My Reflection (Chapter Three)

The story of chapter 3...

Well, I have come to the last chapter....This chapter is called "Research Methodology". Honestly speaking, before this, I never really understand what chapter 3 is all about. All I know is that I must explain about the sample population and the instrument which is about the survey/questionnaire. That was it. But, that was not the CORRECT way of presenting chapter 3. Every chapter reminds me of the silly things that I have done for my previous research. No wonder I didn't score well for it. I'm kind of disappointed with myself. 

But after listening to Dr. Aziah's explanation, it was more than just about sampling and instrument. There are many other important elements to be included in chapter three which are:

                                  1) Research Approach

                                  2) Research Design

                                  3) Method of Data Collection

                                  4) Population

                                  5) Sampling

                                  6) Research Instruments

                                  7) Data Analysis

                                  8) Reliability

                                  9) Validity

For research approach, I choose to do a Qualitative approach because I want to investigate perceptions, where I aim to gather in-depth understanding of how lecturers perceive the integration of SNSs in the ESL writing classroom in a particular way and reasons underlying their perceptions. The sample I targeted to collect the data are the UiTM APB lecturers teaching English subjects and specifically those who do integrate SNSs in their ESL writing classroom. It is easier for me to gain data because they know how to make use of the SNSs and can most probably identify the pros and cons of integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom. I planned to collect the data in three ways, interview, on-line discussion board and email. 

So, this is my finalized Chapter 3: 

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

3.0       Introduction

Chapter 3 describes the method that will be used in this research. This chapter will explain in detail the research approach, the research design, sampling procedures and methods of data collection and data analysis. The main aim is to give a clear view of the overall study.

3.1       Research Approach

The research approach used in this study is qualitative approach. The three research questions will be answered through the qualitative approach of interviewing the respondents, online discussion board and via email to obtain the information for this study.

3.2       Research Design

This study adopted a qualitative research which has been designed to investigate the APB English lecturers’ perception on the use of social network services (SNSs) in the ESL writing classroom.  The three research questions posed where examine through a three-pronged system of collecting data. Data will be obtained through a number of research instruments such as in-depth structured interviews with the APB English lecturers, online discussion board and via email.

The purpose of the interview, online board discussion and feedback via email is to acquire an insight about how lecturers perceive the use of SNSs in the ESL writing classroom, the strength and weaknesses SNSs, and the types of social-network related activities being used by the lecturers to enhance the students’ writing skills in the ESL classroom. This methodology will enable the researcher to obtain a more thorough picture of respondents’ perception. It comprises flexible questioning designed to uncover basic features of the individual’s discerning.

The questions posed during the interview will vary in relation to the respondents. The probing procedures that will be use are a set of problems to be identifying the processes used to attain relevant answers. Each respondent will be in his or her office. The personal interviews are generally expected to last between 25 to 45 minutes, although the length will vary depending on the respondents’ explanation and the probing procedures.

Some of the questions that will be asked are:

1.	Do you make use of social network services (SNSs) to teach writing?
2.	How do you perceive the use of SNSs to be relevant in teaching writing in the ESL   classroom?
3.	What are the strengths of integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom?
4.	What are the weaknesses that you see when integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom?
5.	What kind of social-network related activities that you use in the ESL classroom to enhance students writing skills?

3.3       Method of Data Collection

The target population for this study will be UiTM APB lecturers teaching English subjects. A list of English lecturers will be obtained from the UiTM Administration Department from each UiTM campuses in Malaysia.  Interviews will be conducted in the campuses. Besides that, data will also be collected through an online discussion board and response from respondents via email.

This study adopted a non-random purposive sampling which involves selecting sample where the researcher believes to be representative of a given population. The study required UiTM APB lecturers who have been teaching English subjects and possessed a good understanding and knowledge on social network services (SNSs) in the teaching of writing in the ESL classroom. The lecturers will be those who integrate SNSs in the ESL classroom to enhance the students writing skills.  

3.4       Research Instruments

The instruments that will be utilized for this study are, interview, online discussion board and via email. The purpose of the instruments is to gather the data qualitatively to answer the research questions, which are:

1) To what extent do the UiTM APB English lecturers perceive the use of Social Network Services (SNSs) to be relevant in the ESL writing classroom?

2) What do lecturers view as the strengths and weaknesses of integrating Social Network Services (SNSs) in the ESL writing classroom?

3) What type of Social-Network related activities are being use by lecturers enhance the students’ writing skills in the ESL classroom?

3.4.1    Interview

The set of interview questions were constructed based on the literature   review. 

The interview will be conducted to gather information on how lecturers perceive the use of social network services (SNSs) in the ESL writing classroom, the strength and weaknesses of integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom and what are the social-network related activities used to enhance students writing skills. The interview will be recorded, and transcribed, and the researcher will then identify the codes and generated the themes and the findings will be analyzed and reported.

3.4.2    Online Discussion Board

An online discussion board will also be created via Facebook where questions will be posted where selected respondents will be requested to answer the questions and interact with one another during the discussion session. After three weeks, the discussion will be completed and the contents of the discussion will be collected. The data will be coded, categorized and interpreted. The comments will be analyzed and reported by using quotes from the respondents’ views and answers.

3.4.3    Email

Information will correspondingly be obtained from response via email. The researcher will email the interview questions through email to the selected respondents. And after the respondents have completed and replied to the researcher, the response via email will be coded, categorized and interpreted. It will then be analyzed and reported using the quotes from the respondents’ responses.  

3.5       Data Analysis

The data analysis will be conducted to analyze the data. For the interview data, online discussion board content and responses via email, they will be recorded, transcribed in the form of verbatim, the codes will be identified and the themes will be generated. Finally, the data will be analyzed and reported using the quotes from the respondents’ responses, views and answers. 

            3.5.1    Reliability

In this study, the reliability of the interview taken is proved by the consistency of the responses given by the lecturer. From the interview, the reliability will be stronger as the responses and views are backed up by comments that the lecturers made in the interview and in the online discussion board. A high degree of consistency or stability indicates a high degree of reliability, which means the results are quite similar or repeatable.

            3.5.2      Validity

Validity determines whether the study truly measures that which it was intended to measure or how truthful the research results are. To measure the validity of the instrument, the questions for the interview will be validated by an expert from a local public university with a vast knowledge and experience in conducting research. The internal validity is measured whereby the researcher refrained from being bias and prejudice towards the respondents’ responses. The trustworthiness of the study is obtained by the use of member checking and prolonged engagement. Researcher will share the finding gained from the respondents’ perception with the others who are expert in this area of study to discuss the results given. The data will be transcribed. At this point of data analysing, member checking is needed to check whether trustworthiness is found in the result. This approach is significant as it is used to established trustworthiness thus managing the treats of bias in the result.