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Dr. William P. Bragg III Dissertation ~ June 1999 |
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Chapter Three: Methodology |
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| [Introduction] [Overview] [Use of Theory] [Procedures] [Limitations] |
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Overview of the Study
A Qualitative Design: An Appropriate Paradigm This exploratory case study used qualitative research methods to describe the particular phenomenon of online interaction among graduate students in a Web-based learning experience. The main goal of the study was to gain an understanding of the online interaction in terms of the principles of constructivist learning, by observing this communication process in its natural distance learning setting. Qualitative research methodology was most appropriate for this study for a couple of reasons. First, the study needed to be exploratory to allow insights to emerge from a recursive data analysis process. The situation was complex, and the data was very dependent on "context." It needed to be studied as it naturally occurred with no control or manipulation of variables. Methodology under the qualitative paradigm typically uses no control or manipulation, and uses inductive logic, allowing categories, themes, and patterns and theories to emerge (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992). This kind of approach provided rich, context-bound information that lead to the discovery of ways to explore and describe phenomena. Qualitative methods were considered applicable to this study as a research approach was needed that was based on a complex, holistic picture, formed with words, and could report detailed observations and be conducted in a natural setting (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992). Second, research experts, such as Maxwell (1996) and Mertens (1997), claim that qualitative methods are best suited to a situation that demands an exploratory stance where the variables are highly complex, not precisely identified, and are very dependent on the contextual features. Such were the variables (i.e., technology, instruction, and the online interaction) of this study. They also state that understanding can emerge through a recursive process of data exploration and data analysis, as it did in this study. A third consideration is that this study examined an instructional environment in terms of a constructivist theoretical framework. It made sense to conduct the study under the qualitative paradigm, as it has been termed the "constructivist approach," as well as "naturalist," and "interpretivist" (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Smith, 1983). Qualitative research operates under these assumptions:
Exploratory Case Study: An Appropriate Qualitative Method The case study was an appropriate method of inquiry because this
researcher needed to collect extensive and complex data about a particular phenomenon in its natural context. This study explored and described a single case of distance learning via Web-based computer conferencing: the
online interaction of students in a one-semester graduate level course in an instructional technology program. Case study research typically studies phenomena by focusing on specific "cases" and
examining the phenomena in-depth and in a natural context (Gall, Borg, & Gall, 1996). The phenomena may have many aspects, and therefore, the case study needs to select a focus for the investigation. In this study,
the phenomena was a distance learning experience with a particular technology, and the focus was to describe the online interaction as stated in the section above. According to Gall, Borg, & Gall (1996), case studies can have three purposes: "to produce detailed descriptions of a phenomenon, to develop possible explanations of it, or to evaluate the phenomena" (p. 549). This study was of the first type, "descriptive," in that it provided a thick description of the phenomenon and its context, as well as the patterns and themes that emerged from attempting to understand its nature. |
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| [Diss. - Bragg] [Introduction] [Literature] [Methodology] [Results] [Conclusion] [Other Pages] |