Naturalistic Inquiry in E-Learning - Case Study Example

The comments from the respondents were applied to the conclusions of the empirical study. In this type of research, there exists the potential for the respondents to taint the findings of the empirical study with bias. In this paradigm, it is impossible to distinguish the causes and the outcomes. There was no independent variable and no dependent variable identified in this empirical study.

Internal, External Validity, Replication, and Researcher Bias
The largest contributor to the potential presence of researcher bias is the statement of the researcher in the article. The researchers discussed how the first quality standard of the researcher’s rationale there is congruence between the problem which is being studied and the context of the study. The first quality standard of the empirical study must be able to provide significant outcomes which can be compared to a previous study. The researchers declared that their rationale for the research plan was to be able to manifest significant outcomes and how the research study demonstrated its sustainability. In this aspect the potential for researcher bias is significant. The researcher is anticipating certain outcomes before initiating the research study and reaching a conclusion.
The second standard of an empirical study is to be able to show rigor. The assessments of rigor for the normal empirical inquiry ensure internal and external validity. These aspects of internal and external validity are founded upon the methodological perception of scientific realism. The author states that this empirical study is exempt as it is a naturalistic questioning model. This has been delineated as a qualitative study. However, a qualitative instrument such as a Likert scale was not used for assessment.

Agostinho denotes that confidence in external and internal validity was established by the application of the seven operational implements which were delineated in the article. Notwithstanding, these checks do not ensure the capacity for replication of the empirical study. In the manner in which the experiment was conducted, replication of similar conditions would be almost impossible to perform. This is an integral part of the empirical process, the ability to replicate the empirical study and manipulate the dependent and independent variables.
A study can be deemed to be of internally valid aspect if there is no confusion between the dependent and independent variables. In this study, the independent and dependent variables are not defined.
There are inherent factors that are mentioned in the eight-step verification which are not fulfilled in this empirical study. The history of the researcher as an e-learner and a teacher respondent has a significant influence on the outcomes of the empirical study. There are also other factors which included the maturity of the empirical process. This maturity process may cause the respondents to experience fatigue; hunger and boredom which would significantly contribute to the outcome of this empirical study (Barlow & Hersen, 1984)

When the dependent variables are assessed, there exist changes that are manifested by the nature of measurement. In an empirical study, non-reactive assessments should be applied. These may be recording equipment or simply not disclosing to the respondents that they were being participants in a research studying the Hawthorne study, it was demonstrated that individual behavioral manifestations may be changed due to the premise that the respondents become aware of the fact that they are participating to an empirical study and that they may be able to exercise individual influence over the outcomes (Anderson et al., 1999).

Conclusion
In the study which was conducted by Agostinho, nonreactive assessments should have been applied. The participants should not be aware that they are being analyzed for research. This could have been accomplished using conducting the study with a hidden video reproduction device, audio reproduction equipment, or simply not disclosing to the respondent that they were participating in a research study. Read More