Reading and Assignment for October 7 Class

Excerpts from Focus Groups: Theory and Practice

+ Chapter 4 (pp. 65-92) in Writing Up Qualitative Research

Literature Reviews are due by 12 p.m. on October 7. We are posting an outline to our research blogs, sending an e-copy to CAP, and bringing one hard copy to class.

Remember that your goal is to take the reader from “what is known” (and relevant to your topic) to “what is unknown” (and needs to be known)

KNOWN → UNKNOWN

The literature review should:

1. Be organized around and related directly to your RQ
2. Synthesize results of other research into a summary of what is known
3. Identity gaps or controversies in the current literature
4. Situate the current project within these gaps or controversies

You also need to explain:

• Why the literature you cite is relevant to your topic
• Why the knowledge you seek to contribute is important

One of the big problems I see in literature reviews is that the subject of the current study gets lost in the summary. Try not to go more than 2 paragraphs without a reference to the current topic or an explanation of why this literature is relevant.

Q: How long should a literature review be?

A: Look at the journal(s) you are targeting. What percentage of the articles does the literature reviews make up? We tend to write too much. Remember to and synthesize results (multiple studies in citation) rather than summarize each study that is relevant to your project. Generally, your literature review should not be longer than 5 pages.

Assignment 4: Oral History

Interview a family member or friend about his or her history of using the internet. Follow the guidelines provided in QCRM and utilize the techniques discussed by Seidman [the "Technique Isn't Everything, But It is a Lot" reading can be downloaded here].

Recording / transcription are not required, but you should take detailed notes to increase the accuracy of your oral history.

This research assignment has two objectives:

• To practice generating questions that will elicit helpful responses from your subject
• To develop stronger interviewing skills (questioning, directing, and probing responses)

Your write-up should include your complete interview protocol (the questions you asked, in the order you asked them) and a BRIEF (no more than 5 paragraphs) summary of your respondent’s experience with the internet. It should be posted on the course blog by 12 p.m. next Wednesday.

Internet Research Presentation (9/14)

If you would like a copy of my notes from last Monday's presentation on conducting research online, click here.

Reading and Directions for September 23 Class

“Deep Play” by Clifford Geertz

+ Chapter 5 (pp. 132-169) in Qualitative Communication Research Methods

Remember that we are meeting at the Northport Hornbacher's for our September 23 class, at 5 p.m. sharp.

Click on the map below for directions from NDSU:


View Larger Map

As you are reading about the ethnographic method, think about the best way(s) to observe shopping behaviors (and discern the logic of consumer purchasing behaviors).

Assignment 3: Paper Proposal

For this assignment, you will outline a brief research proposal. Your proposal should include all of the following elements:

• Clearly defined research topic
• Annotated bibliography (explain relevance to your project)
• Research questions
• Proposed sites / text / artifacts
• Methods for collecting data

The final paragraph of your proposal should draw from the readings to explain how the methods selected will answer your research questions, and how you see your research contributing to current knowledge.

Your paper proposal should be posted on your research blog by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16.

Email, IM, or stop by if you have questions.

Assignment 2: Project Timeline

For this assignment, you will draw up a timeline for completing your final research project.

Evaluation of your final project will include a consideration of how well you adhered to the deadlines that you set for yourself. Please be mindful of the assignment deadlines in the syllabus (e.g., project proposal due date) when setting up your timeline.

Here are some of the items we listed in class:

• Topic selection
• IRB approval
• Searching for books/articles
• Writing the research proposal
• Writing the literature review
• Writing the methods section
• Constructing the research protocol
• Recruiting subjects or collecting texts
• Conducting interviews/focus groups/observations
• Transcribing (generally takes 3-4x longer than interview)
• Organizing the data
• Analyzing the data
• Writing the contribution/limitations section
• Creating a functional outline
• Writing up the research

[Let me know if you see anything I have missed]

Your project timeline should be posted on your research blog by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9.