Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature.
Research is an aspect of library science which is not often discussed, but which is essential to so many aspects of library science. It helps LIS professionals on to determine what patron needs are through qualitative and quantitative analysis of data collected during the research process and guides the synthesis of new research of topics of interest to LIS study (a good hypothetical example would be a research study of how libraries incorporate anime/manga into their collections, who reads/watch anime/manga, their socio-economic characteristics, and what form programming and events for this medium takes on at libraries). To understand what research exists in a given field of study, a literature review might be conducted, which looks at prior and current scholarship and collects as part of (or wholly constituting) a research project. However, for the synthesis of new research, the collection and analysis or raw data, as opposed to research, is imperative. There are two different types of research methods which are employed in collecting and analyzing data. The first is quantitative, which, as Long (2014) describes, is a research design method in which the researcher “tend[s] to know in advance what they are investigating and are seeking to prove or disprove whether a problem exists or if a causal or correlational relationship exists between phenomena.” As a result, quantitative methods are more likely to use numbers rather than anecdote and observational descriptions to arrive at a conclusion (pp. 207-208). Data analysis using quantitative research methods is likely to use methods such as T-test, chi square, and ANOVA to detect correlations in the data collected in surveys. Surveys are an important data collection instrument for quantitative methods. Qualitative methods, in contrast, emphasize very human experiences, such as observations and focus groups, in which subjective opinions are collected and incorporated into research (Long, 2014, p. 212). Narrative research, or the collecting of stories told by individuals to a researcher, is also an important part of qualitative research. However, ethical dilemmas are raised by including human subjects (or their narratives) in a research project (although most research conducted by librarians revolves around narrative research alone, and does not endanger the health or safety of research subjects). Prior to conducting narrative research, the researcher should be conduct their research in a way that does not reveal personally-identifiable information (e.g., the use of pseudonyms or by picking participants in a random way) and personally-identifiable information should be “omitted from subsequent publications and presentations” (Jones, 2013, p. 39). Data analysis in qualitative research should revolve around finding patterns and commonalities in the noise of “narratives and stories generated in research” (Jones, 2013, p. 41). For my first piece of evidence, I am submitting a research project with survey I completed for INFO 285. The subject of the paper is evaluating the awareness of grandparents raising grandchildren regarding social services in the Boise, Idaho area. The piece contains a literature review, a detailed discussion of the research problem, a description of the data analysis methods, a schedule for the completion of the research project, and an attached survey instrument. The second piece of evidence I am incorporating is an assignment I completed for INFO 285, in which I had to explain certain ideas of quantitative research, as well as identify data analysis concepts. For my third piece of evidence, I am submitting a group project for INFO 285 where I designed a survey research instrument in concert with other group members, which contains a cover letter, and a reflective analysis of the efforts and methods used to complete each question in the survey. For my part in the group project, I began the initial discussion, wrote the cover letter, and designed two questions out of the eight total for the survey instrument. I also contributed to the writing of the reflective statement at the end.
For my experience in this area, I have had to write literature reviews for several courses, including INFO 200 and INFO 285. I have completed training in ethical data collection from subjects for qualitative research through the CITI workshop (which I passed with a 100 percent score), and become acquainted with quantitative data analysis methods through survey questionnaire design assignments and exercises in data analysis methods. These exercises helped me to write a survey out as well as a cover letter to potential participants in the survey for a research proposal. I have created a research proposal which incorporates my training in quantitative research methods, the writing of a literature review, and a survey as the central data collection instrument of my research proposal.
References
Jones, S. A. (2013). Illustrating the Narrative Process through Career Stories. School Libraries Worldwide, 19(2), 37-53.
Long, D. (2014). Assessment and Evaluation Methods for Access Services. Journal Of Access Services, 11(3), 206-217. doi:10.1080/15367967.2014.914422