Research Methodology and Design

This study uses a flexible research design with a questionnaire/interview methodology for collecting data, which is appropriate as this descriptive qualitative case study aims to identify key social issues perceived to cause issues of emotional interference among students in a public high school. With the purpose being to look more closely at the nature of the problematic relationship between social issues, emotional interference and student academic performance in the high school, the descriptive case study approach appears as most appropriate since it provides a suitable means of collecting data to analyze and identify themes and issues that can help to describe the nature of these relationships (Houghton, Murphy, Shaw & Casey, 2015). The research questions are all exploratory in nature, which means that a flexible, exploratory approach like the descriptive case study research design will help to see them answered. The research questions that this case study aims to answer are:

Q1. What emotional difficulties, if any, do students experience in transitioning to high school that hinders their ability and their academic success?

Q2.What emotional influences, if any, do high school administrators identify among high school students that contribute to students poor academic performance.

Q3. What factors do high school educators perceive, if any, to limit their ability to assist students with poor academic performance as the result of emotional issues?

Each question is based on identifying variables, rather than testing pre-defined variableswhich is why an experimental design is inappropriate for this study and why the descriptive design is best suited to the studys purposes. The descriptive case study approach supports fact-finding research and exploratory pursuits (Tetnowski, 2015). As De Massis and Kotler (2014) state, adescriptivecasestudyshould be adopted when the aim of the research is to convince someone of a phenomenons basic characteristics (p. 16). Moreover, interviews serve as appropriate data collection tools in such an approach as they allow the researcher to delve into the environment of the phenomenon and obtain information directly from sources immersed in that environment (Yazan, 2015). Their experiences help to inform the researchers audience about how a phenomenon is perceived and what possible themes that emerge in participants responses should be identified for further study and scrutiny.

Alternative approaches include correlational design, experimental design, review design, and meta-analytic designbut none of these design approaches work for the proposed study as each is oriented towards achieving a different type of aim. The correlational design is situated din more of an observational approach, which could be useful in a study like this but it would require a different methodology altogetheri.e., the researcher would have to embed himself within the public high school environment for a sufficient amount of time to observe first-hand how the phenomenon is displayed among students at the school. Because of time constraints, this approach is unsatisfactory. The experimental approach is likewise unsuited to this studys aims, as there is no hypothesis that is being tested: the aim of this study is to explore and identify the issues associated with the research questionsnot to test a pre-conceived theorem or variable in a controlled environment. The review approach is also not what is desired, as its aim is mainly to examine existing literature on the subject and summarize the views contained therein; this study aims to add new knowledge to the body of literature relevant to the issues and fill a specific gap. For the same reason, meta-analysis is not the right approach, as there is currently insufficient data available on this subject, which is why the descriptive design is most needed now.

The sample size for this study was guided by the concept of information power, which teaches that the more information the sample holds, relevant for the actual study, the lower amount of participants is needed (Malterud, Siersma & Guassora, 2016, p. 1753). Instead of seeking a sample that can supply a saturation effect, the sample obtained here is oriented towards producing information power:...…the careful application of introspection on the part of the researcher, as the text is read and re-read and the terms and ideas used by the respondent sifted like sand through a gold sieve.

Imaginative variation is a process that accompanies eidetic reduction in this analysis procedure, as it helps to uncover and unlock meaning that may required more expressive terms, which are supplied by the researcher. Lin (2013) describes imaginative variation as a procedure used to reveal possible meanings through utilizing imagination, varying the frames of reference, employing polarities and reversals, and approaching the phenomenon from divergent perspectives, different positions, roles, or functions (p. 472). The analysis of the participants in this study, and the comparison of their responses with one another, will allow polarities to be identified and it will also allow for various perspectives to emerge and provide depth and complexity to the overall picture of how counselors treat sexual addicts and how comfortable they feel with regards to their preparedness in doing so.

By focusing on the participant and using the unstructured interview approach to encourage the interviewee to elaborate on responses, the researcher can ensure that the most useful data will be obtained throughout the combined survey/interview processes. Bracketing out bias beforehand is the preferred method of removing researcher bias from the process. Bracketing is performed when the researcher states up front and honestly the expected outcomes or findings of the data analysis (Johnston, Wallis, Oprecu & Gray, 2017). With these expectations explicitly described and established, the researcher can focus with more energy on the participants themselves as they engage with the researcher. The semi-structured interviews will be allowed to unfold organically as the researchers discuss the participants experiences and allow them to divulge information without any formulaic prompting. When researchers address their own bias by identifying it (i.e., their expectations) and then by empowering their participants in the study to communicate as fully as they can so that the participants perceptions and perspectivesrather than…