8113 Wk3 Discussion
Colleague #1 - Renee Morris
Plum investigated the interaction within individualized education program meetings through a collective case study. The qualitative study was aligned through key components. Plum (2008) stated the problem to be within the area of individualized education program collaborative meetings. The actually conversations and interactions of the members were undocumented of how the decisions of an IEP was met. The researchers’ purpose was to “capture and analyze the conversation among participants collaborating in IEP team meetings in urban schools in the greater Detroit area. “ (Plum, 2008). The research was seeking to find answers to what the procedures during an IEP meeting were.
According to Plum (2008), there were five research questions addressed in the case study:
1. What conversational structures are evident in the delivery of information to participants on which decision of placement is based?
2. How are turns allocated and questions asked and answered?
3. How do participants in the IEP make relevant their membership to categories: professional, parent, general education teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist or other qualified examiner, and so forth?
4. How do membership categories function in establishing interaction leading to the decision of placement?
5. How do participants orient to the asymmetries inherent in the institutional setting of the IEP demonstrable through their talk?
Plum (2008) does not specifically state a theoretical framework for this research. The researcher utilized three data collection tools to collect discussions of the IEP meetings. One tool specifically was a recorder to collect the conversations during IEP meetings as he observed.
Analysis
The study was aligned and justified. The qualitative case study was focused on a particular area in the greater Detroit area. Johnson & Christensen, (2008); Lichtman, (2006); Washington, (2015) as cited by Finch (2016), explains that qualitative research is often less generalizable and looks at the problem from a wider lens that examines the breadth of phenomena in a natural environment through interviews and observations. Research questions for this type of research are usually vague. Qualitative research seeks to explore or describe a phenomena. The use of three data collection tools for the discussions assisted in validating the findings. Finch aligned the components and allowed the research to flow and maintain consistency.
References
Finch, S., (2016). A Quantitative Study of Teachers’ Social Emotional Competency and Social
Instructional Practices in Metropolitan Atlanta Preschools – ProQuest. Retrieved 7 June 2021, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/1812535015
Plum, C. (2008). Interaction within individualized education program meetings:Conversation analysis of a collective case study (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=hodgkinson
Colleague #2 – Rachael Stewart
Week 3 Discussion: Capstone Components
Alignment deals with the logical progression of ideas between the structural elements of a dissertation proposal (Miles, 2017). This means the statement of the problem, purpose, research questions, theoretical framework, data collection tools, and data collection process all fit into a logical progression. The assigned dissertation looked at the interactions between key members of the Individualized Education Programming (IEP) team and their perceptions of the processes associated with generating meaningful interactions, establishing productive talking procedures, and arriving at decisions collectively (Plum, 2008). Given the problem, the author chose to evaluate and analyze IEP team discussions with the specific purpose of determining how key IEP participants interacted during the decision-making process. More specifically, the author detailed how members worked through creating meaning, emphasizing points, understanding others’ viewpoints, and identifying membership categories. Research questions included: 1) What conversational structures are evident in the delivery of information to participants on which decision of placement is based? 2) How are turns allocated and questions asked and answered? 3) How do participants in the IEP make relevant their membership to categories: professional, parent, general education teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist or other qualified examiner, and so forth? 4) How do membership categories function in establishing interaction leading to the decision of placement? 5) How do participants orient to the asymmetries inherent in the institutional setting of the IEP demonstrable through their talk? Given the established problem and purpose of the study, the research questions align with the intention and work within a logical progression.
Theoretical Framework
Plum (2008) chose to use conversation theory as the theoretical framework for the research and detailed how the theory connected to the research question and problem statement. The theory is well researched and defined using timely peer reviewed articles that connect to the need for analyzing conversations among key IEP individuals. Plum (2008) also uses seminal research from the inception of the theory to further define and support the current research done on the topic.
Data Collection Tools and Process
Plum (2008) chose to use an audio recording device to capture the conversations between IEP team members. This is an effective tool as the purpose of the research was to analyze portions of the conversation and this allowed the researcher to replay components as necessary. Research was also provided to address why the audio recording device was the appropriate device for the purpose of the research to be conducted. Video footage was also used to assist with analyzing nonverbal cues not necessarily evident through recorded transcript. To increase validity and reliability, full transparency was used with members, members could check transcripts for any necessary corrections, and portions of the transcripts were shared with other conversation analysts to provide multiple perspectives and strengthen the claim. This is important to the process. The process included the above data collection techniques as well as the used of consent forms and detailed information about the study. The researcher acted as an impartial data observer during the recording process allowing the meeting to continue as it would typically without any interference.
Overall, all components of the study were aligned. A clear problem was discussed with data and research questions were developed based on the introductory data. The theoretical framework worked to aid in the answering of the research questions and the data collection tools and process also worked within the realm of the overarching research question.
References
Plum, C. C. (2008). Interaction within Individualized Education Program meetings: Conversation analysis of a collective case study (Doctoral dissertation). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection. Scholar Works. Retrieved 2021, from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1015&context=hodgkinson.
Miles, A. (2017). ARTICLE: Achieving Alignment: How to Develop Research Alignment In A Dissertation Study. Academia: Accelerating the World's Research. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/61171547/ARTICLE-Miles_2019_Research_Alignment-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?