Data Collection

Review the chapters in the Saldaña text. Review the Introduction to Coding and From Content to Coding media programs in the Learning Resources. Refer back to your observational field notes from Weeks 1–4 Scholars of Change videos. From the remaining videos, choose a different Scholars of Change video and refer to your notes from your observation for this Discussion. Access the transcript you downloaded for the media program of the Scholars of Change video you selected for this Discussion. Begin to code the transcript and the observational field notes of the Scholar of Change video you chose. (Note: You will only need one or two codes for this Discussion, although more are acceptable.) When thinking about qualitative data collection, individual interviews and focus groups have some important differences. An individual interview allows the researcher to spend time with one participant and explore that person’s experiences, perceptions, and opinions in greater depth. This approach can be especially helpful when the topic is personal or sensitive because the participant does not have to share their experiences in front of other people. Rubin and Rubin (2012) emphasize the importance of listening carefully to participants and using follow-up questions to better understand the meaning they give to their experiences. A focus group is different because the researcher brings several participants together to discuss a specific topic. Rather than focusing only on one person’s experience, the researcher can learn from the interaction among participants. One participant’s response may cause another participant to remember something or offer a different perspective. However, conducting a focus group requires the researcher to pay attention to group dynamics and make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate. Careful planning is also important when selecting participants and developing questions that encourage discussion (Walden University, LLC, 2016). For my research topic, which focuses on how bullying and peer victimization may be connected to harmful thoughts and, over time, increased risk related to school violence, I would probably choose individual interviews rather than a focus group. I think individual interviews would be more appropriate because the topic could involve experiences that participants may not feel comfortable discussing in front of their peers. Someone who has experienced bullying or peer victimization may be willing to talk about it privately but may be less likely to share those experiences in a group setting. Another concern is that participants could influence one another’s responses. For example, if one participant described bullying as something that was “not a big deal,” another participant might minimize their own experience even if it had a significant impact on them. On the other hand, one participant could also influence the group by describing a particularly negative experience. Individual interviews would reduce some of these group influences and give participants more freedom to explain their experiences in their own words. I also think individual interviews would allow me to ask follow-up questions and explore the connections between experiences of victimization, coping, thoughts, and behaviors. Ravitch and Carl (2021) explain that qualitative analysis involves looking beyond individual pieces of information to develop a deeper understanding of patterns and meaning within the data. That approach fits well with my interest in understanding the possible pathways between bullying and later harmful thoughts rather than simply determining whether a relationship exists. I could see a focus group being useful for a different part of this topic. For example, if I wanted to understand students’ shared opinions about bullying prevention, school safety, or what schools could do differently, a focus group could provide valuable information. However, because my current research interest involves potentially sensitive experiences and thoughts, I believe individual interviews would provide a better opportunity for participants to speak openly and for me to understand their experiences in greater depth. Ultimately, the research question should guide the choice of data collection method (Ravitch & Carl, 2021). Reference's Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2021). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016). How to plan and conduct a focus group [Video]. Walden University It is based on this information