The deeper I delve into the world of Library Summer Reading Programs (LSRP's), the more I learn about the subject and the more intriguing it becomes. This reminds me of the exposure I had to non-fiction books in my Tweens materials class, taught by Jonathan Hunt. I discovered that when I read these non-fiction books, I really enjoyed the contents and learning new information. After all, the Discovery channel and NatGeo, are some of my most favorite programs that I watch on television. What I've learned about LSRP's is that it seems that the library's goal is to have children read in order to maintain intellectual learning over the summer. Although why they have this goal, I still have yet to identify. Another interesting fact that has presented itself in my readings, is that there is a definite connection between the summer programs offered at a library and reading. Although this seems obvious, there seems to be little research regarding the incentives offered within these summer programs, including prizes, charts, and planned library activities for children during the summer that don't have much to do with reading. From personal experience, this past summer my children participated in the local LSRP, and attended a scheduled magic show. Towards the end of the show, the children were invited to view a display of magic related books, such as card tricks. In essence, this subtopic has combined "Youth and Libraries" with "Youth and Reading".
Something else that I've learned this week as a definite, is that every research design has its limitations. This makes complete sense to me, although up until now I was unsure if researchers were aware of this truth. Truly, part of writing abstracts for the upcoming assignment is to figure out these limitations, although some articles that I've read explain the limitations clearly.
Keywords: Action, reading, and I've forgotten about truncation! For instance: "program*". Additionally, there have been some integral books written on the topic I've been researching, which would be useful for the final project or literature review. Heyns, Shin, and Krashen, are some of the leading authors and researchers in this field.
Action research is another qualitative design, and I've recently read an article utilizing this very method. The lecture discusses a certain dynamic spiral process, where the researcher is moving back and forth between the problem, data collection, and action. This very spiral is drawn and explained in the article that I've read, giving me a clearer picture of the process. Essentially, the entire process of action research involves some basic steps: identifying a problem area, collecting and organizing data through experiencing, inquiring, and examining, interpreting this collected data, taking action based on the data, and then reflecting on the solutions. However, I'm unsure as to why this process is sometimes deemed specific to studying youth, when it could be utilized over a number of areas.
Ethnography is the other qualitative design I've studied this week. I found it fascinating because it's a design particular to a cultural group, and one such group can actually be children. It seems that the emphasis within this method is in exploring social phenomenon through field work or observing the group in it's natural setting. The researcher can be investigating between one to a few cases, and works primarily with unstructured data. The key in this research design is the analysis of that data, again making it different from a literature review.
Yesterday I read a detailed research article for my archives class. I found that I could easily identify the steps in the research, including the literature review, the surveys, and the analysis of the data. To my understanding, it was a mixed methods research design, and because of my readings for this class, I actually enjoyed the article more than I thought I would have.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Theories, Qualities, & Case Studies
I proceeded with much trepidation and caution upon reading Creswell's chapter 3 "The Use of Theory". The word theory sounds so lofty and frightening at first glance. However, as I delved deeper into the concepts of the use of theory, I realized that theory is no different than what I have encountered in many discussions with my logical husband. Together we discuss the world around us, and based on facts or previous internal knowledge, we develop a theory. When we first met, this logically based thinking was a novel arena for me, however I have become quite adept at developing or proving theories of my own. Breathing a sigh of relief, I continued perusing the chapter for insights into theory and the two main opposing research designs - qualitative and quantitative. In summation, it seems that theory placement is the main qualifier for the type of research design. For qualitative research, information is gathered and interpreted in order to discover a theory. For quantitative research, a theory is picked and then through information gathering and interpretation, is either proven or disproved. Summarizing and understanding the theory placement has assisted me in comprehending the integral role theories play in research.
Case studies presented another conundrum. What could possibly be different between a case study and a literature review of the same topic? This was especially true because in the lecture the paragraph on explaining the scope of case studies stated that "in case study research a researcher seeks to 'generate knowledge of the particular' by focusing on 'in-depth exploration of a bounded system... based on extensive data collection." This sounded suspiciously similar to what happens when compiling a literature review. Nevertheless, further reading in the lecture on case study helped clarify this distinction with a very pointed concept. "This kind of description is critical in case study because it 'serves to place the reader figuratively in the setting... to make it real." The in-depth look at a topic assists in changing the research from a complacent literature review into a full-blown case study. Continuing along this thought process, the lecture notates that "another emphasis in qualitative research generally and case study research specifically is an understanding of a complex phenomenon from the participants' perspectives rather than the researcher's." As I was gathering material for the upcoming abstract assignment, I chanced upon an interesting case study. However, I did not yet read the entire article thinking that a case study could not be more than a glorified literature review. Now, I know otherwise.
