-section. Think of this part as
the 'warm up' for the full discussion of your data collection strategy. Note
that the information regarding methodology should be comprehensive and
detailed enough to permit replication of the study by other researchers.
Irrespective of which qualitative research design you adopted for your study,
the three most common data collection techniques are the:
You may have used one or more of these data collection techniques in your
study. Do not tell what is an interview, or observation or document analysis
technique but rather tell how you used these techniques in your study.
Discuss where the Interview with your subjects or informants took place.
How did you arrange the setting to ensure the level of quiet, intimacy and
privacy.
4. INSTRUMENTATION
If you used INTERVIEW as a data collection, you will invariably have used
an Interview Schedule or Guide
Tell the reader if your interview schedule was semi-
structured or unstructured
Discuss the types of questions included in the interview schedule or
guide
Provide examples of the questions you asked your informants
5. INFORMANTS (or Sampling)
In this sub-section, you give details about how you got your subjects or
informants for your study. The issue of sampling can be quite confusing in
qualitative research. Students often ask "how many subjects or informants"
do I need for my study. Can I base my PhD on information obtained from
ONE informant? Oftentimes, it is a difficult question to answer. Students
should avoid applying the sampling principles of quantitative research. The
key consideration in sampling in qualitative research is "saturation" and
not representativeness and the size of the sample is not statistically
determined (Neuman, 2003).
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE INFORMANTS?
o Tell the reader how you chose the informants for your study - Usually,
'purposive sampling' is used because the informants are available,
convenient and most importantly represent characteristics you want to study
(Silverman, 2000).
o Outline the procedures you adopted for selecting the sample of 10
Managers including justification for the sampling method or sampling
procedure; i.e. why did you choose the particular sampling method.
WHO ARE THEY? - Provide as much information as possible about
the characteristics of your informants.
WHY YOU CHOSE THEM? - This is based on your judgement - the
informants will be able to provide you with information needed to answer
the research questions; also you can argue that the informants are most
characteristic, representative or possess attributes typical of the population.
HOW MANY? - For example, you chose 10 Managers - why 10 and not 15?
- You can argue that the sample of 10 Managers is adequate
enough to provide a manageable volume of data that is able to answer the
research questions.
SETTING - Discuss where you conducted the study - was it in an office,
school canteen, discussion room? - explain how you got around the
'gatekeepers"?
6. PILOT-TEST
Some experts suggest that pilot-tests are not important for qualitative
research while others suggest it would be useful for novice researchers to
do pilot-test. For example, if you are using interviews for the first time, it
would advisable for you to conduct interview as a pre-exercise to get used
to the type of data collection. The pilot test will assist the researcher in
determining if there are flaws, limitations, or other weaknesses within the
interview design and enable the researcher to make necessary revisions prior
to the implementation of the study. However, the informants or participants
involved in the pilot-test should similar to the informants involved in the final
study. It has also been suggested that the pilot test can the researcher with
the refinement of research questions.
Example:
A pilot-study was conducted with 3 senior managers and were interviewed
at their workplace. The interview was audio-recorded to ensure correct use
of the device. During the exercise, attention was given to body language and
non-verbal responses and the manner of asking questions. As the researcher
was the main data collection instrument, the pilot-study provided an insight
into phenomenon studied, increased experience in interviewing as well as
enhanced interpersonal skills. Also errors in interviewing skills were rectified
and not repeated in the main study.
Source:
Dissertation Guides Workbook - Chapter 1-5. Capella University,2008. p.65
Kvale, S. (2007). Doing interviews. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7. DATA ANALYSIS
Throughout the research process, you have interacted with your informants
or participants or subjects and there is always the likelihood that you may
impact the methodology or findings of the study. Especially in qualitative
research, it is difficult for you to distant yourself from the subjects you
interact with. Hence, it is necessary that you state your 'position' which is
described as 'reflexivity'. "Reflexivity involves a self-scrutiny on the part of
the researcher; a self-conscious awareness of the relationship between the
researcher and an 'other' (Bourke, 2014, p.2). In short, it is a process of
continuous self-analysis in which you reflect more deeply on the experiences
you encountered when doing the research.
For example, if you study involves issues of race, ethnicity or religion, you
would be concerned how your race, ethnicity or religion being different from
your subjects influence interactions with them. The nature of qualitative
research puts you in the position of having to be close with your subjects
and it is reasonable to expect your beliefs, political stance, gender,
socioeconomic status, educational background and so forth to influence the
research process. It is critical that you be mindful of your own biases
when you interview or observe your subjects.
Under the section 'Researcher's Positionality', you state:
your interest in the phenomenon you have investigated
your background and experiences in conducting the study
your role in data collection and analysis
significant effects you may have had on the data at any stage of the
process
10. SUMMARY
This chapter discussed in detail the research philosophy, strategy and
methodology ....................