January 2014 Professor Karin Sporre

Overview: Research designs The FU course: Stages in the research process, II A few words on designs Diversity, Democratization and Difference As ”timely” or topical issues As ”educational” issues

Overall Aim of Stages in the research process: “ The course is concerned with the promotion of participants’ research process from the initial formulation of the research problem to the final thesis. The main focus of the course is the development of the participants’ skills in problem seeking, problem definition and delimiting research. The aim is to encourage a contextual and reflexive understanding of the parts of the research process through assignments in research design, academic writing, collection of empirical data, presentation of results, analysis and interpretation. The aim includes encouraging a critical stance to the different parts of the research process, irrespective of the final format of the thesis.”

Specific aim, part II: “The second part offers the participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of research design in relation to theoretical frames and methodological considerations.”

Research designs: Quantitative Qualitative Mixed Methods John W. Creswell (2009): Research design. Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches.

Definitions of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Quantitative Research A type of educational research in which the researcher decides what to study; asks specific, narrow questions; collects quantifiable data from participants; analyzes these numbers using statistics; and conducts the inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner. Qualitative Research A type of educational research in which the researcher relies on the views of participants; asks broad, general questions; collects data consisting largely of words (or text) from participants; describes and analyzes these words for themes; and conducts the inquiry in a subjective, biased manner. John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition 2.6

Relating Research Designs to Quantitative and Qualitative Research and Steps in the Research Process John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition2.7 Steps in the Research Process Analyze and Interpret Data Report and Evaluate Collect Data Specify a Purpose Review the Literature Identify a Problem Research Designs Two Approaches Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative

Diversity, Democratization and Difference - ”timely” or topical … Diversity – Yaonde, Camerun, 1994 Democratization – Demokratiutredningen 2000 Difference – Feminist theory of the 1980s & 1990s

Diversity, Democratization and Difference – as ”educational” issues: The wide field of education: Where to study: National systems; schools/other institutions; class-rooms/other ”rooms”; … What to study: Policy texts, class-room practices (teaching & learning), leadership, educational materials, people’s experiences, newspapers/media, values … What kind of studies: Historic, ethnographic, psychological, (subject) didactical, linguistic, hermeneutic, policy, discourse … How to study: Quantitative, Qualitative, & Mixed Methods

… & education Diversity, Yaonde, Camerun, 1994; Political, (global) changes like migrations; identity politics Democratization ; E.g.Demokratiutredningen 2000 vs. South African constitutional work Political, ideological changes within a country Difference ; Feminist theory, 1980s & 1990s Shifting theoretical trends in the academy.

The critical task of designing an educational study: In a contemporary political, global & national setting Where contemporary academic theoretical and methodological trends form presuppositions or challenges Where a method needs to be found that adequately addresses the problem you have found to be interesting – given your background, interest as a resource (or your supervisor’s when in a specific project)

Welcome to this week, by Umeå School of Education!