After discussing and exploring the 'Who' questions surrounding the data collection for this research project last week, I would now like to address the 'What' questions surrounding the data collection……..
But before I do that, one more question came to me this week, 'Who is my inspiration' for doing this work. I have outlined the justification for this project in my initial blog posts, but I don't want these blog post to become too 'information heavy' without sharing my thoughts, feelings and experiences at Epic Arts in Cambodia. I will try to included a story or an experience at the start of each blog while I am exploring research methods. As much I understand the importance of the academic research, I don't want to loose a personal voice nor for you to miss out on the day-to-day happenings at Epic Arts.
This this week I want to tell you about a workshop on the Inclusive Arts Course. The students took part in a sculpture project with a visiting artist, Dan Cordell:
http://dancordell.co.uk
But before I do that, one more question came to me this week, 'Who is my inspiration' for doing this work. I have outlined the justification for this project in my initial blog posts, but I don't want these blog post to become too 'information heavy' without sharing my thoughts, feelings and experiences at Epic Arts in Cambodia. I will try to included a story or an experience at the start of each blog while I am exploring research methods. As much I understand the importance of the academic research, I don't want to loose a personal voice nor for you to miss out on the day-to-day happenings at Epic Arts.
This this week I want to tell you about a workshop on the Inclusive Arts Course. The students took part in a sculpture project with a visiting artist, Dan Cordell:
http://dancordell.co.uk
 |
| Sculpture by Dan Cordell |
 |
| Sculpture by Dan Cordell |
 |
| Sculpture by Dan Cordell |
The aim of the project was to create a large scale
mobile that would fit in with the Special Education Project theme for the term
- WATER. So Dan had the idea of creating an underwater mobile of tropical fish with
the students. Both sets of students from the Inclusive Arts Course (physically
disabled and non-disabled) and the Special Education Project (students with
learning difficulties) took part in this inclusive arts project.
The inclusive arts students worked together to
build large fish, students who can't see well were being guided by students who
can't hear, those with physical limitations were adapting tools and techniques to
fit their bodies and those without disabilities were getting assistance, direction and feedback
from those with disabilities though sign, movement and sketches. The special
education students were busy creating their own smaller fish, then came to the workshop, in
pairs to join the big fish project each day and were part of the processes, adding their ideas and methods to the mix with great enjoyment and success.
Everyone was included in the project and in the team no one was a ‘helper’ or 'leader', they worked together and all had input in the final product. Walking in to the room to see these things being made in the way they were reminded me who is the true inspiration for this research….these people:
 |
| The finished piece! |
Everyone was included in the project and in the team no one was a ‘helper’ or 'leader', they worked together and all had input in the final product. Walking in to the room to see these things being made in the way they were reminded me who is the true inspiration for this research….these people:
So now back to the 'What' questions and what I have discovered. The questions I identified as 'What' questions regarding the data collation for this project were:
- What data collection methods could I use?
- What data collection methods will I use?
- What do I want to find out from the subjects?
- What will I need to ask in interviews to collect the right data?
- What do I need to ask of myself during and after activity observations to collect the right data?
- What do I need to do before I hold an interview?
- What will I do after I have collected the data?
- What do I need to conduct the interviews?
What data collection methods
could I use?
I have outlined in my proposal that I will use qualitative research method for this research project. I believe that this is the most effect style to use as the aim of the research is to explore. Qualitative research is defined as:
"We conduct qualitative research because a problem or issue needs to be explored. This exploration is needed, in turn, because of a need to study a group or population, identify variables that cannot be easily measured, or hear silenced voices. These are all good reasons to explore a problem rather than to use predetermined information from the literature or rely on results from other research studies. We also conduct qualitative research because we need a complex, detailed understanding of the issue. This detail can only be established by talking directly with people, going to their homes or places of work, and allowing them to tell the stories unencumbered by what we expect to find or what we have read in the literature". (Creswell, 2013 pp. 47-48)
I order to find out what I want to discover, I must go to people in their places of work, in the situation I am researching and talk to them about their experiences and also see these people working within the area I am researching, in order to really explore the issues I have identified. I will explore my reasons for the 'Why' of qualitative verses quantitative research in a further blog post.
