ABSTRACT
In this chapter the question of using qualitative or quantitative methods in a pedagogical action research study is discussed, supplemented with a decision chart to help the reader choose which research method would be the most appropriate for their research. A fictionalized vignette is presented in which the lecturer is faced with a common issue for university teachers: ‘students are not reading for the seminars’. Using this vignette device, the author then takes the reader through some possible methods, the first of which is investigating the issue using a questionnaire approach. Details are given about the different types of questionnaires, attitude scales and response sets, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. The potential of using or adapting existing questionnaires is also considered. The same vignette is drawn on to consider an alternative research method taking a qualitative approach, specifically the interview. Different types of interview are explained, together with a discussion of the processes involved.
A substantial section of the chapter is concerned with how an experimental design (independent groups, matched subjects and repeated measures) might be used to investigate the issue. Details are also given of commonly used alternatives such as observational methods and correlational techniques. The author acknowledges that such methods may not always have been considered as mainstream action research but she justifies this approach and shows how they can be fitted into a pedagogical action research framework. Such a process would entail reflecting and acting on the findings to change or modify some aspect of learning and teaching practice rather than seeking to establish a cause-and-effect explanation of the students’ non-compliance with their set reading tasks.