My favorite point of my readings this week was the lecture on the qualities of qualitative researchers. There are three qualities that would behoove a qualitative researcher to pocess in order to complete a well rounded and complete study. First, and most logical, the researcher should be a good communicator. Second, and hopefully knowledgeable to any researcher that has gone through IRB training, is the idea that one should be sensitive to the information collected and to the participants of the study. Lastly, and my personal favorite, the researcher should be tolerant of ambiguity during the research process. One reason that I identify with quantitative research is because I do well with methods and lists, or formal procedures. This is entirely opposite of qualitative research. Truly, there can be a lot of ambiguity with informal procedures, as well as in endeavoring to prove or disprove a hypotheses, and in creating ideas based on the researchers' understanding of a diverse participants. Ambiguity can be frustrating, so the idea that a researcher must be tolerant in this area makes complete sense and was a great point.
The holistic approach taken by qualitative researchers struck me as fascinating as well. A holistic approach includes pre-interview activity and open-ended questions, which lead the researcher to a more complete understanding of the participants and is a method to establish a connection and empathy with these very participants. I liked this approach because it speaks to my friendly nature in addition to the feeling that there should be a certain 'roundness' in one's research.
For my abstract assignment I chose to go with "summer programs" as a more narrowed topic. So far it seems that there are differences of opinion in relation to the fact that these programs help children academically. I'd be interested in discovering if these programs are in place not only for the furthering of education, rather if there is a secondary purpose in keeping the children occupied with a positive activity during these non-school months.
New search words: Program, (although 'program' seems too specific for the databases) Summer, Children, Activity
Case studies presented another conundrum. What could possibly be different between a case study and a literature review of the same topic? This was especially true because in the lecture the paragraph on explaining the scope of case studies stated that "in case study research a researcher seeks to 'generate knowledge of the particular' by focusing on 'in-depth exploration of a bounded system... based on extensive data collection." This sounded suspiciously similar to what happens when compiling a literature review. Nevertheless, further reading in the lecture on case study helped clarify this distinction with a very pointed concept. "This kind of description is critical in case study because it 'serves to place the reader figuratively in the setting... to make it real." The in-depth look at a topic assists in changing the research from a complacent literature review into a full-blown case study. Continuing along this thought process, the lecture notates that "another emphasis in qualitative research generally and case study research specifically is an understanding of a complex phenomenon from the participants' perspectives rather than the researcher's." As I was gathering material for the upcoming abstract assignment, I chanced upon an interesting case study. However, I did not yet read the entire article thinking that a case study could not be more than a glorified literature review. Now, I know otherwise.
My favorite point of my readings this week was the lecture on the qualities of qualitative researchers. There are three qualities that would behoove a qualitative researcher to pocess in order to complete a well rounded and complete study. First, and most logical, the researcher should be a good communicator. Second, and hopefully knowledgeable to any researcher that has gone through IRB training, is the idea that one should be sensitive to the information collected and to the participants of the study. Lastly, and my personal favorite, the researcher should be tolerant of ambiguity during the research process. One reason that I identify with quantitative research is because I do well with methods and lists, or formal procedures. This is entirely opposite of qualitative research. Truly, there can be a lot of ambiguity with informal procedures, as well as in endeavoring to prove or disprove a hypotheses, and in creating ideas based on the researchers' understanding of a diverse participants. Ambiguity can be frustrating, so the idea that a researcher must be tolerant in this area makes complete sense and was a great point.
The holistic approach taken by qualitative researchers struck me as fascinating as well. A holistic approach includes pre-interview activity and open-ended questions, which lead the researcher to a more complete understanding of the participants and is a method to establish a connection and empathy with these very participants. I liked this approach because it speaks to my friendly nature in addition to the feeling that there should be a certain 'roundness' in one's research.
For my abstract assignment I chose to go with "summer programs" as a more narrowed topic. So far it seems that there are differences of opinion in relation to the fact that these programs help children academically. I'd be interested in discovering if these programs are in place not only for the furthering of education, rather if there is a secondary purpose in keeping the children occupied with a positive activity during these non-school months.
