Challenges of Isolation and Belonging Faced By Students - Assignment Example

An Evaluation of a Qualitative Study: 'Challenging Cultures? Student Conceptions of ‘Belonging’ and 'Isolation'at a post-1992 University Abstract This paper evaluates the study conducted by Read, Archer and Leathwood (2003) on challenges of isolation and belonging faced by students at a Post-1992 University. It was found that the students having non-traditional backgrounds like different ethnicity or being over-age face difficulties when it comes to adjustment in a new university. They feel isolated and cannot cope with the environment dominated by other students who then regards them as ‘others’. The study used qualitative research approach to explore the opinions and experiences of the students in real life settings. The study found the opinions and experiences of non-traditional students by drawing data from three different studies which pinpoint the use of secondary data. This paper critically evaluates the research methodology used in this study and makes recommendations on how the methodology can be improved. It is suggested that combining focus group discussions taken from secondary sources with primary data collected from interviews would be a better choice of methodology for the study under consideration. Qualitative Research Method Stated simply, qualitative study is a method in which the opinions, feelings, motivations and reactions of a selected group of people towards a particular subject or idea are investigated. The study is carried out in natural settings related to the subject or idea. The investigation is carried out by listening to and analyzing the way the group of people express themselves in individual or group interviews or group discussions (Key 1997). Qualitative research approach is best suitable for studies that require in-depth exploration of opinions and experiences. In such research areas, quantitative research methods are inadequate to answer questions and explore the topic of interest. This is because of the immense focus of quantitative methods on numerals and figures which lead to lack of richness and depth of opinions on the topic. Besides, due to the feature of qualitative methods that it allow in-depth exploration, this method best suits to research topics that are new. Strauss and Corbin (1990, p. 23) mentioned that research questions or problems have limited information can be better explored using qualitative research methods as it allows in-depth investigation and analysis. Types of Qualitative Research There are various qualitative research methodologies such as ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory and case study research. Reeves (2008) described ethnography as a study of social interactions, perceptions and behaviors that take place within communities, organizations, teams and groups. The author further explains that ethnography is carried out with the aim of providing detailed and holistic insight into the actions, views and character of the people through interviews and observations. In phenomenological methodology, the human experience is examined as this type of methodology deals with environments, communities and families (MacDonald 2005). According to McCaslin and Scott (2003, p. 449), phenomenology is “the study of the shared meaning of experience of a phenomenon for several individuals” as it focuses on how individuals interpret their experiences. Grounded theory was developed by two sociologists Barney Glaser and Anslem Strauss and it revolves around how “meaning” is developed during social interactions (Hamilton 2011). In this methodology, data is approached to derive theory and reasons. This methodology is widely used in qualitative study as it offers a set of procedures and provides means to generate theory especially when dealing with non-numeric data. Grounded theory is based on the assumption that theory generates from data; in other words theory is “grounded” in data; where data is everything related to the subject being studied (Hamilton 2011). “A case study is a holistic inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its natural setting” (Harling 2002, p. 1). Case Study is another widely used methodology in qualitative study and it allows the researchers to explore a phenomenon within its environment using multiple data sources. This methodology ensures that the subject under study is not explored from one angle only but from different angles; this reveals different aspects of the subject and allows better understanding. Case study not only creates better understanding of a complex subject but may also add to the findings of an earlier research (Baxter and Jack 2008, p. 544). Any of these qualitative approaches can be used while exploring a n area of investigation. This paper explores the study conducted by Read, Archer and Leathwood (2003) on challenges of isolation and belonging faced by the students at a Post-1992 University. The study has used qualitative research approach to explore the opinions and experiences of the students in real life settings. Since the topic is new and requires direct feedback from students in a particular environment, qualitative research method is the one best for exploring this topic. Data Collection Tool used in the Study No matter which qualitative approach is used whether it is phenomenological methodology or grounded theory, it involves collection of data. For qualitative study, data can be collected in a number of ways such as direct observation, participant observation, interviews, surveys and focus groups. Direct Observation is commonly