1

Reflection of Learning for ED 851 Christina Scott San Diego State University

Qualitative Data Collection- Final Analytic Memo and Power Point Presentation To say that I loved this class would e an understate!ent" I feel it has een #ivotal in !y e$#erience in this #rogra! and in the develo#!ent of !y dissertation" The #rocess of collecting %ualitative data and e$#eriencing the develo#!ent of the data through the #rocess of coding and analysis was invigorating to !e" &owever' going through the #rocess was challenging at ti!es" During one of those !o!ents in the (interview( #hase of the course' I docu!ented what I was going through and I find it a hu!orous and #oignant !using of !y e$#erience in this class" The following )ournal entry was written on *arch +' ,-1./ Qualitative methods is killing me, but I love it. The process of transcribing focus group recordings is grueling, but each word I hear and transcribe richens the experience for me. Right now, I'm not sure I would want to hire a transcriber to do my dissertation interviews, but I fear I might have to. nd I know I have to do a !ualitative study, that

has "ust become very clear. I am a !ualitative researcher, try as I might to fight it. #$# The process of working with %r.s $lney and &arris on !ualitative methods, in addition to %r. 'ood in regard to writing chapter ( in regard to a !ualitative study, has really helped me understand the scope of the next part of my doctoral experience and I am getting really excited about the dissertation phase. lthough, I'm already exhausted)

*ut this second semester is really changing me, I'm producing levels of work I never thought possible and I think I'm really seeing a deeper side of myself +which is odd because I would always have said I was deep, I guess more of a developed side of myself...I don't know, it's almost a bit of an identity crisis)

Ulti!ately' over thirty hours of transcri ing and coding data resulted in a very rich data set which is reflected in !y final analytic !e!o and #ower #oint #resentation" These artifacts de!onstrate the following ED851 student learning outcomes, 10 Conduct %ualitative research through #artici#ant o servation and interviewing !ethods" ,0 *aster field note writing with use of 1rich descri#tion2 and o server co!!ents" .0 Code and analy3e field notes or transcri#ts 4 y hand or electronic !ethods0 50 6rite a thoughtful and detailed analytic !e!o ased on your #reli!inary results 50 7resent your study to the class 6hile these course learning o )ectives are very s#ecific to %uantitative !ethodology' they also correlate with the Ed.D Program Learning Outcomes: -ommunication, .rofessional, and %ecision /ciences. The #rocess of collecting %ualitative data and organi3ing this data into codes' categories and the!es is focused heavily on the learning outco!e of %ecisions /ciences" In this class' I gained !ore 8nowledge of the techni%ues involved in gathering original data and #resenting it through acade!ic analysis and the a##lication of the constant co!#arative !ethod" Collecting %ualitative data is highly de#endent on strong co!!unication s8ills since the researcher is interviewing individual and #resenting their findings through a written analysis' thus' I feel this course fulfilled the Ed.D. rogram learning outcome of -ommunication as well" I also feel this artifact of the final analytic !e!o and #ower #oint #resentation of !y
3

research reflects the e$#ectations of #rofessional wor8 and the #resentation of wor8' in line with the #rofession of acade!ia reflecting the Ed.D. rogram learning outcome of .rofessional #ractice"