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MINI RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUDDEN TRANSITION FROM FACE-TO-FACE LEARNING INTO ONLINE LEARNING: FROM STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES Submitted to:- Anne Goulding For the Requirement of Research Methods B(FCOM421)

Deepak Gautam (ID. 300526741) )/29/2020 FCOM 421

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 2

3. RESEARCH DESIGN 2

4. DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS METHODS 3

5. ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS 6

6. CONCLUSION 6

7. REFERENCES 8

1. INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has impaired many underlying disproportions because the closure of campuses, the requirement to stay at home to study/teach and to use the resources that students and teachers have in front of them has meant that the ability of their study/teach has, in many ways, been put outside of their control. In response to COVID-19, most of the universities around the world announced that teaching will be online and remain until a certain time. During the pandemic, learning management systems such as Blackboard(Blackboard Learn^TM, 2009), Moodle, and Zoom Video Conferencing(Known as Zoom) are at the forefront of recent technological spreads. These systems are adopted by every educational institution all over the world to conduct courses and other facilities online; and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand has implemented these systems too.

The impact of learning management systems have been such that the boundaries between distance education and campus-based experiences have been blurred and are being replaced by hybrid modes or ‘distributed learning’ in which technology-mediated instruction is the norm (Masi & Winer, 2005; Heirdsfield, Walker, Tambyah & Beutel, 2011 p.1.2). New technologies have the potential to change the way teachers teach and learners learn (DeNeui & Dodge, 2006). But there was seen a growing concern amongst students that the fully online learning methods the universities have adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic are not as effective when independently from any form of face-to-face teaching/learning. Furthermore, students raised the concerns of unable to gain the full learning experience due to the lack of access to university’s physical facilities, especially those who have enrolled in courses with practical components (such as campus library, study, laboratory, research facilities and so on) will miss out on hands-on learning experiences. The main objective of the proposed research is to study the students’ and teachers’ lived experiences and perceptions of online learning against face-to-face learning and impact on performance in this unprecedented time due to Covid-19.

The idea that a qualitative method can be used to build aspects of quantitative research can be called an “exploratory sequential” design within mixed methods(both qualitative and quantitative) but I am purely focusing this research on a qualitative approach. Because this approach hints that, it requires that the researcher” center on the attempt to achieve a sense of the meaning that others give to their own situations”(Smith,2005,p.12). The study aims to explore human interactions such as experience, perceptions, motivations, and behavior by choosing the quantitative approach. Hence, the qualitative theory most aligned with the constructivist paradigm, using a phenomenological interpretive strategy is chosen over quantitative approach.

2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The overall research question guiding this study is: based on the lived experience, perception, and perspectives of students and teachers in their learning and teaching. Those questions will focus on some practical issues like; How adopting fully online learning and teaching has impacted the productivity of students’ and teachers’ teaching pedagogy? The study will explore the areas of concerns raised by students about the difficulty of getting full learning experiences. How do student and teacher are coping with online/remote studies, what are the impacts on the productivity and performance caused by those in students as well what were the challenges for teachers after adopting fully online teaching pedagogy? This research’s findings will be useful for students, teachers/professors, school leaders, stakeholders, parents, and as well as policymakers.

3. RESEARCH DESIGN

To investigate the research question mentioned above the constructivist paradigm using Hermeneutic/interpretive phenomenology will be applied. According to constructivist approaches to learning, the role of the instructor(teacher) is to provide rich learning environments, which often include extensive social interactions, self-assessment, and independent work(Lane,2008). Quality learning is facilitated through more constructivist, interactive online learning environments(Liaw, 2008; Vovides, Sanchez-Alonso, Mitropoulou, & Nickmans, 2007).

In this context, constructivism is defined as the co-construction of knowledge that develops from student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions(Summers, Waigandt, & Whittaker, 2005). The theoretical perspective most often associated with qualitative researchers is phenomenology(Bogdan & Bieklen,2004). Phenomenology is having a long history in several social research disciplines including sociology, social work, and psychology; and considered both; a philosophical perspective an approach to research methodology It emphasizes a focus on people’s subjective experiences and interpretations of the world. As the researcher, I will focus on the transformation of data to live the experience, bring individual experiences into words in data collection, and then attempt to understand those experiences based on the statements, and to categorize the themes in next stage, In the last stage, as an investigator will record the essence in writing, which results in a comprehensive description of the phenomena(Speziale & Carpenter, 2011; Smith,1999,p.3). The phenomenological approach will be suitable to understand the deep perceptions or lived experiences of the participants. Themes and meanings will emerge from the data which can in future contribute to new theories, change the policies. Consequently, the constructivist paradigm using Hermeneutic/interpretive phenomenology is an appropriate methodology, since the purpose of the study is to describe the meaning of the participants’ lived experiences of work.

4. DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS METHODS

All teaching staff(teacher/professors/tutors, etc.) and students under the School of Management and Information System at the Victoria University of Wellington(VUW) will be invited to participate in an online survey and interview(i.e. in-depth, unstructured interviews followed by survey) designed to produce responses about teaching and learning using the online learning management system: Blackboard and Zoom Video Conferencing. Staff and students who wish to participate in this study be advised that their involvement will be voluntary and will be requested to give informed consent upon participation. Furthermore, they could withdraw from participation within the defined time during the study and their decision to participate(or not) will not affect their relationship with VUW.

The concept of phenomenological perspectives will be most useful in understanding the approach of data collection, the study will use criterion sampling, in which the participants meet predefined criteria. The most prominent criterion is the participant’s experience with the phenomenon under study. A researcher should look for participants who have shared experience but vary in characteristics and their individual experiences. (Moser, Korstjens, 2018, p.11).

For this research, a similar kind of data collection approach will be used from previous research conducted at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) (Heirdsfield, Walker, Tambyah & Beutel, 2011 p.4,5). The study will use closed-ended Likert Scale Survey questions giving respondents a range of options, for example, starting at “ not at all likely” scaling up to “extremely likely” to measure effectiveness(Least effective to most effective) will be used. This technique will be suitable to understand specific feedback and easy to measure the respondent’s opinions or attitudes on a range of topics. On the other hand, I will use interview techniques followed by the survey which can be a means to elicit data about the subject. Due to COVID-19 pandemic alert level’s rules, I would use Zoom or Skype interviews instead of face-to-face interviews with participants’ flexibility. Prior to the interview, the informed consent form, email about means, time and other information about it will be shared to each participants who agree to participate. According to sensitiveness nature of the research topic, structured interview with open-ended questions will be implemented to gather data based on participant’s attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, emotions, reactions, opinions, and experiences. As well this approach will lead for standardization of the responses and data. There can be some issues like time constraints for data preparation and analysis, generalizability, representativeness

With this combination unlike other forms of qualitative research, I can easily survey a large group of respondents/participants, making final results more credible and, ultimately, valuable. The time for the survey will around 20-25 minutes and interview will take around 15-20 minutes.

The inputs from survey and interviews will be separated for each group (i.e. students and teachers) and categorized according to different criteria and then secondly comments/feedback will be grouped based on negative and positive comments. The word category refers to the aim of discerning regularities or similarities in the data (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The data will be obtained in the form of survey responses, notes(will use Fireflies.ai software and pen and paper too), and tape recordings from interviews. The tape recordings will be transcribed and after coding, I would categorize as mentioned above. The creation of categories is an interpretive process on the part of the researcher (or in many cases the team of researchers, cf. Hill et al., 1997), in which the researcher is trying to respect the data and use category labels close to the original language of participants. The criteria would be(1). Teaching and learning features (2). Interactive tools and (3). General feedback on Learning tool(Blackboard & Zoom) (Heirdsfield, Walker, Tambyah & Beutel, 2011 p.4,5). These measures are assumed to enhance the validity and reliability of the qualitative data of the study. Also, it will enable a critical and consistent approach to identify student and teachers’ perceptions and experiences across common areas of concerns such as the use of different interactive features, accessible experiences, and outcomes from the use of those tools. In this study to eliminate bias, the questionnaire will be validated it to a non-respondent group too and before doing a research pilot test will be done to check the adequacy of prepared questionnaires, make changes when necessary.

The questions that will be asked during interview followed by survey are as below:

[Note:- Questions could be changed as per requirements]

1. Are you currently, or have been, working(learning or teaching) from home?
2. How frequently did you learn or teach remotely before the outbreak of COVID-19?
3. How easy or difficult it is for you to work (learn or teach)effectively these days? Why?

[ looking for response like;- Easy, Somewhat easy, Neither easy nor difficult, Somewhat difficult, Difficult]

4. What are the top three advantages of learning/teaching remotely?
5. What are the Top Three biggest challenges you are currently facing while learning or teaching?
6. Do you have all the equipment you need to do your work (learn and teach) from home?
7. Do you have a dedicated workspace where you can work at your home without too many interruptions?
8. How confident are you that you have the right resources and benefits from your institution to help you during your learning and teaching during this period?
9. What are the best features of Blackboard? Tell us why?
10. What are the best features of Zoom Video Conferencing? Tell us why?
11. To contribute to our pool of ideas, please provide an example of how using Blackboard has enhanced/helped your learning/teaching?
12. To contribute to our pool of ideas, please provide an example of how using Zoom Video Conferencing has enhanced/helped your learning/teaching?
13. What are the worst features of Blackboard? Tell us why?
14. What are the worst features of Zoom Video Conferencing? Tell us why?
15. To contribute to our pool of ideas, please provide an example of how using Blackboard has inhibited/hindered your learning/teaching?
16. To contribute to our pool of ideas, please provide an example of how using Zoom Video Conferencing has inhibited/hindered your learning/teaching?
17. Have you any other comments or feedback about moving from face-to-face to online not captured above or in the survey? Please provide those.
18. Please add any other comments you have about how your institution is making remote learning/teaching easier or difficult?

5. ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS

Ethical considerations are the most important part of the research so as a researcher, the study will focus on ethical implications. Taking considerations & suggestions from Bryman and Bell(2007) participants would not be subjected to any form of harm in any way whatsoever. Informed full consent without any pressure or coercion will be implemented with respect and maintaining the dignity of participants (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, (2012). On the matter of confidentiality and privacy, participant’s documents and data related to information and responses will be kept anonymous, confidential, and privacy. Likewise, any deception or exaggeration about the aims and objectives of the research will be avoided. Moreover, this research will not engage with any child, ethnic groups, or any engagement mentioned on HEC form. The identity of any respondents will not be revealed in any reports, presentations, or public documentation. The records identifying participants will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations and will not be made publicly available. To create validity, reliability, and free of biased research there will be no misleading of information, as well as representation of primary data. The research will follow HEC approval and rules guided by Victoria University of Wellington’s HEC. (Mentioned in Appendix)

6. CONCLUSION

The phenomenology approach will search for meaningful concepts that reflect aspects of the experience and will try integration into a seemingly typical experience like what some people think and do, what kind of problems they are confronted with, and how they deal with them. The most important advantage of the interpretive under phenomenological approach is that it is easier to analyze the factor what is impacting the situation/ condition, for example, cross-cultural differences and issue of ethics is impacting leadership, productivity. Furthermore, the primary data gathered through the interpretive approach might be associated with a high level of validity because data in such studies tend to be trustworthy and honest(Myers,2008; Collins, 2010; Saunders et.al, 2012). Conversely will be about reliability and representativeness of data. Interpretive approach is considered to be subjective in nature where there can be a great room for bias on behalf of the researcher. And many experts mentioned that such primary data cannot be generalized because those data are highly impacted by personal viewpoints and values; due to which reliability and representativeness of data are undermined to a certain extent.(Myers,2008; Collins, 2010; Saunders et.al, 2012). Reliability and representativeness can be the limitation of the research approach thus criterion approaches, the collating and analyzing the large volume of qualitative data is assumed to enhance the validity and reliability of the qualitative data of the study.

7. REFERENCES

Blackboard LearnTM (2009). Blackboard Inc. New York: McGraw Hill.

Bryman, A. &  Bell, E. (2007) “Business Research Methods”, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press.

Collins, H. (2010) “Creative Research: The Theory and Practice of Research for the Creative Industries” AVA Publications

DeNeui, D. L., & Dodge, T. (2006). Asynchronous learning networks and student outcomes: The utility of online learning components in hybrid courses. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33(4), 256-259.

Glaser, B. G. and Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.

Heirdsfield, A., Walker, S., Tambyah, M., & Beutel, D. (2011). Blackboard as an online learning environment: What do teacher education students and staff think?. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 36(7), 1

Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J. and Williams, E. N. (1997). A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25, 517–572.

Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112–133.

Lane, L. M. (2008). Toolbox or trap? Course management systems and pedagogy. Educause,2, 4-7.

Liaw, S-S. (2008). Investigating students’ perceived satisfaction, behavioral intention, and effectiveness of e-learning: A case study of the Blackboard system. Computers and

Education, 51, 864-873.

Littlejohn, S.W. & Foss, K.A. (2009) “Encyclopedia of Communication Theory” Vol.1, SAGE Publication.

Masi, A., & Winer, L. (2005). A university-wide vision of teaching and learning with

information technologies. Innovations in Education and Teaching International,

42(2), 147-155.

Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection, and analysis. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 9-18.

Myers, M.D. (2008) “Qualitative Research in Business & Management” SAGE Publications.

Noble H, Smith J.(2015). Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research

Evidence-Based Nursing;18:34-35.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2012) “Research Methods for Business Students” 6th edition, Pearson Education Limited.

Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis as a useful methodology for research on the lived experience of pain. British journal of pain, 9(1), 41-42.

Smith BA.(1999). Ethical and methodologic benefits of using a reflexive journal in hermeneutic‐phenomenologic research. Image J Nurs Sch, 31(4): 359-63.

Speziale HS, Carpenter DR.(2011) Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative. Wolters Kluwer’s health.

Summers, J. J., Waigandt, A., & Whittaker, T. A. (2005). A comparison of student

achievement and satisfaction in an online versus a traditional face-to-face statistics

class. Innovative Higher Education, 29(3), 233–250.

Surowiec, B. (2015, June 15). Better quant through qual: How qualitative research improves quantitative research. Clear Seas Research. 

Twinn S. (1997). An exploratory study examining the influence of translation on the validity and reliability of qualitative data in nursing research. Journal of advanced nursing, 26(2), 418–423. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.1997026418.x

Vovides, Y., Sanchez-Alonso, S., Mitropoulou, V., & Nickmans, G. (2007). The use of e-learning course management systems to support learning strategies and to improve self-regulated learning. Educational Research Review, 2, 64-74.

APPENDIX A: HEC APPLICATION FORM

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