WK3 8310 DIS2

Using what you have learned about your topic from your literature search, you are working towards formulating a research purpose and question. Note that in the Learning Resources for this week, the language of qualitative research is incorporated into how the research purpose and question is formulated. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts.
APA
ATTACHED FILE(S)
8310 Week 3 Discussion 2:
Considerations in Designing a Qualitative Study
Using what you have learned about your topic from your literature search, you are working towards formulating a research purpose and question. Note that in the Learning Resources for this week, the language of qualitative research is incorporated into how the research purpose and question is formulated. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts.

Quantitative (Don’ts)

Qualitative (Do’s)

· Predict
· Examine differences, effects, or impact
· Correlate
· Analyze

· Explore
· Understand
· Describe

· Variables
· Indicators
· Measures

· Experience
· Meaning
· Essence
· Narrative

Hypotheses

Broad, open-ended questions
For example, in the ongoing scenario for each of the weeks of this course, the qualitative research question is formulated based on:
DO:The purpose of this study is tounderstand the narrativesof childcare and support in families in impoverished communities.
DO:What is themeaningof a “well-behaved child” to early childhood caregivers in impoverished neighborhoods?
While as in this example, the research question is formulated based on quantitative information
DON’T:The purpose of this study is to examine the demographic and family factors thatpredictthe use of childcare services in impoverished communities.
DON’T:What are thedifferencesin early childhood social skill acquisition between children that do receive childcare services and those that do not?
For this Discussion, you will examine qualitative research as it relates to qualitative design considerations.
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review the Learning Resources and theFundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods: Developing a Qualitative Research Questionvideo and consider the basic guidelines for qualitative research design.
Assignment Task Part 1
Preparation:
· Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help found in this week’s Learning Resources and search for a qualitative research article. (Note:This article should be the research article you are using for your Major Assignment 1.)
· Review the qualitative research article you found and identify each of the components of the research design and consider what is present and what is missing.
· Identify what the authors did to document positionality, reflexivity, and bias.
Writing Assignment Task Part 1
Based on the information found in the preparation , Explain the article chosen in

three paragraphs
and post the following:
· A brief statement of the purpose and primary research question the article addresses
· An assessment of how thoroughly the research design was presented, including what was missing
· An assessment of the extentof the researcher’s presentation of positionality, reflexivity, and bias
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Assignment Task Part 2
Respond to one of your colleagues’ posts
in 125 words
and:
· Reflect and provide feedback on what they found in their research article.
· Reflect and explain how this experience has informed you of what you should consider if you were to develop your research topic into a project for your dissertation or doctoral study.
Learning Resources
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/research-center/student-research/developing-research
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8310
Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods: Developing a Qualitative Research Question
video
Yale University. (2015, June 23). Fundamentals of qualitative research methods: Developing a qualitative research question (Module 2) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0HxMpJsm0I
1

Respond to one of your colleagues’ posts
in 125 words
and:
– Reflect and provide feedback on what they found in their research article.
– Reflect and explain how this experience has informed you of what you should consider if you were to develop your research topic into a project for your dissertation or doctoral study.
Alfred Lewis Post
Ravitch and Carl (2021) identified key components of the research design process; topic, goals, rationale, research questions, theoretical framework, determining and sequencing methods, site and participant selection, piloting and refining research design and methods, and validity. Rubin and Rubin (2012) outlined identical components arranged in a more sequential series or stages. Using these two sources as a guide, I analyzed the work of Cohen et al. (2008) who concluded that budget reductions significantly lowered teacher wellbeing and led to decreased morale, psychological wellness, and instructional time.
Due to a sudden budget crisis at the state level, Oregon schools saw several major shifts in school funding stability that ultimately coalesced into a deficit of nearly 20% from required budget amounts. In response, many school districts cancelled school days in the spring of 2003, in a state where school calendar length was among the lowest in the Nation.
The Research Design
The research was conducted to study teacher perceptions of the funding crisis in Oregon public schools. Cohen et al. (2008) stated, “the purpose of this study was to find out about teachers’ attitudes, personal and financial issues, working conditions, and changes in the classroom practice that resulted from the funding crisis in 2003” (p. 36). A literature review was conducted to contextualize the study’s design, identifying a lack of recent studies, with no current studies being found in the 15 years prior connected to the same topics of the current study. The literature review therefore focused more on the components as they were studied separately. Organizational theory was cited in exploring the relationship between the individual and their employer. Studies that applied person-organization-fit and attraction-selection-attrition models were also reviewed.
The researchers and a team of masters students quickly designed an interview questionnaire, piloted it, gathered data, and performed preliminary data analysis in response to the researchers’ perceived magnitude of the crisis. The researchers stated that within 11 weeks, the study and its tools were designed, tested, IRB approved, implemented, data was collected, and analysis was begun (Cohen et al., 2008).
A convenience sample was used due to time constraints and given the exploratory nature of the research. The sample demographics were compared to the Oregon Department of Education teacher demographics and found to be fairly representative. Respondents answered the questionnaire in person with permission from their principal or administrator, and some teachers mailed or emailed their questionnaires for submission for analysis.
Researcher’s Presentation of Positionality, Reflexivity, and Bias
The researchers do not specifically mention their positionality, although their inherent position as educators at a university would appear to create some issues in that the success of public school students impacts their experiences as university professors. Likewise, the use of masters students who implemented the questionnaires in buildings where they had attended or student-taught could also introduce some biases in both the researcher and the respondents’ answers. There is no specific mention of reflexivity
Sources
Cohen, L., Dixon, J., Sampson-Gruener, G., and Shaw, D. (2008). Teacher Perceptions of the Funding Crisis in Oregon Public Schools: Policy Issues.Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 6(1).https://doi.org/10.15760/nwjte.2008.6.1.5
Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2021). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological (2nd ed.) Sage Publications.
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications