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Chapter 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
Research methodology is a method, means or approach to be used in order to achieve the
objectives of the research. A research method is also said to be a technique for collecting
information or data (Buchanan & Huczynski, 1997). This chapter discuss about the
methodology used for the research design, research procedures and the process of data
analysis.
This chapter provides an outline of the research approach and methodology. At the
beginning, qualitative research has been chosen as the approach for this research as
opposed to a traditional quantitative research approach will be sketched. At the same
time, the specific characteristics of a qualitative research design as well as the reliability
and validity will be discussed. It will be followed by the justification for choosing the
qualitative research approach in this research.
3.2 Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research
Quantitative research presents the data in a numerical form, while qualitative research
uses unreconstructed logic to get at what is really real – the quality, meaning, context, or
image of reality in what people actually do, not what they say they do. In qualitative
research, data can come in the form of words, images, impression, gestures, or tomes
which represent real events or reality as it is seen symbolically or sociologically.
Qualitative researchers are interested in understanding “the meaning of naturally
occurring complex events, actions and interaction in context from the point of view of the
participants involved” (Moon et-al., 1990). It is more suitable when the situation in which
people are involved and different kinds of processes, such as educational one (Hazzan et-
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al, 2006). By using qualitative research, it is enable to address many angles of peoplecentred
situations.
At the other hand, quantitative research emphasizes on reality that can be discovered
through the use of empirical and scientific methods that quantitative in nature (Durrheim,
1999b). Psychological research is only valid if it adheres to the rules of precise
measurement that involves manipulation of variables using an experimental design, and
the articulate of specific hypotheses (Rogers, 2000).
According to Bogdan and Taylor (Guba, 1978), quantitative research “seeks facts or
causes of social phenomena with little regards for the subjective states of individuals”.
However, this is opposed with the nature of the study in this research.
3.3 The importance of qualitative research approach in this study
The significant for this research is to pave a learning framework in history learning
among the youth in Malaysia. The new trend which proposed by the researcher is
learning history by authoring a RPG. The nature for the research is to seek for an
alternative way for learners to construct the historical facts by their own understanding.
Obviously, quantitative research did not fit with the epistemology for this research. This
is because quantitative data analysis could indeed confirm or reject specific hypotheses
that are formulated at the onset of the research, but it couldn‟t describe and analyze
mental processes that take place in the research (Hazzan et-al, 2006).
Qualitative methods can be used to get better understanding in any phenomenon about
which little is yet known (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). They can be used to gain a new
perspective on things about which much is already known, or to gain more in-depth
information that may be difficult to convey quantitatively (Marie C. Hoepfl, 1997).
Learning history through computer game development not yet been applied in Malaysia.
The beneficial of this approach is yet to discover. By offering the foundation, the
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esearcher hopes it can be an effective way to promote history learning among youth in
Malaysia.
In this research, learners will create RPG to learn about history. Few successful computer
education researches were conducted by applying quality research method. For instance,
an educational software development (Holland & Reeves, 1996) developed by a group of
students applied activity theory (Engestrom, 1987). Another research was conducted to
study students‟ action in distributed teams in computing course (Chew, 2004) also
deployed activity theory. These researches show that qualitative method is appropriate to
be applied in this study.
3.4 Qualitative research design in this study
The main characteristic of qualitative research is not aiming at accepting or rejecting an
a-priori defined hypothesis or research works. The use of qualitative approach is aim at
constructing a theoretical framework that emerges from the analysis of data gathered
during the research and enables to explain the research results in a coherent manner
(Hazzan et-al, 2006). In this research, the researcher proposed a new framework for
history learning among youth in Malaysia. It is more on the learning experiences of the
participants during workshop. A qualitative research setting fits in this context.
3.4.1 Sampling strategies
Qualitative research uses a naturalistic approach that seeks to understand phenomena in
context-specific setting, such as “real world setting where the researcher does not attempt
to manipulate the phenomenon of interest” (Patton, 2002). Thus, qualitative researchers
usually deliberately select small samples that fit the research aim (Moon et al., 1990).
