Using Google Docs to Promote Collaborative learning in writing English .

I have made methodology but my instructor return it back with this comment( Your study as is could be an experimental research study. That might be fine for your capstone project and you could develop it into such with some refinements. For this course though the methods section needs to reflect a purely qualitative study or at least the qualitative component of a study that also has an experimental approach, To revise your methodology accordingly, please review the proposal guide and submit another draft. Under methodology it states: −​A brief summary overview of the research approach, procedures and strategies is given (1 paragraph) −​A convincing rationale is given for using the specific chosen method (e.g. grounded theory, case study, phenomenology etc.) −​Recruitment of participants, sampling, sampling techniques and parameters for participation is clearly explained −​Considerations of the research setting are discussed −​Data collection strategies are clearly explained, −​Data organization is clearly explained −​Analytic procedures for data are clearly explained −​Strategies for data interpretation are clearly explained For example, you could find a teacher who uses Google docs as part of his/her classes and you can interview and observe students and ask about their experience with Google docs. If you make it a case study, you can ask about all the aspects of using Google docs, e.g. what type of schoolwork, topics and assignments do they use it for? How do they use the tool? In what ways does it help learning? In what ways does it help collaboration? What were some actual experiences etc.Ask for stories, anecdotes, real life experiences. Then in your analysis look for themes, patterns. ) I will attached my research so you should do the revise (write again)and edit depend on my instructor comment.
I find this link (http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2013/02/our-students-are-going-google-at-van.html?m=10 I do not know if it is working or not when I ask my instructor she gave me this comment( I had a quick look at the school’s website . It has an interesting use of technology. You could use it for the purpose of this course as an example. If you plan to develop this proposal into you actual capstone project, best to find a school you can go to in person. Short of traveling to California, you should be able to find on here in the region that has innovative use of technology. After all, our state is turning into a high tech city.)
Also, this is an example for this type of research the methodology part look at (Methodology
Overview
This study proposes to examine self-efficacy beliefs, expectancies and goals, and how they influence students’ satisfaction in online learning environments in higher education. This is a mixed methods study; quantitative data will be collected though web-based survey and qualitative data will be collected though in-depth interviews to have a deeper understanding of the problem. Phenomenological method is chosen for this research to collect qualitative data. It concerns with the study of experiences from individual’s perspectives and it “aims at gaining a deeper understanding of the nature or meaning of our everyday experiences” (Van, 1997, p. 9). Participants and setting Participants of this study will be graduate students from the school of education who are enrolled in a fully online course at ………..university. The setting of this study will take place in face-to-face environment and in online environment. The web-based survey will sent to participant via email. Some of those participants will be individually interviewed, if agreed, face-to-face or by phone. The participants will be informed that their participation is voluntarily, they are under no obligation to participate in this study and they are free to withdraw their consent to participate at any time. They will be also informed that their name will never appear on any survey or research instruments. No identity will be made in the data analysis. All materials will be stored in a locked file in the researcher’s home. Their response(s) will only appear in statistical data summaries. All materials will be destroyed at the completion of the research. The participants will have the option to type their email addresses if they wish to share the summary of the results with them at no cost. The emails of the students will not be linked to survey responses, thus confidentiality is protected. Rather, all data will be reported in aggregate and confidentiality will be protected. Email addresses will be discarded at the conclusion of this study. Procedure This is a mixed method study that aims to collect quantitative and qualitative data for a deeper understanding of the problem. In order to collect quantitative data, an online survey will be sent to the participants after getting Duquesne’s IRB approval. For qualitative data collection, a structured in-depth interview will be conducted in order to collect deeper understanding of the participants’ beliefs and experiences. The study of lived experience is one of the main focuses of phenomenology. In other words, it investigates the way people experience the world. Phenomenology “attempts to gain insightful descriptions of the way we experience the world pre-reflectively, without taxonomizing, classifying, or abstracting it” (Van, 1997, p. 9). Van (1997, p. 30) has introduced six methodological themes or research activities for conducting a phenomenological research. 1. turning to a phenomenon which seriously interests us and commits us to the world; 2. investigating experience as we live it rather than as we conceptualize it; 3. reflecting on the essential themes which characterize the phenomenon; 4. describing the phenomenon through the art of writing and rewriting; 5. maintaining a strong and oriented pedagogical relation to the phenomenon; 6. balancing the research context by considering parts and whole. A structured online survey will be designed using Google Docs and will be sent to participants to collect their responses for quantitative data. The survey will include four sections: students’ efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, goals, and learning satisfaction. Then, some of those participants will be invited for a personal interviewif they agree. The format of the interview will be structured, and it will include four sets of questions: student’s confidence, expectation of the outcomes, goals that students set for themselves, and online learning satisfaction. With the combination of quantitative and qualitative data, the researcher will have a deeper understanding