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Chapter 3: Research

design, Research Locale, Instruments and Data Gathering

• explain the contents of Chapter III

• discuss the ways on how to gather data

• elaborate the functions of research

instruments

• plan for the data gathering procedure

for the research study

Here is the complete list of the contents of Chapter III. In

your last Suhay, the research design was the focus of our discussion. This time, let us give focus on the other components of Chapter III.

Research Design

Research Locale

Description of the Respondents

Population Size Sampling Technique Research Instrument Data collection

Research Locale

This section discusses the place or setting of the study. It describes in brief the place where the study is conducted. In this part, only important features which have the bearing on the present study are included.

What is written in the Locale of the Study Section?

LOCALE OF THE STUDY is the place the researchers choose to conduct their study. You can include the map of the locale of the study in this section.

Example:

The study will be conducted in the Philippines. The

respondents will be interviewed in their houses or any comfortable place that the respondent will choose to. The researchers also gathered respondents residing in USA. These respondents will be interviewed via video chat. The researchers chose the place of implementation because it will give the researchers the needed information for people with spina bifida. The study will be conducted in the first semester of the academic year 2016-2017.

Known also as the Participants of the study, it discusses how

the subjects or respondents of the study are selected and how the appropriate sampling method is chosen.

In this part of the research, the subjects/ respondents are introduced to the readers through their basic profiles. Subjects can be individuals or groups to which intervention processes are applied.

Sampling Methods

• Sampling is a critical component of qualitative research as it involves selecting a group of participants who can provide valuable insights into the research questions.

• Choosing the right sampling technique significantly impacts the accuracy and reliability of the research results.

Sampling Techniques

Four standard sampling techniques used in

qualitative research:

• purposive sampling,

• convenience sampling,

• snowball sampling, and

• theoretical sampling.

Purposive Sampling

• Purposive sampling, or judgmental sampling, is a non-probability sampling technique commonly used in qualitative research.

• In purposive sampling, researchers intentionally select participants with specific characteristics or unique experiences related to the research question.

• The goal is to identify and recruit participants who can provide rich and diverse data to enhance the research findings.

Convenience Sampling

• When time and resources are limited, researchers may opt for convenience sampling as a quick and cost-effective way to recruit participants.

• In this non-probability sampling technique, participants are selected based on their accessibility and willingness to participate rather than their suitability for the research question.

• Qualitative research often uses this approach to

generate various perspectives and experiences.

Snowball Sampling

•Snowball sampling, also called referral sampling, is a unique approach researchers use to recruit participants in qualitative research.

•The technique involves identifying a few initial participants who meet the eligibility criteria and asking them to refer others they know who also fit the requirements.

•The sample size grows as referrals are added,

creating a chain-like structure.

Theoretical Sampling

• Theoretical sampling is a sophisticated and strategic technique that can help researchers develop more in- depth and nuanced theories from their data.

• Instead of selecting participants based on convenience or accessibility, researchers using theoretical sampling choose participants based on their potential to contribute to the emerging themes and concepts in the data.

• This approach allows researchers to refine their research question and theory based on the data they collect rather than forcing their data to fit a preconceived idea.

Research Instrument

What is written in the Data Gathering Instrument Section?

Ary (2010) stated that the most common research instruments used in qualitative research are observation, interview, and document analysis. In this study, the researcher uses observation and interview to collect the data.

Data collection is an important step in the research process. The instrument you choose to collect the data will depend on the type of data you plan on collecting (qualitative or quantitative) and how you plan

A number of common data-

collecting instruments are used in qualitative research:

• Questionnaires/Surveys

• Interviews

• Observations

Questionnaires

The questionnaire is a tool designed for the collection of quantitative data, and is widely used in construction research as it is a good research instrument for collecting standardized data and making generalization.

Questionnaires can provide quick responses but adequate care must be taken when developing questionnaires, to ensure you do not influence the response you receive. The design of your questionnaire should reflect your research aims and objectives.

