CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The Department of Education and Urban Studies
1700 E. Coldspring Lane; 317 Jenkins
Baltimore, Maryland 21251
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES
For
Introduction to Research Methods
(EDHE 604.185)
FALL 2009
DECEMBER 4 through JANUARY 16, 2009
Friday 6 - 9 p.m. & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
FREDERICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Instructor: Barbara B, Murray, Ed. D.
1
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
2
This package of activities will be used to practice good research practices. During the
first class, we will make reading assignments and assign these activities as individual or group
projects to be completed during the remainder of the class. Once we have made the assignments,
we will complete the following itinerary:
Date
12/04/09
Session
6-9 PM
12/05/09
Readings and Assignments
Introduction
Assignments scheduled and
confirmed
APA Review
Chapter 1
Responsible Individual/Group
Dr. Murray
Class
9-12 PM
1-4 PM
12/11/09
6-9 PM
12/12/09
9-12 PM
1-4 PM
12/18/09
6-9 PM
12/19/09
9-12 PM
1-4 PM
1/8/10
6-9 PM
1/9/10
9-12 PM
1-4 PM
1/15/10
6-9 PM
1/15/10
9-12 PM
1-4 PM
HOME ASSIGNMENT
NO-IN CLASS MEETING
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
3
Chapter 1 The Process of Conducting Research
Activity: Locating and Defining the Parts of the Research Process
Objectives:
1. To be able to define each of the parts of the research process
2. To be able to locate the parts of the research process in a research article.
Directions:
Read the article, Class Size and Interaction in Online Classes (Orellana, 2006), that accompanies
this document. Then give them the following questions to answer. If you like, you can divide the
class into groups and assign questions to each group. You can also choose a different article for
them rather than the one provided.
Questions:
1. Research is built around a research problem. What is a research problem?
2. In this article, what is the research problem?
3. How did the researcher justify that this problem needs to be studied? In other words, why did
she think that this was an important matter to study?
4. Who is the audience that the author says will benefit from this study? If no audience is
mentioned, who do you think might benefit from reading this study and why?
5. Why is it important in a research study to review the literature?
6. In this article, what purpose does the literature review serve?
7. What function does the purpose statement in a research study serve?
8. Does this study have a stated purpose? If so, where is it located in the study?
9. Typically, researchers follow the purpose statement with research questions. Are there
clearly stated research questions that follow the purpose statement?
10. What are at least three of the ways that researchers can collect data?
11. Did this study have more than one type of data?
12. In this article, how did the researcher collect data?
13. How did the researcher analyze the data in the study?
14. How did the researcher present the analysis of the data in the discussion section?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
4
Chapter 2 Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
Activity: Determining Whether to Use a Qualitative or Quantitative Approach
Objectives:
1. To determine if a researcher should use a qualitative or quantitative approach to study the
research problem outlined in the scenario.
2. To be able to locate words within the scenario that indicate whether a qualitative or
quantitative research approach should be used.
3. To be able to suggest quantitative or qualitative methods that could be used to study the
research problem outlined in the scenario.
Exercise1: Determining Whether to Use a Qualitative or Quantitative Approach in a Scenario
Directions:
1. Divide the class into two groups and assign at least two of the following scenarios to each
group.
2. Have the groups answer the questions associated with each scenario.
3. Have the groups share the scenarios they worked on and their responses to the questions.
4. Lead a general discussion about the differences between qualitative and quantitative research
and some of the ways to identify the approach.
Scenario 1:
You have been reading in the area of online education and have become interested in several
articles that deal with the relationship between posting images online on a course website and the
degree to which the class feels connected. Little research has been done in that area so you
decide to design a study to test whether there is a relationship between posting personal photos
on the course website and the degree of connectedness that the students in the class feel.
Questions:
1. Will you design a quantitative or qualitative study?
2. What word(s) in the scenario gives you a clue as to whether you would design a quantitative
or qualitative study?
3. What are some possible research methods that you might use?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
5
Scenario 2:
You have been reading a journal article about differences between sixth grade boys and sixth
grade girls in mathematics. The article states that girls are outperforming boys in their
knowledge of math skills. You have noticed that in your school that seems to be true. In fact, you
find that the girls in your school appear to have higher grades in math than the boys in your
school. You decide to do some research to determine if this is true.
Questions:
4. Will you design a quantitative or qualitative study?
5. What word(s) in the scenario gives you a clue as to whether you would design a quantitative
or qualitative study?
6. What are some possible research methods that you might use?
Scenario 3:
You are interested in learning whether a using a layered curriculum in teaching science is more
effective than using a traditional curriculum model.
Questions:
7. Will you design a quantitative or qualitative study?
8. What word(s) in the scenario gives you a clue as to whether you would design a quantitative
or qualitative study?
9. What are some possible research methods that you might use?
Scenario 4:
You want to explore how teen smokers describe their family environment to understand the role
of parents in their lives.
Questions:
10. Will you design a quantitative or qualitative study?
11. What word(s) in the scenario gives you a clue as to whether you would design a quantitative
or qualitative study?
12. What are some possible research methods that you might use?
Scenario 5:
You are asked to do some research to describe the meaning that individuals give to their failure
in a college statistics class.
Questions
13. Will you design a quantitative or qualitative study?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
6
14. What word(s) in the scenario gives you a clue as to whether you would design a quantitative
or qualitative study?
15. What are some possible research methods that you might use?
Exercise 2: Identifying Qualitative or Quantitative Research in an Article
Directions:
1. Choose a qualitative and a quantitative article for the class to review.
2. Divide the class into two groups and give one the qualitative article and the other the
quantitative article.
3. Have the groups identify whether their article employs qualitative research or quantitative
research, and have them identify the methods used to obtain the data.
3. Lead a general discussion about the differences between qualitative and quantitative research
and some of the ways to identify the approach.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
7
Chapter 3 Identifying and Writing a Research Problem
Activity: Identifying the Parts of the Statement of the Problem
Objectives:
1. To be able to identify the parts of the “statement of the problem” section in a research article.
2. To write a statement of the problem section.
Exercise 1: Identifying the Parts of the Statement of the Problem in an Article
Directions:
1. Divide the class into two groups. Give one group the Lewis article and the other group the
Orellana article that accompany this document. Have them answer the following questions about
the statement of the problem.
2. Have the groups report to the class what they found.
3. Lead a general discussion on the parts of the statement of the problem by comparing and
contrasting these two articles. The Orellana article is quantitative and the Lewis article is
qualitative. Compare the similarities and differences in how the statement of the problem section
is written and have students give reasons for the differences.
Instead of using these articles, you may use the questions provided below with a quantitative and
a qualitative article of your choice.
Article 1: Class Size and Interaction in Online Courses by Anymir Orellana.
Questions:
1. What is the topic for the article and where do you find it in the article?
2. What is the research problem and where do you find it in the article?
3. What is the justification for the research problem and where do you find it in the article?
4. What are the deficiencies in the literature (what do we need to know more about) and where
do we find them in the article?
5. What are the audiences for this study? If none are mentioned in the article, what audiences
would benefit from reading this study?
6. What is the narrative hook? How might you rewrite the narrative hook to better introduce this
study as a quantitative study?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
8
Article 2: Recognition of Workplace Bullying: A Qualitative Study of Women Targets in the
Public Sector, by Sian E. Lewis. Using the article, answer the following questions:
1. What is the topic for the article and where do you find it in the article?
2. What is the research problem and where do you find it in the article?
3. What is the justification for the research problem and where do you find it in the article?
4. What are the deficiencies in the literature (what do we need to know more about) and where
do we find them in the article?
5. What was mentioned by the author as a major limitation of studying bullying?
6. Who are the audiences for this study? If none are mentioned in the article, what audiences
would benefit from reading this study?
7. What is the narrative hook? How might you rewrite the narrative hook to better introduce this
study as a quantitative study?
Exercise 2: Writing a Statement of the Problem
Directions:
1. Divide students into research groups.
2. Have each group choose a topic that they feel needs to be researched.
3. Have each group write a statement of the problem to share with the rest of the class using the
five paragraph format that is outlined below:
Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
Paragraph 3:
Paragraph 4:
Paragraph 5:
topic (including narrative hook)
research problem
justification for the problem
deficiencies in the literature
audiences that would benefit from the study
4. Have students share their work with the rest of the class. Each group should be prepared to
share whether their study would be a qualitative or quantitative study and their reasons for
choosing this approach.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
9
Exercise 3: Drafting a Project Proposal –Use Morgan State University’s Proposed Research
Form for this exercise.
Objectives:
1. To be able to define each of the parts of the research process
2. To be able to outline a research project using the parts of the research process.
Directions:
This project can be done in groups or can be assigned as homework. Distribute the project
outline below and have students individually or as groups draft a project proposal that addresses
the research problem they wish to study. This can be used as a semester project. The design steps
can be coordinated with the chapters in the textbook. When students have finished you may want
to have them present their outlines to the class and have a general discussion on each of them.
This is a great opportunity to review the steps of the research process and have students define
them.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND URBAN STUDIES
COMMUNITY COLLLEGE LEADERSHIP DOCTORAL PROGRAM
PROPOSED RESEARCH TOPIC FORM
Student Information:
Name:
Address:
City:
State
Home Phone (
)
Work Phone: (
Zip:
)
Email:
Proposed Research Topic:
Proposed Research Topic Information:
Please develop a 3-5 page document which addresses the following questions:

What is your general research interest? Can you narrow it to a specific research
focus? If yes, please do.

What do you hope to learn from doing this study?

What have other scholars said about your topic? Provide at least 15 citations.

What do you know about this topic?

How is your study going to contribute to the literature?

Why is this study important?
Note: This form is to be submitted immediately following the first research class.
10
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
11
Chapter 4 Reviewing the Literature
Activity: Creating a Literature Map and Reviewing the Literature (OPTIONAL)
Objectives:
1. To be able to draw a literature map using the references in a journal article.
2. To be able to determine the structure of the literature that was used in the article and to
visually relate the deficiencies in the literature to the proposed study.
Exercise 1: Creating a Literature Review
Directions:
Create a literature review for your proposal using the following steps:
1. Collect, organize, analyze, and critique 15 research articles that are related to your research
proposal. Write a "selected" literature review of the topic you selected.
2. Your review should also include a proposal for a new study that needs to be done in this area.
The rationale for doing this study should be based on your literature review.
3. Your literature review should also include a literature map. See Creswell (108-119) for some
examples of maps (OPTIONAL).
4. The review should follow the standards established in the course and documentation should
follow A.P.A. format. Examples of A.P.A. format are found in Creswell (pp. 110-111). The
review should be 10-12 pages in length excluding bibliography.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
CHECKLIST FOR EVALUATING LITERATURE REVIEW PROJECT
Name ____________________
Semester/Year______________________________
Project Title______________________________________________________________
Overall paper requirements:
_______ Appropriate number of pages?
_______ Double spaced in appropriate font?
_______ Scholarly journals referenced?
_______ Number of total references? (minimum 20 studies)
_______ Review (excluding bibliography and literature map) is between 10-12 pages?
APA style:
________Running head on all pages?
_______ Appropriate APA level headings?
_______ Appropriate in-text citations?
_______ Appropriate style for end-of-text references?
_______ Appropriate APA bibliography format
Literature map (OPTIONAL):
_______ Literature review map in appropriate format?
_______ Sufficient level of detail in the map?
_______ References to studies cited in the boxes?
_______ Boxes connected with lines or in circles?
_______ Indication of “proposed study?”
_______ Does “proposed study” extend a branch in the map?
________Are all references in bibliography included?
Literature review body:
_______ Stated in past tense?
_______ Review includes evidence of a manageable “research problem?”
_______ Review includes evidence of the questions or purpose?
_______ Review includes evidence of the data collection?
_______ Review includes evidence of the important results?
_______ Adequate editing (spelling, grammar, punctuation)?
_______ Logical transitions between reviews?
_______ Literature review body matches construction of literature map?
Literature review conclusion:
_______ Deficiencies in the literature mentioned?
_______ Reasons cited for additional study?
_______ Specifies a proposed study and question of the proposed study?
_______ Indicates a research design for the proposed study?
_______ Good transitions between reviews?
Overall assessment
Project grade:__________
12
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
13
Chapter 5 Specifying a Purpose and Research Questions or Hypotheses
Activity: Writing Purpose Statements, Research Questions, Null Hypotheses, Alternative
Hypotheses, Central Questions, and Subquestions
Objectives:
1. To be able to write a purpose statement for a quantitative and a qualitative research study
using the script found in Chapter 5 of the text.
2. To be able to write a quantitative research question for a research study using the script found
in Chapter 5 of the text.
3. To be able to write a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis for a research study using
the script found in Chapter 5 of the text.
4. To be able to write a central question for a qualitative study.
5. To be able to write research subquestions for a qualitative study.
Directions: There will be two groups for each scenario in this exercise.
Group 1 Scenario 1:
John has noticed that the students at City College who spend more time in volunteer work seem
to be happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who don’t. He talked with some of his
friends at the college who did volunteer work and they agreed that they felt happier and more
satisfied with their lives because through volunteer work they were able to give something back
to the community.
After talking with his friends about this and reading a bit about volunteer work and life
satisfaction, it also seemed that more of his male friends told him that they were happier with
their lives because they did volunteer work than his female friends. After reading articles in some
journals about the role volunteer work plays in an individual’s life, John began to wonder if
doing volunteer work was related to how satisfied people were with their lives. He decided to
design a study to find out if this was true.
Questions:
1. Should John take a quantitative or qualitative approach to his study? Why?
2. What is the dependent variable in John’s study?
3. What is (are) the independent variable(s)?
4. What is the control variable?
5. Using the purpose statement script in Chapter 5, write a purpose statement for John’s study.
6. Using the script in Chapter 5, write a descriptive research question for John’s study.
7. What relationship is John trying to test in his study?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
14
8. Using the script in Chapter 5, write a relationship research question for John’s study that
addresses the relationship between doing volunteer work and life satisfaction using the script in
Chapter 5.
9. Using the script in Chapter 5, write a comparison research question for John’s study that
addresses gender differences in the relationship between doing volunteer work and life
satisfaction.
10. Using the script in Chapter 5, write a null hypothesis for John’s study.
11. Using the script in Chapter 5, write an alternative hypothesis for John’s study that
addresses the relationship between doing volunteer work and life satisfaction.
