Qualitative Research

What is Qualitative research?

Stephanie Wirt

University of Florida

ARE6746

11/6/11

Abstract

Qualitative research involves observation, documentation, interpretation and reflection on the part of the researcher.  Through examining the articles Using Participatory Visual Ethnography to Explore Young People's Use of Visual Material Culture in Place by K. Eglinton, Reflections on the Narrative Research Approach by T. Moen, and Qualitative forms of research methods by M. Stokrocki I will discuss key factors of qualitative research as it relates to art education and my research interests.

Key Words: Qualitative Research, Qualitative Inquiry, Narrative

            Qualitative research is guided by questions that have personal significance to the researcher.  The researchers is the leading instrument of investigation who uses a systematic process of describing, analyzing and interpreting to characterize and classify information observed in everyday life (Stokrocki, 1997).  The qualitative approach to research involves studying things in their natural environment as they interact with it in order to make sense of and interpret it.  This type of study involves prolonged observations and engagement with the subject of inquiry   (Moen, 2006). 

            In Qualitative forms of research methods Stokrocki references E. Eisner when discussing the characteristics of qualitative research.  The six key features of qualitative inquiry identified are "1) field-focused, 2) constructed so that the researcher is the instrument, 3) interpretive in nature, 4) expressive in language, 5) highly detailed, and 6) persuasive" (as cited in Eisner, 1991, pp.32-40).  Stokrocki identifies and defines ethnography, micro ethnography, phenomenology, educational criticism, case study, and social critical theory as types of qualitative inquiry.  Moen and Eglinton expand on these categories of inquiry by illustrating the importance of the personal narrative as a method of qualitative inquiry.  With the narrative research approach the researcher is examining to understand, through documentation, reflection and story-telling, the experience of humans as they encounter everyday life situations (Moen, 2006). 

            In Reflecting on the Narrative Research Approach, Moen discusses ideas of Vygotsky and Bakhtin as they relate to narrative research.  Moen agrees with Vygotsky and Bakhtin that any research that considers an individual or single group cannot exist in a vacuum and still be valid (Moen, 2006).  The dialogue of the researcher, whether internal, with participants or audience, is fundamental to qualitative research.  The internal dialogue of the researcher acts as the "talking through" of an idea with one's self in the process of coming to a meaningful conclusion or in solidifying one's own knowledge and understanding.  Meaning is made through shared experience (Moen, 2006).  That sharing of ideas can be through dialogue with other people or with one's self.  Therefore, the voice of the researcher is what constitutes the narrative and acts as the documentation of the research itself.

Reflection

            My personal research direction involves utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods.  In the process of creating curriculum for high school arts based on the big idea of Identity, I will be analyzing the differences between curriculum as designed and curriculum as implemented in preparation for writing a better informed curriculum guide for high school art teachers.  In dealing with contemporary high school students visual and material culture is an important part of their identity construction.  Eglinton points out that the personal narrative is a valuable ethnographic tool in conveying over reaching themes.  She also points out that the "place and space" has largely been left out of visual arts education.  This leads to a disconnection between theories and approaches used to engage teenage students in examining visual material culture (Eglinton, 2008).  With this awareness, I realize that any curriculum I write or implement needs to take into account the place and space of my students.  Therefore I must examine the place and space of my students prior to curriculum design.  It also makes me wonder how I can create curriculum that engages students that exist in a different place and space. 

            In order to investigate my students' perspectives and understanding of their place and space I will need to conduct interviews and utilize surveys.  To do this I will need IRB permission.  However, to investigate my own successes, pitfalls and processes in designing and implementing specific curriculum I will utilize a narrative approach in synthesizing my data collection.  My data collection will take the form of a research journal which describes, analyzes and interprets my daily interactions with my students, my process of curriculum design and implementation.  I essentially will be doing a prolonged study of myself as a practitioner of art education and research, of my students as they interact with me and their experiences in the classroom, and the stages of curriculum design.  All of this in preparation for writing a quality curriculum guide for future high school art teachers.

References

Eglinton, K. A. (2008). Using participatory visual ethnography to explore young people’s use of visual material culture in place and space. In R. Hickman, (Ed.). Research in art and design education (pp. 51-66). Chicago: Intellect Books.

Eisner, E. (1991). The enlightened eye: Qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of educational practice. New Your: Macmillan

Moen, T. (2006). Reflections on the narrative research approach. International Journal of Qualitative Methodology, 5(4), 1-11.

Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. La Pierre, & E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp. 33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA.

Becoming a researcher in art education

            This week's reading gave me much to think about in regards to how and what I will research.  After reading the three articles in Freedman’s series Becoming a Researcher in Art Education (Freedman 2003 - 2004) I went back to table 1 in Koro-Ljungberg et all’s, article on (E)pistemological Awareness (Koro-Ljungberg, Yendol-Hoppey, Smith & Hayes, 2009).   I again focused my attention on figuring out where I stood in relation to the decision junctures described there.  I am all over the place.  My two highlighted pages look like bright yellow rhythmic designs over text. 