So, what are the different approaches to qualitative inquiry, as surely each research question is as unique as the person doing the research? I must find the most effective approach on order to successfully collect data. I did this by the reading of these books to research different research methods ;
After the initial reading of the relevant parts of these books, I was able to summarise five qualitative approaches and begin to uncover which approach is the most effective to use for this research project:
- How to Research by Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight
- Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design by John Creswell
After the initial reading of the relevant parts of these books, I was able to summarise five qualitative approaches and begin to uncover which approach is the most effective to use for this research project:
1. A
Narrative Research Approach
"Narrative research has many forms, uses a variety of analytic practices,
•
Uses one or two individuals in the research
•
Collects the individuals stories in a
chronological order
•
Assess a historical content
•
Builds a detailed picture of the life of the
individual
2. A Phenomenological Research Approach
"A phenomenological study describes the
meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept
or a phenomenon. Phenomenologists focus on describing what all participants
have in common as they experience a phenomenon." (Creswell, 2013 pp.57-58)
- Gathering information on the 'essence' of experiences in terms of a particular phenomena or 'theme'
- Uses a small group of individuals who are consulted about the phenomenon to generate a description of the subjects experience of the phenomenon
- Explores what all participants have in common in terms of the phenomenon
- Uses between 5-25 participants to conduct in depth interviews and multiple interviews with the participant.
3. Grounded Theory Research Approach
“The intent of a grounded theory study is to move beyond description and to generate or discover a theory , an
abstract analytical schema of a process… A key idea is that this theory-development does
not come “off the shelf,” but rather is generated or “grounded” in data from participants who have experienced the
process” (Creswell, 2013 p.63)
- Generates or aims to discover a theory in grounded ‘the field’ in which the participants are
- Uses a large number of participants to create a theory that could provide a framework for understanding a phenomenon
- Interviews between 20-30 participants to build a strong theory that is agreed on by all participants
4. Ethnographic Research
Approach
"An
ethnography focuses on an entire
cultural group. Granted, sometimes this cultural group may be small (a
few teachers, a few social workers), but typically it is large, involving many
people who interact over time (teachers in an entire school, a community social
work group). Ethnography is a qualitative design in which the researcher
describes and interprets the shared and learned patterns of values,behaviors , beliefs, and language of a
culture-sharing group." (Creswell, 2013 p.68)
- Describing and explaining and cultural or social group
- Focuses on values, beliefs and behaviours within a group in the same setting or ‘culture’
- Involves interviews and observations within the ‘culture’ for an extended period of time e.g 6 months
- Two forms – Realist ethnography and Critical ethnography
- Realist ethnography – “is an objective account of the situation, typically written in the third person point of view and reporting objectively on the information learned.” (Creswell, 2013 p.69)
- Critical ethnography - "Critical researchers typically are politically minded individuals who seek, through their research, to speak out against inequality and domination." (Creswell, 2013 p.70)
5. Case Study Research Approach
“..case
study research involves the study of an issue explored through one or more
cases within a bounded system (i.e., a setting, a context)…. Case study
research is a qualitative approach in which the investigator explores a bounded
system (a case ) or multiple bounded systems (cases) over time, through
detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of
information (e.g., observations,
interviews, audiovisual material, and documents and reports). (Creswell, 2013 p.73)
- Discovers information/data within a confined setting
- Explore the setting over time
- Draws on many different types of information gather from the setting through interviews, observations, video etc
- Case studies can be single instrument studies (one issue, one setting), collective studies (one issues, multiple settings cases) or intruistic studies (looking at the case itself and exploring the unusual elements of ‘the case’ itself)
- In collective studies, the differing settings are different to allow for comparison
After identifying the different methods and making the above notes on the five qualitative research approaches, I was able to see that the case
study approach was the most effective approach for this study. I will discuss
the reasons for this decision when I explore the ‘Why’ questions surrounding this
research project in a future blog post.
What data collection methods could I use?
When answering the question of methods, Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010) outline research families, approaches and techniques in a simple table form:
 |
| (Blaxter, Hughes and Tight, 2010 p.63) |
At this point I feel I have deduced that I have enough information to select a research 'family' and a research 'approach', now to complete the process, I must decide on research 'techniques.
In accordance with the chart above, in terms of my project, the most appropriate research family is, qualitative research through fieldwork, the most appropriate research approach is a case study, so now I must determine what research techniques there are and what would be the most appropriate to use for my project.
Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010), explain that there are five different techniques that could be used in research data collection:
- Documents - Using written or visual articles as a basis for the research
- Interviews - Questions or discussions surrounding the issues related to the research
- Observations - Watching activities in practise or engaging in practises themselves that are related the the research question
- Questionnaires - Writing questions and getting people to answer these through written word
- Mixed Methodologies - A combination of the above approaches
What data collection methods will I use?