Group 2 Scenario 2:
Vicki has just started teaching graduate classes online at Star City College. Since she is new to
online teaching and learning, she is very interested in how the learners describe their experiences
of learning online. Particularly, she is interested in whether they feel that they are building
community. She is also interested in relationship building in an online environment, as well as in
student experiences with the technology that they must use for their class.
Vicki sent some emails to her class to get some preliminary data and also began reading about
creating online communities in academic journals. She noticed, however, that there was little
research into building relationships online in academic settings such as an online class or an
online program of study. In addition, the studies mainly consisted of surveys of online students.
She felt that she would like to conduct a study to gather a more in-depth perspective from the
student’s point of view of building relationships online. She felt that this study would help her be
a better online instructor.
Questions:
12. What is Vicki’s research problem?
13. Should Vicki take a qualitative or quantitative approach to her study? Why?
14. Who are the participants?
15. What is the central phenomenon?
16. Using the purpose statement script from Chapter 5, write a purpose statement for Vicki’s
study. At this point, just substitute the words “qualitative study” for the particular qualitative
approach that Vicki might use.
17. What is the central question for Vicki’s study?
18. Write two subquestions for Vicki’s study
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
15
Chapter 6 Collecting Quantitative Data
Activity: Collecting and Analyzing Quantitative Data
Objectives:
1. To be able to identify the types of quantitative sampling strategies.
1. To be able to identify a quantitative sampling strategy to use in a research project.
2. To be able to operationally define a variable.
3. To be able to articulate a strategy for determining the kind of quantitative data and measures
that will address a research question.
4. To be able to articulate the criteria for choosing a quantitative instrument for the research
project.
5. To identify the ethical issues related to quantitative data collection.
Directions: Directions: There will be two groups completing this exercise.
Each group should read and work on the questions for the scenario. Have each group will present
their responses and the class will discuss the ways in which students approached the issue.
Scenario:
Joann is Institutional Researcher at Pearson City College. The college has about 15,000 students
and is in a metropolitan area. For the past three years, the college has experienced a decline in
enrollment. The Enrollment Management Committee has gotten numerous complaints from
current students regarding student and academic services such as advising, business office’s
customer service, and instructors not being prepared for class. Students who left the university in
the past three years had also commented on these issues on the exit survey conducted by the
Student Development Office. After hearing these things, Joann checked the university’s database
to determine who had left school in the last three years before completing their program. She
noticed that about 80% of those who had raised these issues had GPAs of 2.1 and below. Joann
wondered if there was a relationship between the issues of student satisfaction that the students
were raising and the GPA that the students had. The Enrollment Management Committee asked
Joann to study the issue. They suggested that she conduct a study of overall student satisfaction.
In addition to GPA, they also wanted to know if the level of student satisfaction varied between
the class levels (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior.)
Questions:
1. What is the research problem that Joann is addressing?
2. Identify the dependent variable and the independent variable in Joann’s study.
3. How would Joann collect data to measure these variables?
4. Write a purpose statement using the script in Chapter 5 for Joann’s project.
5. Write two research objectives for Joann’s project.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
16
6. Write an alternative hypothesis for Joann’s project.
7. Using the textbook as a guide, what kinds of measures does Joann need to collect?
8. Joann has decided to use a student satisfaction survey. What options does she have for
obtaining an instrument?
9. Name at least three criteria that Joann should use when choosing an instrument.
10. Joann wishes to generalize her study to the Pearson City College population. What kind of
quantitative sampling strategy should she use? Why should she use this strategy?
11. Using the sample size calculator, (available through a web link in Chapter 6 from the
textbook’s Companion Website at http://prenhall.com/creswell) what would Joann’s sample be if
she was willing to accept a confidence interval of 5?
12. Suppose the student population consisted of 40 % freshman, 25% sophomores, 20% juniors,
and 15% seniors. Calculate the number of students that Joann would need to select from each
group to give her the total sample size you calculated in question 11.
13. Suppose Joann gives the survey to 500 students. What would her confidence interval be
then?
14. Try plugging different confidence intervals and sample sizes into the sample calculator.
What do you notice? Why?
15. What ethical issues will most likely be associated with Joann’s project and how will she deal
with them?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
17
Chapter 7 Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data
Activity: Analyzing Quantitative Data
Objective:
1. To analyze quantitative data and to show how to use this analysis to address a research
problem.
Directions:
This can be done as a homework exercise or in groups. It can be done using computer software,
or using the accompanying file, “English GPA Study Variables and Output.”
You can also use the statistics program, StatPac. This dataset will run on the demo version of the
program. The program runs on PC platforms and can be downloaded from the StatPac website
located at: http://www.statpac.com/demo.htm. You will need to give students copies of the
screen shots of the codebook and the processes which they will need to run the analysis. They
will need to enter the data from the accompanying file, “English Study Dataset.xls”. When you
and your students have completed running the data, you can discuss your output as a class
Scenario:
Since you have some background in research, one of the professors who teaches English
composition to new students at your college asks you to address an issue regarding the
preparation of students for the course. There are two sections of the course at your college and
both he and the other professor who teaches English composition have been having problems
with students who don’t seem to be ready to take the course. While each student is required to
take the ACT as part of the entrance requirements into the college, new students are still having
problems in English composition, especially in the areas of grammar and usage.
The professors ask if it would be possible to design a test to screen out students who need
additional help in English before taking the course. You have a better idea. Since you already
have the ACT, which has an English score, you suggest that this might be used as a way to
determine who needs help.
You ask the professors to provide you with the ACT scores of their students, which include the
English score and the overall or composite ACT score. You will use this to determine a cut score
for entrance into English composition.
Questions:
1. First, take a look at the codebook that contains the variables that are used in the study. How
many variables are there?
2. Looking at these variables, what are two possible explanations for this problem that would not
be related to ACT score?
3. The first step in data analysis is to run descriptive statistics and frequencies. We’ll take a look
at the frequencies first. The frequencies indicate the number and percentage of people who fall
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
18
into a particular category. Using the frequency data provided on the output, write a description of
what you see in variables V1 to V4.
4. Take a look at V5, the semester grade in English composition. What can you say about the
distribution of the grades? Did this class seem to be easy or hard? To answer this, use the data
and the grading scale provided by the school. What percentage scored in the A range? the B
range? the C range? the D range?
5. Take a look at V6, the overall grade for the first semester. Use the same grading scale as in
the previous question to create a grade distribution and then describe what you see.
6. Now that we have described our data, we can begin to address the problem of a cut score. Our
first step is to make sure that the ACT English test is an appropriate test to use for our purpose.
To do this, we will want to see if there is a relationship between how students score on the ACT
English test and how they did in English composition. What is the name of the statistical test that
we could use to determine this? What is a possible hypothesis that we would make regarding
what we expect to find? Remember, when we write a hypothesis, we really write two. We write a
null hypothesis that indicates there is no relationship between the variables, and an alternative
hypothesis that is a statement about what we expect to find regarding the relationship between
the variables (in this case, level of proficiency in English as measured in GPAs (grades) in
English and the ACT English score).
7. Take a look at the tables of descriptives for V3 to V6. There are three common descriptive
statistics in each table that describe what statisticians call the “central tendency.” These are
scores that describe the center or middle of the distribution around which other scores cluster.
