Volume 07 Issue 03 March 2024
1Aqeel Mery Mohammed, 2Hayder S. Alkhafaji
1,2Assistant Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Education for Girls, Kufa University
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i03-23Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
This paper investigated the perspectives of Iraqi TEFL postgraduate candidates specializing in teaching English as a foreign language, as well as the professors who were enrolled in and instructed in a course on research methodology (including quantitative, and qualitative approaches) concerning different types of research methodologies. Moreover, the researcher aimed to investigate the participants' perspectives towards a qualitative or quantitative research approach for conducting their thesis. In this study, 10 TEFL postgraduate candidates and 10 teaching staff from University of Babil/ Faculty of Basic Education were chosen by convenience and purposive sampling. Researcher created a semi-structured interview for them. According to Strauss and Corbin's (1996) grounded theory approach to qualitative content analysis, both groups of participants exhibited positive views regarding MMR. Participants preferred qualitative approaches over quantitative approaches for their thesis. Qualitative research and MMR can be as effective as quantitative research, depending on the study's objective and subject being researched.
KEYWORDS:Quantitative Method, Qualitative Method, TEFL Postgraduate Candidates
REFERENCES1) Ahmed, S. P., & Ahmed, M. T. Z. (2014). Qualitative research: A decisive element to epistemological & ontological discourse. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 8(2), 298-313.
2) Atai, M. R., Karimi, M. N., & Asadnia, F. (2018). Conceptions of research publication among Iranian doctoral students of applied linguistics: Cherish the wish to publish or rush to perish. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics (IJAL), 21(1), 29-65.
3) Atai, M. R., & Mazlum, F. (2013). English language teaching curriculum in Iran: Planning and practice. The Curriculum Journal, 24(3), 389-411.
4) Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544-559. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573
5) Belcher, D., & Hirvela, A. (2005). Writing the qualitative dissertation: What motivates and sustains commitment to a fuzzy genre? Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(3), 187–205.
6) Black, I. (2006). The presentation of interpretivist research. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 9(4), 319-324.
7) Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2003). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods. Pearson Education Group.
8) Chenail, R. J., & St. George, S. (2009). Facilitating coherence across qualitative research papers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 32-44. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160- 3715/2009.2825
9) Connolly, P. (1998). ‘Dancing to the wrong tune': Ethnography, generalisation and research on racism in schools. In P. Connolly & B. Troyna (Eds.), Researching racism in education: Politics, theory and practice (pp. 122-139). Open University.
10) Cooper, R., Chenail, R. J., & Fleming, S. (2012). A grounded theory of inductive qualitative research education: Results of a meta-data-analysis. The Qualitative Report, 17(52), 1- 26. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1695
11) Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. SAGE.
12) Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. SAGE.
13) Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (3rd ed.). SAGE.
14) Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. SAGE.
15) Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies. Oxford University Press.
16) Elliot, R., Fischer, C. T., & Rennie, D. L. (1999). Evolving guidelines for publication of qualitative research studies in psychology and related fields. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38(3), 215-229.
17) Goussinsky, R., Reshef, A., Yanay-Ventura, G., & Yassour-Borochowitz, D. (2011). Teaching qualitative research for human services students: A three-phase model. The Qualitative Report, 16(1), 126–146.
18) Hafez, F., & Soodmand Afshar, H. (2023). Research approach preferences of Iranian Ph.D. candidates and faculty members of TEFL: The roles of instructors and curricula. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics (RALS), 14(1), 187–204.
19) Halcomb, E. J. (2019). Mixed methods research: The issues beyond combining methods. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(3), 499-501.
20) Iqbal, H. M. (2010). Prospective teachers’ attitude towards research. Unpublished Master’s thesis, institute of education and research, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
21) Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2018). Meta-research: Why research on research matters. PLoS Biology journal, 16(3), 1-6.
22) Johnson, B. T., Martinez-Berman, L., & Curley, CH. M. (2022). Formation of attitude: How People (Wittingly or Unwittingly) Develop Their Viewpoints. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.812
23) Johnson, K. E., & Golombek, P. R. (Eds.). (2002). Teachers’ narrative inquiry as professional development. Cambridge University Press.
24) Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2017). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of mixed methods research, 1(2), 112- 133.
25) Lei, L., & Liu, D. (2019). Research trends in applied linguistics from 2005 to 2016: A bibliometric analysis and its implications. Applied Linguistics, 40(3), 540-561.
26) Mackey, A., & Gass, S. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. LEA Publication.
27) Nazem, Y., & Tabatabaei, O. (2013). English language teachers’ conceptions of research. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(3), 521-532.
28) Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Collins, K. M. (2007). A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. Qualitative Report, 12(2), 281- 316.
29) Papanastasiou, E. C. (2005). Factor structure of the attitudes towards research scale. Statistics Education Research Journal, 3(5), 33.
30) Plonsky, L., & Gass, S. (2011). Quantitative research methods, study quality, and outcomes: The case of interaction research. Language Learning, 61, 325–366.
31) Rahimi, M., Yousofi, N., & Moradkhani, S. (2019). How is research conceived and practiced in higher education? Assumptions of Masters/doctoral students and instructors. Research Papers in Education, 34, 1–26. [In Persian]
32) Riazi, M., Shi, L., & Haggerty, J. (2018). Analysis of the empirical research in the Journal of second language writing in its 25th year (1992–2016). Journal of Second Language Writing, 41, 41-54.
33) Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002). Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. Longman publication.
34) Ring, N. A., Ritchie, K., Mandava, L., & Jepson, R. (2011). A guide to synthesizing qualitative research for researchers undertaking health technology assessments and systematic reviews. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS).
35) Saleem, K., Saeed, M., & Waheed, S. A. (2014). Relationship between cultural variations and students’ research preferences: A gender-based comparison. Journal of Education, 43, 47–59.
36) Soodmand Afshar, H., & Hafez, F. (2021). A mixed-methods investigation of TEFL graduate students’ perspectives of qualitative research: Challenges and solutions in the spotlight. The Qualitative Report, 26(5), 1444–1475.
37) Soodmand Afshar, H., & Ranjbar, N. (2023). Mixed Methods research in applied linguistics: The status quo of the current issues and Practices. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 11(1), 49-74.
38) Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (Eds.). (1996). Grounded theory in practice. SAGE. Taherdoost, H. (2022). What are different research approaches? Comprehensive review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research, their applications, types, and limitations. Journal of Management Science & Engineering Research, 5(1), 53-63.
39) Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (Eds.) (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research. Sage.
40) Timans, R., Wouters, P., & Heilbron, J. (2019). Mixed methods research: What it is and what it could be. Theory and Society, 48, 193–216.
41) Warren, C. A. B., & Karner, T. X. (2005). Discovering qualitative methods: Field research, interviews, and analysis (2nd edition). Oxford University Press.
42) Wolf, L. J., Haddock, G., & Maio, G. R. (2020). Attitudes. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology.
43) Zhang, X. (2020). A bibliometric analysis of second language acquisition between 1997 and 2018. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 42(1), 199– 222.
44) Zokaei, M. S. (2008). The challenges of qualitative research in Iranian social sciences. Research Journal, 73(1), 12-25.