Social Construction of Reality - Bad Request
Social Construction of Reality - Bad Request
Social Construction of Reality - Bad Request
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study; each signed an agreement <strong>of</strong> informed consent (Appendix C). Five data collection<br />
mechanisms were used: long interviews, document analysis, archival data analysis, short<br />
interviews, and an electronic survey. This chapter will report the results <strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> these<br />
research activities. This chapter is organized into several sections: introduction, first long<br />
interview, document content analysis, archival data content analysis, short interviews,<br />
electronic surveys, second long interview, original research questions, and summary.<br />
First Long Interview<br />
The primary intended user <strong>of</strong> the evaluation findings was identified as the<br />
superintendent <strong>of</strong> The School District. Therefore, research began with the first step in the<br />
data collection sequence-- a forty-five minute interview that took place in her <strong>of</strong>fice. The<br />
interview was tape-recorded to “ensure everything said [was] preserved for analysis”<br />
(Merriam, 1998, p. 87). A research assistant not affiliated with The School District then<br />
transcribed the tape verbatim the same day. The transcript was returned immediately<br />
upon completion to the interviewee who confirmed its accuracy via member-check as<br />
recommended by Merriam. The rapid turnaround ensured that the interviewee would<br />
have the experience fresh in her memory when she reviewed the transcript. In addition to<br />
the tape recording, notes were taken during the interview to record researcher thoughts<br />
and reactions.<br />
The first long interview was driven by two questions: (a) What is your vision for<br />
program evaluation in your school district? (b) What are the anticipated outcomes from<br />
evaluation in your mind? The superintendent confirmed the fact that she was the primary<br />
intended user <strong>of</strong> this study <strong>of</strong> the evaluation model. She identified the members <strong>of</strong> her<br />
cabinet as the major stakeholders. She stated that she believed this Utilization-Focused<br />
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