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Assignment: Developing a Research Topic for Qualitative Studies

Title

Learner’s Name

Capella University

XXX_7868 – Qualitative Design and Analysis

Instructor Name

Quarter, Year

Impact of Digital age in the daily lives of individuals

Modern society has experienced continuous changes, often at the same rate at which technology is evolving. The development of the digital age, described as the information age that started in 1970, began with introducing the personal computer among other technology innovations that followed, which gained huge applications among contemporary society. The impacts range from social, economic, and political aspects of our lives, whereby it usually has the potential to either improve and reshape the environment or make it worse if left unregulated. Comment by Mark McCaslin: Very good. It can be improved by locating the topic in the theoretical literature.

Topic Background

Despite the wide application of technology within the digital age society, it has often brought widespread impacts on society, including negative and positive influences. Some of the effects include an impact on the way individuals communicate, learn, and think within the contemporary society. The issue on the weight of the merits and demerits has often been the point of contention between a variety of scholars and especially with an increase in the application of the internet within the society whereby in America, as an example, an average of 88-99% of the adult population is described as being active internet users (Joshi et al., 2018). Hence, the study aims to analyze qualitative data from various sources and subsequently come up with a theoretical framework to support the advantages of technology within contemporary society.

Topic Rationale

Computers have had immense contributions to society, for example, improvement of the efficiency of the healthcare services and other technologies that made lives of individuals more comfortable such as vehicles and entertainment systems that were more developed (Sutton, 2013 p.6). Subsequently, technology has enhanced the delivery and access to education, whereby different modes of accessibility through virtual platforms have been developed for access even with students far from libraries and physical classrooms. However, some negative attributes have often emerged as a result of the spread of technology, including loss of privacy and an increase in the level and rate of moral decay. Subsequently, technology is linked with the development of a wide variety of psychological and health problems among the youth due to the elements of isolation and exposure to verbal and other forms of abuse available through the use of social media and other communication platforms (Younes & Al-Zoubi, 2015 p.83). However, the most prevalent issue that has often been underplayed involves social disconnect, whereby technology has adversely affected the level of social engagement during communication (Bonev, 2017). Comment by Mark McCaslin: Nicely done. I do think you could beging building a problem statement from what you write. Formula for Preparing the Problem Statement The problem statement should tell a story from beginning to end. The reader should be able to understand the problem with no prior knowledge of the subject and without having read any other sections of the dissertation.  The problem statement should be able to stand alone.  To develop a problem statement use the following formula: Introduce the problem by providing some general background.   After presenting some general background, explicitly state the general problem:   The general problem is  ____________ resulting in__________(in this second blank include the negative consequence of the problem)  Support the problem by adding one or two sentences addressing the impact or adversity of the general problem (cited).  Add one or two sentences, which segue to the specific problem:  The specific problem is  ______________ resulting in__________(in this second blank include the negative consequence of the problem)  Add one or two sentences that address the impact or adversity of specific problem. Conclude with a sentence summarizing the importance of addressing the problem. Therefore, the problem to be addressed by this study is…

Research questions Comment by Mark McCaslin: You are asking these as interview questions.

Ethnographic approaches: What crucial needs in your daily lives do you rely on technology for help? Comment by Mark McCaslin: I am not sure tat really conveys an ethnographic approach. Johnson (2000) defined ethnography as a descriptive account of social life and culture in a particular social system based on detailed observations of what people actually do. Ethnography is the scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures. The word “ethnography” has a double meaning in anthropology: ethnography as product (ethnographic writings—the articles and books written by anthropologists), and ethnography as process (participant observation or fieldwork). The product depends upon the process, but not about any simple operational relationship.

Case study: What aspects of your daily lives have been made easier through the use of technology? Comment by Mark McCaslin: Case study is a descriptive design and would, therefore would typically call for a “How” central research question. Indeed, “what” questions may be applied as sub or supporting questions. Case Study Snapshot In qualitative research, this is the study of a “bounded system” with the focus being either the case or an issue that is illustrated by the case (or cases) (Stake, 1995). A qualitative case study provides an in-depth study of this “system", based on a diverse array of data collection materials, and the researcher situates this system or case within its larger “context” or setting. Focus - Developing an in-depth analysis of a single case or multiple cases Discipline of origin - Political science, Sociology, evaluation, Urban studies, other social sciences Data collection - Multiple sources - documents, archival records, interviews, observations, physical artifacts Data analysis - Description, themes, assertions Narrative form - In-depth study of a “case” or “cases”. Case studies are within a bounded system. They “focus on a particular situation, event, program, or phenomenon. The case…reveals …the phenomenon for what it might represent.” (Merriam, 1998, p. 29) Case studies use prose and literary techniques to describe, elicit images, and analyze situations…. They present documentation of events, quotes, samples and artifacts.” (Wilson, 1979)

Grounded theory: Name at least three elements in your life that has been most affected during the digital age. Comment by Mark McCaslin: What is the process that describes…. What is the theory that explains… Grounded theory is a method of conducting qualitative research that focuses on creating conceptual frameworks or theories through building inductive analysis from the data. Hence, the analytic categories are directly ‘grounded’ in the data. The method favors analysis over description, fresh categories over preconceived ideas and extant theories, and systematically focused sequential data collection over large initial samples. Charmaz (2006) summarized Glaser and Strauss’s core components of grounded theory practice as including: Simultaneous involvement in data collection and analysis. Constructing analytic codes and categories from data, not perceived logically deduced hypotheses. Using the constant comparative method, which involves making comparisons during each stage of analysis. Advancing theory development during each step of data collection and analysis. Memo-writing to elaborate categories, specify their properties, define relationships between categories, and identify gaps. Sampling aimed toward theory construction, not for population representativeness.

