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A Research Study On Secondary School Teachers ' Perceptions Of Ipad Integration And The Meanings

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After deciding on a research question, a researcher must map out how the research will be conducted by creating a research plan. When designing a research plan there are a number of variables to consider, including deciding which research method to use. According to Creswell (2013), a research method is a set of criteria for how data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted. The author also explained that the chosen method is based upon the researcher’s philosophical assumptions and the research design (Creswell, 2013). Also to be considered is the problem being addressed through the study, the researcher’s personal experiences, and the study’s audience (Creswell, 2013). Research methods are chosen based upon whether the researcher is …show more content…

Additionally, research is conducted with samples of a population that are typically generalizable to the larger population from which the sample was drawn. Quantitative data is designed to define versus qualitative data, which is designed to describe phenomenon.
Qualitative Methods Qualitative designs originated “from anthropology, sociology, the humanities, and evaluation” (Creswell, 2013, p. 42). Conducting qualitative research allows a researcher to garner first-hand information about the lived experiences of particular populations (Creswell, 2013) and use that information to provide rich descriptions about a research problem. This research method allows for the discovery of information on abstract issues that are not immediately observable, such as emotions, gender roles, or social norms from the perspectives of multiple people (Trainor & Graue, 2014). Merriam and Tisdell (2016) listed six common research designs in qualitative research, including “basic qualitative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, narrative analysis, and qualitative case study” (p. 23). The authors stated that the basic qualitative research design encompasses the characteristics of all other qualitative research designs, and are common in the field of education and administration. Basic qualitative research as defined by Merriam and Tisdell (2016) is a method grounded in constructivism and seeks to understand how participants ascribe meanings to phenomenon. Additional

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