New search words: Program, (although 'program' seems too specific for the databases) Summer, Children, Activity
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Pick a Title
As I was reading the introductory article, I came to a sentence that reminded me of something I read in the Creswell book. The article states that "as with most other research methods, conceptual analysis begins with identifying research questions and choosing a sample of samples". (Content Analysis) Essentially, when starting out on the research process, developing a question is a key component for direction on the project at hand. Creswell says "before searching the literature, identify your topic, using such strategies as drafting a brief title or stating a central research question". (2009, p.45) Recently, my musically talented husband dipped his hand in the world of songwriting and composing. As he began developing an idea for a song, he chanced upon a vital piece of advice that assisted in the success of his songwriting. The advice was to pick a song title first, and then work from there. Conceptualizing one's topic in such a succinct fashion is an extremely helpful method in beginning one's research process.
In the article on Navigating Pitfalls of Web-Based Survey Development and Administration, I chanced upon some helpful differentiations between qualitative and quantitative research. In "qualitative research... a representative sample is not used, and therefore there will be no attempt to generalize the conclusions gained from those who were selected." (Gruwell & Littleton, 2007, p.78) This is different than a quantitative study "where everyone in the target population has an equal chance of being selected". (Gruwell & Littleton, 2007, p.79) How ironic that this should come up almost immediately after my weekly question post and subsequent answer by Joanne:
Question: The question I had was regarding the number of libraries being observed for this research project. According to the article, although approximately 30 sessions were being observed, they occurred in only two libraries. Perhaps there should have been more libraries and more sessions observed to give a more comprehensive and unbiased results. Many times, the same crowd attends library programs in their library, which would account for 'double' results. (I know that's not a technical term....)
Answer: You make an interesting point about having more research sites, rather than multiple programs from fewer libraries. I think there are advantages to both approaches. Generally, in qualitative research, you are aiming for depth, not necessarily breadth, so exploring many programs from 2 libraries might make sense in light of the research questions, etc. Often it depends on the researcher's goals and objectives for the research.
The aforementioned article additionally presented me with another keyword for my search. Here's my list so far: Library, survey, youth, librarianship, programs, study, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, research
I subscribe to the ALSC email list, and receive all types of e-conversations via this listserv. I've found it very helpful for many reasons, however this week it was particularly relevant to this research class because it included an informal survey of youth librarians who have kept or done away with small prizes as an incentive for their summer reading programs. It makes me wonder, would this be considered a type of research?
In the article on Navigating Pitfalls of Web-Based Survey Development and Administration, I chanced upon some helpful differentiations between qualitative and quantitative research. In "qualitative research... a representative sample is not used, and therefore there will be no attempt to generalize the conclusions gained from those who were selected." (Gruwell & Littleton, 2007, p.78) This is different than a quantitative study "where everyone in the target population has an equal chance of being selected". (Gruwell & Littleton, 2007, p.79) How ironic that this should come up almost immediately after my weekly question post and subsequent answer by Joanne:
Question: The question I had was regarding the number of libraries being observed for this research project. According to the article, although approximately 30 sessions were being observed, they occurred in only two libraries. Perhaps there should have been more libraries and more sessions observed to give a more comprehensive and unbiased results. Many times, the same crowd attends library programs in their library, which would account for 'double' results. (I know that's not a technical term....)
Answer: You make an interesting point about having more research sites, rather than multiple programs from fewer libraries. I think there are advantages to both approaches. Generally, in qualitative research, you are aiming for depth, not necessarily breadth, so exploring many programs from 2 libraries might make sense in light of the research questions, etc. Often it depends on the researcher's goals and objectives for the research.
The aforementioned article additionally presented me with another keyword for my search. Here's my list so far: Library, survey, youth, librarianship, programs, study, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, research
I subscribe to the ALSC email list, and receive all types of e-conversations via this listserv. I've found it very helpful for many reasons, however this week it was particularly relevant to this research class because it included an informal survey of youth librarians who have kept or done away with small prizes as an incentive for their summer reading programs. It makes me wonder, would this be considered a type of research?
Friday, September 2, 2011
Previous Schooling in Play
Research design has actually been something I've learned about before. It seems that sciences rely heavily on primary research in order to further and better the overall understanding of the science. However, integrating worldviews alongside the three types of research design of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, has opened my eyes to a more comprehensive understanding of the designs.
