Advantages And Disadvantages Relying On Field Notes English Language Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Relying On scene of feat Notes English Language EssayAt the prototypic step of this assessment I have to attend what the advantages and disadvantages be of relying solely on study nones, in comparison with producing a system of an sound or video recording ar snipment. During the second half of the twentieth century, in that respect was a huge growth in the quantity of educational look for and the emergence of a substantial methodological literature on how best to copy it. The educational query became quite diverse, not and in the topics examined only when overly in the methodological and theoretical approaches that atomic number 18 used. Perhaps not surprisingly, disagreement is closely associated with much(prenominal) diversity, and there are even up differences of opinion over what is and is not research, and what is and is not educational research(E891 educational Enquiry, matter Guide, p. 63). Field notes or transcription of an a udio or video unloading are characteristics of reflective practice and of what is a good dealtimes referred to as action research. Neverthe little, a great turn back laid of educational enquiry is carried bulge as a separate working class from educational practice, even when it is knowing to inform practice directly. In this matter, the police detectives whitethorn not be educational practitioners themselves, although they frequently are (E891 educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 63).Concerning the range of strategies that gutter be used to pursue educational research it is a wide range of issues such as laboratory and classroom experiments, large-scale aspects of the demeanour, attitude, etcetera The results of the research, i.e. the selective in formattingion may be the product of direct annotation on the character reference of the researcher or it may be produced by some others, and ignore take a variety of forms, such as decideing questionnaires by ticking in boxes on query or observational schedules, numbers as put down in published statistics, text from published or unpublished documents or from field notes scripted by the researcher during the course of observations or interviews, audio-or video- saves and transcripts of these( look for Methods in Education, Handbook, p.26).A common way of conceptualizing this diversity is the distinction amongst duodecimal and qualitative approaches and it is necessary, however, to emphasize that it is a very crude distinction and one that is potentially misleading. The virtually obvious distinction between the two sorts of research is that the former deals with numbers whereas the latter does not or does to a minor degree. Going back to the main point of the question I have to deal with the qualitative research since field notes or audio video recording are within this category. As interview transcripts are made and field notes of observation compiled the researcher continuously examines the selective information, by highlighting indisput fitted points in the text or making comments in the margins. The important points are identified by the researcher noting contradictions and inconsistencies, comparisons and contrasts with other data and so on. At this point the researcher is not just collecting data, but thinking ab step up it and interacting with it. Much of these first attempts at speculative analysis will probably be discarded, but some ideas will no doubt take shape as data gathering and analysis proceed. Much of this early activity may appear chaotic and uncoordinated, but such booby hatch is a prolific seed-bed for ideas (Research Methods in Education, Handbook, p. 68).However, sometimes, because of the pressure of time, the notes the researcher makes may be littler much than than than a scribbled comment, or a one-word indicator particularly as the research goes on, one might write eight-day notes or memos or summarize parts of data that go together and that could be one of the disadvantages for the field notes. On the other hand, by writing the notes down, the researcher has the advantage of memorising better the outcome of the interview. Concerning though the audio video recording as it used to happen in the past, qualitative researchers relied primarily on written field notes as a source of data. However today, they use audio or video recorders, although they often supplement these recordings with field notes in order to provide additional information that may not be evident in the recordings which is one of its disadvantages.In addition, this might include such things as the layout of the locateting, what happened before the recording began, talk that was too quiet to be picked up by the microphone, who was speaking to whom, non-verbal behaviour of various kinds, and behaviour that may be glaze overd on the video recording. Generally speaking, the aim when writing field notes is to provide as detailed and accurate an account as possible of the nature of a coifting, and of what was said and done period the observation was being carried out (E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, p. 8). Another advantage of the audio video recording is the fortune the researcher has to play over and over the interview and clarify more what he hears. In contrast, by audio video interview, the interviewee loses his own privacy since an interview is more or less a confession.(824 run-in) indecision 2During the second half of the twentieth century, educational research has moved away from the use of the quantitative method and the associated reliance on positivist ideas about methodology, and towards various kinds of post-positivist approach although neither quantitative research nor the influence of positivism disappeared completely. Educational research came increasingly reliant on relatively unintegrated forms of data, such as audio and video recordings, open-ended field notes, and published or unpublished document s even employ material from the internet. This data was studyd in ways that did not rely on quantitative method, being designed instead to produce accounts that are similar in basic character to those written, for role model, by historians (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 81). As a result, qualitative researchers work mainly with relatively unstructured data which is not enclose in terms of analytic categories at the point of data collection. Researchers are using observational data produced in the form of open-ended field notes describing what is observed in plain and concrete language, and/or through and through audio or video recordings which are then transcribed. In addition researchers may use data from relatively unstructured interviews in other words, those that do not involve asking a set of pre-specified questions, or