Task 6A - Research Inquiry Tools

Now I am beginning to look at different research inquiry tools and find one which is most relevant and beneficial to my individual inquiry and professional practice. I will be researching into the main tools of inquiry; observation, interviews, surveys and focus groups and engage them with my SIG. I also need to take into account how time consuming each tool would be and plan out how I will use this research to collect and compare my data. I will explore the methods other researchers have obtained data and try to learn how this can apply to my inquiry. 

Common distinction between qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative - relies on peoples words phenomena. Often collect written or audio data.

Qualitative - can be translated into numerical data. 

Three important concepts - VALIDITY, RELIABILITY, GENERALISABILITY. 

In order for me to produce an informative and accurate artefact in module 3 it is necessary for me to ask the appropriate questions and collect data in a format relevant to my topic. I also need to consider the reliability factor and how it is important to be consistent with my research told throughout my research.“if another researcher were to look into the same questions in the same setting, they would come up with essentially the same results” (Blaxter et al., 2001, p. 221). The concept of generalisability relates to whether the research and results from the inquiry could be applicable to other situations outside of the small scale inquiry. 

 

In the reader it clearly states that evidence needs to be categorised in order to analyse and interpret results. It is in this stage that differences and patterns are identified thus it is vital for this to be completely accurate. The reader informs me that often quantitative date can be anaylsed and validated using quantitate data and vice versa using a mixed methodology. I need to plan which inquiry methods I will use in module 3 to avoid being overloaded with data. 

Common pitfalls:
- vague and ill-defined aims
- lacking detail about research design
- being overly ambitious in terms of scope and time 

I need to make sure I am aware of these pitfalls to avoid making these mistakes. This is something I will have to consider in my inquiry plan and when I am trialling methods of inquiry with my SIG.