A Pragmatic View of Thematic Analysis - Essay Example

Research Design proposal al Affiliation Research Design Introduction The previous chapters have detailed the background of the study with a literature review of the problem of the study. The main aim of this chapter will be to give an overview of the proposed methodological approaches that the researcher shall use in the process of data collection and analysis in order to determine theories and explanations with the view to achieve the fundamental objective of the study. The design also will help answer the main research questions of this study (Aronson, 1994). The first section of this chapter is dedicated to giving an insight into the main philosophical approaches and perspectives of the research. Subsequent sections concern themselves with the research type(s) and the methods of data collection that are to be used by the researcher in the process of gathering and analysis of data collected. The main purpose of the research is to assess the current strategies used in the process of counterterrorism and analyse their effectiveness in the view of the underlying challenges posed by terrorism and related insurgency attacks. The immediate study will use the widely known September 11 attacks as a case in study. The participants will be drawn from the department of Homeland Defence who are the prospective respondents. The problem before hand which the research seeks to address is to give an exclusive evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of the commonly implemented counter-terrorist strategies and determine their degree of effectiveness, thereby identifying which of these strategies could have helped prevent the September 11 attacks. Once examined, this research shall then determine the most common elements present amongst the most effective or successful counter-terrorist strategies. Informed by the problem and objective of the research study, the method that appropriately suits this research is qualitative. Qualitative research lends its self to studying a phenomenon in its natural setting to gain a clear understanding and meaning through perceptions, opinions of individuals (McMillan, 1996) and (Glatthorn & and Randy, 2005). Discussion of Design and Approach The research study has devoted its efforts in evaluating and assessing the effectiveness of the strategies used in the fight against the acts of terror as experienced in the contemporary world today. The assessment of these strategies will is to assist formulate explanations as to which strategies would have been applied in the case of the September attacks in order to minimize or fully inhibit the effects of attacks mooted against the US. To facilitate this process, study has designed research questions that will help in achieving the aim of the study. In the following section, the study details how each of the questions will be approached and answered in the long run. Question One: “Are the elements of the strategies addressing the challenges of terrorism attacks?” To help answer this question, the researcher will formulate statements usually in form of questions to collect responses from the prospective respondents or participants pertinent to this study. These statements will range from both general to gain the confidence of the participants and give an impetus to the overall image of the security systems of Homeland Security Department (HSD). The general statements are shall be majorly open-end to give a general insight of the strategies used and security program as it is practiced. They will also help understand how the participants viewed the program in the context of success and or failure. Question Two: “Does the strategies used address the social and humanitarian problems?” In answering this question, the researcher through the help of research interview, will design statements that will be more specific to enable explanation of the effects of the current strategies on the social aspects of people both in the U.S. and outside where terrorism is perceived to originate. The statements will thus be probing in nature to help the researcher build theories and explanations on the efficiency of the approaches used in the fight against terrorism and related attacks of insurgent groups. Plan of Action The research design is such fundamental phase of any given study since it gives the study a basis of explanation of underlying issues of the research as they are on the ground (Rea & Parker, 1997). Relying on this significance, a well planned schedule of how its execution will be approached becomes critical. The following subsection explains the fundamental elements of the research and how they will be executed with the aim of determining the outcome relevant to achieving the objective of the study. Research perspective A research perspective refers to the view and usage of research approaches and methods to aid in answering the underlying research questions (Glatthorn & and Randy, 2005). The approaches may be used single-handedly or in combination depending on the circumstances under which the research study finds it’s self. In Morgan (1997), a research study may employ both quantitative and qualitative approaches where either of them may be primary while the other being secondary. This research will make use of the pragmatic-realism as a philosophical perspective in trying to assess the contemporary happenings in the wake of security challenges as posed by terrorism. The choice of this approach is keenly informed by the fact that terrorism is a real issue that the world continues to grapple with hence delineating the concept from an idealistic view. Similarly, the approaches that have been lent towards the struggle to neutralize the possible effects of terrorism are purely practical or empirical in nature hence, their study calls for a more pragmatic analysis. The Context and period of Research Study The study will utilize the Homeland security department and counterterrorism agency services and departments both within and without the state. This will ensure a clear understanding of the strategies and mechanisms that have been used in the past both locally and internationally by our Homeland security department. The study is intended to take place within a period of two months staring the early month of September 2011. The choice of the time of commencement is to allow preliminary arrangements relevant to the study. The preliminary access to fundamental data and interviewees (participants) has been sought. This has been one of the major milestones of the research since it was much procedural and seemed difficult on the way. Participants in the Study The numbers of participants proposed for interview are 20 security personnel in the Homeland Security Department. This will encompass both high ranking and low-ranking security personnel as proposed by this study. The choice to have a mixed group of interviewees is to have a randomized approach that will give the research a more comprehensive view of the perceptions and attitudes that shall serve as a representative picture of the entire security department. This enables the research to avoid the skewness that is left vulnerable to most studies. Research method to be used in the study From the overview of the previous sections, the research study has established that the best approach shall be a qualitative research due to the need to examine the study topic from within its natural niche. The method that will serve as the primary methodology of collecting data will be semi-structured interviews. To facilitate this process, the interviews will be conducted through two different ways. The first method will be done through telephoning. These methods of interview draw from the busy schedules and excessive time that may be spend accessing some of the personnel in the security departments. To save the research valuable time, telephone interview will be the most practicable and efficient mode of administering the interview with an intent to collect primary data to the study. The semi-structured interviews will focus on individuals who are concerned with homeland security and defence, such as those who have played a role in planning, developing, and implementing counterterrorism strategies. The form of collecting secondary data will be from online libraries and the Homeland department of security. This will be from published and unpublished periodicals, journals, books, being literature that lends their content to supporting the study. Organization and Analysis of Data The phase of data analysis cannot be under mentioned. This is because data collected without an analysis cannot be used to make statistical inferences aimed at answering the main research question(s) (Aronson, 1994).  In this study, data collected from the interviews shall be sorted in numerous ways to create meaning to the topic of study. First, data gathered will be grouped into groups homogenous in respect of trend. Upon homogenously grouping these sets of responses, the resultant groups will be harmonized in order to arrive at a more concrete set of data from which a meaningful analysis can be possible. Data will then be analysed using both descriptive and analytic methods. Statistical software (MS Excel or SPSS) will be used in the analysis of data to offer a means to explain the findings. Thematic analysis is proposed under the analysis of data drawn from interviews (Aronson, 1994). This approach examines trends, patterns as shown by individuals within their setting. The averages of the statement scores will be subjected to modes of measure: arithmetic mean and percentages of distribution frequencies. The arithmetic mean is intended to show the degree of agreement with each of the statements given (Blaxter et al., 1996). This set of information was then contrasted with the percentage of frequency distribution in order to establish a curve that would show congruence, or absence of, in a particular result of a statement response. References Blaxter, L., Huges, C., & Tight, M. (1996). How to research.  New York: Open Press University. Glatthorn, A & Randy, L. J. (2005). Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation, (2nd ed.).Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Aronson, J. (1994).  A pragmatic view of thematic analysis.  The Qualitative Report, 2, 1-10. Read More