This case study aims to shed light on the methodological aspects of using a qualitative survey as the main data collection instrument to study prospective teachers' meaning-making process while learning about research methods and conducting their own projects. Particular attention is paid to the design and administration challenges of the…

This case study focuses on issues and dilemmas I faced when collecting data on a social networking site that enabled sociability, communication, and collaboration among teachers. To understand teacher online participation, I used an eclectic mixed-methods design with three phases to collect qualitative and quantitative data. This design allowed me…

This case study is an introduction to the use of a document checklist as part of a qualitative research method of document review. Details are provided on the types of documents that can be utilized in a document review; the advantages and disadvantages of using document review as a research data collection method; description of how to design,…

All research accounts are partial. Who we are--our biographies, experiences, ideological stances, and so on--affects the entirety of the research process. Who we are shapes what types of research questions we find interesting, how we frame our research objectives, how we collect data, how we analyze these data, and how we present our findings. In…

The aim of this case study is to highlight the importance of piloting or pre-testing the research design (in this case, semi-structured interviews and narratives). Most textbooks offer minimal guidance about pre-testing the research design, and published reports rarely report whether the research was piloted and, if so, what were the results.…

This project was a qualitative longitudinal research study into cultural and structural change in an English secondary school. The schools' consistent underperformance led to its conversion to "academy" status as part of a development under the Labour administration of 1997-2010. The Labour policy for academization was designed, first,…

The case study presented here highlights a unique method of collecting data for phenomenological qualitative studies. Drawing from many scholars in qualitative research, Irving Seidman developed this method of in-depth interviewing with attributes of validity and reliability. It is a time-intensive method in which three interviews are conducted,…

The topic for my PhD project is assessment of music performance by social moderation in upper secondary school. My aim with the study is to develop knowledge of how teachers perceive and meet the challenges of performance assessment, with specific focus on the intersubjective teacher team. Research in the field of music performance assessment has…

Researchers regularly deal with ethical considerations when writing up their research. However, such considerations are rarely addressed in existing research ethics literature. Here, the focus tends to be on ethical considerations that arise in relation to research proposals and "protocols," that is, during the "process" of…

This case study examines the development of a general analytical inductive approach to qualitative research. It assesses the research design and analytical processes for developing a framework for understanding the development of collaborative partnerships between business schools and industry. I adopted an interpretivist approach which is about…

From 2011 to 2013, I accidentally studied US and Canadian teacher perceptions of standardized testing and its effects in the classroom. I had intended to study the role of equity issues in teacher practice; however, in conversation with teachers during initial semi-structured interviews in the United States, it became clear that understanding the…

How can attention to kinship enhance the qualitative study of public services, such as schooling and health promotion? This question underscores several qualitative studies in which the authors have been involved, each engaging what we call the 'family sample' method summarized here. Involving research in Europe, Africa, North and South Americas,…

This case study describes the creation process for a mixed methods study from 2009 to 2011, examining for the first time gender differences in how undergraduate students create videos for online platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. I conducted this research for my doctoral dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of…

Conducting international research presents unique possibilities for peril. Without understanding local context, culture, and norms, data-collection efforts may produce little usable data. This case study reports lessons learned about the importance of involving broad stakeholder groups in the design phase of a study. To inform the design of a…

This case study describes the research carried out in partial fulfilment of the degree of doctor of education. The study was qualitative in nature with a phenomenological interpretive paradigm. My primary objective is to share my experience of combining life story and grounded theory research. My main objectives for undertaking the research were…