FIELD: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY MASTER’S LEVEL PAPER ON QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 1: Analyze the methodology used in scientific research.
Analyze the sample, the sampling procedures, and the sampling strategies.
Competency 2: Evaluate the characteristics, purposes, benefits, strengths, and weaknesses of research methods.
Evaluate the overall strengths and limitations of qualitative research.
Competency 3: Evaluate ethical issues in research studies.
Describe the ethical procedures used during data collection.
Competency 4: Evaluate data collection and analysis strategies based on the characteristics of the research design.
Describe the data collection procedures and instruments.
Evaluate whether the data collection procedures and instruments are appropriate for qualitative methodology.
Competency 5: Examine the appropriate application of scientific research methodology.
Evaluate whether the sample, the sampling procedures, and the sampling strategies are appropriate for qualitative methodology and conducted in an ethical manner.
Analyze the credibility and dependability of the research study.
Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.
The qualitative mode of research uses context and a nonjudgmental approach to attempt to understand the phenomena in question from the participant’s point of view. This technique is derived from the histographs of social anthropologists at the beginning of the 20th century. A sociologist studies a subject culture for several years, living among the people of the studied society in an attempt to truly understand their worldview.

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Read the Assessment 4 Context [PDF] document for important information on qualitative research methodologies.
Preparation
Reread the qualitative research article you chose for Assessment 2; pay special attention to the methods section, which describes how the research was conducted. Make sure you understand the research terminology used in the article. If there are any research terms you do not understand, use the resources provided for this assessment to learn about these.

Instructions
In 7–9 pages, write an evaluation in which you complete the following:

Begin your work with an introduction that explains the purpose of the evaluation and its contents.
Provide an overview of qualitative methodology, including its philosophical perspectives, goals, and purpose.
Identify the qualitative approach the researchers used and what characteristics of the research make it this approach.
Evaluate the overall strengths and limitations of qualitative research.
Describe and evaluate the sampling procedure, including both strengths and limitations, as well as what ethical considerations were included.
Discuss what you might have done differently in sampling participants for this study, and provide a rationale.
Describe and evaluate the data collection, including both strengths and limitations, as well as what ethical considerations were included.
Discuss what you might have done differently in the data collection, and provide a rationale.
Describe what is meant by credibility and dependability in qualitative research.
Evaluate the credibility and dependability of this research study.
Evaluate how well the researchers designed this study so that it answered the research question or questions.
End your paper with a summary and conclusion.
Additional Requirements
As much as possible, the assessment should be written in your own words; it may include paraphrased information that is properly cited in the current APA style.
If you need to quote, do so sparingly, and make sure you have cited quoted material according to the current APA style.
Your assessment needs to demonstrate your understanding of the material, not how well you can quote someone else’s work.
Write in a professional tone, without writing errors.
Include a title page and references page, using the current APA style.
Write 7–9 pages with 1-inch margins, plus a title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
Include at least 5 current scholarly or professional resources.
Use APA-style headings to organize your paper.
Use Times New Roman font, 12 point.
Double space.