The postpositivist worldview mentions innovators such as Newton. This helped me connect to what I've learned about the famous scientist in elementary school, such as Newton's Law, to help me understand that this worldview can be more scientifically associated. The ideas such as "problems studied by post-positivists reflect the need to identify and assess the causes that influence outcomes, such as found in experiments.... [along with] the intent to reduce the ides into a small, discrete set of ideas to test, such as the variables that comprise hypotheses and research questions". (Creswell, 2009, p.7) I've had to do many science fair projects in my life, and the one I executed in the 8th grade comes to mind. Our teacher had us complete each step of the process by a certain due date, which in her mind probably eased the burden of the overall project. However, this method allowed me to grasp each step of the process easily and has stamped those concepts into my memory forever more. The hypotheses, methods of observation, and required materials are just a few of the steps of the process utilized in science experiments, as well as quantitative method with a postpositivist worldview.
The social constructivist worldview alongside the qualitative research design makes sense within the psychology setting. "Qualitative researchers seek to understand the context or setting of the participants through visiting this context and gathering information personally... they also interpret what they find." (Creswell, 2009, p.8) A lot of understanding of human behavior comes from observation and then subsequent deciphering of their actions. My Bachelor's degree was in Psychology, and most of the core classes I took discussed qualitative experiments, and it was even mandatory for me to participate in some of those experiments conducted by Master's level students. Actually participating in the experiments gave me a broader picture of the experiments conducted. My current archives and manuscripts class has an assigment of touring an actual archives. According to the teacher, this assists the students in truly understanding the material learned; participation is key.
The advocacy and participatory worldview seemed the most interesting and straightforward. Immediately, studies of African tribes and the lifework of Jane Goodall who studied chimps - albeit not humans, came to mind as true advocacy and participatory worldviews. Due to the nature of the possible studies, it makes sense that most of these types of studies are considered qualitative, with a select few fitting into the quantitative design.
The worldview that spoke to me the most was the pragmatic worldview. I liked how "pragmatism is not committed to any one system of philosophy and reality... this applies to mixed methods research in that inquirers draw liberally from both quantitative and qualitative assumptions". (Creswell, 2009, p.10) This method and worldview seems to employ the most comprehensive methodology and thereby present a truly complete picture. Truthfully, I couldn't think of any direct examples, however I'm confident that I will come across many of these during the course of this class.
The postpositivist worldview mentions innovators such as Newton. This helped me connect to what I've learned about the famous scientist in elementary school, such as Newton's Law, to help me understand that this worldview can be more scientifically associated. The ideas such as "problems studied by post-positivists reflect the need to identify and assess the causes that influence outcomes, such as found in experiments.... [along with] the intent to reduce the ides into a small, discrete set of ideas to test, such as the variables that comprise hypotheses and research questions". (Creswell, 2009, p.7) I've had to do many science fair projects in my life, and the one I executed in the 8th grade comes to mind. Our teacher had us complete each step of the process by a certain due date, which in her mind probably eased the burden of the overall project. However, this method allowed me to grasp each step of the process easily and has stamped those concepts into my memory forever more. The hypotheses, methods of observation, and required materials are just a few of the steps of the process utilized in science experiments, as well as quantitative method with a postpositivist worldview.
The social constructivist worldview alongside the qualitative research design makes sense within the psychology setting. "Qualitative researchers seek to understand the context or setting of the participants through visiting this context and gathering information personally... they also interpret what they find." (Creswell, 2009, p.8) A lot of understanding of human behavior comes from observation and then subsequent deciphering of their actions. My Bachelor's degree was in Psychology, and most of the core classes I took discussed qualitative experiments, and it was even mandatory for me to participate in some of those experiments conducted by Master's level students. Actually participating in the experiments gave me a broader picture of the experiments conducted. My current archives and manuscripts class has an assigment of touring an actual archives. According to the teacher, this assists the students in truly understanding the material learned; participation is key.
The advocacy and participatory worldview seemed the most interesting and straightforward. Immediately, studies of African tribes and the lifework of Jane Goodall who studied chimps - albeit not humans, came to mind as true advocacy and participatory worldviews. Due to the nature of the possible studies, it makes sense that most of these types of studies are considered qualitative, with a select few fitting into the quantitative design.
The worldview that spoke to me the most was the pragmatic worldview. I liked how "pragmatism is not committed to any one system of philosophy and reality... this applies to mixed methods research in that inquirers draw liberally from both quantitative and qualitative assumptions". (Creswell, 2009, p.10) This method and worldview seems to employ the most comprehensive methodology and thereby present a truly complete picture. Truthfully, I couldn't think of any direct examples, however I'm confident that I will come across many of these during the course of this class.
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