Bogdan and Biklen's article on Qualitative Research for Education was in some ways a refresher, but in others new information to digest. I felt connected because in my undergraduate and current graduate experience I have felt comfortable with qualitative research, while reading I recalled moments when I had to do interviews and my approach was very much qualitative "building relationship, getting to know each other, and putting the subject at ease" (95). Naturally, I have believed that when you do this the outcomes are greater. In addition, I connected with my style of doing good interviews in which they "communicate personal interest and attention to subjects by being attentive, nodding their heads, and using appropriate facial expressions to communicate" (96). The picture above depict how I see that happening overall.
One section that I don't know how I have handled or have unintentionally done in the past is "learn people's perspectives, not to instruct your subjects...You are not there to change views, but to learn what the subjects' views are and why they are that way" (101). I'm curious how my brain has processed certain information during interviews, have I said anything out-loud or do I just think it and push through? I honestly can't recall. While finishing up the reading a new approach that crossed my mind was focus or group interviews. This is not something I have encountered in the past, but wondering if it would be a better fit for my capstone project?
What is coding qualitative data? According to AI it is when you assign conceptual labels or tags to segments of non-numerical data to categorize and organize for analysis. I think this might have been my approach in my student teaching experience, but can't say I was very good at it. Coding provides room for clarity but also allows you to see patterns that might connect to your research, but also leads to deeper understanding of the experiences you have encountered as part of your research.
I really like how you tied Bogdan and Biklen’s ideas to your own experiences with interviewing. I think this is a really strong skill that you already have!
ReplyDeleteI think a focus group discussion would suit your research topic nicely, Frangely!
ReplyDeleteParent engagement with their children's education was a particular challenge for me when I worked with immigrant youth. The lack of parent engagement was very rarely born of negligence, though. It was a combination of factors like long work hours, lack of generational experience with education, language barriers, miscommunication, etc. These factors are specifically for immigrant parents, but I imagine of many of them overlap with most parents. So, I think a focus group discussion would enable parents to talk through parent engagement, learn about the engagement practices of other parents, and potentially brainstorm ways of engagement that works for them.
Hi Frangely! I also found Bogdan and Biklen’s discussion to be a nice balance between familiar concepts and new ideas. I have also thought that qualitative interviews should be a building relationship. I think about this with students. I do a mini interview before diving into college things. Also focus group is a good idea!
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