used in the ethnography methodology and includes the observation of both participants and non-participants without the observer participating or influencing. In participant observation, the observer becomes a part of the research by participating in the activities and recording observations. Participant observation is better than direct observation as it provides the observer with opportunity to obtain an insider’s viewpoint and enables a richer collection of data. Interviews are one of the most frequently used methods of data collection. These are the basic information gathering techniques where one individual responds to another’s questions; it can be structured, semi-structured and unstructured (Al-Busaidi 2008, p. 13). Survey is an automated technique of obtaining data in a qualitative study. Surveys are quite effective in measuring knowledge, beliefs, opinions and behaviors to questions. Lastly, focus groups that are referred to as “guided discussions” also involve interviewing but with a smaller group of respondents in a collective manner. Since the study involves ‘non-traditional’ students with regards to their level of maturity, class, and ethnicity, any method that allows getting deep insights into their opinions and experiences studying at a Post-1992 University best serves the purpose. For this, in-depth discussions are required and observations or any other method is not adequate for better data capturing, understanding and analysis. This is why focus group methodology is used in the study to collect data from the respondents. Focus Group Curry et al (2009, p. 1446) defined focus groups as “guided discussions” among a small group of people (usually six to ten) who are related to the subject of interest. Focus group draws out data and generates broad understanding of the issues as participants discuss their experiences and express their opinions. Focus group method of data collection is used when differences in points of view between people belonging to various groups are sought. It is also useful when the researcher wants to find out about the characteristics that affect behaviors and opinions. Data collection in focus group method is carried out by interviewing a small group of people at the same time. The format of the interview is usually semi-structured and around six to ten individuals are interviewed simultaneously. Around eight to ten questions are discussed in the interview which lasts for about a couple of hours. A major advantage of the focus group is that it is a well-organized and proficient way to gather information. It allows the researcher to gain the opinion of all the people simultaneously in a natural setting. It is easy to authenticate the information in a focus group as the setting allows incorrect and extreme views to be challenged by other individuals in the group. It also facilitates in recalling forgotten details related to the issue. The researcher should guide the group so that the participants do not stray away from the topic; the researcher should also make sure that everyone in the group voices their opinion even those who are reluctant or shy to speak in public (Manuele 2013, p. 69). Krueger and Casey (2009, p. 2) explained that conducting a focus group session doesn’t only mean to have a group to talk on the topic but the discussion must be meaningful to have the data that can be interpreted to reach conclusions. There must be a proper structure of discussion which in the end can help reach findings. This can be achieved when the settings are real and relaxed where every participant can take part in the discussions and is encouraged to share his/her opinions. Since in the focus group, discussions are on-going and things keep on evolving as discussion progresses, therefore it is important to have a note taker. Other than moderator, the note taker can easily keep track of the session and record every detail to ensure analysis of the data collected is done properly. Note taker must be skilled and should know how to read even the non-verbal language displayed by the participants. Discussions during the sessions are also recorded which are later on transcribed for analysis purposes. There are disadvantages of focus group as well. According to Tayie (2005, p. 96) major disadvantage of focus group is that they are sometimes dominated by a leader who then monopolizes the discussion hence leading to biasness. Tayie (2005, p. 96) continues that success of a focus group discussion is highly dependent on the qualities of the moderator to handle the group. Another disadvantage of focus group is that it may influence participants to behave unnaturally the hide their true opinions; it then relies on the moderator how he/she encourage them to unfold their true experiences. Yet another disadvantage of focus group is that they are conducted with a small group and hence the opinions of the group cannot be taken as the opinion of the whole population; this causes generalization issues (Vicsek ‎2010, p. 124). Besides these disadvantages, focus group interviews are time consuming and hence those who cannot spare time and are not committed to put in their efforts may not be the right choice to be a part of the group. In such a case, opinions of those who are taking more part in the discussions may dominate the findings leading to biasness in findings. Analysis of Focus Group Methodology used in the Study The study under analysis used data from 33 focus groups constituting a total of 175 students. These focus groups were conducted in three different studies therefore we can say that this particular study has used secondary