The three measures of central tendency are the mean, the median, and the mode. Define mean,
median, and mode.
8. We also want to describe how spread out the scores are from the mean. These are measures
of dispersion or variability. Three common measures of dispersion are the range, the variance,
and the standard deviation. Write a definition of each of these.
9. Using the data from the descriptives tables for variables V3-V6, write a description of what
you see and especially what it tells us about performance in English.
10. Look at the output and find the table of the correlation between ACT English score with
grade in English composition. The Greek letter that looks like the small letter “r” is the
correlation. Remember, correlations range from -1 to 1. The closer a correlation is to -1 or 1 the
stronger it is. In addition, the “p” value tells us the significance level. In the social sciences, p
values that are less than .05 (p <.05) are statistically significant. That means that what we see
did not happen by chance. In this case, it would mean that the relationship between the two
variables is significant. There is only a 5% chance that this relationship does not exist. How
would you describe the relationship between these two variables and what does it tell us about
whether the ACT English test is related to performance in English composition?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
19
11. In setting our cut score for English, we found an article that shows that those who score at an
18 or above will be successful in English, which means that they will get a C or above. Before
we can see if this is true, we must eliminate other reasons that could be related to our problem.
We have proposed two other reasons, which are gender and the section that the students are in.
We want to rule these out first. What we want to do is to test to see if there is a significant
difference between men’s and women’s grades in English composition and if there is a
significant difference between the two sections. In each of these instances, we have two
independent groups. What statistical test will we use?
12. Write a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis regarding the differences in GPA
between men and women in English composition and the differences between men and women
on the ACT English test.
13. Look at the data in the table labeled “t-Test: Grades in English Composition Grouped by
Gender.” In addition, look at the table labeled “t-Test: ACT English Score Grouped by Gender.”
Describe what you see. Can we rule gender out as a variable that is related to performance in
English?
14. The final variable we must rule out is the section of English composition a student is in.
Write a null and an alternative hypothesis to test the difference between the section of English
composition students are in and the grades that they receive.
15. Look at the output table labeled, “t-Test: Grades in English Composition Grouped by
Section.” Describe what you see. Can we rule out the section of English composition that a
student was in as a variable?
16. Now we can test our theory to see if the article we read was correct. We want to learn if
there is a significant difference in GPA or grade in English composition for those who scored an
18 or above on the ACT English test and those who scored below an 18. To test this, we will use
Variable V7, Group Based on ACT English Score. Write a null and alternative hypothesis.
17. Take a look at the output table labeled, “t-Test: Grades in English Composition Grouped by
ACT English Score Group.” Describe what you see. Is there support for using 18 on the ACT
English test as a cut score to determine who is eligible to get straight into English composition
and who will need to take an additional course before enrolling in English composition?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
20
Chapter 8 Collecting Qualitative Data
Activity: Collecting Qualitative Data
Objectives:
1. To be able to identify an approach for selecting a sample for a qualitative study.
2. To be able to identify the permissions needed to gain access to the research site and research
participants.
3. To be able to identify the type of qualitative data that needs to be collected for the project.
4. To be able to identify the procedures that are used to record qualitative data.
5. To be able to articulate the ethical issues associated with collecting qualitative data.
Exercise 1: Collecting Qualitative Data on Visualization in High School Math and Science
Classrooms
Directions:
Read the following scenario then answer the questions regarding the qualitative data collection
strategy for a discussion regarding qualitative data collection strategies, especially the types of
sampling strategies that are used in qualitative research.
Scenario:
Jason is interested in visualization in high school math and science classrooms. Jason has
reviewed the literature on visualization and the literature on technology use in classrooms. Much
of what he has found has been quantitative, including survey data on technology use in
classrooms. Jason has found no study that describes how teachers use technology to visualize
math and science concepts in high schools. Since no qualitative studies exist, and since he is
interested in an in-depth understanding of how teachers use technology to visualize math and
science classrooms, Jason decides to conduct a qualitative study.
Questions:
1. Write a purpose statement and central question for Jason’s study.
2. Who should participate in Jason’s study?
3. Since there is no list of teachers using technology, how might Jason find teachers to
participate in his study?
4. Review the types of purposeful sampling in Figure 8.2 in Chapter 8. What kind of purposeful
sampling strategy should Jason use? Why?
5. What approvals will Jason need to conduct his study?
6. Name at least two pieces of information that Jason should collect.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
21
Exercise 2: Discussing Sampling Procedures
Lead a discussion on the Lewis (2006) article on workplace bullying. Center your discussion on
the sampling procedures beginning at the bottom of page 121.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discuss the difficulties in finding women to talk about this issue,
Discuss how the researchers chose the sample for the interviews.
Discuss why this was an appropriate way to choose a sample.
Discuss the ethical issues entailed in this study.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
22
Chapter 9 Analyzing and Interpreting Qualitative Data
Activity: Coding Data and Identifying Themes in Qualitative Research
Objectives:
1. To gain confidence in coding data and identifying themes in qualitative data.
Directions:
The following pages contain ten narrative letters written to friends that describe what the writers
feel would be the ultimate vacation. Students should use these letters to practice coding
documents. Students can do this exercise either as homework or in small groups in class. If
assigning letters to small groups, assign only one or two letters to each group. Have each group
code the letters and then develop themes. Then, have each group read the letter to the class,
explaining what themes were discovered. Lead a group discussion of common themes in all ten
letters.
Use the following purpose statement and research questions to guide student thinking:
Purpose statement: The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore how graduate
students describe the ultimate vacation.
Research questions:
1. What are the reasons for taking a vacation?
2. What do graduate students do on a vacation?
3. Where do graduate students go on a vacation?
To help students begin, a paragraph from the first narrative is included as an example of how to
code data. This is included on the following page.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
23
Coding Example
When you code, you are asking yourself one simple question, “What does the text say?” Or,
“What is the passage about?” While you may start coding by looking at entire paragraphs, you
may need to narrow your focus to specific sentences since many times speakers or writers
change subjects within paragraphs.
Take a look at the paragraph below.
Dear Cathy,
I am so excited to tell you about a dream vacation that we can go on next summer.
Don’t worry about the money because it is very affordable and it will be well worth our
time, and since we will be on sunny beaches wearing swimming suits (definitely NOT
bikinis) maybe we will get re-motivated to start exercising in the mornings again.
Highlight the first sentence. Then, ask yourself what word, or up to three words, captures what
the author is talking about.
Dear Cathy,
I am so excited to tell you about a dream vacation that we can go on next summer.
She is talking about how excited she is to go on vacation. If you were coding this sentence you
would write the word, “excitement” in the margin—the code that describes what has been said.
Now, highlight the second sentence. This time, there are several ideas that come out.
Don’t worry about the money because it is very affordable and it will be well worth our
time, and since we will be on sunny beaches wearing swimming suits (definitely NOT
bikinis) maybe we will get re-motivated to start exercising in the mornings again.
There are two ideas that the author is talking about here. First, she is talking about money and
second, she is talking about going on vacation as a means to motivate her to exercise. This
means that there are two codes, which are “money” and “motivation.” If you were coding this
sentence you would write “money” and “motivation” in the margin.
