Week 5 Intro to Quanti and Quali (2).pptx

RESEARCH METHODS FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES (BBI 4401) Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative study Week 5 1 FOCUS FOR TODAY  Characteristics of  Qualitative  Quantitative  Strength and weaknesses  Comparison 2 RESEARCH DES...

RESEARCH METHODS FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES (BBI 4401) Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative study Week 5 1 FOCUS FOR TODAY  Characteristics of  Qualitative  Quantitative  Strength and weaknesses  Comparison 2 RESEARCH DESIGN  Research and study designs  Qualitative study designs  Quantitative study designs Reading: Dörnyei (2007), Chapter 4, pp. 78-91 RESEARCH DESIGN VS STUDY DESIGN 4 RESEARCH DESIGN  broader meaning  a plan for searching answers for your research questions  your complete research scheme.  “a blueprint or detailed plan for how a research study is to be completed”: (Thyer, 1993, p. 94).  two main functions:  identifying and developing procedures to conduct the study  ensuring the objectivity and validity of those procedures RESEARCH DESIGN  Study design  used in a narrower sense  a more detailed account of how the study is going to be conducted 7 QUALITA TIVE STUDY 8 THE DESIGN OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Case study Phenomenolog Narrative y analysis Basic qualitativ e study Grounded theory Ethnography QUALITATIVE RESEARCH  QUAL research explores and understands the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to social or human problem  QUAL data collection procedures result primarily in open- ended non-numerical data which is then analyzed primarily by non-statistical methods  Typical example: interview research with transcribed recordings analyzed by qualitative content analysis MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Emergent research design  Research design and even research questions kept open and flexible  Enter the research process with an open mind  Research focus is narrowed down, and the analytic categories are defined during, not prior to the process of the research  Otherwise, the data will be contaminated MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH The nature of QUAL data  A wide range of data from interviews, various types of texts (field notes, journal and diary entries, documents) to images (photos or videos)  During processing, data are transformed into a textual form (e.g., interviews are transcribed)  QUAL data should capture rich and complex details MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH The characteristics of the research setting  QUAL research takes place in a natural setting  The situation under study is NOT manipulated  QUAL research is done through and intense and prolonged contact with, or immersion in, the research setting MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Insider meaning  QUAL research is concerned with individuals’ subjective opinions, experiences, and feelings  Human behavior is based upon meanings which people attribute to or bring to situations  Only the actual participants themselves can reveal the true meaning and interpretation of their experiences and actions MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Small sample size  QUAL research is labor-intensive, so QUAL studies typically use smaller sample sizes than QUAN studies MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Interpretive analysis  QUAL research outcome is ultimately the product of the researcher’s subjective interpretation of the data  Several interpretations possible for the same dataset  Limited use of standardized instruments or analytical procedures (if used at all, it is a matter of the researcher’s choice)  The researcher is the measurement device (instrument)  The researcher’s values, personal history and characteristics (e.g., gender, class, culture, age, etc.) are an integral part of the inquiry STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Exploratory nature  An effective way of exploring of new and uncharted areas  If little is known about a phenomenon, a detailed study of a few cases is appropriate because we cannot rely on the previous literature or empirical findings STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Making sense of complexity  Danger: producing reduced and simplified interpretations that distort the bigger picture  The researcher can decide what aspects of the data need special attention  The groundedness of QUAL research helps to distinguish real phenomena from intellectual fabrications STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Answering why questions  The flexible and emergent nature of QUAL research allows the researcher reach a fuller understanding STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Broadening our understanding  Instead of seeking a generalizable correct interpretation, QUAL research aims to broaden the repertoire of possible interpretations of human experience  The rich data obtained from the participants’ experiences can widen the scope of our understanding of a phenomenon STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Longitudinal examination of dynamic phenomena  Most of the processes studied in applied linguistics are dynamic  Longitudinal research that explores the sequential patterns and the changes that occur can be very useful STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Flexibility when things go wrong  In QUAN research some unexpected events can render our study meaningless  QUAL methods not only allow us to accommodate the changes but also enable us to capitalize on them and produce exciting results STRENGTHS OF QUAL RESEARCH Rich material for the research report  QUAN result can look very thin and superficial summarized into one or two small tables  QUAL accounts that use the words and categories of the participants make it easier to produce a convincing and vivid case for a wide range of audiences WEAKNESSES OF QUAL RESEARCH  Sample size and generalizability  Researcher role  Lack of methodological rigor  Too complex or narrow theories  Time consuming and labor-intensive QUANTITA TIVE STUDY QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH  Characteristics Textbook: Pages 24-35, Chapter 2, Dörnyei (2007) QUANTITATIVE STUDY DESIGNS  To be presented in three trichotomies: 1. cross-sectional, before-and-after, or longitudinal 2. retrospective, prospective, or retrospective-prospective 3. experimental, non-experimental, or semi-experimental. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH  QUAN research tests objective theories by examining relationship among variables  QUAN Data collection procedures result primarily in numerical data which is then analyzed primarily by statistical methods  Typical example: survey research using questionnaires analyzed by statistical software like SPSS QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH  Emphasize measurement and gather data with objective techniques as the best way to answer research questions  Use methods that involve testing theories, hypotheses and generalize findings to a larger population  View research as systematic and open to replication by other investigators MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH  Using numbers  A priori categorization  Variables rather than cases  Statistics and language of statistics  Standardized procedures to assess objective reality  Quest for generalizability and universal laws STRENGTH OF QUANTITATIVE  Can generalize a research findings to bigger populations  Data collection is relatively quick  Data analysis is relatively less time consuming  Useful for studying large numbers of people  Have higher credibility 31 WEAKNESS OF QUANTITATIVE  Might miss out on phenomena  Might be too abstract and general for direct application to specific local situations, context and individuals 32 WHAT IS MIXED METHOD ? 33 MIXED METHODS RESEARCH  Involves different combinations of QUAN and QUAL research either at the data collection or at the analysis levels.  The core assumption is the combination of QUAL and QUAN approached provide a more complete understanding of the research problem  Typical example: consecutive and interrelated questionnaire and interview studies. Quantitative methods Mixed methods Qualitative methods Pre-determined Both Emerging methods Instrument based both Open-ended questions questions Performance data, Multiple forms of data Interview data, attitude data, observation data, observational data, document data, census data audiovisual data Statistical analysis Statistical and text Text and image analysis analysis Statistical Across databases Themes, patterns interpretation interpretation interpretation QUALITAT IVE VS QUANTITA TIVE 36 QUANTITATIVE VS. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH  QUAN research offers structured and highly regulated way of achieving a macro-perspective of the overarching trends in the world  QUAL research presents a flexible and highly context- sensitive micro-perspective of everyday realities of the world POSITIONS REGARDING QUAL-QUAN DISTINCTION Purists  QUAL and QUAN methodologies are mutually exclusive Situationalists  Both approaches have value if applied in the appropriate research context Pragmatists  Some sort of integration of the two methodologies can be beneficial to corroborate, elaborate, or initiate findings from the other method TERIMA KASIH | THANK YOU 39