data. All the groups in three different studies have targeted students from a post-1992 university belonging to non-traditional backgrounds like working class, different ethnic backgrounds and over-aged group of students. This has reduced the chances of small sample size which may lead to generalization issues. In addition to this, the focus groups used in this study target all aspects of non-traditional backgrounds which are supposed to be used by this analysis. On one hand, where large sample size has nullified the limitation of generalization, the fact that the study has utilized different data sources also poses a limitation to a certain extent. Nonetheless, the fact that all the backgrounds are covered has helped the topic of investigation. Another limitation as also highlighted by the researchers is that the three studies from which the data is drawn were conducted with some other objectives in mind. This may cause a little biasness when the same data is interpreted to achieve the objectives outlined in this study. However, analyzing deeply it can be said that the three studies are quite relevant to the purpose of this research and hence the topic of exploration matches with the findings drawn from the three studies. Upon evaluating the qualitative study it can be said that along with using the secondary sources of data drawn from three different studies, it would have helped researchers if a mixed methodology was adopted and primary data was used to support the secondary findings. This could have been done using interview as a source of primary data collection where a specific number of students from non-traditional backgrounds could have been interviewed individually to get their opinions on the subject matter. This would have allowed combination of secondary data with primary data hence leading to methodological triangulation (Esteves 2010; Creswell and Miller 2000, p. 126). Methodological triangulation according to Mackey and Gass (2005, p. 181) is a method of combining the data collection tools and research approaches to validate the findings. By doing so, the advantages of interview as a data collection tool would have been realized as interviews help determine the experiences of the individual and give insight into the environment as well. This in turn helps the researcher understand the behavior of the individual and their opinions on a specific subject. Findings of the Study Using focus group methodology the researchers of this study has concluded that most of the students who belong from non-traditional backgrounds prefer to get admission in universities where they find students of same background. This is because the students wish to minimize the feeling of otherness and want to belong to a university culture. The study highlighted the challenges of isolation faced by the students belonging to non-traditional backgrounds for example, being over-age or being associated with a different ethnic background. Students highlighted that they face challenges during the classroom sessions and even in the assignments they do however if the university has more students of same background the challenges faced are less. Other findings of the study show that the students themselves have to be bold enough to take the decision for higher education. Students added that when they themselves take step, the next step is to select a university with a diverse background to help adjustment in a new environment. Yet other findings show that the students feel that the university management must help students in adjustment by providing them information about university life and adjustment issues. This finding was accompanied by students’ views that there is lack of supervision and many a times students find coping up difficult whereas supervisor’s think they should know as they are now in university. So students think they need more help in adjusting with new university life. Conclusion and Recommendations Upon evaluating the qualitative study under consideration it can be concluded that the findings of the study are arrived at by using secondary data that constitutes the responses of the focus group discussions. Though this has helped attain the objectives of the study however the study faces the limitations of a secondary research where the validity of the study can be challenged. This is because the data used in this study to draw conclusions was collected for some other purposes. However, the fact that the objectives of this study and the studies from which the data is used have many overlapping characteristics has reduced the doubts and helped reach valid conclusions. Besides, the sample size of 175 respondents in 33 focus groups has also helped overcome the limitations of biasness and inability to generalize. Critical evaluation of the study reveals that it would have been better if the researchers have accompanied the secondary research with primary data collected from interviews. This would have added to the validity of the study by using methodological triangulation. References AL-BUSAIDI, Z. Q. (2008) Qualitative Research and its Uses in Health Care. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J., 8 (1), 11–19. BAXTER, P. and JACK, S. (2008) Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13 (4), 544-559. CRESWELL, J. and MILLER, D. L. (2000) Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39 (3), 124-130. CURRY, L.A., NEMBHARD, I. M. and BRADLEY, E. H. (2009) Qualitative and Mixed Methods Provide Unique Contributions to Outcomes Research. Circulation, 119, 1442-1452. 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