1. Interviews
I will conduct interviews with my subjects and record via an audio recorded and also take key notes during the interview. The audio recordings will then be transcribed for analysis.
2. Observations
I will observe workshops, performances and day-to-day activities within my case areas. These will be recorded by video and also via filed notes. I may watch an activity or take part in the activity in order to make the best observation.
In my next blog posts I will explain my processes and thinking with regard to the remaining "What" questions not covered in this post. I will answer the following questions:
Thank you for reading this post and please feel free to add any comments or email me at laura@epicarts.org.uk
References
I have been able to select two data collection methods which I have outlined below. I will not explain the reasons why in this post, this will be covered in a future blog considering the 'Why' questions of my data collection research. Because I have chosen two different methods, I am using a mixed methodology approach that includes the following.
I will conduct interviews with my subjects and record via an audio recorded and also take key notes during the interview. The audio recordings will then be transcribed for analysis.
2. Observations
I will observe workshops, performances and day-to-day activities within my case areas. These will be recorded by video and also via filed notes. I may watch an activity or take part in the activity in order to make the best observation.
What do I want to find out from the subjects?
CAMBODIA - Epic Arts
After referring to my stated objectives in my original proposal, I decided that I needed to discover the following information from each of my subjects in Cambodia to meet objectives 1.1 and 1.2 in my proposal:
- The subject’s personal perceptions of the necessary attitudes and subsequent practices that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts Cambodia
- The subject’s personal experiences of the necessary attitudes and subsequent practices that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive art practice at Epic Arts Cambodia.
- The subject’s personal practices and attitudes that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive art practice.
- The subject’s personal perceptions of the attitudes and subsequent practices that could, or do, hinder successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts Cambodia
- The subject’s personal experiences of the attitudes and subsequent practices that could, or do hinder, successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts Cambodia
- The subject’s personal practices and attitudes that they feel could, or do, hinder successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts Cambodia
After referring to my stated objectives, I think I could also gather relevant data through observations in Cambodia and recording the following:
- The ideas and concepts witnessed that are seen to bring about successful inclusive art practice at Epic Arts
- The personal attitudes witnessed that are seen to bring about successful inclusive art practice at Epic Arts
- The methods witnessed that are seen to hinder successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts
- The personal attitudes witnessed are seen to hinder successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts
UK - Arts Organisations
After referring to my stated objectives in my original proposal, I decided that I needed to discover the following information from each of my subjects in the UK to meet objective 4.1 in my proposal:
- The subject’s personal perceptions of the necessary attitudes and subsequent practices that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive arts practice at their organisation in the UK
- The subject’s personal experiences of the necessary attitudes and subsequent practices that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive art practice at their organisation in the UK
- The subject’s personal practices and attitudes that they believe are required to bring about successful inclusive art practice at their organisation in the UK
- The subject’s personal perceptions of the attitudes and subsequent practices that hinder successful inclusive arts practice at their organisation in the UK
- The subject’s personal experiences of the attitudes and subsequent practices that hinder successful inclusive arts practice at their organisation in the UK
- The subject’s personal practices and attitudes that they feel hinder successful inclusive arts practice at their organisation in the UK
After referring to my stated objectives, I think I could also gather relevant data through observations in the UK and recording the following:
- The personal practices and attitudes witnessed that are seen to bring about successful inclusive arts practice at the organisation in the UK
- The personal practices and attitudes witnessed that are seen to hinder successful inclusive arts practice at the organisation in the UK
In my next blog posts I will explain my processes and thinking with regard to the remaining "What" questions not covered in this post. I will answer the following questions:
- What do I want to find out from the subjects?
- What will I need to ask in interviews to collect the right data?
- What do I need to ask of myself during and after activity observations to collect the right data?
- What do I need to do before I hold an interview?
- What will I do after I have collected the data?
- What do I need to conduct the interviews?
Thank you for reading this post and please feel free to add any comments or email me at laura@epicarts.org.uk
References
Blaxter. L, Hughes. C and
Tight. M (2010) How to Research (Open up Study Skills).
Open University Press
Creswell. J.W (2013) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. SAGE Publications
Ltd.
http://dancordell.co.uk (Accessed
5.05.2014)
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