Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Educational Technology (PB)

Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-1-930608-54-2
Verlag: Information Age Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 380 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 576 g

Reihe: Research Methods for Educational Technology

Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Educational Technology was written for students and scholars interested in exploring the many qualitative methods developed over the last 50 years in the social sciences. The book does not stop, however, at the boundaries of the social sciences. Social scientists now consume and use research methods from many fields. The rich resources of research methods and theories from both the humanities and philosophy are also covered in this book. It explains why postpositivist quantitative research should not be ""the only game in town"" and provides solid theoretical foundations, beginning with the positions of Plato and Aristotle, for broadening our horizons about what warrants our attention. Using Aristotle's concept of phronesis the author shows why methods such as narrative research and storytelling, hermeneutic inquiry, literary theory, philosophical inquiry, and much more have important applications in education and educational technology.On those foundations, the author also builds a framework for doing many types of research -- from participatory action research to content analysis, to postmodern case studies, to empowerment research and philosophical inquiry. He accomplishes this through a combination of original text, summaries of exemplary research in education and educational technology, and suggested readings that are annotated and introduced at the end of each chapter. Many of these readings are available online and they extend the discussion of research methods or serve as exemplars of a particular type of educational technology research. There are open ended and conceptual questions for each reading, and developing your own answers to them is one way you can extend your depth of understanding about qualitative research methods in education and educational technology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Willis, Jerry

Inhaltsverzeichnis

The book is divided into four sections. Section 1: Foundations. Chapters cover the history and current status of positivism, post positivism, interpretivism, and critical theory. The emphasis is on these four paradigms or world views as philosophies of science that guide instructional technology researchers. Chapters in Section 2: Pathways to Understanding. Introduce basic qualitative methodology and explore a number of basic methods including ethnography, field observation, and case studies, as well as interviewing, and historical research. The final chapter in this section introduces participatory research methods including action research and emancipatory methods. Section 3: Data Collection and Analysis. The first chapter covers general guidelines for analyzing qualitative data as well as a discussion of ""loose"" and ""structured"" analysis procedures. Chapters in this section also introduce computerbased methods of collecting and analyzing and evaluate the more popular software packages. Section 4: The Dissemination of Results. Chapters include writing traditional research papers and creating alternative formats for dissemination such as plays and multimedia presentations.