This is because it concerns with in-depth analysis and detail.
The sampling technique that being applied in this study was purposeful sampling (Patton,
1990). It is the dominant strategy in qualitative research. Purposeful sampling seeks
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information-rich cases which can be studied in depth. The sampling in this study was
selected based on the different background of participants towards RPG and history
learning. This is to gain deeper understanding on participant‟s experience with different
kind of background.
3.4.2 Participants and the role of researcher
There are three things that must be followed by the researcher before conducting a
qualitative study (Lincoln & Guba, 1985):
1. The researcher must adopt the stance suggested by the characteristics of the
naturalist paradigm.
2. Second, the researcher must develop the level of skill appropriate for a human
instrument, or the vehicle through which data will be collected and interpreted.
3. Lastly, the researcher must prepare a research design that utilizes accepted
strategies for naturalistic inquiry.
In qualitative research, the researcher aims to reveal how the individual creates, modifies
and interprets the world in which he or she find himself (Cohen & Manion, 1998). further
At the same time, the researcher‟s experience becomes a part of the research outcome,
since particular researcher brings his individual experience into the research situation
(Berglund, 2006).
3.4.3 Data collection techniques
There are varieties of data collecting methods used in qualitative research. There are
seven primary ways to collect qualitative data (Berg, 2001), such as interviewing, focus
groups, ethnography, sociometry, observation, historiography, and case studies.
The most widely used data gathering techniques in qualitative research are interview and
observation (Hazzan, 2006). These can be stored in videotapes or audio forms. The
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observations provide an opportunity to documents the actions, behaviour, reactions and
additional environmental characteristics in students‟ natural environment.
3.4.4 Data analysis
Qualitative data analysis is defined as “working with data, organizing it, breaking it into
manageable units, synthesizing it, searching for patterns, discovering what is important
and what is to be learned, and deciding what you will tell others” (Bogdan & Biklen,
1982). As the raw data are broken down into manageable units, the researcher is
responsible to identifying these data units according to their speaker and the context
(Marie C. hoepfl, 1997). The researcher has to interpret the data from the perspective of
the participants in the investigated situation, this approach tends to be time and labour
consuming.
3.4.5 Reliability and validity
The term “reliability and validity” is being practiced for testing or evaluating quantitative
research. However, this idea is most often used in all kinds of research. If the idea of
testing as a way of information elicitation then the most important tests of any qualitative
study is its quality (Gllafshani, 2003).
The term reliability is the dependability of a measurement instrument, that is, the extent
to which the instrument yields the same results on repeated trials (Durrheim, 1999a). He
furthers described the validity as the degree to which the researcher can produce
observations that are believable for her or himself, the subjects being studied and the
eventual reader of the study.
The criteria in the qualitative paradigm to ensure “trustworthiness” are credibility,
fittingness, auditability, and confirmability (Guba & Lincoln, 1981). These criteria were
quickly refined to credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln
& Guba, 1985). Reliability refers to the trustworthiness of observation or data, while
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validity refers to the trustworthiness of interpretation or conclusion (Stiles, 1993). In
order to ensure the reliability in qualitative research, examination of trustworthiness is
crucial. Seale (1999) states that the “trustworthiness of a research report lies at the heart
of issues conventionally discussed as validity and reliability”.
On the other hand, qualitative researcher should consider the importance of verification
strategies in the process of inquiry so that reliability and validity are actively attained.
These strategies include investigator responsiveness, methodological coherence,
theoretical sampling and sampling adequacy, and active analytic stance and saturation.
When the strategies are used appropriately, these will force the researcher to correct both
the direction of the analysis and the development of the study as necessary, thus ensuring
reliability and validity of the completed project (Morse et-al, 2002).
3.4.6 Reliability to this study
To ensure the reliability of this research, the following actions were taken:
The research approach and epistemology were disclosed.
The social and cultural context of the participants, and the research setting were
explained.
