Dissertation Discussion

Please provide at least 150-word response to each student response below. Be sure to research/cite/reference sources in each discussion.

1st Post: A key portion of investigating involves projecting the instrument need to obtain the information from the study participants. In quantitative research designs, the investigation requires understanding of the data, the use of statistics, tracking and organizing the data. In qualitative research designs, the investigator works to understand compilation of data from narratives, recordings during interviews, visuals, transcripts, and audio data. While both research methods require data coding and management efficiency, qualitative research method require thorough review of words, categorizing, and illustrating themes (Hyatt and Roberts, 2019). 

            In the planning process, the investigator resolves how to display data. This becomes important when attracting the reader’s attention. The practice of displaying the data in several ways helps the researcher on the final data presentation decision. When addressing the research question concerning the efficacy of higher educational institutions impact of virtual instruction students’ attrition, the appropriate instrument becomes necessary during investigation. The investigation solicits feedback based on experience. The anticipated tool of choice involves the researcher/team using a script such as an interview questionnaire. The anticipated data involves a combination of charts/graphs illustrating historical numeric facts, spreadsheets comprised of notes codes. The codes reveal themes and patterns based on information gathered from the interviews/recorded data (Hyatt and Roberts, 2019).

2nd Post: My proposed topic is "Impacts of crises of Residence Life professionals." I would start with wanting to do a qualitative study to focus on people's perspectives and gain insights/an understanding of the why and how of the topic (“What is qualitative data,” 2023). . Because of this, I would like to conduct interviews with an open-ended questionnaire component attached. Open-ended questionnaires are free responses that participants can fill out without being on camera. I can also gather themes from that piece, rather than just in the interview where there is physical observation. The questionnaire would be given to participants before they conduct their interviews. Roberts & Hyatt (2019) state that you should be familiar with your data because you must make sense of the data. The interviews would be video recorded and transcribed, and informed consent would be asked before and during the processes to follow ethical guidelines. 

The anticipated data needed to answer the proposed research question would be analyzed themes/patterns from the information gathered within the data collection process. "Qualitative data must be free from bias and presented objectively (Roberts & Hyatt, 2021, p. 167)." Additionally, a coding process would be developed to help understand the data's themes and patterns. After going through the data multiple times to fully understand and analyze it, that is when the coding would be conducted. Specifically, I would be looking at the descriptive pieces from the textual contexts. With the questionnaires and the video transcripts from the interviews, I could understand the trends and meanings of the topic and answer my proposed research question. 

Roberts, C., & Hyatt, L. (2019). The dissertation journey: A practical and comprehensive guide to planning, writing, and defending your dissertation (3rd ed.). Corwin Publishing Co. 

 3rd Post: As Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect the lives of people worldwide, researchers have been exploring the different ways this pandemic has impacted mental health. The pandemic has brought about significant changes in the way people live, work, and interact with others, leading to an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression. As such, mental health research has become more critical than ever before. 

One unique research question that could be explored is the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers. Healthcare workers have been at the forefront of the pandemic response, working tirelessly to care for patients while putting their own health at risk. This research question could explore the psychological impact of working in high-risk environments, the strategies healthcare workers use to cope with the stress of the pandemic, and the long-term effects of this experience on their mental health. 

Another unique research question could be the effect of social isolation on mental health during the pandemic. With social distancing measures in place, people have been forced to stay away from their loved ones and spend more time alone, leading to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. This research question could explore the different coping strategies people use to manage their mental health during isolation, the impact of social support on mental health during the pandemic, and the role of technology in maintaining social connections. Overall, these research questions could provide valuable insights into the unique mental health needs of individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic and inform the development of targeted interventions to support those in need.

4th Post:   A unique research question is: How do Type A and B personalities impact staff engagement at the student affairs division retreat?  The appropriate methodology is qualitative, as the researcher wants to understand the “how” aspect of personality types and its impacts.  Stevens (2023) stated that qualitative data is anything descriptive regarding observance.  As personality types can contribute to how one interacts in the environment, this clarifies even more that a qualitative methodology is the right choice for this study.  The data required to research the above question would be questionnaires given after the retreat has concluded.  They are open-ended, and participants can respond with a freeform text. 

            For an applicable data analysis plan to work, you have to remember the focus of qualitative data, which is to make sense of the data.  Qualitative data can “allow the researcher to gauge how people feel and why they take certain actions or respond in certain ways (Stevens, 2023).   Roberts & Hyatt (2019) state that qualitative analysis is a process and is imperative to understand what is significant within the data.  A thematic analysis would be implemented as the researcher would want to generate themes amongst the data collected.  According to Dye (2021), thematic analysis outcomes create categories via coding.  For the data analysis plan, the researcher would gather and organize the data for it to be coded. The coding would occur through a qualitative analysis software.  After coding, the data would be analyzed, and a report on the findings would be given.  By conducting a qualitative analysis, “the information would be presented in a narrative form (Roberts & Hyatt, 2019, p. 169).”