In this section, you need to specify the research instrument you are to employ in your study whether it is a researcher-made research instrument, modified research instrument or adopted research instrument.

A researcher-made research instrument is personally constructed by you with an aid of some references. A

research instrument had undergone little revision from the

research instrument of other researcher to jibe with the objective

of your study. An

had undergone

no revision. The variable, indicators and the statements are retained from the original research instrument of other researchers.

Interviews

Interviews are a tool mainly for the collection of qualitative data and are popular as a data- collection tool because of their flexibility.

According to Silverman (1997: 98), interviews

are:

… active interactions between two or more people

leading to a negotiated contextually based result.

These interactions can come in a structured or semi- structured form to generate insights and concepts. When planning and considering an interview, the following factors are taken into consideration: Completeness, tact precision, accuracy and confidentiality.

Interviews require specialized skills from the interviewer, who will need to negotiate a good partnership with the respondent to ensure a highly detailed and valid set of qualitative data is collected and transcribed effectively.

Jones (1985: 46) explains the reason behind conducting an interview:

In order to understand other persons’ constructions of reality, we would do well to ask them […] and to ask them in such a way that they can tell us in their terms […] and in a depth which addresses the rich context that is the substance of their meanings.

Different types of Interview:

• Individual, face-to-face verbal interchange

• Face-to-face group interviews (focus groups)

• Telephone surveys

Interviews can be:

• Conducted as a one-time occurrence

• Conducted as multiple, longer sessions

• Structured, semi-structured, unstructured

1 . UNSTRUCTURED

• The researcher must be skilled in steering the course of the interview.

• The interviewer must be knowledgeable on the

subject or topic of concern.

• This can be in the form of normal conversations or a freewheeling exchange of ideas.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW

2. STRUCTURED

• The conduct of questioning follows a particular progression and has a well- defined content.

• The interviewer does not ask questions that are not part of the questionnaire but he or she asks the interviewee to clarify his or her answers.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW

3. SEMI -STRUCTURED

• There is a specific set of questions, but there are also additional probes that may come in in the form of follow-up questions that are not included in the list of original questions.

THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE RESEARCHER CAN GATHER ADDITIONAL DATA FROM A RESPONDENT THAT MAY ADD DEPTH AND SIGNIFICANCE TO THE FINDINGS.

Observation

Observation is a systematic data-collecting technique that involves watching individuals in their natural environment or in a naturally occurring situation.

The processes under observation are normal and not contrived. They can range from individual cases, to groups and whole communities. They provide highly detailed information about natural processes. The data collection is laborious and time-consuming and may have to be repeated to ensure reliability. However, observation schedules based on a set of expectations can make data collection easier.

The level of observer participation can vary from wholly participant to non- participant. The non-participant observer has limited interaction with the people being observed.

Observers can collect data through field notes, video or audio recording, which can be analyzed using qualitative analytical tools. If you code your observations to exact numerical data, it can be analyzed using a quantitative approach. One of the main benefits of using a wholly or partial participant observation is that the level of immersion and prolonged involvement with participants can lead to a good rapport, thereby encouraging participants to speak up freely. This helps with the rich details of the collected data.

If you do not have your research instrument, you cannot proceed with the data gathering activities.

Data Gathering Procedure Section

What is written in the Data Gathering Procedure Section?

This section, explains in details the steps or procedures you will undergo in gathering data.

Start it from the approval of your research proposal by the concerned teachers. Asking the approval letter from the concerned school will be included. How you are going to orient your respondents in answering the survey questionnaires will be explained.

Retrieval of the questionnaires and tabulation of data will also be included. You can also present the schematic diagram of the data gathering procedure you will undergo.

Coordination with the

• Research Panelists

• Research Statisticians

• Research Grammarians

Distribution of the Consent Form to the

Respondents

•

Dissemination of the survey-

Retrieval of

•

the Consent Form with

questionnaire to the senior high school

respondents.

written name and signature.

Analysis and Interpretation of Data