offering informants a choice from pre specified answers. Instead, for the around part, their aim is to encourage informants to talk in their ow n terms about matters that may be relevant to the research. Once again, the data is recorded by means of field notes, and/or more normally by audio recording and transcription (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 104). advertize, observation as a source of data uses most kinds of documents, observation requires the researcher to record the data by means of field notes, audio or video recording. Whenever electronic recordings are used, these usually must be transcribed, which in a sense are time-consuming activities that must be carried out before the even more time consuming activity of analysis starts.Very often observation in qualitative research uses audio or video recording which usually provides a more accurate and detailed record than the use of field notes. However, these techniques still do not record everything. For example audio recordings omit nonverbal behaviour that may be very monumental in misgiving what is being expressed. On the other hand, camera angle wil l make some things visible and others obscure or out of focus. Furthermore, both audio and video recordings subscribe to to be transcribed, and errors can be introduced here. eve transcription involves inference (Ochs, 1979, p.2). The researchers have to be very careful when interviewing people and collecting data. In other words, they reject the idea that interview data can be used either as a window into the minds of informants or as a source of information about the social worlds in which they live. At this second part of my assignment the question which is needed to be answered is what would be lost by relying on audio recording rather than a video recording. Up to now, I have tried to analyse the usage of the audio video recording by the researchers and pick point advantages and disadvantages of this method.There is a need for more time to be consumed when we do the transcription of an audio instead of a video recording due to the fact that we can only listen to the audio ins tead of listening and watching a video recording. In addition, with the audio recording we lose important non-verbal and contextual information. Unless we are familiar with the speakers we may also find it difficult to distinguish between diametrical voices. Wherever possible, supplement audio-recordings with field-notes or a diary providing contextual information. Moreover, audio recordings omit nonverbal behaviour that may be very significant in understanding. What is happening while a researcher is asking someone something that could be seen in the video recording is easier to be interpreted. Laughter or coughing could be very important on the backdrop of what it is said but is missing from the audio recording since both need to be transcribed and errors can be introduced here easier with audio recording since transcription involves inference. Moreover, the usage of the audio recording may mislead the researcher since he only has the voice and not a picture of the interviewee. However it is more fright to video record an interviewer and it goes without state that permission should be sought before any audio or video recording. (736 words)Question 3 sexual climax to the third part of the assignment, I have to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the structured interviewing. Structured interview falls into the educational research. According to Stenhouse A research tradition which is getatable to teachers and which feeds teaching must be created if education is to be significantly improved.(An introduction to Curriculum Research and Development, 1975, p.165). Furthermore, David Tripps words are very significant as he mentioned the importance of the educational research by saying that there is no doubt if educational research seeks to improve practice it needs to be grounded in educational events and not in academic theories (Critical Incidents in Teaching, 1993, p. 152). From my own experience, this is very important to me, since I recognize t he fact that I had been very successful in the classroom while being ignorant of what academics considered noesis essential to teaching. I actually became aware of the difference between knowledge of academics and knowledge of teachers after I had taken educational lessons in pedagogy as part of the compulsory pre service course so that I could continue teaching. Additionally, improving teaching is by grounding in educational research in realities of teachers everyday experience.We are all familiar with interviews from everyday life which basically the interview is an interactional format that consists of an interchange between one or more people by asking questions and a somebody (or a number of people) answering them. An interview can be distinguished from a test or an oral examination in that the aim is for the person questioned to provide information or opinions, while the interviewer does not usually make any explicit evaluation of the answers beyond what might be required for the involvement of politeness (E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, p. 10). Even though interviews are described in broad terms, we also get it on when an interview is taking place and it is also important to understand the considerable variation in their character. This is not just about differences in purpose but even research interviews may vary comfortably in a number of ways. As it was mentioned before, it is possible to interview one or more persons at the equivalent time thus marking the distinction between individual and group interviews. Another significant difference concerns where an interview takes place on whose territory, for example.In structured interviews characteristic of survey research, interviewers in general, reveal as little as less possible about themselves, in contrast of what can be read from their air and behaviour. However, this is the case during the formal part of the interview there is more to be disclosed in sluttish interchanges before or a fter the interview. However, in qualitative interviews, with their more unstructured format, it is common for interviewers to provide more information about themselves. In addition, some commentators have argued that they are obliged to do this, as part of an appropriate reciprocity that ought to operate between researcher and researched (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 234). Another fact that the researcher should take into consideration when he or she is preparing a structured interview is the design of the interview. To avoid mistakes control is very necessary. Observation schedules and the way the researcher records observations also need to be reliable, since it needs to mean the same to others as it does to you. You