Research Methods in Psychology - Coursework Example

Running Heading: Research Methods in Psychology Research Methods in Psychology SUMMARY OF DISSERTATION The dissertation in question dwells on student disabilities and examines the student participation in high school. The study also takes into consideration the instructor perception regarding the academic performance and intellectual disabilities of students. The dissertation has used mainly the case study method in the research, while content analysis and grounded theory are also partially used. Research Problem The main research problem that the study aims to examine is the intellectual disabilities of students and the way it effects student participation in high school. The aim of the study is to understand the nature of student’s involvement and participation in cases where students have significant intellectual disabilities. How Many Subjects Were Used? The subjects used in the research were 5 students. These students belonged to high school and all had significant intellectual disabilities. The study was conducted in a case study manner and this is why only five subjects were used in the study. How Were the Subjects Interviewed? The subjects were not interviewed, but were observed during the study. The researcher interviewed people who were related to the subject for example parents, teachers, and assistant teachers. These people were interviewed but not the main five subjects. What Were the Relationships Between Those Who Were Interviewed? The people who were interviewed were all related to the five students, who were the main subjects of the study. These included parents, teachers, and assistant teachers who all had interaction with the students. What Questions Were Asked? Questions asked from the parents of students were about the schooling history of students, strength of the students, difficulties students face, student likeness of high school, the nature of student learning, goals and dream of students, and behavior of students in school. These questions were also asked from teachers of the students. What Other Sources of Information Were Used? Observation was the main source of information used in this study. Other important sources of information included official records and documents. Tools to Collect Data The main tools used to collect data were personal observation and interviews. The researcher took notes while observing the students and used interviews to collect data from parents, teachers, and assistant instructors. Tools Used to Organize, Code, and Analyze the Collected Data The researcher used tools like constant comparative method of analysis to analyze and organize the data. For coding the data, the researcher used QSR Nudist, a computer database program. Author’s Biases and Strategies Used to Avoid Them Assumptions and personal expectations and values were the biggest source of author’s bias in the study. The author was always in communication with mentors and self reflection to keep on track and avoid biases in the study. The author was aware of his biases and this is extremely important when conducting any research. When to Leave the Field When the researcher felt that he was not getting new information from observation, he knew that it was time to leave the field. The process of leaving the field was very slow and it started when the researcher thought that observation was not giving new information for the research. What Type of Qualitative Study is Presented? The presented qualitative e study is basically a case study. The author has used other methods as well like content analysis and grounded theory but mainly this study is a case study where five students were studied in detail. DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUALIATITVE STUDY There are five different types of qualitative study which include Case Study, Ethnography, Phenomenological, Grounded Theory, and Content analysis. Case Study Case study is a well known type of qualitative analysis where researcher focuses on a small number of subjects or participants in order to study them in great detail. Case studies are usually done to understand a specific problem in detail. The aim of case studies is not to come up with results that can be generalized rather it aims to understand one or a few specific subjects with great detail. Case studies are generally conducted for in depth analysis of the subjects. Another purpose of case study method is to understand any issue or problem that is of a unique nature (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). A person having a very rare disease will be a perfect subject for a case study. Ethnography Ethnography is the in depth study of a group that shares similar characteristics. In an ethnography as researcher aims to understand the dynamics of a single group of individuals. Ethnography is popular in the field of anthropology where researchers use ethnography to study tribes and cultures. Ethnography is conducted with the purpose of understanding group dynamics. The applications of this particular type of study are in the field of sociology, anthropology, and psychology (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). A researcher studying a native African tribe will use ethnography to understand the dynamics of that tribe. Phenomenological Study A phenomenological study is the study in which experiences of a person regarding certain event are studied. In this type of qualitative study researchers try to understand the individual realties about any event (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). They aim to study the event with the lens of the individual and try to understand how people feel about event. Phenomenological study is used to study personal experience. Researcher trying to understand how a sudden death impacts a single parent family will use phenomenological study. Grounded Theory This type of qualitative study involves collecting data and then developing a theory out of that data. In a Grounded Theory study researchers are more interested in collecting data than developing theoretical frameworks from existing literature. The collected data becomes the ground for a theoretical framework. This type of study is used in areas where enough theory is not available. A researcher who is interested in finding out how religious fundamentalism and empathy are related will use Grounded Theory. Content Analysis Content analysis is also a well known method of qualitative research where communication with the subjects is studied in great detail to identify any particular pattern. Content of the communication is analyzed in great detail to understand a particular issue in this type of research. In a content analysis anything can be analyzed from emails and letters to interviews and speeches. Content analysis might be used to study a historical speech. Through this research it will be clear what the person giving the speech was trying to communicate, and will help indentify hidden patterns in the speech. References Leedy, P. , & Ormond, J. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design. 9th Edition. London: Pearson Education Inc. Read More