Hmef5103 cg
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This course guide provides an overview of the HMEF5103 Qualitative Research Methodology course. It discusses that the course is a 3-credit hour course offered to Master of Education students over 8-15 weeks. It introduces qualitative research concepts and their application in educational settings. Students are expected to spend 120 study hours on the course. The course is divided into 9 topics that cover qualitative research traditions, types of qualitative studies, research design, data collection and analysis.
Hmef5103 cg
- 1. COURSE GUIDE ix COURSE GUIDE DESCRIPTION You must read this Course Guide carefully from the beginning to the end. It tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the course material. It also suggests the amount of time you are likely to spend in order to complete the course successfully. Please keep on referring to the Course Guide as you go through the course material as it will help you to clarify important study components or points that you might miss or overlook. INTRODUCTION HMEF5103 Qualitative Research Methodology is a key course offered by the Faculty of Education and Languages at Open University Malaysia (OUM). This course is worth three credit hours and should be covered in 8 to 15 weeks. This course introduces concepts of qualitative research methodology as applied to educational settings. Upon completing this course you will be more knowledgeable on the main concepts, theories and their application in educational settings. COURSE AUDIENCE This is a core course offered to all students taking the Master of Education programme. The course is designed primarily to provide graduate students with a background in the uses of qualitative research in education. The course begins with discussion on what qualitative research is and how it relates to education. It also examines the theoretical and historical underpinnings of qualitative research so that you may better understand the traditions behind this genre of research. As an open and distance learner, you should be acquainted with autonomous learning study skills and able to optimise the content in this module within your home and work environment. Before you begin this course, ensure that you have the right course material, and understand the course requirements as well as how the course is conducted. STUDY SCHEDULE It is a standard OUM practice that learners accumulate 40 study hours for every credit hour As such, for a three-credit hour course, you are expected to spend 120 study hours. Table 1 gives an estimation of how the 120 study hours could be accumulated.
- 2. COURSE GUIDEx Table 1: Estimation of Time Accumulation of Study Hours Study Activities Study Hours Briefly go through the course content and participate in initial discussion 3 Study the module 60 Attend 3 to 5 tutorial sessions 10 Online participation 12 Revision 15 Assignment(s), Test(s) and Examination(s) 20 Total Study Hours Accumulated 120 COURSE OUTCOMES By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1 Explain the uses of qualitative research in educational settings; 2 Discuss theoretical and historical underpinnings of qualitative research; 3 Use tools appropriate for collecting and analysing qualitative data; and 4 Integrate participantsÊ ideas, perspectives, understandings and ways of thinking in reporting the outcomes of qualitative research. COURSE SYNOPSIS This course is divided into 9 topics. The synopsis for each topic is presented below: Topic 1 explores research in education in light of the key concepts, theories and perspectives in understanding educational research. It also looks at the differences in qualitative and quantitative methods to help you make important decisions about your own research. Finally this topic gives you details on educational research perspectives, measurability, explaining phenomena and the research setting. Topic 2 discusses a number of critical characteristics of qualitative research. It focuses on the notion of approach in research, and how it applies to learning and teaching. Contemporary perspectives on data collection as well as types and forms of data are also explored. A variety of data analysis techniques derived from various research perspectives are also put forth for consideration.
