Data Analysis: Following Grounded theory

This is our Data Analysis procedure

Supported by Strauss and Corbin (1997), the main idea of Grounded theory is to read and re-read the database, discover and label variables called categories and their interrelationships. This step of grounded theory is called “coding”. According to Auerbach, C. F. & Silverstein L. B. (2003) coding is a process for organizing the text of collected data and discovering patterns. The central proposal of coding is to move from raw text to research concerns in small steps, each step building on the previous one. Those small steps are:

Raw text

Relevant text

Repeating ideas

Themes

Theoretical constructs

Theoretical narrative

Research concerns

Through this work, we showed that grounded theory and its small steps helped us to discover and identify the categories in the collected data.

The categories were:

Positive motivation towards second language

Positive motivation towards the use of technology

Parents’ involvement

English vocabulary acquisition. 

So, to analyze the collected data we follwed Grounded theory steps

1. Raw text: We collected the information and every participant researcher read it carefully; then, every one found the raw texts in the different data instruments.

2. Relevant text: When raw texts were found, each one selected the relevant text capturing the ones that met the effects on 4-5 years old students developing the created modules using the blended learning environment.

3. Repeating ideas: When every researcher identified the relevant text, they chose and remarked the sentences which express the same idea. For instance, the ones that meet effects of motivation, parental involvement, and language improvement.

4.Themes: After classifying the repeating ideas, the researchers named the possible themes for each group taking into account the commonalities. When we finished that part, we met to reflect on the previous steps. We found common themes and chose the most relevant based on our study.

5. Theoretical constructs: Auerbach, C. F. & Silverstein L. B. (2003), “themes are implicit topics that organize a group of repeating ideas”. So, we organized the repeating ideas into themes arranging them into more abstract ideas named the theoretical constructs. These theoretical constructs expressed the effects of thematic modules in a moodle platform in 4-5 years old. So we found that we had more information about motivation towards technology and the second language as well as the role of parental involvement in the development of the six modules. We discovered that motivation plays an important role in the learning process and the importance of parental involvement in early years. And this motivation takes the students to have better results in terms of vocabulary acquisition.

6.Theoretical Narrative- Research concern: Finally, based on the definition of theoretical narrative, we wrote the report of this study including the researchers’ concerns and the participants’ experiences. To do this, we took from the data resources the relevant quotations, not only the ones that clearer met the effects of the creation of the six modules, but also the ones that provide and give validity for the new theory we found doing this study. The chosen quotation evidence effects such as: motivation towards English; motivation towards the use of technology; the acquisition of English vocabulary; and the parental involvement helping and guiding the child during the developing of created modules using the blended learning environment.

Triangulation

 

In order to confirm the patterns and categories, we implemented a methodological triangulation; basically we compared and contrasted the information and reflections about it in the first instrument, which were teachers' journal, with the other two, the tests and the surveys. Each initial and recurrent theme was verified in the three instruments. We also validated our finding by making contrast comparisons to theory or research related to our topic.

References

Auerbach, C. F. & Silverstein L. B. (2003). Qualitative data: an introduction to coding and analysis. New York, NY, USA: NYU Press.

Burns, A. (1999). Collaborative action research for English language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gonzales, M & Funkhouser, J (1997). Family involvement in children Education. U.S. Department of Education.

Norris, J. (2001). Motivation as a Contributing Factor in Second Language Acquisition. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 6, June 2001retrieved on March 20/2010 from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Norris-Motivation.html

Selinger, H.W & Shohamy, E. (2004). Second language research methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.