The interpretations were grounded by linking them to excerpt from the interview
text.
The researcher questioning in “what” instead of “why” in an effort to ground
experiences in a context and to elicit a rich description of the participants.
3.4.7 Validity to this study
To ensure the validity of this research, the following actions were taken (Morse et-al,
2002):
The researcher clearly defined the aim of this study.
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The researcher moved back between design and implementation to ensure
congruence among question formulation, literature, recruitment, data collection
strategies, and analysis.
The researcher did not attempt to generalise the findings of the research to
different subject matters, setting.
The coherence or quality of the interpretation was ensured in consultation with the
researcher‟s supervisor.
3.5 Sampling and selection
There are various types of sampling that a researcher could use to select the participants
in this study. For this study they were selected using purposive sampling. They are youth
between 21-23 years old. In this age group, they should have experiences in formal
history learning at school. Basic knowledge in computing is crucial in order for
participants in authoring the computer game. Besides, the participants also have some
experiences in playing RPG. By using purposive sampling, the researcher hoped that
participants could provide rich description on the difference between their history
learning experience by using game authoring and the current system that being applied in
learning history.
3.6 Data Collection in this research
i) Observation
One of the classic forms of data collection in qualitative research is observation of
participants in the context. In this condition, the researcher become as a participant in the
context of being observed. In this study, the researcher observed the participants while
they are creating the game. Furthermore, the problems faced by the participants also
being observed. This method is mainly applied during in the computer lab, while the
participants are authoring their RPG. By observing the participants, it could lead to
deeper understanding than interview alone, because it provides knowledge of the context
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in which event occurs, and may enable the researcher to see things that participants
themselves are not aware of, or that they are unwilling to discuss (Patton, 1990).
During observation, researcher only had limited interaction with the participants,
intervening only when further clarification of actions is needed. On this way, the
researcher was able to observe participants as they engage in activities that would
probably occur in the same way if the researcher were not present (Mack, 2004). The
observation data consists of field notes recorded in field notebooks. Furthermore, the
game authoring workshop is being videotaped. Recording have the advantage of
capturing data more faithfully than hurriedly written note might, and can make it easier
for the researcher to focus on the observation (Marie, 1997).
ii) Focus Group
Focus group research is being applied during the pre and post meeting among the
researcher and participants. Focus group is a way of collecting qualitative data, whichessentially
– involves engaging a small number of people in an informal group
discussion, „focused‟ around a particular topic or set of issues (Wilkinson, 2005). In this
study, focus group consists of one researcher as moderator and five participants. At the
pre-meeting, participant‟s computer knowledge background is discussed. Knowledge and
interests about RPG among the participants are being addressed. While at post-meeting,
the researcher discuss the subject matter which being constructed during the gameauthoring
workshop. Besides, knowledge that being built and the obstacles being
encountered while the game-authoring workshop were elicited.
One reason for the contemporary popularity of focus groups is the flexibility of the
method (Wilkinson, 2005). In this study, focus group was taking place in a classroom.
The proceedings are being videotaped. By using this approach, the researcher has to act
as the moderator. The moderator leaded the discussion by asking participants to respond
to open-ended questions – that is, questions that require an in depth response rather than a
single phrase or simple “yes” or “no” answer (Mack et-al, 2005). Besides, the moderator
has to ensure the full participation among the participants. The moderator may need to
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encourage quiet participants, to discourage talkative ones, and to handle any
„interactionally difficult‟ occasions (Krueger & Casey, 2000).
This research is applying the theory of Constructionism. Thus, the engagement and
knowledge sharing among the participants is crucial. By sharing opinions and ideas, they
are able to synthesize new outcomes in the subject matter. Focus group allows
respondents to react to and build upon the responses of other group members, creating
„synergistic effect‟ (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990). This often leads to the production of
more elaborated accounts than are generated in individual interviews.
iii) In-depth Interview
In-depth interview is a technique designed to elicit a vivid picture of the participant‟s
perspective on the research topic. The researcher acted as the interviewer in this study. In
this study, in-depth interview was conducted after the participants decided on the history
topic that they wanted to explore. During the in-depth interview session, the participants
acted as the subject matter expect, and the interviewer acted as the listener and recorded
the information which provided by the participants.
