ED 635 Action Research
Unit 4: Qualitative overview
Unit overview
Recall from unit 1 the underlying values and anchors of qualitative research - that context matters, that there is no idealized Truth, that numbers are abstractions from a human story, that data is still laden with ideology and subject to interpretation. We'll be dealing with these issues in much more detail in this unit.
Moodle discussion
After reading the chapter carefully, consider the following questions and respond in the appropriate Moodle forum.
- What does generalizeability mean in research? Are qualitative researchers interested in issues of generalizeability? Why or why not? How do qualitative researchers deal with their own subjectivity - like their own opinions, prejudices, biases, and preconceptions? Do these compromise their work? If so, in what ways? If not, how can they not? Discuss some things qualitative researchers can do to strengthen the trustworthiness of their research and to mitigate their own subjectivity.
Unit content
Download this reading - part 1 and part 2 - it is a big one! It is the introductory chapter on qualitative research from a textbook on education research. It is a long chapter with lots of nuance. Read carefully.
Independent practice activity
Make sure you can answer each of these questions as well before you move on.
- What is participant observation? What kinds of things might a participant observer do - and not do in the name of research? What kinds of insights might participant observers gain? What threats to trustworthiness may be specifically associated with participant observation? Years ago, participant observers were sometimes accused of "going native" - what do you think this means? What might be the consequences of this?
- What is naturalistic research? What does it mean for qualitative research to be interpretive? The term, emic, refers to an "insiders perspective" - how does emic apply here?