Justification for Quantitative or Qualitative Methodology

Justification for Quantitative or Qualitative Methodology
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Justification for Quantitative or Qualitative Methodology
Statement of the Potential Dissertation Topic
My dissertation topic is “When Compared with Neighboring Counties, Does Charles County Curriculum Align with Common Core State Standards?” This topic is crucial, especially in the current conversation about whether students are being prepared to handle life after school. The twenty-first-century economy has come up with extra demands of the kind of professionals it needs. The introduction of the CCSS was aimed at helping ensure that the education focuses more on the aspect of critical thinking and analysis and less on the rote memorization that has been the case in the past. Furthermore, as Haskins et al. (2012) indicate, it sought to bridge the gap in literacy skills between an average student and the international standards while also reducing the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged students. So, the alignment with the standards introduced by CCSS was believed to bring about lasting change that will prepare students for their future. The topic is quite timely and helps to understand further how Charles County has aligned its curriculum with the CCSS. Further, there is the question of whether the alignment has been effective or has led to any benefits for the students.
Why the Quantitative Methodology?
The quantitative methodology is apt for this dissertation because of its distinctive ability to make generalizations possible. According to Daniel (2016), the interaction or study made on a group can “be generalized.” He continues to indicate that “the study of problem-solving instruction in secondary school science education within one particular area or zone can be reflective of the wider society in terms of samples, contents, and patterns.” For this particular study that focuses on the alignment of Charles County curriculum with the CCSS, it will indeed be possible to generalize the results. So, the study and collection of data should not be done in all the schools in Charles County but on a handful of the schools. The results of the data collected should then be generalized to paint a clearer picture of whether the county’s curriculum aligns with CCSS.
The quantitative research method also emphasizes or focuses on figures and numbers. The quantitative methodology employs statistical tools and techniques to answer questions like how, what, when, how much, and where (Apuke, 2017). The computation of data saves on the amount of time that will be used to derive meaning or to find proper descriptions. As Daniel (2016) notes, the percentages, numbers, and data collected can be stored in a computer and passed through a statistical tool for computation. For this research, using the quantitative research methodology will help make the process of computation much easier as well as deriving meaning from the numbers.
Furthermore, with quantitative research methodology, it is quite easy to replicate. CCSS alignment has been a widely debated topic. Also, there have been questions over its effectiveness or the effectiveness of the curriculums currently being used in churning out or producing students with the capabilities to handle twenty-first-century economies. Therefore, such a study should have the capability of being replicated elsewhere.
Change in my Thinking of Methodology
Initially, a research methodology was simply a section in a research paper. I did not see anything special in the section. The body of research was complete when all the components of research are included. Therefore, its inclusion was mandatory, but it was simply a section of a whole to me. However, my thinking has changed to a point where I consider research methodologies the most important sections or parts of research studies. First of all, the research methodology is where the researcher develops a plan to solve the problem they have identified. It is where the solution is developed, and the data deemed crucial to the development of a solution is collected.
The second thing that has changed for me is the understanding that different research methods apply to different problems and scenarios. The aspects of validity and reliability must also be considered while deciding on which methods to consider. One can choose a research method and have the results indicate something different from what they wanted to measure. Therefore, there is a need to keenly consider the requirements of a study before settling on a particular research method.
Alignment with Research Question, Problem Statement, and Purpose Statement
The study at hand does not need inferences and conclusions drawn from data that has been collected through observational methods. Offering descriptions or devising ways to interpret the data collected will fail to capture the essence of the study at hand. Therefore, a quantitative research methodology serves the purpose and helps answer the question developed while also answering the identified problems. For example, measuring the performance outcomes of students and their level of preparedness for the future cannot be done through observation. There is a need to compute the data collected and determine whether the students stand through the curriculum alignment.
Data Analysis and its Address of Research Question and Identification of Potential Solutions
First of all, the data analysis will address the research questions by determining whether Charles County provides students with an education that prepares them to be respectable members of society. How easy or difficult is it for the students to adapt to the demands of a 21st-century economy? The data analysis wil...