Chapters eight and nine in Research Design deal with Quantitative Methods for developing a research project and Qualitative Procedures, respectively. In chapter eight, Creswell goes into great detail about the different parts of a quantitative research paper or project and how to draft each one. He discusses all the necessary components for creating a survey method that will follow the standard format for scholarly journals or conference presentations.
Tables 8.1 and 8.4, "A Checklist of Questions for Designing a Survey Method" and "A Checklist of Questions for Designing an Experimental Procedure", seem like particularly useful tools for anyone wanting to create an effective survey method, from those (like myself) who are novices in the realm of quantitative research, to even the most experienced researcher. I also found his examples to be beneficial in helping me to understand exactly what "A Survey Method Section" and "An Experimental Method Section" should look like, and I wish he would have included more examples in this book.
I could not make much sense out of examples 8.2-8.5on the different types of experimental designs, they all looked like gibberish to me, and it wasn't until I read the experimental method section in example 8.6 that it became a little more clear. I still don't fully understand, and the confusion makes me want to steer clear of attempting quantitative research all together. I found the section on "Threats to Validity" to be particularly interesting and would never have thought to include such information in a research project.
I found chapter nine on "Qualitative Procedures" to be a little less intimidating, and quite frankly it seems like a much more interesting method of research. Table 9.1, "A Checklist of Questions for Designing a Qualitative Procedure", is another helpful tool Creswell offers us. He explains how to choose a method of inquiry and gives strategies for how to collect, record and analyze data. He discusses the role of the researcher in collecting data, and I thought it was particularly interesting that with the qualitative method the researcher is required to include a self analysis and offer the reader any and all cultural, social, racial, etc biases he or she might have. I also enjoyed the section on how to ensure that the research method is reliable and valid through a variety of methods, from checking and rechecking the data and transcripts for accuracy to having an external auditor check the report for possible inaccuracies and biases.
After reading both chapters, I was reminded of, and amazed by, how much technology has enabled for easier and possibly more reliable research. From computer databases filled with useful scholarly articles to data coding software, technology appears to have made the role of researcher much easier, and I for one am thankful for it!
I Completely agree with your comments. In chapter eight, Creswell seems to give his reader the bare-bones minimum for an outline in the quantitative methods for surveys and experiments whereas in chapter nine he completely flushes out the body for the qualitative methods. However, there is one thing that I am thankful for, along with the advance in technology, and that is the placement of these two chapters. Since they are placed beside each other, it makes it easier for me to refer back to these models when I am writing my thesis or my proposal.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your comments about Chapter eight. It would seem that Creswell is a qualitative researcher, based on the lack of clarity in quantitative procedures. I minored in Psychology and those classes helped me understand more of the qualitative procedures, while the more advanced classes (involving statistics) are over my head. I personally enjoy qualitative research over quantitative any day! It would seem that the argument of science versus art has evolved into quantitative versus qualitative.
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