Follow this same procedure for all of the narratives until you have coded all of them. When
possible, look for words that are in the text to use as codes. These are “in vivo” codes. In
addition, try to keep the number of codes to a minimum. Look at the codes you have before
deciding to include a new one. This will help you to focus better on the meaning and will
minimize the possibility of getting lost in the number of codes. You will probably have only
about 10 – 15 codes for this dataset because it is so short.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
24
Participant #1
Dear Cathy,
I am so excited to tell you about a dream vacation that we can go on next summer. Don’t
worry about the money because it is very affordable and it will be well worth our time, and since
we will be on sunny beaches wearing swimming suits (definitely NOT bikinis) maybe we will
get re-motivated to start exercising in the mornings again.
Fred and I experienced the fun in the sun at Iberostar Quetzal in Playa del Carmen,
Mexico, a couple of summers ago. We would like to go back this summer for our 25th wedding
anniversary, but with working at the university and taking two summer courses we just can’t fit it
in. Waiting until next summer will give both of us more time to save up money and, yes, we
should take our husbands.
Let me tell you about some of the features at the resort. The resort staff was very
courteous. They went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having a fun time. When
we first got to the resort they opened the taxi doors and asked many questions to get to know us
better and provided us with some champagne to welcome us. The lobby was really nice but the
resort itself was amazing. As we walked from the front desk to our rooms we walked through a
jungle with an unbelievable amount of exotic animals: flamingoes, peacocks, turtles, lizards,
iguanas, monkeys, duck-flamingoes (at least that is what we called them because their body
looked like a flamingo but they had bills like ducks). Another unfamiliar creature was a rabbitrat (once again that was not its real name-- real name, wombats) but they were everywhere and
they were very friendly. When we got to our rooms we opened the door to a gorgeous room with
a huge bed, and every night when we would turn in the bed would be turned down and there
would be a different folded towel sculpture in the middle of the bed with a chocolate on our
pillow; eat the chocolate don’t sleep on it like Fred did (“ha, ha”). After we dropped off our
luggage, we went down to the beach which was awesome. The water was such a beautiful pale
blue and it was so clear; what was really amazing was that the temperature was hot but the sand
wasn’t too hot to walk on. We lounged around on the beach for awhile and the resort staff came
by frequently bringing beverages of our choice.
And the best part is that you can eat and drink 24/7 and you don’t have to pay any money
because it is all part of the package. The Iberostar also has fancy restaurants that you need to
make reservations for to eat at and they have a dress code, but once again it doesn’t cost any
money (besides tips of course). When we go next summer we can go to a different restaurant
each evening. There is quite a variety of food types: Mediterranean, Mexican, steak and fish,
Chinese, and Italian.
Every evening there were different shows we went to that were put on by the resort staff
and the shows were always interactive with the audience, which was hilarious. After the show
the audience could stay and dance. One night we went to a disco until about 3:30 in the
morning. It was so mush fun.
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
25
Then guess what——we can sleep in because there are no time constraints.
Unbelievable, we dream for that, don’t we? Just imagine getting up when we want to and then
going to the beach and enjoying the sound of the waves as we sip on a bloody Mary that the
beach staff is so willing to go get for you. (I hope you are picturing all of this.) If you want some
exercise you can do water aerobics, dance class, or play a round of beach volleyball or sand
bowling or just take a stroll down the beach looking for great shells. If it tricks your trigger, go
parasailing or jet skiing or sign up to go scuba diving or snorkeling. We have a tape of Fred
scuba diving and it is so amazing. You and Joe need to watch it. I guarantee that it will help you
make the decision to go with us next summer. Also taking a ferry to Cozumel was an eye
opening experience for us and visiting the Mayan pyramids was very educational. There are also
daily tours outside the resort if you want to go to them but you really don’t need to because there
is so much to do right on the resort grounds.
What could be more fun! Iberostar was a dream vacation for us a couple of years ago and
I would love to go back again with friends. It has everything we talk and dream about. At least
for one week we would have no responsibilities and no time constraints. We would have no time
schedule! I know it is hard to imagine but it will sure be a lot of fun experiencing it together.
The jungle and the ocean are both too beautiful to explain, you just have to go to see them for
yourself. The food is absolutely amazing. Buffets all day long with so many different kinds of
food that it is hard to decide what and how much to eat. We can decide to be lazy and lounge
around the beach or we can be active and join in on the many activities held throughout the day.
I am so excited for Fred and me to go back to Mexico but it will be even more fun to experience
it with great friends like you and Mark. Let’s start saving money now and exercising so we can
look halfway decent in our swimming suits. Just keep thinking fun, sun, and no time schedule,
and we will be at the Iberostar resort in Playa del Carmen before we know it.
Love ya,
Lisa
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
26
Participant #2
Dear Friend,
It’s been a long time that I have not talked to you. I am not sure if I told you that I took a year off
to go around the world on vacation.
My fiancé Alberto and I decided to take this vacation now before we get married and find a real
job. We bought a pass to go around the world. We will start in the USA where we are living
now. We are going to visit some national parks, as well as the East and West coasts. While we
are traveling in the USA we are going to visit some friends we have not seen for a long time. We
are also going to Alaska to experience the outdoors’ wild life. Alberto loves to fish and he has
always wanted to visit Alaska.
Then we are going to take off to go to Canada. In Canada we will try to practice our French. We
will take a French class and a Canadian History class to learn about their culture and history.
The course is called the real world course, so what we learn in classroom we experience in real
life. We will have a chance to visit all the places that are part of the Canadian history and we will
get to know the locals from that place, eat their food, and hear their stories. Once the course is
over we will go to Mexico.
In Mexico, we will go to Cancun, Cozumel, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta. We are also going
to Monterrey to visit some friends that we met when we were going to UNL. While we are in
Mexico, we will volunteer for a week to help to build shelter for low-income families.
Now we are heading to Central America, here our goal is to explore the coast and to do
snorkeling. We will take 3 days to spend at a spa and relax. We will spend some time in
Honduras with Jose and his family. Jose is my exchange student brother. He spent a year with
my American family in Colorado.
In South America, we will stop in Argentina to visit our friends Eloise and Charles. They were
our roommates for 2 years when we were going to UNL. We will ski in Bariloche. In Peru we
will explore the wonders of Machu Picchu. Once we fly to Brazil, we will meet our families in
Rio de Janeiro. My American family will also meet us there, and then we will take a week to
travel with the three families so they have a chance to know each other better and also to see us.
We will take a cruise to an island called Fernando de Noronha. In Brazil we will try to visit our
friends and to visit places that we don’t know yet. When we go back to Rio we will start working
in our project to build an English school for low income kids who cannot afford to pay for an
English course.
Then we are going to head to Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In Europe we will also visit
our ex-roommates, Inga from Germany, Pat from Spain, and Chiara from Italy. We also wanted
to take a French course in France. This course is an intensive business course. In Africa we will
visit Steven in Congo, Kemi in Nigeria, and Hami in South Africa. In Asia we will visit Takashi
in Tokyo, Priya in India. We will spend some time in China visiting companies to see how they
do business; we will also try to learn Mandarin while we are there. In Australia we will visit
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
27
Lynne among other things. I will give you more details of the adventure when I come back. I am
planning on keeping a journal to share with all my friends when this adventure is over. Our
overall goal in this trip is to visit the world and make a difference in someone’s life. We will be
traveling and volunteering in projects to help people around the world. Hopefully this will help
us to grow as people and also to see the world from a different point of view. We will try to learn
as many languages as possible and to meet as many people as we can.
