A Students Experience in University Accommodation - Case Study Example

An Evaluation of the Student Experience of University Living Accommodation Part 1 The Quantitative Approach All studies begin with the design of selecting a subject matter and a methodology of research. Such fundamental decisions represent assumptions on how science should be conducted, what makes up solutions, criteria of proofs and legitimate problems. Various approaches for research include both theory and method. Among the approaches, two are widely recognised: the methods of quantitative and qualitative research (Mason, 1996). The aims of the paper is to determine the factors that make up a student’s overall experience in university accommodation, it seeks to know how students cope up with their personal, school and financial needs while staying in a university dormitory. Through the paper, the researcher seeks to prove that there is much difficulty and adjustment when living in a university dormitory as they pursue their studies. Quantitative research is an analysis into a problem identified, grounded on theory subject for test, wherein numeric information are measured and employing statistical techniques for analysis. The objective of quantitative methods in research is to be able to identify as the whether theory of predictive generalizations are true. In comparison, a study which is based on a process of qualitative research is an analysis which has the objective of grasping a holistic comprehension of a human or social problem produced by a multiplicity of perspectives. A research using qualitative research is conducted in a setting, naturally involving the process of forming a holistic and complex picture of the subject’s interests (Mason, 1996). The decision on selecting of which approach in research is adequate in conducting a particular study which should be grounded on the problem, skills and training, availability of resources, trainings and audience of the researchers (Mason, 1996). Even though there are researches which integrate both quantitative and qualitative approaches in their purest forms, there are underlying essential disparities in the assumptions and in the analysis employed. The assumptions underlying the method of qualitative research includes the reality of being objective, meaning reality is there to be objectively studied. The researcher is in distant and fundamentally independent with the subject of the research, the research is considered value-free, wherein values of the research do not interfere nor become part of the research (Crasswell, 1994). Basically, research using quantitative method is based on forms of deductive logic, which allows the researcher to explain, predict and have an understanding of various assumptions. In quantitative methods, there are three identified general types, which are experiments, quasi-experiments and surveys. Experiments are characterized to be true by assignments in random subjects to experimental cases and employing controls of experiment. Quasi-experiments on the on the other hand are studies which share the same features of the design in experiments except for the involvement of assignment of subjects to experimental conditions are non-randomized. The third is surveys, which includes both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies utilizing interviews or questionnaires in the collection of data with the goal of estimating the characteristics of a given population of interest base on a smaller sample coming from the subject population (Crasswell, 1994). This study will utilise the use of quantitative method and will use surveys in data collection, furthermore we will study the use of surveys in conducting research in general. Surveys correspond to one of the most universal types of social science, quantitative research. In a research using survey, the researcher chooses respondents which will be the group or sample from a population and runs a consistent questionnaire to them. The survey or questionnaire can be a document in written form that is accomplished by the person being surveyed, a questionnaire conducted on line, a personal interview, or an over the telephone interview. In utilizing surveys, it is probable to gather data from populations of large or small sizes. Various survey types are essentially composed of numerous techniques in research, developed by disciplines of several assortments. For example, interview started as an instrument principally for anthropologists and psychologists whereas sampling got its beginning in the agricultural economics field (Hyman, 1955). The data gathered from the respondent shall be analyzed, interpreted and evaluated. It shall then be associated with scholarly studies to be able to achieve the precise state of information needed for the completion of this research. Further, to be of benefit to future researches tackling related topic. In the analysis of the data collected, scaling method will be used to quantify the data. This is followed by coding which is used to show the frequency distribution of the descriptive data. A frequency is a numerical value which represents the total number of observations for a variable under study. A frequency distribution is an array of the frequencies arranged in size order in a table, chart, graph or other diagrammatic form. (Collis and Hussey, 2003). Part II The Qualitative Approach The research philosophy will be of qualitative nature. As Fay (1996) suggests “Qualitative researchers are characteristically concerned in their research with attempting to accurately describe, decode and interpret the precise meanings to persons of Phenomena occurring in their normal social contexts and are typically pre-occupied with complexity, authenticity, contextualization, shared subjectivity of researcher and researched and minimization of illusion”. The research will be based on the interpretative paradigm. According to Saunders et al. (2003) interpretive research is a broader term than qualitative research and it encompasses all other approaches based on participant observation such as ethnographic, qualitative, phenomenological, constructivist, and case studies. Second, interpretive research does not carry with it the false connotation of excluding the use of quantitative measures. The focus lies at the different constructions and meanings people place upon their own experiences and the reasons for those differences. According to Zikmund (2000) the anti-positivists