1. Short answer questions (SAQs)
After reading Chaper 5 in Merler (2006), Please answer the following questions.
1) What are the advantages and limitations of conducting classroom observations?
2) What are the differences between structured, semi-structured, and open-ended interviews?
3) What are credibility, dependability, and validity of qualitative research data?
4) What are the three common practices that can help to ensure the quality of your data?
5) Compared with qualitative data collection techniques what is the advantage and disadvantage of quantitative data collection techniques?
6) What is the main difference between a survey/questionnaire and a rating scale?
7) How is a Likert scale different to a Likert-type scale?
8) What is a checklist?
9) What is the primary difference between a checklist and a survey or rating scale?
10) What do validity and reliability mean in quantitative study?
2. Methods - Part II
Use the sample methods description on page114 in Merler (2006) to write up your data collection method. The following are the elements that you need to cover in your writing.
1) Describe your data collection instrument
For example, if you are using a survey to collect data, do you use close-ended question, open-ended questions, Likert– cales, or a mix of some of them? How many questions are included?
2) Describe your data collection procedure
3) Describe your data analysis procedure
Add your research plan to the report document that you have been working on since lesson 4, under the heading “Methods” right after what you’ve written for last assignment. You can either delete the bullet points under the heading or use them as level-2 headings.
3. Developing data collection instrument
Using examples provided in Merler (2006) Chapter 5 to develop the data collection instrument for your study. It could be survey, interview guide, behavioral checklist or other documents depend on the specific design of your study.
Add your instrument to the end of the report document under the heading “Appendix B: Instrument”.
If you plan to distribute your survey online, you have several options. One convenient way is to create your survey by using Google Docs. The following is the online instruction for developing survey by using Google Docs http://www.workhappy.net/2009/05/using-google-docs-to-make-a-survey.html. You can also create your survey by using Virginia Tech survey service at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/.
Submission Guideline:
1. Save your answers to the SAQ questions to a Word document and name it "Your PID_AR_SAQ" and upload it to the assignment page.
2. Yur description of instrument and the actual instrument should be added to the report document you started creating earlier. When you save the file at this point name it “Your PID_AR_instrument” and upload the revised Word document to the assignment page.