- 3. COURSE GUIDE xi Topic 3 provides you an overview of various types of qualitative studies in education, especially in terms of the salient features differentiating types of qualitative studies. It also focuses on two main types of qualitative research studies, the basic qualitative study as well as ethnography. Topic 4 takes a close look at two other types of qualitative studies in educational research. The discussion centres on the principles of the case study and action research, with a view to help you choose a research method for your own research. This topic ends with a discussion on ethics to be observed whilst conducting qualitative research. Topic 5 introduces the concept of research design with a view to help you select key design features as you begin your own research. It highlights the importance of setting goals for your study and how you begin with this end in mind. The topic also describes informing concepts and emerging concepts in developing a conceptual framework and research questions for your own study. Topic 6 continues the discussion on design features by focusing on two other core features of research design. These are the selection of data collection and data analysis methods in qualitative research as well as issues involved in establishing validity in qualitative research. The topic ends with a description of key aspects involved in designing a study of your own. Topic 7 focuses on qualitative data collection, particularly on the selection of participants for your study and on how you may gather data in the form of field notes. In relation to these, the topic describes some critical considerations for recruiting and maintaining respondents in your study as well as for effectively writing field notes. Topic 8 continues the discussion on data collection by giving due consideration to two other techniques for gathering qualitative data, which are observation and interviews. Several important considerations for observation and for conducting interviews are described to help you apply these techniques in your own work. Topic 9 covers the process of data analysis as it applies to qualitative research designs. It begins with a description of how qualitative data can be prepared and organised for analysis. The topic includes features of coding and categorisation, and how these may be colligated to derive themes related to your findings. It also gives details of grounded theory, the constant comparative method and triangulation. Finally, features of data interpretation and data representation are described in terms of how you may employ them in your own work.
- 4. COURSE GUIDExii TEXT ARRANGEMENT GUIDE Before you go through this module, it is important that you note the text arrangement. Understanding the text arrangement will help you to organise your study of this course in a more objective and effective way. Generally, the text arrangement for each topic is as follows: Learning Outcomes: This section refers to what you should achieve after you have completely covered a topic. As you go through each topic, you should frequently refer to these learning outcomes. By doing this, you can continuously gauge your understanding of the topic. Self-Check: This component of the module is inserted at strategic locations throughout the module. It may be inserted after one sub-section or a few sub- sections. It usually comes in the form of a question. When you come across this component, try to reflect on what you have already learnt thus far. By attempting to answer the question, you should be able to gauge how well you have understood the sub-section(s). Most of the time, the answers to the questions can be found directly from the module itself. Activity: Like Self-Check, the Activity component is also placed at various locations or junctures throughout the module. This component may require you to solve questions, explore short case studies, or conduct an observation or research. It may even require you to evaluate a given scenario. When you come across an Activity, you should try to reflect on what you have gathered from the module and apply it to real situations. You should, at the same time, engage yourself in higher order thinking where you might be required to analyse, synthesise and evaluate instead of only having to recall and define. Summary: You will find this component at the end of each topic. This component helps you to recap the whole topic. By going through the summary, you should be able to gauge your knowledge retention level. Should you find points in the summary that you do not fully understand, it would be a good idea for you to revisit the details in the module. Key Terms: This component can be found at the end of each topic. You should go through this component to remind yourself of important terms or jargon used throughout the module. Should you find terms here that you are not able to explain, you should look for the terms in the module. References: The References section is where a list of relevant and useful textbooks, journals, articles, electronic contents or sources can be found. The list can appear in a few locations such as in the Course Guide (at the References
- 5. COURSE GUIDE xiii section), at the end of every topic or at the back of the module. You are encouraged to read or refer to the suggested sources to obtain the additional information needed and to enhance your overall understanding of the course. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE For this course prior knowledge of inquiry, observation and writing would be useful. ASSESSMENT METHOD Please refer to myVLE REFERENCES Anderson, G. L. (1989). Critical Ethnography in Education: Origins, Current Status, and New Directions. Review of educational research; 59(3) 249 - 270. Bogdan, R. C. & Biklen, S. K. (2003).Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (4th ed.). New York: Pearson. Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative Quantitative and Mixed Approaches. Sage. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage. Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. TAN SRI DR ABDULLAH SANUSI (TSDAS) DIGITAL LIBRARY The TSDAS Digital Library has a wide range of print and online resources for the use of its learners. This comprehensive digital library, which is accessible through the OUM portal, provides access to more than 30 online databases comprising e-journals, e-theses, e-books and more. Examples of databases available are EBSCO host, Pro Quest, Springer Link, Books24x7, Info Sci Books,
- 6. COURSE GUIDExiv Emerald Management Plus and Ebrary Electronic Books. As an OUM learner, you are encouraged to make full use of the resources available through this library.