The interview sessions were conducted in one-to-one basis. The interviewer prepared a
list of questions and answered by the participants. However, the interview sessions were
conducted more similarly to conversation rather than a formal questioning session. This
could let the participants more comfortable while answering the questions. Besides, the
questions were open-ended and focused on „what‟ and „how‟, rather than on why (Stiles,
1993), thus, eliciting personal perspective in history and enriching the participants‟
stories.
In this study, the participant‟s individual views of the history event and their experiences
toward RPGMaker are important. The researcher has the responsibility to elicit the
historical facts that have been synthesized in participant‟s mind. In-depth interviews are
useful for learning about the perspectives of individuals. It is an effective method for
getting people to talk about their personal feelings, opinions, and experiences (Mack et-
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al, 2005). In-depth interview provided a chance for interviewer to gain insight into how
the participants interpret and order the world. This can be accomplished by being
attentive to the casual explanations participants provide for what they have experienced
and believe during finding the history events, and actively probing them about the
connections and relationships they see between particular history events, phenomena, and
beliefs.
During the interviews, the interviewer reflects and clarified answers provided by the
participants. This is to verify the understanding of the participants‟ descriptions and also
to help the participants in elaborating their descriptions. The interviewer served as a role
to encourage participants to make them elaborate on their answers. However, the
interviewer should not express approval, disapproval, judgement, or bias on the answers;
keep track of the questions yet let the conversation develop naturally.
When the interview commenced, the data is videotaped, and the interviewer took notes.
Notes may document observations about the interview content, the participant, and the
context. The interviews is transcribed and videotaped for the purpose of data analysis.
3.7 Data Analysis in This Research
The resources of data came from observation, interview and the end products of the
participants. Data which has been collected must be analyzed to become useful
information. The analysis of this study is focused on the individual experiences of the
five participants who are selected to participate in this study. Each of these participants
developed a personal style of creation over the course of the study, which is evident in
each student‟s game.
Three primary methods were applied to analyze each participant‟s experiences during the
study. First, video and interview data was used to recreate what each participant did
during the game authoring sessions. The participant‟s experience was analyzed for each
session and for the game as a whole. In this analysis, the recreated experiences provide
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perception into how the participants‟ insights of history learning experience changed over
the game authoring workshop.
Second, the game story which was created by the participants need to be analyze by a
story analysis scheme. This is required to record the techniques used by participants to
portray characters and to describe the setting of the story. The purpose of this study is to
encourage the participants to stimulate the learners think about historical facts and the
relationship of the history context by creating a role-playing game. Different strategies
that have been applied by each student throughout the creation process have been
highlighted in this analysis.
Lastly, the interview data was used to describe each participant‟s progression with
respect to the underlying historical facts. Group-work behaviour is also used to highlight
how participants‟ conceptual understanding of the historical concepts during the
workshop. At the same time, participant‟s experiences on RPG Makers in this workshop
were elicited to find out the appropriateness of the tool to be used in supporting this
learning method.
3.8 Results
The study is focused on the experiences of five participants during the game-authoring
workshop. At the end, RPG from students, video recording, and interview materials have
been compiled into case studies for each participants. The individual case study would
provide better understanding on the different ways that the participants use the RPG
Maker in creating the game. Each of these students represents a particular style of
learning in RPG creation learning environment.
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3.9 Conclusion
This chapter described the research methodology used in this research. Qualitative
approach has been chosen in this research and the justifications were explained in this
chapter.
The data collection techniques applied in this study comprised of focus group,
observation, in-depth interview, each session will be video-taped for analysis purpose.
These data collection techniques were believed that could effectively elicit the
information from the participants.
The collected data is being analyzed which focused on the participant‟s individual
experiences while game authoring sessions.
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