Edci 616 Department of Curriculum and Instruction Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Education Spring 2009

BRNG 4146

496-2863

ndolby@purdue.edu

Office Hours: Wednesdays 3:30-5

Classroom: BRNG 1238

Wednesday 5:30-8:20
Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in the qualitative research tradition, particularly as used in education. The course addresses the role of qualitative inquiry within educational research; multiple paradigms in qualitative inquiry; the role and identity of the researcher; the politics of representation and interpretation; validity; writing in qualitative inquiry; and ethics.

This course has both conceptual and practical goals. On a conceptual level, after completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. 
   describe, analyze and evaluate the theoretical tenets of qualitative inquiry
   
2. 
   describe, analyze, and comparatively evaluate competing paradigms of qualitative research
   
3. 
   describe, analyze, and evaluate the role of the researcher’s identity in qualitative inquiry
   
4. 
   describe, analyze, and evaluate the issues of representation, interpretation, and validity in qualitative inquiry
   
5. 
   describe, analyze, and evaluate the role of writing in qualitative inquiry
   
6. 
   understand the ethical and personal issues and concerns involved in qualitative inquiry
   

1. 
   understand, explain, and defend his/her research paradigm and its relationship to “science”
   
2. 
   understand, explain, and defend his/her understanding of the role of the researcher
   
3. 
   collect, analyze, and interpret qualitative data
   
4. 
   formulate a research question; locate it within a particular paradigm; identify the applicable tradition of inquiry; identify methods for data collection; collect and analyze data, and complete a final paper based on the research.
   
5. 
   Understand the different approaches to writing and representing data in the qualitative tradition, and be able to articulate her/his approach
   
6. 
   Understand and apply appropriate ethical standards to the completion of the research.
   

Students are expected to complete the following:

1. 
   Do the readings
   
2. 
   Participate regularly and actively in class
   
3. 
   Complete all assignments
   

Course pack for EDCI 616 (available at Copymat, Chauncey Hill Mall)

You are required to attend each class and complete all assignments by the due date. One excused absence is allowed. If you anticipate being absent more than once, you should enroll in this course another semester. It is important for graduate students to attend and present at conferences, but not at the expense of foundational courses. This class is dependent on class participation, and you must be here regularly to benefit intellectually, and to fulfill course requirements.

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  Please turn off cell phones before entering the class (unless you are a parent, or have other family obligations—in this case, please put the cell phone on vibrate and take calls outside of the class)
  
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  Late papers will only be accepted with prior approval, and will lose three points for every day the paper is late. No extensions will be granted on the final paper.
  
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  Students are expected to arrive on-time for every class. Chronic lateness will result in the loss of points from the participation grade. If work, family, or other obligations interfere with your ability to be in class on-time, then you should enroll in this course another semester.
  
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  To minimize disruption to others and to class, please eat only during the breaks. If class members are interested, we will set up a food/snack rotation during the first class.
  
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  It is an expectation of this class that you participate fully and respectfully at all times. If you have not done the reading for class, it is NOT appropriate to try to skim and catch up during a presentation, a video, or during discussion. It is not appropriate to read the newspaper during class, to do your own grading or work, or to otherwise engage in activities that are distracting and disrespectful. It is expected that you will give your full attention to the class activity and your colleagues.
  

Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [Part 5, Section III-B-2-a, University Regulations] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]. The instructor of this course expects and will enforce a strict policy of academic honestly. Students who engage in plagiarism (from books, articles, the Internet, other students, etc.) or other forms of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade in this course for the first incident.

Students with Disabilities: Before the provision of classroom accommodations, students with disabilities must be registered with Adaptive Programs in the Office of the Dean of Students. Any student that is in need of special accommodations due to a disability should contact the Office of the Dean of Students, Adaptive Programs at (765) 494-1247.

Campus Emergency Policy

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  Reading schedule will be adjusted as necessary to accommodate guest speakers and other syllabus changes. Thus, the schedule listed below is flexible
  
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  Additional videos will be inserted as appropriate, and the syllabus changed as needed
  
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  Assignments and due dates may be adjusted to fit the interests and needs of students, as appropriate
  

Many of you will have research projects for this class which involve the participation of human subjects. If you are only completing this project for this class, you do not need to complete the Purdue IRB process. However, if you are planning to use this data in any other way (presentation at a conference—even a Purdue conference; basis of a paper for possible publication, etc) then you must complete the IRB certification process and have the protocol approved. Plan accordingly. Remember that some sites (other universities, schools, etc.) may have their own internal IRB process which must also be completed before research can begin.

