Wk7 discuss
Week 7 Discussion: METHODOLOGY
Colleague Responses
Ashley Dale Response
Alignment Analysis
This study will use the systematic qualitative approach using a basic qualitative design to answer the research question, “What are teachers’ perceptions of challenges in providing unstructured play in third-graders’ mathematical skills and computation?”. This research design aligns with the problem, purpose, and research question because qualitative studies, in general, seek to understand as I am looking to understand teachers’ perceptions of the challenges they face in providing unstructured play. I used the basic qualitative design to explore perceptions to better understand the phenomenon (Calver, 2021). I will use semi-structured online interviews of third-grade Common Core mathematics teachers in the United States until saturation is met. I chose to do semi-structured interviews as they allow planned questions but can branch out to more clarifying questions or new information according to the discussion between the researcher and interviewee (Lambert, 2012). This is important as I am looking at teacher perceptions and may not have thought of all the questions to help understand the phenomenon that the interviewees can express in my research. Transcription and coding will be the qualitative analyses used in the study to understand the data collection (Walden University, LLC., 2017). My sample collection will be a purposeful sampling strategy as it chooses participants with a common ground with the phenomenon being studied (Patton, 2015). Purposefully choosing teachers as my sample is vital to align with understanding teacher perceptions of challenges in providing unstructured play in third-graders’ mathematical skills and computation.
Prospectus Methodology Statement
To address the research questions in this qualitative study, I will use a basic qualitative design using semi-structured interviews (Bauml et al., 2020) with approximately 10 to 12 third-grade mathematics teachers from areas of the United States that use Common Core.
For my planned research design, I will need to recruit Common Core mathematics teachers in various locations in the United States for individual interviews using an online platform. A self-designed interview protocol will be developed to address the problem and purpose of the study. I will attend the Office Hours- Research Ethics- Academic Guides at Walden University to learn about the procedures to contact teachers and possible incentives I can offer participants, such as a $20 gift card. My initial goal will be to recruit 10 participants but increase this number if data saturation is not yet achieved.
A potential barrier when collecting primary data that includes interviews is that it may be difficult to recruit enough third-grade mathematics Common Core teachers to meet saturation. Another potential barrier is the timing of holding online interviews, as teachers work at certain times throughout the day, meaning many are not working at the same time. Also, many teachers have multiple responsibilities outside their mathematics teaching, making scheduling more difficult. It would be helpful to attend one of the CRQ webinarsLinks to an external site. on how to increase research participation.
References
Bauml, M., Patton, M. M., & Rhea, D. (2020). A qualitative study of teachers’ perceptions of increased recess time on teaching, learning, and behavior. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(4), 506-520. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2020.1718808Links to an external site.
Calver, T. J. (2021). Faculty, clinical supervisors, and teacher candidate perceptions and experiences of teacher candidate feedback (10376) [Doctoral dissertation]. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Chapter 5, Module 30: Purposeful sampling and case selection: Overview of strategies and options. In Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th ed., pp. 264-315). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Walden University, LLC. (2017). Quantitative and qualitative methodology highlights [Handout]. http:www.waldenu.eduLinks to an external site.
Patricia D. Wells Response
Systematic Approach and Justification
After reviewing the problem, purpose, and the research question, the systematic approach that my study will employ basic qualitative approach. The rationale for investigating utilizing a generic qualitative inquire as the methodological approach for this qualitative study will help me answer the research question, “What are teachers’ perspectives about the challenges teaching k-5 grade students online?” In the transition process, teachers faced various challenges, including difficulty engaging students and parents, a lack of school/district guidelines, and student Internet and computer access issues (Francom et al., 2021). Qualitative inquiry investigates people’s reports of their subjective opinions, attitudes, beliefs, or reflections on their experiences, of things in the outer world (Percy et al., 2015). Qualitative research explores and provides deeper insights into real-world problems. It identifies meaning-relevant things in the world—kinds of people, actions, beliefs, and interests—focusing on differences in forms of things that make a difference for meaning (Erickson, 2011). Creswell and Poth, (2018) confirmed that by exploring different perceptions of the outer-world process of there are no restrictions in utilizing multiple methods to collect data, such as interviews, surveys, and questionnaires. Within a proposed qualitative research study, the phenomena of interest are the perspective of teachers having instructed for three or fewer years, as to whether each feel prepared to engage in online instruction as a means to provide for individual students' academic needs.
Data Collection Process
For my planned research design, I will use the following data collection will involve anonymous surveys. The data collection will be based off participant’s perceptions on teaching K-5 grade students online. The surveys will be transcribed and analyzed to get a comprehensive report on K-5 teachers' perspectives on challenges and successes during online teaching. I will be using LinkedIn, Walden, and Facebook to recruit a total of 10-12 participants. However, if there is a problem with the data, I will have to increase the number of participants. I will be using anonymous surveys to conduct my research. Criteria for this recruitment will be based on the following: Teachers who have taught k-5 online in the past or present with less than 2-5 years’ experience. The anonymous survey will allow for in-depth conversations with each participant. Also, it makes it easier and straightforward to collect data from a certain population when it is small and accessible.
Limitations, Challenges, and/or Barriers
Even with the greatest research methods the study can have limitations, challenges, and/or barriers associated with collecting data. According to Andrade (2020), during recruitment, the sampling process can suffer from associated problems of non-response and the resultant selection bias. Recruitment issues can delay the research study and make it difficult for the researcher to get the data it needs. People who are difficult to reach and those who refuse to participate once they have been contacted tend to be different from people who do not enroll (Andrade, 2020). It can be impossible to describe a population to which they delivered, and respondents may self-select into the sample. Only when results from a sample can be extrapolated to a relevant population does research have any value. Findings form online surveys cannot generalized and may therefore be misleading when the population being surveyed cannot be identified and when the sample is tainted by respondent bias.
References
Andrade C., (2020). The Limitations of Online Surveys. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 42(6):575-576. https://doi.org//10.1177/0253717620957496 Links to an external site. .
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Five qualitative approaches to inquire. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed., pp. 65-110). Sage.
Erickson, F. (2011). Chapter 3: A history of qualitative inquiry in social and educational research. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 43–58). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Francom, G. M., Lee, S. J. & Pinkney, H. (2021). Technologies, challenges, and needs of K-12 teachers in the transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. TechTrends, Linking Research and Practices to Improve Learning. 65(4), 589–601. https://doi.org//10.1007/s11528-021-00625-5 Links to an external site. .
Percy, W. H., Kostere, K., & Kostere, S. (2015). Generic qualitative research in psychology. The Qualitative Report, 20(2), 76-85. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2097