Disputation Mikhail Fominykh - Department of Computer and ...

Research Context and Design
In such a way, four empirical studies were conducted. The studies were augmented
with developing and testing prototypes and shaping theoretical frameworks. The
details are presented in Figure 1.
Planning
Proposal
Prototype
Observation/
empirical
study
Development
Data
Requirements
Data analysis/
theoretical
study
Framework
Analysed data
Figure 1: General research approach
Research methods applied in this thesis are both theoretically and empirically
based. Both primary and secondary research strategies were used. Primary data
were collected in all empirical studies that were conducted. They were analysed
using qualitative methods, including discourse analysis, content analysis, and, to
some degree, constant comparison. The use of quantitative methods was
complicated due to the nature of the data and the constraints of the research
context. At the same time, the initial propositions and theoretical studies were
based on secondary data or on a mix of primary and secondary data.
The primary data were collected from the following sources of evidence: direct
observation of students’ activities online, virtual artefacts, such as chat log and 3D
constructions, and users’ feedback in the form of pre- and post-questionnaires and
individual and group essays or blogs.
27