Syllabus

January 14 No class

Guba and Lincoln; Ward and McCotter; Lewis and Fabos; Bergerson

(cp)

Posting #1 due

Read: Feuer, Towne, and Schavelson; Erickson and Gutierrez; Seltzer-Kelly; Demerath (cp) (additional essays on

Blackboard site)

Posting #2 due

February 11 Positioning Myself as a Researcher: Identity and Research

Read: Hermes, Villenas; Dolby, Ladson-Billings; Alsup Posting #3 due

Research Group Meetings
February 18 The Politics of Representation and Interpretation

Reading: Kirsch, Lather and Smithies, Newton, Gottlieb and Graham; Eisner (cp)

Posting #4 due

“The Eye” exercise: bring a digital camera to class (we’ll discuss this).

Readings: Prior; Crabtree and Miller , Weston et. al (cp)

Posting #5 due

Mid-term essay due

Research Group Meetings
March 4 Validity in Qualitative Inquiry

Readings: Merriam, Maxwell, Cho and Trent; Fine, Weis et al. (cp)

Posting #6 due
March 11 Research journal: Class Discussion of Progress thus far

Hatch readings TBD

Posting #7 due

March 18 No class: spring break

Readings: Speed Bumps

Posting #8 due

Research journal #! due to me, and copies distributed to members of your

working group or the class
April 1 Working class session: analysis of data
April 8 Working class session: analysis of data
April 15 Working class session: analysis of data
April 22 Ethics in Qualitative Inquiry

Readings: My Freshman Year

Posting #9 due
April 29 Final meeting: presentations

Research Journal #2 due

Assignment Guidelines

Desirable:

18-20= Frequent participation with outstanding comments, ideas, and questions that promote discussion and interactions. Student is well integrated into class discussion, and engaged on an ongoing basis in the conversation. Student is well prepared, and clearly has done the assigned readings.

Acceptable:

14-17 = Regular participation with relevant comments, ideas, and questions that pertain to class topics. Student is somewhat integrated in class discussion, though participates less frequently, and/or shows signs of occasionally not completing the assigned readings.

Unacceptable:

10-13 = Occasional participation with comments usually relevant to class discussion. Student is not well integrated into class discussion, and shows signs of not having done the reading.

8= Irregular (5-8x all semester) participation with relevant comments.

5 = Regular attendance, no participation.

3= Spotty attendance, no participation.

(15 points)

This course uses a Blackboard site. Before the second class, you are to log-on to this site, using the computer that you would normally use. You must do this to check for browser compatibility, and to address any problems early in the semester. The hotline number for assistance is 4-4400.

Ensure that you can access the homepage for this course, and post your first response by Tuesday January 27 at 8 p.m. If you are experiencing serious technical difficulties, please send me your response via e-mail attachment (by 8 p.m.) with a note explaining the difficulty. You are expected to have all technical problems sorted out before the third class meeting, and to post to the discussion forum on a weekly basis.

Postings are due every week, on-time, whether or not you are in class that week and wherever you may be in the world. You are allowed ONE “skip” weeks—thus of nine possible postings, you are required to do eight. Points will be deducted from your final grade if you miss more than one posting during the semester. Please be aware that on your “skip” week you are still required to read the postings before class. And remember that you are “skipping” the posting, not the readings. If it is evident during your “skip” week that you have not actually done the reading, points will be deducted from your Blackboard grade.

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  Access
  
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  Action research
  
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  case study
  
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  ethnography
  
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  interview
  
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  method
  
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  methodology
  
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  naturalistic observation
  
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  phenomenology
  
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  postmodernism
  
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  poststructuralism
  
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  reflexivity
  
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  symbolic interactionism
  
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  textuality
  
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  crisis of representation
  
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  fieldnotes
  
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  standpoint epistemology
  
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  thick description
  

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  Based on the readings and class discussion thus far this semester, write a short (approximately 5 page) memo to the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education in which you discuss the “scientific” criteria which should be used to evaluate Ph.D candidates’ dissertations. Make sure you discuss what you think “science” is, who should decide “what is science” and how the “what is science” conversation interacts with the multiple paradigms in qualitative inquiry
  

