Grounded Theory Grounded theory is a quantitative research design in which the investigator moves beyond description and attempts to generate or discover a theory, an abstract analytical schema of a process, action or interaction (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). This theory-development does not come ‘off the shelf’ but rather is generated or ‘grounded’ in data from…
Case Study Case study research involves the study of an issue explored through one or more cases within a bounded system (a setting or context). Case study research is a qualitative approach in which the investigator explores a bounded system (case) or multiple bounded systems (cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple…
Instrumentation Instrumentation or the methods of data collection: Do not purposely start a new page for this section. Type the words ‘Instrument and Data Collection Procedure’ flush with the left margin and italicize them. For a qualitative study to be successful and effective, it should achieve the following three elements: (1) internal validity or credibility,…
Tables in APA Style Tables in APA Tables are used to prepare quantitative data, statistics, and analyses in a format that makes them easy to understand and facilitates comparisons. APA style tables do not contain any vertical lines. Type the table number and then (on the next double-spaced line) type the table number flush left…
Phenomenological Research Phenomenological Research is a kind of qualitative research. It’s a qualitative research. It describes the meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or phenomenon. Phenomenologists focus on describing what all participants have in common as they experience a phenomenon. The purpose of phenomenology is to reduce individual experiences with…
Literature Review Literature Review You should always take a notebook to collect citations and quotations from as many sources as you can in support of the validity of your project. The more you have references, the more credit you give to your work. In this regard, it is imperative to keep a record of the…
Research Hypotheses Research hypotheses are based on observations or on what the literature suggests the answers to research questions might be. There may be times when, because of a lack of relevant literature, hypotheses cannot be generated because the researcher is dealing with new and/or unexpected areas. So their presence is not obligatory. They should…
Figures Figures are used to display information discussed in the text in a concise format that is easy to comprehend. They generally consist of graphs, charts, pictures, diagrams, and illustrations. Figures should not be used to duplicate textual information. Rather, they are used as a helpful complement to or amplification of what is expressed verbally…
Dyslexia Dyslexia or (word blindness) is a general term sometimes used to describe any continuing problem in learning to read, such as difficulty in distinguishing letter shapes and words. Reading specialists do not agree on the nature or causes of such reading problems, however, and both medical and psychological explanations have been made. Because of…
Complexity Theory Complexity theory is closely linked to chaos theory. Complex systems are random, nonlinear, unpredictable, self-organising, and subject to ‘strange attractor’, (i.e. they home in on a pattern that determines the boundaries of the phenomenon). Larsen-Freeman (1997) proposed that language and L2 acquisition are best viewed as complex systems. She identified a number of…