Qualitative Research Basics: A Guide for Engineering Educators

arbiters/mediators of social/cultural knowledge?” Those being observed also bring
differing perspectives, based on gender, ethnicity, class, or positions of power. Thus,
observation, particularly in the area of ethnography, is coming to be seen as a
collaboration between the observer and the observed. The result is a dialogue between the
two that results in a shared understanding of the setting. Ultimately, Angrosino suggests
that, “It might be useful to shift from a concentration on observation as a ‘method’ per se
to a perspective that emphasizes observation as a context for interaction among those
involved in the research collaboration” (p. 732).
Documents and Materials
In many ways use of documents and other materials is the “forgotten” data source for
social sciences research. Yet many scholars find that the paper trails, as well as the
artifacts produced by people, are highly informative to their studies. While documents
consist of a variety of print (hard copy or digital) sources, other materials that may be
examined include photographs, visual art, music, instruments, clothing, or other products
that can help to tell the story.
Documents
McCulloch (2004) traces the history of document analysis, noting that the use of
documents reached its height in the mid-20 th century, but has been in decline in favor of
interviews and observations since then. Nevertheless, there are instances of documents
and materials being used in engineering education research: for example, Wankat's
(2005) use of Web-based information on design contest winners and Jarosz and Busch-
Vishniac's (2006) examination of syllabi to identify the current body of knowledge in
mechanical engineering.
Documents can be used in many ways. Punch (1998) provides four ways in which
documents can be examined:
• Social production: What are the social, historical, or cultural conditions that led to
the production of the document?
• Social organization: What information is intended to be conveyed by the
document? How was it intended to be used?
• Meaning: What is the direct, surface meaning being conveyed by the document?
What are the deeper meanings on which the surface meanings rely?
• Alternate epistemological perspectives: Use of critical or postmodern perspectives
to examine documents in other ways.
Thus, documents can be used in many different ways. They can provide historical
information that tells about how certain issues were perceived or dealt with in the past.
As in the examples cited above, they can also provide a means for understanding current
issues by collating information across several institutions. An alternate approach is
through semiotics and textual analysis, in which the focus is not only the content of the
document, but also the language used and the organization of the document (Punch,
1998). These approaches can be used to examine the underlying structures from which
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