  With the information I absorbed this week I learned more specifics on what and why I should research.  From Freedman's Becoming a Researcher in Art Education: Forming Research Questions I learned that my research questions need to be clearly stated and realistically answerable.  I need to ask and answer questions that are relevant and significant enough to my field of art education to be worthy of the time and effort required to conduct authentic research (Freedman, 2004).  I began my research formation exploration with the question "How does art curriculum design, based on a single big idea, enhance student learning?"  This is a broad question that has already been answered by a variety of researchers such as Elliot Eisner, Stewart and Walker, Wiggins, and Walling.  I don't want to just restate prior theorizing.  Rather I want to explore more into how curriculum based on a specific big idea enhance student learning and the positive development of a high school student's sense of individual identity.  This leads me to a more narrowing of my research question.  How could a high school multi level art curriculum guide/textbook designed around the single concept of identity enhance student learning?  This then brings up another question.  Are there guides or textbooks on the market now that address the same issue, or that are single themed?

             Will I continue to build the trellis started by Wiggins eta all with basic research or will I go out on a limb and construct new knowledge that will push the boundaries of instruction and learning therefore further advancing the field of arts education? (Freedman, 2004)  I'm going to walk out on a limb that is supported by a strong foundation of previous research.

            I do have more of a pluralist perspective on research and implementation of new knowledge, which is why I found Freedman's article Becoming a Researcher in Art Education: Developing Research Skills (2004) especially helpful in evaluating what research methods I could use.   From this article I recognize that I will need to utilize both empirical and non-empirical methods.  Freedman states that "Empirical research takes many forms that are quantitative and qualitative."  He further explains that some empirical research "emerge from questions about symbolic nature of experience, such as those that lead to case study and ethnographic methods and depend on procedures such as interviews, participant observations and role-play." (Freedman, 2004)  Because "social and cultural conditions have gained importance" (Freedman, 2004), the investigation of a high school curriculum based on identity is a relevant and significant area of research to undertake.

            It's relevance emerges in two of the four categories of the 2007-2011 NAEA Strategic Plan as presented in the 2009 NAEA Research Agenda: Creating a Visual Arts Education Research Agenda for the 21st Century: Encouraging Individual and Collaborative Research.  This article helped me further focus my research goals in that I can see where my research interest fits into the strategic plan. (The categories of Learning and Research and Knowledge)   As the practitioner in the classroom, my role is not only that of the art teacher, but it is also the active researcher.  By conducting active research on the implementation of a yearlong curriculum based on the single big idea of identity, I am able to investigate the difference between a curriculum design and that curriculum's actual implementation.  Last year I wrote a year long course Based on Identity for an Advanced Art Class.  This year I am actually teaching that course.  My use of a research journal will be part of my documentation of the investigation.  This is only a slice of a bigger pie.  The active research of the process of curriculum implementation will serve as my pilot study and work towards my larger research goal of discovering if an Identity curriculum is a needed and useful resource for contemporary high school art teachers.

References

2009 NAEA Research Agenda: Creating a Visual Arts Education Research Agenda for the 21st Century: Encouraging Individual and Collaborative Research.

Freedman, K. (2003). Editorial: Becoming a researcher in art education: Establishing research goals. Studies in Art Education, 45(1), pp. 3-4. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1321104

Freedman, K. (2004). Editorial: Becoming a researcher in art education: Developing research skills. Studies in Art Education, 45(3), pp. 187-188. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1320967

Freedman, K. (2004). Editorial: Becoming a researcher in art education: Forming research questions. Studies in Art Education, 45(2), pp. 99-100. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1321094

Koro-Ljungberg, M., Yendol-Hoppey, D., Smith, J., & Hayes, S. (2009). E)pistemological awareness, instantiation of methods and uniformed methodolological ambiguity in qualitative research projects. Educational Researcher, 38(9), 687-699. Retrieved from https://ares-uflib-ufl-edu.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ares.dll?SessionID=P142506687B&Action=10&Form=50&Value=89878

NAEA Research Commission. (2009). NAEA Research Agenda: Creating a visual art education research agenda for the 21^st century: Encouraging individual and collaborative research. Reston, VA: NAEA.

Stewart, M & Walker, S. (2005). Rethinking curriculum in art. Worcester, Massachusetts: Davis Publications, Inc.

Wiggins, R. P., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design. (2nd ed., pp. 13-34). Prentice Hall.

Zimmerman, E. (1998). A visual arts research agenda toward the twenty-first century. Arts Education Policy Review, 99(5), 30-35. Philadelphia, PA: Routledge.