Task 6b - review of inquiry tools
For my inquiry I will be choosing to use inquiry tools to properly and effectively analyse data. The tools I'll be looking at using are; observation, interviews, focus groups and surveys. Originally I like the idea of using all the inquiry tools but I appreciate it will be time consuming and don't want my work to suffer for the sake of trying to fit everything in. I would ideally like to use observation as my main source for collecting qualitative data. I believe this is most appropriate to my research question and will give me a rich source of data to use. I would also like to use a focus group and survey but perhaps as an additional piece of data to support my findings from my observations. All of the inquiry tools have their own merits and limitations and I need to make sure I prioritize what I want to find out to pick correctly the tool I will use.
Merits - Observation is a great way to collect qualitative data as it can be interpreted as it needs to be interpreted (for instance surveys with numbered answers can only be taken as the numbered answer, even if the student perhaps felt in two minds about a question). It also means you can look at body language as opposed to just reading someone's answer. This will be useful for when participants may not feel comfortable expressing their feelings written down, whereas you can see certain things in people's body language that cannot be picked up through writing.
Limitations - observation must be interpreted, and it could be interpreted wrongly as you as the research practitioner are personally observing and may have on a subconcious level some sort of bias (for example, if someone looks like they aren't enjoying a lesson, you might put that down to them having had a bad day or not feeling well).
Merits - You can direct the interview however you want and are in control of the questions and therefore getting answers for your specific questions rather than irrelevant data. You can also use observation to look at body language alongside looking at the answers they have given, And as you have control you can try and get more in depth answers from the person in the interview than if they were answering on a feedback survey.
Limitations - It can be quite time consuming due to the interview being with one person at a time - this may be impractical for my own research as I know I have a limited amount of time I can spend researching. It may also be impractical for the interviee - they have their own time commitments and probably cannot rearrange their day to suit you, so you need to be the one being accommodating.
Merits - Ideas can bounce off people in the group and therfore you may get a rich amount of data from one focus group compared to lots of interviews. It is also a massive time saver as all the people you would have interviews individually you can meet with in one group.
Limitations - If the group doesn't know each other, they may feel apprehensive sharing their true view on a subject, and some may end up just agreeing with the others to not feel singled out in their opinion. It can also be a difficult thing to organise as you don't just have to get one person to be free the same time as you, you need to arrange it with a whole group of people.
Merits - It can be anonymous - these means students may feel more at ease to give their real views on matters and not feel worried about what anyone else will think about their answer. It can be done whenever is convenient for the participant, so you don't have to organise a time where everyone is free - this also means that you can collect data from a wider group of people, especially if you choose to put the survey online - that way you have a massive social media based community of practice to reach out to.
Limitations - If a question isn't understood by the participant, they would just have to answer as best they could and don't have the option to explain their answer. Because a survey is an anonymous and there is no face to face contact - it is easier for someone to dismiss it as unimportant and this may result in people not doing the survey at all.
Merits - The research has already been done on the topics that you are looking at, so as long as you look at reputable sources you can gain better knowledge of a subject and be certain there is evidence to support the document. It also means someone else has looked the subject - in all other tools you are the practitioner doing the research - so its good to get a different point of view on your subject without the bias you may subconsciously hold for the subject.
Limitations - As I wrote about in module 1, in Kolb's learning cycle we understand knowledge is always expanding and as soon as we've learnt something else is discovered and what we know needs to be 'updated'. It may be the case that the knowledge in the literature also needs updating and may not be as relevant as it once was.
Focus groups in particular relate to my workplace knowledge as this is a common practice we have during work to help discuss ideas and progress the program forward. Interviews are also something I can relate to as part of my job is to interview clients to assess their lifestyle and exercise habits.
I hope this inquiry will benefit other teachers in dance, exercise and in broader fields by helping us all to look at understanding how we keep students engaged and challenged in class whilst also making sure they are enjoying class, this will in turn improve students learning experiences and will hopefully apply to a broad range of subjects they would be learning.
Merits and limitations to inquiry tools -
Observation
Merits - Observation is a great way to collect qualitative data as it can be interpreted as it needs to be interpreted (for instance surveys with numbered answers can only be taken as the numbered answer, even if the student perhaps felt in two minds about a question). It also means you can look at body language as opposed to just reading someone's answer. This will be useful for when participants may not feel comfortable expressing their feelings written down, whereas you can see certain things in people's body language that cannot be picked up through writing.
Limitations - observation must be interpreted, and it could be interpreted wrongly as you as the research practitioner are personally observing and may have on a subconcious level some sort of bias (for example, if someone looks like they aren't enjoying a lesson, you might put that down to them having had a bad day or not feeling well).
Interviews
Merits - You can direct the interview however you want and are in control of the questions and therefore getting answers for your specific questions rather than irrelevant data. You can also use observation to look at body language alongside looking at the answers they have given, And as you have control you can try and get more in depth answers from the person in the interview than if they were answering on a feedback survey.
Limitations - It can be quite time consuming due to the interview being with one person at a time - this may be impractical for my own research as I know I have a limited amount of time I can spend researching. It may also be impractical for the interviee - they have their own time commitments and probably cannot rearrange their day to suit you, so you need to be the one being accommodating.
Focus groups
Merits - Ideas can bounce off people in the group and therfore you may get a rich amount of data from one focus group compared to lots of interviews. It is also a massive time saver as all the people you would have interviews individually you can meet with in one group.
Limitations - If the group doesn't know each other, they may feel apprehensive sharing their true view on a subject, and some may end up just agreeing with the others to not feel singled out in their opinion. It can also be a difficult thing to organise as you don't just have to get one person to be free the same time as you, you need to arrange it with a whole group of people.
Surveys
Merits - It can be anonymous - these means students may feel more at ease to give their real views on matters and not feel worried about what anyone else will think about their answer. It can be done whenever is convenient for the participant, so you don't have to organise a time where everyone is free - this also means that you can collect data from a wider group of people, especially if you choose to put the survey online - that way you have a massive social media based community of practice to reach out to.
Limitations - If a question isn't understood by the participant, they would just have to answer as best they could and don't have the option to explain their answer. Because a survey is an anonymous and there is no face to face contact - it is easier for someone to dismiss it as unimportant and this may result in people not doing the survey at all.
Analyzing literature/documents
Merits - The research has already been done on the topics that you are looking at, so as long as you look at reputable sources you can gain better knowledge of a subject and be certain there is evidence to support the document. It also means someone else has looked the subject - in all other tools you are the practitioner doing the research - so its good to get a different point of view on your subject without the bias you may subconsciously hold for the subject.
Limitations - As I wrote about in module 1, in Kolb's learning cycle we understand knowledge is always expanding and as soon as we've learnt something else is discovered and what we know needs to be 'updated'. It may be the case that the knowledge in the literature also needs updating and may not be as relevant as it once was.
Focus groups in particular relate to my workplace knowledge as this is a common practice we have during work to help discuss ideas and progress the program forward. Interviews are also something I can relate to as part of my job is to interview clients to assess their lifestyle and exercise habits.
I hope this inquiry will benefit other teachers in dance, exercise and in broader fields by helping us all to look at understanding how we keep students engaged and challenged in class whilst also making sure they are enjoying class, this will in turn improve students learning experiences and will hopefully apply to a broad range of subjects they would be learning.
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