Week 4
Week 4
For this week, you will submit Parts 1, 2, and the Annotated Bibliography of your Major
Assignment 1 to your Instructor to receive feedback.
Name: RSCH_8310_Week_4_Assignment_Rubric
Description: RSCH 7310 Assignment Week 4 Rubric – RSCH 6310 Assignment
Week 4 Rubric
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Name: RSCH_8310_Week_4_Assignment_Rubric
Description: RSCH 7310 Assignment Week 4 Rubric – RSCH 6310 Assignment
Week 4 Rubric
Week 4: Data Collection: Choosing Sources (People, Places,
and Things)
The research team met again to consider data sources. A research consultant facilitated
the discussion and identified issues to be addressed in order for the results to be
credible. Three key areas needed further study before they went into the field. These
areas included:
1. How is the program positioned in the community, particularly regarding trust, diversity,
and access? (Or as one team member said, “How do we see ‘them’? And, how do we think they
‘see’ us?”)
This issue initiated an action plan for an organizational self-study to produce reflexive data
before, during, and after field data collection.
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course
Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical,
and methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 4, “Design and Reflexivity in Data Collection” (pp. 111–144)
o Table 4.3, “Purposeful Sampling Strategies” (pp. 129–137)
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 3, “Qualitative Data-Gathering Methods and Style” (previously read in Week 3)
3)
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Chapter 5, Module 30: Purposeful sampling and case selection:
Overview of strategies and options. In Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th
ed., pp. 264–315). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Guest, G., Bunce, A., and Johnson, L. (2006). How many Interviews are enough? An
experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods 18(1), 59–82.
Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative
interviews. Forum : Qualitative Social Research, 11(3)
Yob, I., & Brewer, P. (n.d.). Working toward the common good: An online university's
perspectives on social change, 1-25.
Use this guide to help you as you take notes for your Scholar of Change video.
Required Media
Scholar of Change Video #4
Topper, C. (2014). Christin Topper, PhD student, bringing the natural world to Hong Kong
[Video file].
The answer lies in how clearly you articulate the criteria for selecting data sources; (b)
your ability to purposefully select cases; and (c) the extent to which those cases are
“information-rich… for in-depth study” (Patton, 2015, p. 264) with respect to the purpose
of the study.
As you prepare for this week’s Discussion, consider turning your attention to the variety of
purposeful sampling strategies you may consider in developing your research plan. Also
consider that qualitative researchers seek a threshold or cut-off point for when to stop
collecting data. There is no magic number (although there are guidelines). Rather,
saturation occurs as an interface between the researcher and the data and (b) between
data collection and data analysis to determine when enough is enough.
For this Discussion, you will critique a sampling strategy used in a research article.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the Guest, Bunce, and Johnson article; the Yob and Brewer article; and the Learning
Resources related to sampling and saturation for this week.
By Day 3
Prepare a critique of the sampling strategy used by Yob and Brewer (n.d.). Include the
following your critique:
The purpose of the study
Research questions
Site selection
The type of purposeful sampling strategy the researchers applied. (Note: Use Table 4.3 in the
Ravitch & Carl text or from Patton’s Chapter 5 to identify and describe the strategy that you think
best fits what they described.)
An alternative sampling strategy that the researchers could have considered. Explain your choice in
terms of how the strategy is consistent with their research purpose and criteria for selecting cases.
Provide a data saturation definition and evaluate the work of the researchers in this article
regarding their efforts to achieve data saturation. Note what the researchers could have done
differently to convince you that the relevant and important themes emerged.
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning
Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
By Day 5
Respond to at least one of your colleagues’ posts and explain:
Their choice of sampling strategy
Strategies for improving saturation
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria