ETEC 500: Example of Qualitative Research
Looking at a qualitative research study of an educational technology
I chose Field Experiences Using iPads: Impact of Experience on Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs from the Journal of Music Teacher Education.
Questions, Features, Methodology from the study
a) What are these preservice teachers perceptions of their experiences using ipads to create music and to teach?
b) How do these experiences influence their perceptions of the technology’s effectiveness as a teaching tool?
This was a qualitative experiential case study that utilized written reflections over a five-week field experience with nine preservice teachers using iPads in elementary music classes. The researchers analyzed the written reflections by identifying patterns and themes using an online qualitative program, allowing them to work individually and collaboratively to reach a negotiated consensus in the data (Reese, Bicheler, & Robinson, 2016).
Findings
• Teachers went from generalized excitement about using iPads to specific ways that they could be used pedagogically in teaching music.
• Teachers gained a deeper understanding of how iPads could engage students and increased comfort in using technology.
• Teachers learned to better associate different features of apps towards learning objectives.
• The practical experience using technology resulted in teachers connecting ideas to practice, improving their ability to utilize the technology in their teaching.
The approach: a good example of qualitative research
I found the methods by which the researchers approached the gathering of qualitative data fascinating as it included:
• Naturally emerging insights (rather than starting with a pre-conceived theory).
• A multistep process for information analysis as described by Moustakas (1994), involving finding key ideas, highlighting patterns in the data, working together (triangulating results between members) to agree on themes, and sharing findings with participants to ensure experiences were accurately represented (Reese, Bicheler, & Robinson, 2016).
• An examination of the development of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) related to music education.
• A collaboration between multiple researchers, with a defined theoretical framework building off of existing research.
This study’s goal, “to describe ‘the meaning, structure, and essence of the lived experience . . .’ for this group of preservice teachers” (Patton, 2002, p. 104; Reese, Bicheler, & Robinson, 2016), was an excellent use of a qualitative framework and could not have been measured with any sort of quantitative data analysis in the same way. The technique and strategies the researchers employed to gather this data (as mentioned above) made for an insightful and collaborative approach towards conducting this research. Measuring the change of beliefs over time in the participants through a statistical analysis, survey, or other method would surely have missed the depth and the story behind how and why beliefs naturally changed.
