Methodology framework for research investigation

¶ … instrumental case study approach in order to provide a description, analysis and interpretation of the phenomenon that exists at the intersection of technology and special needs students. The method will consist of evaluation research, which will be conducted to evaluate the effect of technology on special needs students. Evaluation Research is a form of study that employs social research methodology in order to establish an evaluation of a social program (Powell, 2006). Evaluation research for example is used when a researcher is trying to examine and judge the merits of (evaluate) a specific social program. The researcher will use standard social research methods as a methodology for evaluating the merits of the program. For this study qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered from the students to establish the relationship between special needs students and technology in the classroom. Both students and teachers will take surveys that will utilize convenience sample, given the nature of the sample size.

The best way to gather data from the teachers will be to survey them before and after the study. Learner views will also be accessed by way of survey and questionnaire during the focus group. The questionnaire will be correlated with individual results and the survey will be analyzed according to Likert scale and will provide quantitative data to support findings. The Likert scale is useful for "measuring people's attitudes, beliefs, emotions, feelings, perceptions, personality characteristics, and other psychological constructs" (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, Liao, 2004).

As Clason and Dormody (1994) note, "Likert scaling presumes the existence of an underlying (or latent or natural) continuous variable whose value characterizes the respondents' attitudes and opinions. If it were possible to measure the latent variable directly, the measurement scale would be, at best, an interval scale," (p. 34). Each set of questions, therefore, can be investigated and processed in their own individual ways but also can be merged together to find even bigger and more pronounced casual relationships that add depth to the larger phenomenon.

As this method will allow the researcher to examine this specific case, the instrumental case study approach is also helpful in isolating a specific area of concern and utilizing a single case "to illustrate this issue" (Cresswell, 2012, p. 74). Likewise, Baxter and Jack (2008) report that the instrumental case study allows the researcher to gain insight on an issue (p. 549). Thus, the research design is based on phenomenological analysis, which gains insight by observing the interactions of the particular persons affected by the intersecting issues. The design includes in-depth interviews with participants (teachers and students) and immersion by the researcher into the world of the special needs classroom and the impact of technology on it so as to better understand this situation.

Sampling Procedures

The sampling procedure that will be used in this study will be convenience sampling. This will allow the researcher to utilize the resources that are available to him at the school where the phenomenon is occuring. Thus, this study will be most important to the individual school as it will reflect on the relationship between the teachers and special needs students utilizing technology. Therefore, the sampling will be convenience, using the teachers and students at this particular school, so long as there are no objections on their part.

Data Collection Methods

For this qualitative study the data will be collected by way of an interview with a teacher as well as by classroom observation. The social connection will help to establish intimacy and rapport, which is essential in a phenomenological study. Both open-ended and close-ended questions will be utilized.

Closed-ended questions are helpful for gathering precise, basic information, while open-ended questions are helpful for gathering information that allows the researcher to develop a more in-depth understanding of the participant. Open-ended questions include, for instance:

1) How would you describe your experience with technology in the classroom?

2) What are you feelings on the use of tech in the classroom?

3) Should students have more access to tech?

4) What could be done to better prepare the students for a technological 21st century?

The in-depth interview is the main focus of the phenomenological study. These interviews will be conducted in person when possible (time and traveling costs permitting). If face-to-face interviews are not possible, the researcher will suggest conducting interviews using a vis-a-vis Internet platform, such as Skype or Facetime. The purpose of visual connection is so that the researcher can record or note communicative cues that might otherwise go unobserved were the interview to be conducted over the telephone.

Data analysis methods

As the "basic purpose of phenomenology is to reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon to a description of the universal essence" (Creswell, 2007, p. 58), the methodology described herein should provide the researcher with the necessary approach for immersion into the world of the special needs student.

The data collection instruments will be the interview questions and the observation method in the classroom. Data analysis will be used to find common themes and patterns using standard phenomenological coding, as identified by Lin (2013).