Using blogs in qualitative educational research: an exploration of method
Using blogs in qualitative educational research: an exploration of method
When compared with wider social research, qualitative educational research has been relatively slow to take up online research methods (ORMs). There is some very notable research in the area but, in general, ORMs have not achieved wide applicability in qualitative educational contexts apart from research that is inherently linked to the Internet, for example, research on educational technologies or students' online behaviour. This paper demonstrates how ORMs can be useful in qualitative research projects. It describes how on-going, reflective, qualitative data were collected using a popular, community-based online tool – blogs. The research project that utilized this approach aimed to trace how a group of international students in the United Kingdom responded to their new environment over six months. This article attempts to provide a new understanding on the use of blogs as a tool for data collection.
qualitative research, online research methods, ORMs, research blogs, social research
324-343
Harricharan, Michelle
db4c0511-1501-4715-98a2-1e00d04c9d6b
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314
2014
Harricharan, Michelle
db4c0511-1501-4715-98a2-1e00d04c9d6b
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314
Harricharan, Michelle and Bhopal, Kalwant
(2014)
Using blogs in qualitative educational research: an exploration of method.
International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 37 (3), .
(doi:10.1080/1743727X.2014.885009).
Abstract
When compared with wider social research, qualitative educational research has been relatively slow to take up online research methods (ORMs). There is some very notable research in the area but, in general, ORMs have not achieved wide applicability in qualitative educational contexts apart from research that is inherently linked to the Internet, for example, research on educational technologies or students' online behaviour. This paper demonstrates how ORMs can be useful in qualitative research projects. It describes how on-going, reflective, qualitative data were collected using a popular, community-based online tool – blogs. The research project that utilized this approach aimed to trace how a group of international students in the United Kingdom responded to their new environment over six months. This article attempts to provide a new understanding on the use of blogs as a tool for data collection.
Text
__soton.ac.uk_ude_personalfiles_users_kb4_mydocuments_Michelle H_Harricharan and bhopal final.doc
- Accepted Manuscript
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e-pub ahead of print date: 5 February 2014
Published date: 2014
Keywords:
qualitative research, online research methods, ORMs, research blogs, social research
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 355657
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/355657
ISSN: 1743-727X
PURE UUID: 5a4709a3-3807-45ce-8f58-1675414987be
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Date deposited: 03 Sep 2013 12:54
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:36
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Author:
Michelle Harricharan
Author:
Kalwant Bhopal
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