paradigm is concerned with understanding social phenomena from participants’ own frame of reference, what Fay (1996) describes as interpretivism. The use of interpretative paradigm will enable the researcher to study the views of service employees in an interpretative manner in order to meet the set research objectives. Saunders et al. (2003) suggests that literature search, experience, survey and analysis of selected cases are particular productive tools in exploratory research. Since research paradigm requires the use of qualitative and quantitative techniques the design will incorporate the following techniques: 1 Secondary study 2 Primary study  Semi-structured interviews  Structured questionnaires The secondary study enables to acquire the information relevant to the current research as the unique features of customers, market distinguishing attributes and overall service encounter environment. The primary research will: 1 enable to explore and extend the gaps, highlighted by the secondary research ; 2 ensure the research objectives are accomplished The proposal considered alternative data collection tools such as unstructured and semi-structured questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews, focus groups and personal observations. The chosen interpretative paradigm makes the chosen semi-structured interviews to be more advantageous against unstructured and semi-structured questionnaires as it enables to make the observations which are not possible when using questionnaires. Additionally it will allow the researcher to clarify the questions in case of certain ambiguity. With regards to the use of focus groups, the proposal decided not to use it since it requires extensive expertise both in terms of conducting and interpreting skills. As for structured interviews, this method does not allow to get the better insight about the reason for particular response what is critical for better understanding of the nature of change impact on motivational constructs. To achieve this, descriptive research methodology will be employed. The object of descriptive research is “to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations” (Robson, 2002). As the aim of this research, both primary and secondary data will be collected. Primary data is the data collected specifically for the research project being undertaken whereas secondary data is the data used for a research project that were originally collected for some other purposes. Secondary data can be defined as the data that already exists and includes both raw data and published summaries. Therefore literature survey was conducted and the data collected from the libraries, journals and government web sites. In primary data collection, qualitative methods will be used. Qualitative methods are designed to identify the presence or absence of something or describing the amount of something in words. For the source of primary data, interviews will be conducted. An interview is a method of collecting data in which selected participants are asked questions in order to find out what they do, think or feel. In this study, semi-structured interview questions will be prepared and the list of questions pre-determined and but its order varied accordingly depending on the flow of conversation allowing for any extra questions to be asked (Saunders et al., 2003). In this research, secondary data is collected in the first stage to form the literature review and research background of this study. To achieve this, a number of articles, reports and books in management systems will be used. Secondary data will also be collected from the government and related organisations’ websites. Proposed Interview Questions: 1. How do the people living in your home feel about living away from you? 2. Describe any changes you may make to your daily routines as a result of living in a university dorm: 3. How would you like a student to remember his/her stay in the dorm? 4. What kinds of discipline do you think are most effective? 5. What kind of support do you expect from the education provider? 6. Are you confident that you can cope up with your needs, ex. Financial needs? 7. What sort of personality traits would an international student need to have to fit in to your family? 9. Do you have any particular concerns in living in a dormitory? 10. How many other international students live or will live in your home? Part III – Critical Evaluation As with any research project, determining the best methodology to gather data when conducting research is of paramount importance. Inevitably, any discussion of methodology involves a debate over the pros and cons of quantitative analysis versus qualitative analysis. Both types of analysis require data and facts and figures, which can be gathered either through primary sources or secondary sources. Since the nature of this study involves a broader analysis, therefore we’ll have to take the help of secondary sources in good measure, for gathering most of the information. Some of the primary sources will be the interviews and opinions that we seek to solicit from the people involved in aviation sectors, some users and service providers. It is of importance that both systematic observation and testing be recognised and such can be accomplished by means of various methods. Majority of the people perceived that scientific inquiry can only be done through experiments done in laboratories. On the other hand, it is not also desirable or possible to conduct a study of any subject or phenomena of interest using condition on controlled laboratories. The strengths of surveys as a type of quantitative method includes the inexpensiveness of this type, since most surveys are self-administered, surveys are also useful in describing a large populations and their characteristics, there are no proven method in observation which can offer such general capability. Surveys can be administered locally using mail, electronic mail or telephone conversations. Accordingly, large samples of surveys are feasible; therefore the results are statistically important even in the analysis of multiple variables. Surveys also offers flexibility in analysis since many questions can be asked about on a given topic. In the creation phase, there is also flexibility from the point of deciding how the administration of questions will go about. The standardised questions offer precision by means of uniform discussion of definition with the participants. Lastly, through