need to make sure that you negotiate with each other to arrive at inversely agreed definitions of the behaviours and items you want to concentrate on. As Coolican points out We know that each persons view of a situation is unique and that our perceptio ns can be biased by innumerable factors. An untrained observer might right away evaluate behaviour which the researcher wants reported as objectively as possible. Where the trained observer reports a hard blow, the novice might describe this as vicious (Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, 1990, p.63).Coming back to my working experience, as an assistant head assure, I experience structured and semi structured interviews almost every day. organism with young students from 15 to 18 years of age as educators we are in constant backchat with them. While I was studying for the structured interview my mind always goes back on the first days of each year for the first year students in school. Every assistant head master normally is responsible for at least 25 first year students as a result, I always have freshmen at school that I have to interview them so I can have a brief idea about them. The interview is machinateed as a structured one and many questions could be answere d by either answering yes or no or by filling in with a few words. The most important for me is to drain as more utilizable information as possible. Furthermore, based on the given participants answers to my questions, I have to determine not only the students personal problems, hobbies and interests but also oral fluency, vocabulary strengths, and general communication skills. This assessment target, which in a sense is not part of the structured interview it is a tool which I have to develop so that I can comment at the end of the interview for myself. As it is obvious, the interviewees are often nervous and sometimes are shy. I usually put a lot of effort to get as more as possible from the interviewee and this sometimes becomes more and more difficult for me. As Mcnamara mentioned the interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participants experiences and the interviewer can pursue in-depth information rough the topic but it is also useful as follow-up t o certain respondents to questionnaires, e.g., to further investigate their responses. (General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews, 1999, p. 12).Whenever I come to the end of the interview, a lot of thoughts go through my head. The fact that I learn more about my students could become an advantage or a disadvantage for me or any interviewer. However, this part should persist in with me or any other interviewer and I should explore more strengths or weaknesses of this method. As a starting point for the advantages of an interview I should mention the fact that all participants are getting equal chances to answer on the same questions and present themselves as best as possible since all the questions are set up in such a way to give them the opportunity. Face-to-face structured interviews are fast to conduct and they give better opportunity to assess the interviewees meaning and interpretation of the questions. They also help to pick out any confusion that might come up from the so asked question or answer, more considerably and efficiently. In addition, they allow the chance to present material to interviewees and get their reactions.Furthermore, face-to-face structured interviews are mostly better than mail questionnaires with interviewees with unknown educational skills that may not be clarify for the questions asked. They are also helpful when sensitive information is looked for since interviewers normally can establish a trust with the interviewee and they are able to drain answers to questions that the interviewee may otherwise be negative to answer or to answer truthfully. In addition, where less is known about the way in which interviewees think about an issue or about the range of possible answers to a question, structured interviews has the chance for interviewers to ask additional questions, if needed to get reasonable answers. Moreover interviewees are asked the same questions in the same way. This makes it easy to repeat (replicate) the int erview. In other words, this type of research method is easy to standardise and provides a reliable source of quantitative data.On the other hand, there are also disadvantages from the structured interview such as the associated one with obtaining data from tests, questionnaires and structured interviews. These methods are often aimed at capturing dispositions, such as respondents abilities, attitudes or tendencies to act in particular ways. However, peoples responses to particular questions or test items on particular occasions within the research context may be different from what they would typically say or do in other circumstances. In other words, their responses may be generated by particularities of the research context, and may not apply more generally. Even where the responses are the product of a disposition, researchers will not know exactly under what conditions this disposition is acted on (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 148). However, interviews also develop the dynamic for an interviewer to intentionally or unintentionally influence results and violate consistency in measurement. The survey interviewees are very sensitive to cues given by the interviewers verbal and non-verbal behavior. As well, an interviewer has the opportunity to ask further questions or give clarifications and may undountefully influence the expected answers. Although they are faster to conduct than mail questionnaire surveys, face-to-face interviews are costly due to the amount of staff time required to conduct interviews and to the cost of travel. Coming to my interviews, I am, however, generally able to make fairly accurate judgments about students background and abilities. In most cases, I also get feedback as interviewer. Many participants said they found my tone of voice and my supporting(a) approach very helpful. That kind of feedback certainly helped me as the interviewer.(1540 words)Coolican, H. (1990) Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, Londo n, Hobber and Stoughton.E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, (2007), The Open University.E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, (2007), The Open University.McNamara, C., (1999), PhD. General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews, Minnesota.Ochs, E. (1979) Transcriptions as theory in Ochs, E. (ed.) Developmental Pragmatics, New York, Academic Press.Research Methods in Education, Handbook, (2003), The Open University.Stenhouse, L.(1975) An introduction to Curriculum Research and Development, London, Heinemann.Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching, London, Routledge.