Let me know where you will be and we will come to visit you as well. I miss you so much!
Sincerely,
Maria
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
28
Participant #3
Dear Jealous,
I am planning the best vacation ever! I am finally able to realize my life-long dream of
trekking through the mountains, lounging in the sun on a remote island, and visiting Germany,
the Great Pyramids, Easter Island, and Australia. I know it really seems like quite a lot to see and
do before school starts next semester, but I think I have it planned out fairly well.
I am beginning my trip this summer by visiting Crater Lake in Oregon. I will drive
through Colorado on my way out to Oregon. I plan to take a few weeks with my GQ boyfriend to
hike up some of the peaks. He has experience with hiking, biking, rock climbing, and rappelling,
so I’m sure we will be able to do some of that together. Once we get to Crater Lake, we are
going to explore some trails and boat out on the lake. At this point, we plan to stay there for a
week and enjoy the scenery, activities, and culinary art presented at the resort. It will be so
relaxing and energizing at the same time; almost like fuel for my soul!
Next, we are scheduled to arrive at a remote island between there and Australia. While
there, we will go scuba diving and see all the wonderful sea life. We may even get close to the
Great Barrier Reef if we are lucky. At this point, I’m not certain where we will be as GQ himself
is keeping this part of the vacation top secret. My hope is that we will simply get to relax and see
beautiful sea life and sunsets.
Then it’s off to Australia. I have planned a guided trip through Aboriginal country. This
should be an exciting trek through the bush to villages where we can experience another culture.
After that, we’ll head back to the city and take in an opera. I can’t wait!
On our next leg, we will be visiting Easter Island and observe first-hand the ancient ruins
remaining on the island. The culture of this island is so rich and exciting. I’ve always wanted to
visit and just be in the presence of the ancient civilization. I know GQ isn’t quite as excited about
this venture, but he’s putting on a brave face. However, he is looking forward to the next stop.
The ancient pyramids in Egypt have always been mysterious in my mind. Again, the
ancient culture is something I just feel the need to observe firsthand. The amount of ingenuity,
work, and commitment the people of Egypt had to have to construct such amazing artifacts is
awe-inspiring. I can’t travel for the entire summer and end up missing this stop. GQ is just as
excited as I am about this vacation spot.
Finally, we will stop in Germany for the last leg of our trip. I have been ardently listening
to German tapes in order to learn the basics of the language. We are spending three weeks in
Germany just soaking up the culture. You may ask, why not backpack Europe while you’re at it?
Answer, why should I when all I’ve ever wanted is to visit the country of my ancestors? I want to
learn about and see everything I can in Germany so I can tell my children and inspire them as
I’ve been inspired.
Yes, I know it’s a wonderful vacation. I’ll send pictures!
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
Love ya! Mean it!
Ariel
29
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
30
Participant #4
Dear Wendy,
I hope this letter finds you doing well. Although I haven't seen you for a while now,
you've been in my thoughts lately and I decided to write you about it.
I've been asked to write about my ultimate vacation as a class assignment. It's funny to
me, but whenever I think about what I'd truly like a vacation to be like, my thoughts always turn
to those camping trips to the lake that your family took in the summers and on which I was lucky
enough to be included. How I loved those trips then and how wonderful it sounds to me right
now. Those vacations were just about having time to be together. I loved playing all the games
like hand and foot and cribbage. I loved the time we spent cooking and eating. But mostly I
loved the magic that seemed to always occur on those trips. Remember the night we sat outside
watching the northern lights dance in the sky? They were so beautiful and seemed like they were
alive! I've never seen northern lights before or since that were so animated and so colorful. And
it almost seemed like magic whenever I walked barefoot along the shoreline, gathering stones
and shells, and could daydream about the past or the future or almost nothing at all…
I suppose a large part of what made those trips seem so special was seeing them through
an adolescent's eyes and dreams. However, there are many aspects of these trips that I would
now love to recreate if I could take my ultimate vacation. I love to be along the water and to be
able to look out and feel like I can see forever. It's funny after growing up where there were so
many trees how much I now love the open vistas and views of Nebraska. The views are
stunningly beautiful—just like looking out on the water—and filled with rolling hills and waving
grasses or crops. Maybe the water wouldn't really be the important feature, but I'd love to be at a
place with great views and times of great quiet. I'd love to have a few days with no agenda—no
assignments or deadlines, no writing projects due, no place I'd have to go or task that would need
my immediate attention, no phone calls that would have to be made. I'd love time for working
puzzles, baking bread and pies, going for long walks holding Jim’s hand and seeing sights we've
not seen before (like that little shop we discovered that sold the best maple syrup), taking naps
and long showers, and meeting new people with the time to talk and get to know a little about
them. Of course, it would be an extra bonus to get to watch fireflies dance in the evening or to
be able to show Jim a northern lights show at night!
Of course, if this were my ultimate vacation with no limits, then I'd do a few things
differently than when we were kids! I'd love to get to this place by riding the train (yes, I still
love trains although they aren't very convenient in Nebraska) and I'd rather stay in a cottage or
cabin than that old tent (remember how the rain came in?!). I'm not sure if I will get to take this
ultimate vacation any time soon (or ever), but thanks so much for including me in your family
adventures when we were young. The memories and dreams most definitely live on…
Yours truly,
Nicole
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
31
Participant #5
Dear Laura,
I hope you are doing fine and are having a great summer. I am planning my three week vacation
to Australia. I am going to start in southern Australia at Baird Bay where I can actually swim
with the dolphins. I am also hoping to see whales on their migration while I am in southern
Australia. Next, I plan to visit the Great Barrier Reef which is the world’s biggest coral reef and
about half the size of Texas. While I am there I plan to go scuba diving and see the fish and the
beautiful coral gardens.
I also plan to visit the World Heritage Rainforest that is home to many bird species such as the
cassowary, which is a large flightless bird. The rainforest also has many different species of
frogs that are only found in Australia. There are many mammals that live in the rainforest but
most are nocturnal so I probably will not see them.
Going to Australia would not be complete without seeing the Australian Outback. I am hoping to
see kangaroos, emus, camels and other animals while I tour the outback. I am going to take a
camel safari to see the central deserts of the outback. We ride camels for two days and camp in
the desert at night. This should be a safe and fun way to explore the outback and see many of the
native animals in their natural habitat.
While I am there I will have to be careful about running into poisonous snakes such as the
copperhead and king brown snake which can be deadly. However, there are many reptiles and
amphibians such as geckos, lizards, and the Komodo dragon (the world’s largest lizard) that are
not as threatening. Also, crocodiles make their home in the Outback. They live in the swamps
and rivers of Australia. There are two main kinds of crocodiles found in this part of the world:
the small freshwater variety and the larger, more dangerous saltwater crocodile that lurks in
rivers and estuaries and along the coast. My trip to Australia will be an exciting time of
observing the different animals that live and survive in Australia’s unique environments.
Sincerely,
Julie
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
32
Participant #6
Dear Mary,
Guess what? Now that I have passed my comps and will graduate with my Master’s in
August, Roger and I are planning the vacation of a lifetime for next summer! We have figured
out where we want to go and what we will do there. We’ll send postcards!
Our plan is to drive a big loop of the western states. There are several National Parks in
this loop, and we plan to visit each of them. We will begin, of course, by driving west to see
Toni and A.J. and the kids. From there we will drive southwest, cross-country, to Steamboat
Springs, CO, then on south toward Gunnison, then Silverton and Telluride. There is a narrow
gauge train at Silverton that you can ride up and down the mountain, and since we both like train
rides, we will take time for that. We’ll spend a night in each town so that we have time to peruse
all the shops in Silverton. From here we will drive on south toward the Grand Canyon.
At the Grand Canyon we will stay in one of their cabins, which are more like motels. We
will take the bus tour out to the point and spend plenty of time walking and looking at the
canyon. There are several Indian ruins to see, too. While we are in the southwest, I hope to be
able to take some pictures of hogans. I would really like to be able to step into several of them,
but not sure how to accomplish this.
As we leave the Grand Canyon, we will drive through some of the parks in southern
Utah, such as Zion and Bryce Canyon. Zion National Park is one of my favorite places. There is
so much red rock here. The road curves and twists around and through the rocks. The longest
tunnel I have ever driven through is here at Zion. Flash floods are a real threat because when it
rains the water has nowhere to go, so it runs and pools. From here we will head north several
days, driving to Glacier National Park. The only thing I don’t like about this park is that the
summer nights are only about 4 hours long! On the way I want to be sure and stop in Missoula,
MT. There is a wonderful carousel there that is just a riot to ride on, even for adults. You have
to wear a seatbelt on your horse! Also, there is a museum dedicated to forest fire fighters here.
A couple of drives across Glacier will be sufficient! What a scary, narrow road! From
here we will drive through Great Falls, then on down to stay in Red Lodge, one of our favorite
spots to visit. I hope we have a little extra time to shop here. Then, of course, we will drive over
Bear Tooth Pass into Yellowstone National Park. It was washed out last summer and we had to
use the North Entrance above Mammoth. I am a little leery of driving over it, but haven’t heard
of any washes or accidents in the past year. At Yellowstone, I hope we can get a room at Old
Faithful Inn. An evening of dining in their dining room followed by sitting and listening to the
piano player will be very satisfying. This time I want to spend some time walking around the
geyser basins near Old Faithful as well as checking out the wildlife. Maybe we will see bear or
grizzlies this time.
I imagine we’ll get tired from riding and driving, so we will take our time and plenty of
breaks along the way. The interstate system is wonderful, but you miss a lot of beautiful
scenery. So we will drive a lot of the two-lane highways and side roads. We will plan to stay in
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
33
cabins and motels along the way. Restaurant eating can get kind of old, so we will pick up
picnic food at grocery stores or delis along the way. We did that last fall on our Black Hills trip
to Spearfish, and had a wonderful picnic at the foot of Devil’s Tower.
Love,
Grace
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
34
Participant #7
Dear Amanda,
Brandon and Adela are having a great time here at the Islands of the Bahamas!! I guess now it's
easier than ever to plan your Bahamas vacation in a flash. With one telephone call, I could
immediately determine the availability at the hotel of my dreams. We are staying at the
magnificent Royal Towers, which is known as the crown jewel of Atlantis. The architecture and
decoration are stunningly original, with unique murals, sculpture, and fountains. The most
elegant accommodations in this hotel are noted for impeccable service, exclusive rooms and
suites, and sweeping views of the ocean, pools and waterscape, or gardens. The Great Hall of
Waters lobby has a ceiling dome of golden shells soaring 70 feet into the air. It is open on one
side to the marina; the other side leads to underwater streets teeming with fish and Atlantic
pieces.
We got here a couple of weeks ago and it feels like time is going too fast. We have visited a
couple of islands and done lots of shopping. Did you know that Grand Bahama Island, which
stretches for almost 100 miles, is one of the largest of the islands of the Bahamas? I had no idea.
This island is best known for its great diving. It also highlights one of the few dolphin encounters
in the Caribbean!! You know I love dolphins so imagine my reaction when our tourist guide told
us they were going to take us for a swim with the dolphins. No powder white sand beaches,
divine dining, internationally renowned shopping and intriguing night life can beat that.
What I also like about our tours is that all attractions are multi-faceted. The Gardens of the
Groves, for example, is a 12-acre botanical garden, endowed by American financier Wallace
Groves. Simply magnificent… Today, we visited The Lucayan National Park, which represents
the island's five ecosystems: pine forests, rocky coppice, mangrove swamps, sand dunes, and …
I don’t remember the other. There are multiple trails and elevated walkways through the forest.
Mosquitoes weren’t too nice n this one. But we finish the day in a quiet white sand beach.
I want to see flamingos, the national bird, you know. I will write again soon. We are going out
for dinner.
Take care and tell me all about your trip to Europe.
Love,
Adela
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
35
Participant #8
Dear Amy,
How are you? I can’t believe I am writing you from France! It has always been a dream of mine
to visit and here I am. One of the best parts of this vacation is that Al and I are traveling with my
brother, Dave, and his girlfriend, Monique. They are both fluent in French and are familiar with
the country. We are having a wonderful time!
We stayed in Paris at a beautiful hotel located on the left bank. We spent the first day in
Dourdan, a small town south of Paris. Dave taught there for a year right out of college and
wanted to visit again. The town looked like pictures out of a fairy tale! It is so quaint.
Cobblestone streets, small cabin-like homes, large pastures, and even an abandoned castle.
Paris is beautiful, busy, and fast paced. We spent a day visiting museums. One entire day was
spent at the Louvre, which was not enough time. Standing outside the Louvre is amazing—the
pyramid is huge and breathtaking. We focused mainly on the paintings and made sure to see the
Mona Lisa, but also some sculptures including Venus de Milo. There was so much to see. We
also went to Orsay and the Picasso Museum. The Picasso Museum was the one I enjoyed the
most, he is one of my favorite painters.
While in Paris we saw Notre Dame and walked around the city. Notre Dame is beautiful and
ornate. I felt overwhelmed by the diversity of the city. We saw people from all over Europe and
heard at least 5 different languages every day. The food and shopping are wonderful. You would
love some of the boutiques we came across.
One of our final trips was to Versailles, where we visited the chateau. I was overwhelmed by the
size of the grounds. We saw what seemed like 20 castles. The courtyard was full of perfectly
groomed lawns with statues and fountains. One of the best sights was the Queen’s cottage. It
looked quite different from the rest of the grounds, almost like it belonged in Dourdan. It had the
same quaint, small village feel to it.
And to top it all off, we were just in time to watch the Tour de France. We decided to stay a day
in Chambord to watch the race. We even saw Lance Armstrong and yelled, “Live Strong.” This
was one of the highlights, since Al and I are competitive cyclists.
After all the sightseeing we were ready to relax. We traveled from Paris to the country. We
traveled to some vineyards and spent a few nights at a spa. The trip was perfect. I was in need of
a vacation and loved the time away. See you soon.
