Research Assignment Paper On Educational Leadership (Essay Sample)

Educational Leadership
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Professor
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Educational Leadership
Qualitative research is an assortment of various approaches, which have differences as well as commonalities. In qualitative research, the truth is not regarded as objective but as a subjective reality, which do various individuals experience differently. The aim of qualitative research is to address any of the problems found in the society. Psychology, education, and sociology are the subjects in which qualitative research methods are used. Qualitative research methods attempt to know why human beings exhibit specific behaviors and make certain choices unlike in the quantitative research method where such details are not shown (Lewis, 2015). The contents of a research paper written using qualitative method vary depending on the methods incorporated and focus in the study.
Introduction
The introduction is the first part of the process, which sets down the direction of the paper. It lays out exactly what the researcher is trying to achieve at the end of the research. The introduction has three parts; the first part is the general presentation of the research problem. In this part, the researcher will concentrate on why the problem has not been solved, or the benefits obtained at the end of the research. The researcher will express the weaknesses or the useful leads that were not discussed by the previous researchers (Lucas, 2015). Other researchers might have covered some interesting did not manage to reach the significant stage due to small samples or experimental error. Another part of the introduction is expressing the exact direction and the purpose of the paper. In this case, the research problem should not have to be a statement but is should imply what the researcher is trying to find. At the end of the introduction is a hypothesis or thesis statement, which indicates the position of the researcher. The hypothesis or the thesis statement should be placed in the last sentence of the introduction such that the reader can understand the full picture of the whole research.
Purpose of the Study
In this part, the researcher should explain the reason for carrying out the research and what is expected from the research. The researcher should state the significance or the importance of the study to the general body of information on the phenomenon or the statement of the problem. In addition, at this stage, the researcher needs to justify qualitative methodology as well as the qualitative approach (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015).
Literature Review
On this part, qualitative research needs an examination of the previous or the existing research as well as the information about the chosen problem to be dealt with in the research. The previous studies examined will inform the conceptual framework and reflects the prominent emerging themes of the study. In most cases, qualitative research follows a naturalistic paradigm, which is based on the assumptions that various realities exist, and the research participants develop the existing realities (Démeh & Rosengren, 2015). It aims to explore the problem in question by concentrating on the individuals who experience the problem. Qualitative methods are concerned with attitudes, feelings and experiences as opposed to statistical analysis and precise measurements. Existing literature provides both context for interpreting findings and the basis for the research.
Sample Description
The individuals being studied in the research are referred to as the sample. Certain characteristics of the sample are identified, as they are important to the research problem. Such characteristics include educational background, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and many other characteristics the researcher might need to identify in the sample. In most cases, this part of the research paper often scrutinized for disparities.
Data Collection Methods
One the researcher has identified the sample group; the next step is to determine how to obtain information from the group sample. The researcher will have various choices of obtaining the information, which includes surveys, phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, and group discussions. In the face-to-face interviews, the researcher will ask questions direct to the respondent while recording the responses given by the respondent and the same applies to the phone interviews. When it comes to the survey, the researchers will design research questions, which will be presented to the responds and given time to respond to the questions, which will be collected later for analysis (Lucas, 2015). In the discussions, all the respondents together with the researcher will gather in a room or any other place and the researcher will a question and the responds will respond by offering personal opinions and ideas on the question asked. It is important to include the copies of research questions used by the researcher when gathering for the information in this section of the research. In case the interviewers keep any anecdotal records, they will be kept and made available on this section of the research.
Data Analysis
Data analysis process in qualitative research is fundamental to determining the credibility of the findings obtained from the research. It involves the process of transforming the raw data into themes and categories, narratives, and final description. Depending on the approach taken and the research question, considerable variations will exist in the research (Kilpatrick & McCarthy, 2015). Some of the researchers use more creative and less structured approaches while others use generic data analysis tools. The important point in data analysis is to describe the process used in detail such that the reader can judge or determine if the outcome is rooted in the data generated. The researcher should demonstrate his/her understanding of the concurrent steps of coding and thematic analysis, the process of organizing and receiving data, and data collection and analysis. In addition, if the researcher used verification strategies, he/she should present the strategies. An example of the verification strategy is the member checking or an expert panel. Various computed-assisted packages are available to assist the researcher when analyzing the data. Examples of the computer-assisted packages are NVivo, Ethnograph, and NUD*IST. Computer-assisted packages are more advantageous, as it assist in coding and organizing material and handling large amounts of data (Démeh & Rosengren, 2015).
Results
It is the most variable part of any research paper, and it depends upon the results and aims of the research study. In qualitative research, results involve broader discussion of trends without going in detail. If the research is generating a lot of results, it will be better to include graphs, tables, and charts of analyzed data. It will allow the researcher to leave the raw data in the appendix such that the reader can follow up and check the calculations. The researcher should comment on all the presentations such that the results are linked together to avoid the display of isolated and unconnected findings, figures, and charts (Malen et al., 2015).
Discussions
This part is where the researcher will elaborate his/her findings by explaining what he/she has found from the research. In addition, the researcher should include personal interpretations from the results as he/she understands better since he/she has been in charge of the research from the beginning. The researcher should link the discussion with an introduction, such that all the initial points can be addressed individually. Every point made on the discussion part should be directly related to the thesis statement such that the researcher can avoid clouding the findings.
Conclusions
The researcher will build upon his/her discussion and refer the findings to other researchers all over the world. If the research is shorter, the conclusion might be one or two paragraphs. In addition, the researcher will summarize the main points discussed in the research and offer some recommendations as per the findings obtained. The findings are pointed here if it is not separated because sometimes it can be written as a separate topic (Tylor et al., 2015).
Qualitative research is a subjective approach used in describing life experiences and giving them meaning. Quantitative research is a systematic, objective, and formal process of obtaining information about the world. In addition, it is a method used to describe and test relationships as well as ex...