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  Write a critical analysis of one full-length (book) recent (last five years) qualitative research study. It is strongly suggested that you let me know which book you would like to do early in the semester, so we can discuss whether or not it will be appropriate for the assignment. Older books (particularly “classics”) are also welcome, with my prior permission. Your review should focus on the methodological issues but also include content discussion as appropriate. Your review should include discussion, critique, and assessment of the author’s theoretical framework, methodology, positionality, etc., as much as possible based on your knowledge from 615 and our work thus far this semester. (approximately 5 pages). Please note that if you chose this option for the midterm, you must choose another option for the final paper.
  

1-2 observations (do a set of fieldnotes and reflections on those fieldnotes)

1-2 interviews (20-30 minutes suggested maximum, transcribed)

1-2 documents

Write a draft of the methodology section of your dissertation proposal or your dissertation. For purposes of this assignment, the paper should be a minimum of 12-15 pages, though you may need to either cut (proposal) or expand (dissertation) later on. The objective of this assignment is for you to think about what a methodology section might look like and to be able to apply what you have learned in this class

If you have collected meaningful and substantial data through the semester (or earlier), you can write a final paper in which you begin to bring some analysis and/or interpretation to that data. The paper should include the standard elements 1.) an introduction 2.) a discussion of the applicable literature and how your research question extends/deepens/engages this literature; 3.) a review of your paradigm, tradition, and research methods; 4.) a discussion and analysis of the data ; 5.) a discussion of validity and relevant personal/ethical issues; 6.) a conclusion which points towards future research possibilities. Please note that if you have already written a paper using this data, then you can only write another paper for purposes of this class with my permission and after discussion. That said, if you do have a draft of a paper which is headed towards publication, then I would certainly encourage you to use this assignment for those purposes (though you will end up writing a longer paper, most likely). However, you MUST discuss this with me first. For purposes of this assignment, the paper should be 12-15 pages. Other formats/representations/approaches are of course possible---talk to me before starting out.

Write an essay in which you reflect on the ethics and politics of qualitative research. Specifically identity 3-5 issues from the readings, class discussions, and your own fieldwork to reflect on how you as a qualitative researcher will approach these issues in your own research and writing. (12-15 pages).

Write a comparative critical analysis of 2-3 full-length (book) recent (last five years) qualitative research study. It is strongly suggested that you let me know which books you would like to do early in the semester, so we can discuss whether or not they will be appropriate for the assignment. Older books (particularly “classics”) are also welcome, with my prior permission. Your review should focus on the methodological issues, but also include content discussion as appropriate and NECESSARY for a reader to follow your discussion. Your review should include discussion, critique, and assessment of the author’s theoretical framework, methodology, positionality, issues of interpretation, validity, ethics, politics, etc-- as much as possible based on your knowledge from 615 and this semester. Please note that if you chose this option for the final, you must choose another option for the midterm (12-15 pages).

Grading:

A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
94-100	90-93	87-89	84-86	80-83	77-79	74-76	70-73	67-69	64-66	60-63	0-59

Guidelines for ALL submitted written work

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  Typed
  

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  Double spaced
  

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  12 pt. font
  

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  ¾ in to 1 inch margins
  

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  pages numbered
  

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  stapled in upper left hand corner
  

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  name on first page of paper-do not submit a cover page.
  
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  Checked for spelling and grammatical errors. Do not submit a paper without doing this.
  
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  Bibliographies do not count towards the page total
  
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  follow APA or MLA guidelines
  

General Grading Guidelines

EXCELLENT (A)

Content is technically correct, well-written, imaginative, reflects the writer's thorough understanding of the topic, addresses the questions/problems posed with no errors or problems in logical analysis, content, or facts.

Response is technically correct, well written, addresses the questions/ problems posed, but contains 1-2 content or factual errors, or problems in logical analysis.

Response contains 3-5 content or factual errors, or problems in logical analysis, may fail to adequately address some questions/problems posed, but is adequately written.

Response contains 7-8 content or factual errors, may fail to address several of the questions/ problems posed, and writing/or is of fair to poor quality.

_____ 1998. Tricks of the Trade. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Behar, R. and Gordon, D., eds. Women Writing Culture. Berkeley: University of California.

