Interim Guide to Qualitative Research Methods Section of Web-site

The Qualitative Research literature seems to fall into four or five segments:

1. Researcher's Philosophy (Marxist, Feminist, etc)
2. Strategic level methodology
3. Tactical Level of Data Gathering Techniques
4. Tactical Level of Data Analysis Techniques
5. Tactical Level of Data (Re)Presentation Techniques

My original intent was to limit my inquiry for purposes of the course to number three (gathering), but as I got into the material, I realized that this was not the best approach because:

• there is enormous overlap in each presentation of a gathering technique
• the terminology for strategic and tactical level use of terms and concepts is quite fluid depending on the author and discipline
• research methods for interdisciplinary pursuits in general and community development in particular are ill-defined at present.
• A need arose to situate myself in relation to the University Disciplines, professions and interdisciplinary pursuits, and thereby find my personal "voice" at the RCD research table, and then to relate my earlier research projects and Biblical studies to these other University research interests.
• The differences between Qualitative and Quantitative research became increasingly blurred as the overlap between them became more evident.
• I realized that the hypertext format could solve these problems quite adequately if approached in another way, which required more up-front work at the first, but with far more useable results at the end.
• I realized the value and nature of "comprehensive" exams / thesis at the end of one's program, and that for me, the Web-site in general and this segment in particular was critical to my own sense of having grasped rural community development (integrated as it is as part of my understanding of ministry) in a "comprehensive" manner which took into account past, present and future activity in that field.
• I realized that the quality of my thesis and/or further academic education depended upon a solid grasp of research methodology in interdisciplinary pursuits, as this was the area where my greatest contribution might be rather than in the contend of any of the formal disciplines as such.
• I realized that continued high quality work in this area of research methodology held a potentially significant if indirect impact on my three areas of major concern:
  1. Ongoing dialogue and encouragement of harnessing First Nations cultural learning imperative (which emphasized an autodidactic preference) to augment the success of first nations students.
  2. Growth in my own understanding of the language and perspective of the folks who currently are running the United Church, with a view to assisting with Church Renewal of this vital Canadian Institution, particularly on the prairies.
  3. Providing a high quality set of tools for designing research across disciplines which might improve the richness and robustness of such research and thereby provide higher quality information to the Giver-financiers who "feed at the university intellectual trough", as it is they who are at the heart of the current globalization dynamics.

Development Approach To Research Section Of The Site

In light of he above factors, I took the following approach to my web-site development:

1. I realigned my conceptual framework for the overall RCD site, so as to fulfil my objective of using it as my own personal vehicle for developing and ensuring completion of my "comprehensive" grasp of RCD in relation to ministry, and my own life journey. The target audience of my collogues in Ministry remained unchanged.
2. I designed the research methods section for research across disciplines in such as way as it would fit with the new conceptualization of the overall site, moving several key folders into a new structure so as to facilitate it. This resulted in the following segments:
   • The Big Picture which gives Paul's view of three types of gifts, and a synopsis of God's big picture and where RCD fits into it.

   • Stu which outlines:
     • My five tactical capacities
     • A statement of my four part strategic Initiative
     • A grouping of my research and other projects into the Strategic and tactical sections.

   • Development which outlines the seven areas which for me overlap in the Ministry and Community Development tasks.

   • Universitywhich outlines the University research structure:
     • The three domains of disciplines (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences) with their respective disciplines.
     • The Interdisciplinary interest areas and professional areas.
     • Layouts for the Qualitative and Quantitative sections once the common elements have been completely stripped out.
     • A section on choice components common to all research methods.
     • A preliminary draft of a section on research methods across disciplines.

   Project Completion

   When the project is complete, I anticipate that:
   • The non-starred areas will be filled in
   • The four above areas will be integrated with the rest of the re-configured site as appropriate. That is the public aspects like the research methods selection tool will be integrated with the RCD aspects and have examples from RCD added, and disciplinary under-girding pages will be connected with their typically used research methodologies and methods.
   • The four / five sections of the Qualitative and Quantitative methods will be filled in and the references for each will have the notes from the earlier research (etc) transcribed on appropriate pages so that people will have a good list of on and offline resources for following up specific aspects of each of the four/five categories.
   • I will likely strip out the first category (Philosophical traditions of the researchers) as these cut across both qualitative and quantitative approaches, and make a unified section useable for both.
   • upgrade and integrate the quantitative methods to the site
   • integrate my material from my earlier research methods courses etc.
   • an overall smoothing of the site and a huge amount of editing.
   • The footnote system will be settled upon and filled in. (Codes for same and other page items are laid into the pages but not hooked up until it is decided upon for the new structure. References are put in as [] at present.)

   As I mentioned the other day. I am pioneering a rule-set for doing research across disciplines, and see it as a major contribution to the somewhat cluttered field of methodology. I see this as a way to enrich the present interdisciplinary area of RCD with a larger breadth of input from other under-represented disciplines, as well as the inclusion of underutilized research methodologies and methods in RCD.

   The project has gone a long way to integrating past and present parts of my journey and have recently opened up possibilities for both thesis and occupational initiatives...

   It has been a hoot! Thanks Ken.