Sincerely,
Dana
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
36
Participant #9
September 23rd
Dear Lola,
Hey, girl, how are ya???? Things here are going very well; we are settling into the semester and
have all of our routines down pat! The kids are really enjoying the start of the school year; I hate
to disrupt it with our vacation on fall break. But I am also getting excited! It will be a ton of
work to pack for everybody, but it will be worth it to do some fun family activities that are
outside of the norm. Not to mention they will be in a completely different location!!
We are going to drive to Colorado; we have never been there during the summer months. We
are going to go down the water slides at Winter Park. The park runs the ski lifts during the
summer. They haul people up the mountains and then you can slide all the way down the
mountain in a slide that sits on the mountain and is actually embedded into the ground! Can you
imagine a slide so long!!! I wonder what it's like to land at the end?!! I also would like to do
some hiking on some trails. It seems like we never get to that when we go skiing; also hiking
just doesn't sound very appealing when it is so cold!!! I am looking forward to doing some
shopping as well. They have such unique little shops there!
The evenings will be super—we will just relax and talk and watch TV with each other and play
and laugh. It is so beautiful and peaceful there…it will be so good for us to get away from the
tight schedules and the pressures of deadlines and just enjoy each other. I hope we have enough
time to get to all of the restaurants! One thing I also want to be sure to do is to go on a guided
tour of water rafting through the mountains. This would be so incredible and would be a great
way to take in the scenery… I may have to go twice; once with the kids and then on a more
intense land tour that is suited for adults.
It would be great if you guys could join us for a night or two like we talked about; that way your
daughter could watch the little ones and we could get away for a night and see a band and go
dancing! I've never really seen the night life up close…of course, it probably isn't that different
from anywhere else. It is just fun to meet new people and find out about the local area on
another level.
I'm sure that our drive home will be tiring; we are going to be broke and exhausted!! But Jerry
and I can take turns driving and the kids will sleep much of the way home. I don't mind the
windshield time, though. It is a good time to talk to each other and ask about everyone's favorite
part of the trip. I almost wish Bobby could bring a friend with him…the girls are so close in age
and he is kind of in the middle that way with nobody to really team up with…but I really want
this to be a family vacation.
Call me and let me know which nights to expect you so that we are ready to hit it!!
Take care,
Alice
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
37
Participant #10
September 21
Dear Dr. Jones,
I can’t tell you how exited I am for my upcoming vacation. Now that my husband and I are rich,
we have decided to treat ourselves for the next year and embark on a worldwide adventure.
Prior to setting sail on our new 300-foot luxury yacht that we picked up in Virginia Beach (have
I told you how much I am enjoying our newfound fortune?) we have some business to attend to
in Philadelphia and New York—Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty and maybe some other “liberty”
related things. After a few weeks on the coast it’s off to our recently, and properly, appointed
yacht. We’re taking a helicopter to where it’s located, so I am a little nervous about that,
especially since I have never ridden in a helicopter, let alone landed on a ship in one! (Sigh.)
Nevertheless, I will muster the strength to soldier on. Our first port of call, the Bahamas! We
look forward to a few weeks of cool pink shell beaches and delicious seafood…Yum! Next up,
we’ll get a little old world flavor in fabulous Rome, where the streets are all stone and the
aqueducts are 2000 years old. From here we’re flying to the Swiss Alps for, what else, skiing!
Or as I like to call it, “skiing once and then going to the lodge, then hot tub." From here we’ll
catch a train to all of the usual spots: Madrid, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Moscow
(Moscow is becoming a “usual” place, I think), and then we start heading back down the
continent to Warsaw, Prague, Vienna and a few other places until we get to the flooded streets of
Venice. Our ship’s captain hopefully will have directed our vessel to Venice and will be waiting
for us. On our way south we would be remiss to not stop in Athens. Anyway, from the city of the
gods we’re off to the Valley of the Kings. That’s right, Egypt, here we come. That is, ahem,
provided we can get through the Suez Canal. My husband has assured me that we can, but then
again he bets on football, so what does he know? After we’re done seeing the land of the
pharaohs we slide on down to Tanzania. We look forward to spending some time on Mt.
Kilimanjaro. All the while it’s a safari here and a safari there (we’ll be shooting cameras, not
guns, of course). Wow, I’m exhausted just thinking about all of this. I think I’ll insert southern
Thailand here for a little needed R & R.
Oh dear, look at the time, I’m rambling again. I’d better sum up before you have to use up your
entire day reading this. Nothing is in stone yet but next we’re thinking Japan, Australia, New
Zealand, Fiji, ‘insert remote southern Pacific island here’, Hawaii, Baja and end up in California
somewhere. Maybe Napa, we can do some wine tasting….mmmmm. Oh, I forgot South
America, didn’t I? Well, we’re going there too….just haven’t made definitive plans on where
yet. I’d better go before I ramble on too much. Take care! Ta.
Sincerely,
Julie
P.S. – The yacht has 16 bedrooms, do you want to come along?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
38
Chapter 10 Reporting and Evaluating Research
Activity: Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Articles
Objective:
1. To be able to evaluate quantitative and qualitative articles using the standards and criteria
outlined in Chapter 10.
Two groups will evaluate the quantitative article and two will evaluate the qualitative article
using the checklists provided in Chapter 10. Each group will present their analysis to the class.
Then, lead a general discussion on writing an article. During the class discussion, be prepared to
highlight the differences between quantitative and qualitative writing.
Exercise 1: Evaluating a Quantitative Article
Directions: Read the Orellana (2006) article on online class size. Answer the following
questions that deal with the evaluation criteria for quantitative articles.
Questions:
1. Did the article follow the traditional scientific structure (e.g., problem, literature review,
method etc.) found in quantitative articles?
2. Were the data-gathering procedures valid and reliable? If so, why? If not, why not?
3. Were there limitations stated in the study? If so, what paragraph were they in?
4. Where do you find the research design and was it appropriate to the problem? If so, why? If
not, why not?
5. Was the sampling procedure appropriate?
6. Were the results clearly reported? How were they organized? What was used to visually
represent the data?
7. How were the data analyzed? Was the analysis appropriate?
8. Was the writing clear?
9. Were assumptions and operational definitions clearly stated?
10. Were data collection techniques clearly described?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
39
Exercise 2: Evaluating a Qualitative Article
Directions: Read the Lewis (2006) article regarding workplace bullying. Then, using the
Creswell Procedural Criteria for evaluating the quality of qualitative research, answer the
following questions:
1. Was there a rigorous form of data collection using multiple forms of data and extensive time
in the field?
2. Were there philosophical assumptions that were consistent with qualitative research?
3. Was there a recognized qualitative approach of inquiry?
4. Was there a central phenomenon?
5. Is the article written “persuasively” so the reader experiences “being there?”
6. Are there multiple levels of analysis?
7. Are there strategies that confirm the accuracy of the data?
CRESWELL ACTIVITIES –FALL 2009
Chapters 11 through 18: Research Design:
Objective: To be able to describe the major characteristics of eight different
research designs using an article from their research proposal.
Chapters 11 through18 address eight different research designs
Exercise:
For each research design, discuss the following:
1. The definition of the research design.
2. The historical development of the research design.
3. The key characteristics of the research design, including how to determine
if the design is quantitative or qualitative.
4. The steps and procedures of conducting and evaluating a study using this
research design.
5. Find an article related to your proposal that exemplifies the research
design assigned to your group and identify the items addressed above.
40