of students’ perception and experiences. The researcher will ask the same questions for each interviewee.The participants will read and sign the consent form before the beginning of the interview. Qualitative Data Analyses Thematic analysis was chosen in order to analyze the responses of the interviews. According to Braun and Clarke (2006, p. 79), “Thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data. It minimally organises and describes your data set in (rich) detail”. In other words, thematic analysis is usually used to identify and analyze the content and the meaning of patterns (i.e. themes) in the data collected (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Researchers can identify the abstract themes before, during or after the data analysis (Ryan and Bernard, 2000). Thematic analysis is widely used in the qualitative method and it helps to identify the students’ perceptions, thoughts and opinion. The analysis of this study is based on the six phases provided by Braun and Clarke (2006, p. 87): Phase Description of the process 1. Familiarizing yourself with your data Transcribing data (if necessary), reading and re-reading the data, noting down initial ideas. 2. Generating initial codes Coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code. 3. Searching for themes Collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme. 4. Reviewing themes Checking if the themes work in relation to the coded extracts (Level 1) and the entire data set (Level 2), generating a thematic ‘map’ of the analysis. 5. Defining and naming themes Ongoing analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall story the analysis tells, generating clear definitions and names for each theme. 6. Producing the report The final opportunity for analysis. Selection of vivid, compelling extract examples, final analysis of selected extracts, relating back of the analysis to the research question and literature, producing a scholarly report of the analysis. Table 1 Phases of Thematic Analysis Phase 1: Familiarization with the Data. The process of the analysis starts by collecting all the interview responses that have been received. Then the researcher becomes familiar with the depth of the content and identifies the common ideas by reading it several times. Braun & Clarke, (2006, p. 87) have mentioned that “It is ideal to read through the entire data set at least once before you begin your coding, as ideas and identification of possible patterns will be shaped as you read through”. Phase 2: Generation of Initial Codes This phase starts when the researcher finishes reading, become familiarized with the data, and have an idea about the interesting points heshe may find in the data. This phase includes generating the initial codes from the data, looking for some similarities between those codes, and then refocusing on the analysis in order to identify themes. At this stage, “It may be helpful to use visual representations to help you sort the different codes into themes” (Braun and Clarke, 2006, p. 89). Phase 3: Searching for Themes This phase begins when the researcher finishes collecting and coding all data, and listing all the different codes that will be identified through the data. This phase involves sorting all of those different codes into themes. It is when “you start thinking about the relationship between codes, between themes, and between different levels of themes (e.g. main overarching themes and sub-themes within them)” (Braun and Clarke, 2006, p. 89). As a result of this phase, a list of candidate themes will be identified along with sub-themes as well, where all the coded data will be categorized into groups. Phase 4: Reviewing the Themes In this phase, the researcher has to re-evaluate all the candidate themes that have been chosen in the previous phase. He/she might find that some of the candidate themes can be combined together, while others can be divided into different themes. The researcher might notice that some candidate themes are not really themes if they have no enough data to support them or the data is too diverse.Braun and Clarke (2006) have mentioned that this phase involve two levels of reviewing the themes. The first level involves reviewing the phase when data has been coded. This means that “you need to read all the collated extracts for each theme, and consider whether they appear to form a coherent pattern” (Braun and Clarke, 2006, p. 91). The second level is similar to the first level but in relation to all data set. It is important in this level not just to consider the validity of the individual themes to the data set, but also if the candidate thematic map reflects the meaning accurately in the whole data set (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Phase 5: Defining and Naming Themes After having a satisfactory thematic map of my data, this phase begins. It involves defining and refining the themes I will present for my data. This means identifying what each theme involves or the story of each theme tells, and determining what aspects of the data each theme capture. It is important by the end of this phase to have clear defined data for each theme, and concise manes that gives the reader an idea of what the theme, is about (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Phase 6: Producing the Report Writing up the report is the final phase of the analysis after having a set of fully worked-out themes. The writing up task of the thematic analysis presents the complicated story of the data in a way that convince the reader of the validity of the analysis. Braun and Clarke (2006, p. 93) have stated“it is important that the analysis provides a concise, coherent, logical, non-repetitive and interesting account of the story the data tell within and across themes. Your write-up must provide sufficient evidence of the themes within the data (i.e. enough data extracts to demonstrate the prevalence of the theme)”. Implementation of the study Participants must have access to the Internet through computers or smart devices in order to fill out the online survey. Participants who agree to be interviewed will have to arrange a date/time to meet on-campus or via phone. The time frame needed for the data collection is one month from the beginning of the semester. Some of the anticipated constraints and potential obstacles of this study is the limited number of participation in the interviews. No generalizations can be made if there were a limited number of participants. A pilot study is recommended to test the approximate number of participation in the first month of the course, collecting data in more than one semester is preferred to get a larger number of participation.)