Phenomenology: What could you described as the most significant shifts in our daily processes ever since the introduction of technology during the start of the digital age. Comment by Mark McCaslin: What is the essence of the lived experience of ,,, A researcher, utilizing phenomenological research method, holds an open-ended, not-yet-knowing stance, retains an attitude of openness to psychological reality. Setting aside theoretical prejudgments, it becomes the method of discovery (Giorgi, 1989 in Irina Kardos 2007). Describes the deep meaning of experiences of a phenomenon (or topic or concept) for several individuals. Researcher reduces the experiences to a central meaning or the “essence” of the experience (Moustakas, 1994). Focus - understanding the essence of experiences of a phenomenon Discipline of origin - Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology Data collection - Long interviews with up to 10 people Data analysis - Statements, meanings, meaning themes, general description of the experience Narrative form - Description of the “essence” of the experience.

Generic qualitative inquiry: What is your view on the impact of technology within contemporary society regarding the social, political, and economic aspects of your life?

What is the influence of technology …

Suitability of each methodological approach with the research questions Comment by Mark McCaslin: APA 7 heading level conventions.

Ethnographic approaches

The ethnographic approaches usually take a cultural route towards analyzing the research topic whereby people are observed within their cultural setting with the aim being to establish a relationship between the theoretical framework and that particular culture or natural environments mostly within their habitat (Morgan-Trimmer & Wood, 2016). The ethnographic questions established for the research study aimed to necessitate the observation of individuals within their daily life environments and subsequently come up with a list of some of the most common technology applications, including communication, assistance in locomotion, and task completion. This notion helps shed light on the application of the research questions findings in answering the questions.

Grounded Theory

The grounded theory approach mainly aims at developing theories through a series of inductive methods during a qualitative study. The question described as a way of creating a grounded theory provides an open-ended answer provision for participants hence providing the researchers with a wide range of information necessary to create a theory based on a pattern identified from the responses. Thus, by asking what the impact of the digital age on an individual's life's patterns is, there is a wide range of approaches and responses available for a participant since it does not specify any particular responses and reactions that should be taken into consideration when answering. However, restricting the responses to only three increases the weight of the answers hence laying a platform for the development of the theory.

Phenomenology

Unlike the grounded theory, the phenomenological approach to qualitative studies focuses on studying experiences individuals have undergone within their lifetime (Neubauer, Witkop & Varpio, 2019). The question related to the phenomenological approach supports the development of an overview of some of the most significant impacts technology has brought to the world through the lens of individuals who have lived through the changes, hence learning from others' experiences.

Generic qualitative research approach

On the other hand, this approach mainly focuses on the description of the experience of people and how people experience what they experience. Generally, the research approach seeks to understand the investigated topic's perspectives and worldviews (Bellamy et al., 2016, p.671). The choice of the question in regards to the methodological approach seeks to draw more information about the participants on their perceived impact on the society to identify a shared perspective about a phenomenon, which in this case is the perceived impact of the digital age on the daily activities of participants who represent the general society. Subsequently, the question does not limit participants to the amount of information they can contribute towards the research study. Comment by Mark McCaslin: I would add a summary. Your work is good and it could be improved by improving your skills as an academic writer. As Capella student you have free access to Grammarly. You can add the ap to your Word ap – set the filters for academic writing and it will help you create error free papers. Well worth the investment. Your ideas are smart. Learning how to smartly convey them will elevate your game! https://campus.capella.edu/writing-center/writing-support/grammarly

References

Bellamy, K., Ostini, R., Martini, N., & Kairuz, T. (2016). Erratum to: Seeking to understand: using generic qualitative research to explore access to medicines and pharmacy services among resettled refugees. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 38(3), 671-675. https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/seeking-to-understand-using-generic-qualitative-research-to-explore-4LWUjLnsgq

Bonev, A. (2017). The impact of the digital age on human engagement. Medium. https://medium.com/the-looking-glass/the-impact-of-the-digital-age-on-human-engagement-aaa42d526453

Joshi, S. V., Stubbe, D., Li, S. T., & Hilty, D. M. (2019). Correction to: The use of technology by youth: Implications for psychiatric educators. Academic Psychiatry, 43(4), 466-466. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-018-1007-2

Morgan-Trimmer, S., & Wood, F. (2016). undefined. Trials, 17(1). https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-016-1340-2

Sutton, B. (2013). The Effects of Technology in Society and Education [Master's thesis]. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1196&context=ehd_theses

Younes, M. B., & Al-Zoubi, S. (2015). The Impact of Technologies on Society: A Review. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(2), 82-86. http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue2/Version-5/N020258286.pdf