Introduction to Qualitative Research
Code
EDU 603
Short Course Description
This course was an introduction to tools used for qualitative research. Influences on qualitative research such as ethics and positionality were also explored. Through assignments and projects, students created a research question, performed preliminary qualitative research, and crafted a research proposal for a qualitative research study in a topic of their choosing.
Greatest Course Takeaways
My biggest takeaway from this course was the introduction and refinement of qualitative research techniques. I learned about and practiced observation and interviewing skills to gather information from first-account sources to address a research problem or question. I also learned about coding and thematic analysis, which I feel is my number one takeaway from the course. I actually really enjoy coding and thematic analysis of transcripts and survey data, especially from my work on this course product as well as the product from EDA 641 (Techniques in Educational Evaluation). These are important tools for examining the transcripts and other data collected from observation sites and discovering trends in what has occurred. It is similar to looking at trendlines in quantitative analysis through linear regression, but instead of numbers, we process qualitative data like repeating words, feelings, thoughts, observations, and struggles. This was also an important course to further remind me of the importance of qualitative research techniques in the educational and instructional spheres. The work I performed in Narrative Research and Creative Practice (EDU 778) introduced me to these concepts, but this course allowed me to further apply these techniques to get to the root of the problems I was observing in the classroom. I found myself utilizing coding and thematic analysis in other courses and projects outside of this degree as well.
Course Product Description
The course product for this course was the development of a research proposal based upon initial observations and interviews around a research question selected by the student (and approved by the professor). We were to formulate a research question based upon our areas of interest, get permission to and practice observation and interviewing techniques to refine the research question, and to write a proposal for a longer-term study that would work to gather data to address the research question. The initial work also gave us practice in articulating preliminary analytical themes and using these themes to support the research question. We had to include literature and rationale to justify our research, a description of the site of the research, and the techniques we were to use in the proposal.
For my project, I observed an undergraduate Organic Chemistry class at my college. I chose this class because it is often difficult and seen as a "weeder" course - one that forces students who cannot keep up and meet the demands of the material to drop out or change majors. I also interviewed the professor of the course and several students to gather information about their experiences in the course. With my observations and interviews, I looked for themes and trends in the data to try and determine what was causing the difficulties students faced in this course. This lead me to propose a new method of assessing student learning in the course as my research proposal based upon my findings from the observation and interviews.
Click Here to See the Course Product for this Course and Others in the Portfolio.
Selection of Product for Portfolio
This course product was included in the portfolio because it dealt with a real-life issue in the college science classroom: the concept of grade-based examinations, difficult subjects, and "weeder" courses. It is an idea that frustrates me, the "weeder" course. To me, that is simply an indication that the professor is not performing adequately at their job. This is a common occurrence for courses like organic chemistry. As such, my initial research question that guided my preliminary analytical work involved the interaction between the professor, students, and materials and how success was measured. Through this project, I was able to observe several sessions of an organic chemistry course at my college (with permission from the instructor) and interview both the professor and several students about the course. This course product allowed me to not only practice these important skills but to also engage in thematic analysis and coding, two techniques that I find very useful for qualitative research.
I also included this course product in my portfolio because it showcases how I can utilize preliminary research to propose a qualitative research project that could help implement different educational practices for students in the college science classroom. While I am accustomed to performing quantitative research on the laboratory benchtop, I do not see that as my only research path in the future. If I am to work as an instructor and educator aiming for equitable academic practices, I will need to engage in qualitative research involving the classroom. This course and the creation of the course product were the first steps in practicing and preparing for such an activity. From my observational and interview work in this course project, I was able to propose a study on utilizing a different methodology of assessment (progression-based assessment) from the academic literature to implement in the classroom. It is also a method of assessment that I personally associate with (compared to just grade-based examinations) as I feel the latter is more associated with cramming, surface-level learning, and negative associations with failure than progression-based assessment. This is influenced by my knowledge of Behaviorism and Cognitivism from the IDE 621 (Principles of Instructional Design) course and my work from the previous course product. I enjoy that this course product gave me the opportunity to combine not only the knowledge and skills from the course but also the concepts from other courses I had completed in the program.
Contribution of Product to Overall Program
This course product contributes to the overall program because it showcased and allowed me to practice qualitative research skills that are important to studying instructional design and educational equity. Additionally, my program of study for this degree in Teaching and Curriculum was designed with the college science classroom in mind. This course product permitted me to observe a science lecture in practice, speak with the professor on their understanding of teaching and learning, and work with students to understand their perspective of all aspects of learning in the course: the professor, the material, and themselves. This is crucial if I am going to work on any sort of research or other applications of "non-traditional" pedagogical techniques in the college classroom when I am a professor.
The skills learned in this course product also contributed to other course products generated in this program. Particularly, I employed the coding and thematic analysis skills in the EDA 641 (Techniques in Educational Evaluation) course product to better find and understand the trends in the survey data that we received. While the course itself was not my favorite, this course product was valuable to me and my ability to interact with a site, make observations and take useful notes, formulate question sets and interview others, and complete preliminary work that could lead to a research study on instruction. I feel confident that I can repeat these qualitative research techniques and use both the data and the literature to propose new studies on the college science classroom in the future.