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Hints and Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research

Contact Info:Dr. Mary Jo Self, Associate Professor(405) 744-9191maryjo.self@okstate.edu

Overview

Stages of Qualitative Research

1998-2000 Research

2000-Ongoing Research

Next Project; 2008-ongoing

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Overall epistemology of qualitative research

• More than techniques; an approach to research

• Phenomena should be viewed as a whole,• Complex phenomena can’t be divided into

independent parts,• A natural setting is important• Maintain an openness about what will be

observed and collected;• Flexible design; evolving design as the

research proceeds.

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Overview cont.

• Perceptions of the participants are captured to obtain an accurate measure of reality;

• Meaning is not what it means to the researcher but what the participants perceive it to be;

• Assumptions and conclusions are subject to change as the research proceeds;

• Phenomena are perceived as a loosely constructed model, flexibility in prediction; not conducted in a rigid step by step process.

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Stage One:Working Design

• Subjects (participants) to be studied• Site selection• Length of the study• Possible variables identified

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Stage Two:Working Hypotheses

• Conceptual framework– Previous research– What is already known about a topic

• Foreshadowed problems• Research questions

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Stage Three:Data Collection

• Interview oral histories• Observation records – field notes• Document collection and review

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Stage Four:Data Analysis and Interpretation

• Data reduction and coding• Data organization• Checking hypotheses and theories• Description

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1998-2000 Research

• Dissertation Study:– “On Retention of Oklahoma Secondary Trade

and Industrial Education Teachers: Voices from the Field”

• Recipient of NAITTE Graduate Student Research Award for Outstanding Dissertation in 2001

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2000-Ongoing Research

• CareerTech Teacher Induction Process• Fifth year of funded project• Renewable each year by consensus of career tech

superintendents and Oklahoma Department of Career Tech• 2000- 2001

– Use of surveys for each group

• 2001-2002– Combined surveys and face-to-face interviews– Surveys; 70% of participants responded– 64 interviews

• 2002-2003 – Surveys with all participants

• 2003-ongoing– Surveys with all participants

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Hints

• Use of color-coded files for each year• Organization of consent forms, etc.• Audit trail• Field notes – number lines• Schedule meetings as early as possible• References – use of End Notes Plus

– Numbered, put in binders

• Back up your back ups!• Use of transcriber; “Kay Porter” type individual• Use of colored markers; big sketch pads• Bind large documents; Kinko’s is your friend!

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Next Project:

• Career Stages of Oklahoma’s career and technology education teachers

• Timeline:– July – IRB, Proposal– August– Begin conducting research– August – December – conduct research– January and on – interviews, data coding, data

interpretation• Purpose:

– Predict retirement rates of different divisions with the Oklahoma career tech system,

– Better understand the career stages of teachers,– Possible efforts to mitigate the results of teachers who

are disillusioned and burned out.

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Next Project: Career Stages of Oklahoma’s career and technology education teachers• Mixed method• Surveys to all teachers currently teaching in Oklahoma• Use of Steffy’s career stages and Fessler and Christensen’s

teacher career cycle• Use questionnaire based on their work as well as the

following:– Teacher Efficacy in Classroom Management and Discipline

Scale (Emmer and Hickman, 1991)– The Quality of Teacher Work Life (Pelsma, Richard, Harrington

& Burry, 1989)– Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (Maslach,

Jackson, & Schwab, 1996)– Hope Scale (Snyder, Harris, Anderson, Holleran, Irving,

Sigmon, Yoshinobu, Gibb, Langelle, & Harney, 1991).

• Interview a sample from each category

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Conclusion:

• Simply put, know what you want to know• Be willing to look at all sides of the issue• Be aware that qualitative research is

messy!