1. Research Design and Methods Professor Tamo Chattopadhay Institute for Educational Initiatives & Kellogg Institute for International Studies University of Notre Dame

2. Research Question & Methodology Research Question would lead you to => your Research Design & Methods Your Methods will enable you to => answer your Research Question

3. RESEARCH DESIGN A research design is an action plan for getting from here to there. – Here = initial set of questions to be answered – There = some conclusions (or answers) about these questions Findings from the data allow the researcher to reach conclusions about initial questions

4. Qualitative Research Approaches Qualitative researchers are interested in the meanings people have constructed The researcher is the primary instruments for data collection and analysis It usually involves fieldwork It primarily employs an inductive research strategy The product is richly descriptive

5. Types of Qualitative Research Basic / generic Ethnography Phenomenology Grounded Theory Case Study What these qualitative methods do have in common is that they want to avoid all presuppositions placed on research in advance. They rely on firsthand engagement with the research subject to gather data and develop meaning.

6. Unit of Analysis once the research question is defined, and the context more fully understood, we need to think about how to gather information in a planned and structured way. ‘units of analysis’ need to be selected. This is referred to as selecting the sample in research methodology.

7. Sampling Indicate sample and sample size: What does the sample consist of (participants, stakeholders, institutional partners, etc.) and how large is that sample? Include information on how you will have access to/recruit the sample for your questionnaire, interviews, or other data collection methods. If you have several samples, list them and also indicate which data collection method you will be using for which of the samples.

8. Data = Source of Evidence Present and explain your choice of data collection methods and instruments (e.g., document review, individual interviews, focus groups, participant observation, questionnaire, etc) Present a data collection and data analysis time- line along with an indication of which members of your evaluation team will be in charge of which data collection and analysis task

9. Adapted from OSI Budapest Research Instruments Individual interviews Focus group interviews Participant observation Document analyses Questionnaire

10. Adapted from OSI Budapest Different Interview formats UNSTRUCTUREDINTERVIEWQUESTIONSSTRUCTUREDINTERVIEWQUESTIONS What do you think? How many? Explore opinions Specific information

11. Adapted from OSI Budapest Interview Guide Prepare an interview guide with maximum 10 questions. Use the same lexicon in the same questions that you ask your different interviewees. Be flexible with the order of the questions asked, but ensure that there is time to at least briefly touch on each of the questions. The duration of an individual interview = 40-60 minutes

12. Adapted from OSI Budapest Focus Group Discussions Excellent instrument for brainstorming and for gathering suggestions on how to improve a project. Be Aware of the Group Dynamics! – Make sure the group is homogeneous – Avoid hierarchical structures in the group

13. Adapted from OSI Budapest Numbers Matter The size of a focus group should be 7 – 9 members; The number of “big questions” asked should not be larger than 5 questions; The duration of a focus group interview should be approximately 90 minutes (while individual interview = 40-60 minutes).

14. Participant Observation Participant Observation - the description of phenomena by observers who become involved for a relatively long period of time in a field setting, long enough to observe group and individual interactions as the participants repeat and evolve behaviors. The five dimensions of participant observers: 1) Role of the observer 2) Portrayal of role to others 3) Portrayal of study purpose to others 4) Duration of observations 5) Focus of observations Qualitative research: Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mid/edr725/class/observation/fivedimensions/reading3-2- 1.html http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mid/edr725/class/observation/fivedimensions/reading3-2- 1.html

15. Adapted from OSI Budapest Use multiple research instruments Ask several related questions in a questionnaire. Enlarge the “sample size” Increase the number of information sources (e.g., documents, interviews, questionnaires, observations, etc.), How to increase reliability?