Thesis Seminar Module 6: Method I

Thesis Seminar Recap 6Thesis Seminar Recap 6 - Notes

🎯 Understanding

Instructors will understand that…

• A sound methodology begins with clear decisions about study design and sampling, and those decisions must be justified in terms of the research purpose and questions.

• Participant selection is itself a data-informed process: researchers often use screening tools (questionnaires, brief interviews) to identify participants who best match the study’s criteria.

• Ethical participation (informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality) must be planned from the start because it affects access, recruitment, and what can be reported.

🎯 Language Objective

Students will be able to…

• identify an appropriate qualitative design for their study (case study / phenomenology / narrative) and write a 3–5 sentence rationale connecting the design to their research purpose and questions.

• draft participant criteria (inclusion/exclusion) and write a short recruitment/selection plan (5–7 bullet points) describing how participants will be identified and invited.

• draft a screening instrument (6–10 items) to help choose participants, using clear question forms and consistent response options.

🎯 Vocabulary

• methodology

• research design (case study / phenomenology / narrative)

• sampling / recruitment

• inclusion criteria / exclusion criteria

• participant selection

• screening questionnaire

• informed consent

• voluntary participation

• confidentiality / anonymity

• ethics approval / permission (if applicable)

🎯 Learning Sequence

Review March 1, 2024 session: Unit II – Method.

• How to create a questionnaire for choosing participants

• Choosing participants: interviews, focus groups, or questionnaires

Tips and links

• Make sure teachers who you choose for you study sign an informed consent form. See Informed consent form template.

• Which of the following designs best fits your study: Phenomenology_Diving into a lived experience, Case study_ Delving deep into specifics, or Narrative research?

• Using AI to generate ideas for creating a questionnaire

• Designing a semi-structured interview guide

Completing your literature review

Complete your literature review in the designated section of the original template as follows: Title of your research, thesis statement (no introduction paragraph at this point), 2,000-word literature review divided into two-to-four main sections, and conclude with a Transitional paragraph – not a conclusion paragraph. – On Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 8:00 AM, I will download all shared Word documents in Teams and will consider this your first draft to be graded. Once I have graded your first draft of your literature review, I will upload your current grades to ESIIMA.. – Grades assigned to the first draft of your literature review are provisional and will be assessed (graded) again when you turn in your final draft to me on or before 12:00 PM, May 24, 2024. – When completing your first draft, consider the following: – Meet the word count. – At least one citation in each body paragraph. Each body paragraph should begin with ME and conclude with AL. See MEAL Plan. – Each body paragraph should have five-to-eight sentences. – Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that aligns with the section heading. Section headings should align with the thesis statement – usually with the key points listed at the end of the thesis statement. The research questions should directly address the section headings and key points listed at the end of the thesis statement. – Your literature review should answer your research questions.