Week 1 Research Methods Experience
Traditionally when I have researched the impact of audio feedback on student learning and experience, also to examine the long tail effect. I have used blend of qualitative and quantitative methods.

Quantitative method of a survey instrument which my co-author and I have designed, gained ethics permission refined the survey post ethics feedback, then tested on a few, refined again and then deployed across a wide audience.  The key areas of been ensuring the each question does not have any leading bias, or respondents not bias influenced by the person deploying the survey.  All respondents are anonymous, and analysed anonymously.  When presenting the data all ensuring that individuals cannot be identified.  One of the challenges when surveying engineers, as there is too few female engineers to split the data along gender identification, is often not viable as too few female responses to be statistically valid, but also when presenting the data you can expose who responded, breaching survey anonymity

The qualitative research methods I have traditionally used, (learnt yesterday) is based on Straussian grounded theory  oppose to Glass grounded theory, as I use open questions and open axial codification and use of quotes to substantiate evidence of codification analysis, Cooney, A. (2010)..   Therefore I have recorded dialogue conversation with the students volunteers to evaluate their learning experience with respect to audio feedback.  I will often use one or another or a blend of further open email questions and semi-structure interviews (Cohen and Crabtree, 2006).   The email questions dialogue can be asynchronous as not in real-time, James (2006).  However, James and Busher (2007) showed email interview enables the researcher to be more engaged in the research process and consideration of the next question and time for the respondents reflect and provide in depth answers.  The semi-structured interview will be conference call or telephone interviews as due to location of graduates are away from Sheffield.  Good practice telephone interviews will be applied to reduce interview bias due to lack of visual clues, Novick (2008) highlights the key is for the interviewer to put interviewee at ease and develop rapport.  Conference call interview via Skype combines convenience of telephone interview and the research methods benefits of face to face interview, providing both interviewer and interviewee has appropriate technology and sufficient bandwidth, (Hanna, 2012).


When gathering academics experience of audio feedback or reflections on audio feedback as method to explore and adopt in their practice.  I have developed World Cafe type actives to support academics learning of audio feedback, but also as vehicle to gather research data from academics on their perceptions of audio feedback challenges and opportunities.    A World Cafe, Brown (2005),is an effective method to support a collaborative workshop experience both to provide professional development for academics, and means to research observations.  The World Cafe provides a vehicle to enable academics to learn through a knowledge exchange, in my case learn other audio feedback methods.   The world cafe provides a framework and open invitation to all participants to converse, share and capture the cross-pollination of ideas and understanding, Schieffer (2004).    Also, the world cafe promotes focus group discussions, and note taking, Habermann (2013).  A host (researcher) is placed on each table, their role is to act as a conversation facilitator, also can act as an independent note-taker gather the insights, questions, and patterns in the dialogue.  The use of  World cafe table cloths, Fouche and Light (2011), enables you to harvest the shared collective reflections, in my case academic reflections on an audio feedback method, to address, the table clothes were used to identify, gather and promote; “What are enabling factors?”; “What are the inhibiting factors?”.

In addition I have used student analytics to analysis the depth of student learning and engagement in new pedagogy approach, for example flipped plus = supplementary teaching = students' teach their peers in the class and on-line, Nortcliffe (2005).
Brown, J. (2005). The world café: Shaping our futures through conversations that matter. Berrett-Koehler Store.
Cohen, D., & Crabtree, B. (2006). Semi-structured interviews. Qualitative research guidelines project.Cohen, D., & Crabtree, B. (2006). Semi-structured interviews. Qualitative research guidelines project.
Cooney, A. (2010). Choosing between Glaser and Strauss: an example: Adeline Cooney looks at the reasons for choosing either Glaserian or Straussian grounded theory when conducting research and why she made her choice in a recent study. Nurse researcher17(4), 18-28.
Fouché, C., & Light, G. (2011). An Invitation to Dialogue ‘The World Café’In Social Work Research. Qualitative Social Work, 10(1), 28-48.
James, N., & Busher, H. (2006). Credibility, authenticity and voice: Dilemmas in online interviewing. Qualitative Research6(3), 403-420.
James, N. (2007). The use of email interviewing as a qualitative method of inquiry in educational research. British Educational Research Journal33(6), 963-976.
Habermann, B. (2013). 3.1 Qualitative research methods. Inter-and Transdisciplinary Research Methods in Rural Transformation, 22.

Nortcliffe, A. (2005) How can Blackboard assist in Assessment and Facilitation of Knowledge Exchange?, International Conference on Engineering Education, Gliwice, Poland

Novick, G. (2008). Is there a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research?. Research in nursing & health31(4), 391-398.
Schieffer, A., Isaacs, D., and Gyllenpalm, B. (2004). The world café: part one. World

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