Methodological Design

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Methodological Design

• Whats the best way to design my study?

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Methodology, Methods, and Tools

• Methodology The framework associated with a
  particular set of paradigmatic assumptions that
  you will use to conduct your research, i.e.)
  scientific method, ethnography, action research
•  
• Methods The techniques you will use to collect
  data, i.e.) interviewing, surveying,
  participative observation
•  
• Tools The devices you will use to help you
  collect data, i.e.) questionnaires, observation
  checklists, interview schedules

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From Questions to Answers

• The Path
  

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From Questions to Answers
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From Questions to Answers
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Getting your Methodological Design on Target
Your methodological design needs to
Address the question
Be within your capacity interest
Be practical doable
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Addressing the question

• Sound methodological design infers a goodness of
  fit between your final questions and your
  methodological design
• One, the other, or both may evolve, but in the
  end, your questions and your methodology and
  methods need to have the tightest of
  relationships

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Suited to the researcher

• Goodness of fit is also important between your
  designs and you as a researcher
• Various designs will require certain skills
• You will also need to be comfortable taking on
  particular roles such as
• Theorist The philosopher or thinker  
• Scientist The objective expert 
• Change agent The emancipator
• Bricoleur The jack of all trades
• Choreographer The coordinator of a dance

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Practicalities

• Making it doable
• Regardless of how appropriate your methodological
  design might be for you and your question, if you
  do not have
• ethics approval
• adequate resources, enough time
• access necessary to accomplish the task,
• you will need to rethink your approach

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Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty

• Getting down to the nitty gritty of design
  involves being able to answer basic questions of
• who, where, when, what, and how
• and being able to assess your answers in
  relation to whether they are right for the
  question, suited to the researcher, and are doable

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Who

• Who do you want to be able to speak about?
• Who do you plan to speak to/ observe?

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Where

• What is the physical domain of your sample?
• Are settings relevant to the credibility of your
  methods?

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When

• How do your methods fit into your timeframe?
• Is timing relevant to the credibility of your
  methods?

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How

• How will I collect my data?
• How will I conduct my methods?

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What

• What will you look for/ what will you ask?

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The Qualitative / Quantitative Divide

• The terms quantitative and qualitative have
  come to represent a set of assumptions that
  dichotomizes and limits the potential of
  researchers to let methodological design develop
  directly from their questions

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Opening Up Possibilities

• The potential to develop the methodological
  design that is most appropriate to your
  particular context can expand if you
  systematically consider all the assumptions
  represented by the words quantitative and
  qualitative