Unit III

Welcome to Qualitative Research I!

Cultivating understandings through improved research and writing skills among English language learners

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Understandings

English language learner will understand that a variety of observation techniques and protocols can provide information that can later be complemented by other techniques such as interviews and focus group discussions. .

Essential Questions

When is observing an individual, group, or organization an appropriate technique when doing qualitative research? How can observation techniques be used with other data collecting techniques in ways that provide sound information about a phenomenon. Define a complete idea, thought, or opinion.

Enabling Knowledge

Sections to a formal paper An argument and types APA Style

Subskills

How to write a thesis statement How to develop a paragraph Grammar and punctuation

Assessment

Webquest Informal discussions Academic prompts

Week 1

Readings

Observation types: complete participant, observer as participant, participant as observer, and complete observer (Creswell, 2009)

Week 2

Readings

• Observation protocol
  • Who is being observed? How many people are invovled, who are they, and what individual roles and mannerisms are evident?
  • What are the people saying and doing?
  • What is the physical setting like?
  • What is the status or roles of people, wh leads, who follows, who is decisive, who is not?
  • How did the meeting end?

What activities or interactions sweemed unusual or significant?

• • Was the observer a participant or nonparticipant observer? (Gay, Mills, & Airasian, 2006, p. 415)

Week 4

Outcomes

Webquest

References

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods apporaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Gay, L., Mills, G., & Airasian, P. (2006). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and applications.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.