Bogdan, R.C. and S. K. Biklen. 1992. Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods, 2^nd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Booth, Wayne, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams, eds. 1995. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Burgess, Robert G. 1984. In the Field. London: George Allen & Unwin.

Carspecken, Phil Francis. 1996. Critical Ethnography in Educational Research. New York:

Routledge.

Clifford, James and George E. Marcus, eds. 1986. Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of

Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Coffey, Amanda and Paul Atkinson. 1996. Making Sense of Qualitative Data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Conrad, Clifton, et al. 1993. Qualitative Research in Higher Education. Needham Heights, MA: Ginn.

Crotty, M. 1998. Foundations of Social Research. A conceptually oriented book. London: Sage

Publications.

Delamont, S. 2001. Fieldwork in Educational Settings: Methods, Pitfalls and Perspectives. London: Falmer Press.

DeMarrais, K. B. (Ed.). 1998. Inside stories: Qualitative research reflections. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

DeMarrais, K. and S. D. Lapan (Eds). 2004. Foundations for Research: Methods of Inquiry in Education and the Social Sciences. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds. 1994/200/2005 Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Dey, I. 1993. Qualitative Data Analysis: A User-Friendly Guide for Social Scientists. London: Routledge.

Dolby, N. 2001. Constructing Race: Youth, identity, and popular culture in South Africa. New York:State University of New York Press.

Eisner, E. W. and A. Peshkin, eds. 1990. Qualitative Inquiry in Education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Esterberg, K.G. 2002. Qualitative Methods in Social Research. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Feldman, M. 1995. Strategies for Interpreting Qualitative Data. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.

Fetterman, David M. 1989. Ethnography Step by Step. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gitlin, Andrew, ed. 1994. Power and Method: Political Activism and Educational Research. New York: Routledge.

Glesne, C. 1992. Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction. White Plains, New York: Longman.

Gubrium, J. and Holstein, J. 1997. The New Language of Qualitative Method. New York: Oxford.

Heshusius, L. and Ballard, K. (eds.). 1996. Positivism to Interpretivism and Beyond. New York: Teachers College Press

Jackson, Bruce. 1987. Fieldwork. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Jacobson, David. 1991. Reading Ethnography. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Lather, P. & C. Smithies. 1997. Troubling the angels: Women living with HIV/AIDS. Boulder: Westview.

LeCompte, M., & Schensul, J. (Eds.). 1999. The Ethnographer's Toolkit. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.

Lofland, John and Lyn H. Lofland. 1995. Analyzing Social Settings, 3rd Ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Marshall, Catherine and Gretchen B. Rossman. 1999. Designing Qualitative Research, 3rd. Ed.

Wortham, Introduction to Ethnographic Methods 8 Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Mason, J. 1996. Qualitative Researching, 2nd edition. London: Sage Publications.

Merriam, S. 1998. Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.

Patton, M. Q. 2002. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Reinharz, S. 1992. Feminist Methods in Social Research. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rubin, H. and Rubin, I. 1995. Qualitative Interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sanjek, Roger, ed. 1990. Fieldnotes: The Making of Anthropology. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Spindler, George and Louise Spindler, eds. 1987. Interpretive Ethnography of Education. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Stake, Robert E. 1995. The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Strauss, Anselm and Juliet Corbin. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques, 2^nd Ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Stringer, E. 1999. Action Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Van Maanen, J. 1988. Tales of the Field. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Walford, Geoffrey, ed. 1991. Doing Educational Research. New York: Routledge.

Wax, R. 1971. Doing Fieldwork, Warnings and Advice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Weis, L. & Fine, M. 2000. Speed Bumps: A Student-Friendly Guide to Qualitative Research. New York: Teachers College Press.

Weis, L. and Fine, M. (2004). Working Method : Research, Critical Theory, and Social Justice.

New York: Routledge.

Whyte, W.F. 1984. Learning from the Field. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

_____., ed. 1991. Participatory Action Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Wolcott, H. F. 1990. Writing Up Qualitative Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

_____ 1995. The Art of Fieldwork. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Wolf, D. 1996. Feminist Dilemmas in Fieldwork. Boulder: Westview.

Yin, R. K. 1994. Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nded. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Qualitative Inquiry

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education

Cultural Studies/Critical Methodologies

Ethnography and Education

Anthropology and Education

Ethnography

Action Research