surveys, high reliability is easy to obtain by means of presenting the topics with a stimulus standard and elimination of observer subjectivity. The setbacks of the survey method or its weaknesses includes the dependence of methodology on standardised forces the researcher to create questions which are general enough which is minimally apposite for all the participants. It may also show inflexibility, wherein it requires the basic design of the study to remain as is even the in the course of collecting data. It is also a factor to consider that coming from the selected sample, the researcher must ensure that a large number will give their responses. Another setback is that it may be difficult for the participants to have the information recalled or to have the truth told regarding a question of controversy. Also, in contrast with direct observation, the research conducted through survey infrequently deal with perspective. Research Activity Gantt chart Week No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Activity                     Review and Research of Documents                     Identification of Research Aims and Hypothesis                     Identification of Research Methodologies                     Choosing the Appropriate Research Methodology                     Identification of Subject (for Data Sampling)                     Conducting Interviews                     Conducting Surveys                     Data Analysis                     Data Interpretation                     Final Paper Construction                     Part IV – Reflective Log An interview essentially is a structured social interaction happening between a researcher and a subject that has been evaluated to contain vital information relevant to the research. The objective is to obtain quantifiable and analogous information that would prove or disprove the study being hypothesised. With this, the researcher aims to gather information that cannot be acquired from the interviewees by means of focus group discussions. In addition, the study aims to confirm and validate the results of the focus group discussion by utilising the interview qualitative research tool. Essentially, in any study it is important and highly critical to validate the results of a particular research tool by using another research tool to confirm the results of the first research tool used for the study. In order to effectively evaluate the research hypothesis and meet the objectives of the study, this study will employ two qualitative research methods – the focus group discussion and interview method of research. Qualitative research in itself makes for an in-depth evaluation and analysis of human dynamics and the kind of reasons that motivate such behaviour and the reasons that revolve around such behaviour to spur out in the first place. As compared to quantitative research, the qualitative method of analysis relies on the fundamental reasons behind the reactions of people when external factors are applied to a given situation. Simply put, it investigates the whys and hows of decision making, relative to what is being identified by the quantitative method of analysis - what, where, and when. For this reason, qualitative research only requires a relatively small group as compared to the relatively large yet most of if not all of the time are random samples. Qualitative research also identifies and sorts data into relevant and helpful patterns as the foundation for organisation and the basis for reporting the kind of results for data. References Creswell, J.W, 1994. Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Collis, J. and Hussey, R, 2003. Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students (2nd Ed.), New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 15-18,40. Fay, B., 1996. Contemporary philosophy of social science: a multicultural approach. Oxford: Blackwell Hyman, H. H., 1955. Survey design and analysis: Principles, cases, and procedures. Glencoe, IL: Free Press. Mason, J., 1996. Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2003. Research Methods for Business Students (3rd Ed.) Harrow, England: FT Prentice Hall. Robson, C. 1993, Real World Research: a Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioners- Researchers. Zikmund, W. G. 2000, Business research methods, 6th edn., Fort Worth: Dryden Appendix: Survey Questionnaire Evaluation of the Student Experience of University Living Accommodation (Survey Questionnaire) Your gender: Female 􀁆 Male 􀁆 Your date of birth: _________ day, _______month, _________year. Type of accommodation during a school semester: Single rental accommodation 􀁆 Shared rental accommodation 􀁆 Accommodation owned by your parents / partner / housemate 􀁆 Accommodation you own 􀁆 A residential college or hall 􀁆 Informal living arrangements (no fixed address) 􀁆 Or, another situation? _________________________________ Never Very often How often have you relied on cash assistance (from parent, partner, etc) which you do not have to repay? 1 2 3 4 5 How often do you receive irregular assistance from others, such as having bills paid on your behalf? 1 2 3 4 5 How often do you receive the following non-cash assistance: Meals provided 1 2 3 4 5 Free accommodation 1 2 3 4 5 Use of telephone 1 2 3 4 5 Use of a computer/printer 1 2 3 4 5 Clothing 1 2 3 4 5 Use of motor vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 Childcare 1 2 3 4 5 Loan or gift of textbooks 1 2 3 4 5 Other If you relied on any of the kinds of support above, Minor Major from whom did/do you receive the assistance? (Check all applicable): Source Source Parents 􀁆 􀁆 Relatives 􀁆 􀁆 Friends 􀁆 􀁆 Partner/spouse 􀁆 􀁆 Employer 􀁆 􀁆 Child (inc. alimony) 􀁆 􀁆 University 􀁆 􀁆 Student organisation 􀁆 􀁆 Other 􀁆 􀁆 How difficult is it for you to afford the following: Not difficult at all Very difficult Textbooks 1 2 3 4 5 Stationery, materials, equipment, field trips, Readers, journals, photocopying, required clothing etc 1 2 3 4 5 Personal computer/laptop purchase or hire 1 2 3 4 5 Other computer related costs e.g. software, Internet access 1 2 3 4 5 Other university costs e.g. late enrolment fees, 1 2 3 4 5 library fines etc Union/Guild/Sports Union fees 1 2 3 4 5 Other study related items 1 2 3 4 5 Please add any comments you feel are important with regard to your overall situation as a student including improvements/changes you would like to see made by universities, student organisations, and governments. Read More