Introduction The Research Problem The purpose of this paper is to offer one vision of developing a methodological theory of mixed methods research co-equal with that of quantitative and qualitative research. I use a case study of the US Army Command & General Staff College engaged in a redesign of its curriculum, its teaching practices […]
Tag: action research
Reflections on Validity in qualitative research
Was working on my final draft for my research proposal and had the following reflection about the issue of Validity in qualitative research. Since I am aiming for transformational changes in our strong military culture, and am using individual Voice (narratives, stories , interviews etc) as the basis for describing the current situation and […]
Reflections on Qualitative Research techniques: interviewing
Wow 1: Lofland and Lofland p.37. “…It is precisely the “spy quality” of covert research in closed settings that raises questions about it propriety in social science” It strikes me that even if you take care to protect individuals by withholding their names, your results may end up introducing harm if the organization you are […]
4 Reflections on Design
4 Reflections on “Design” that are guiding my inquiry, inspired by thought provoking article and commentary at the School for Advanced Military Studies, which is engaged in deep think on the entire military decision making model: 1. The challenge of codifying artful design. I am trying to integrate these 2 statements from the article; It […]
Cultural context in qualitative research: can it even be done?
A “critical friend” in the action research process is a trusted agent who gives deep insights from the outside into the nature, quality, and path of your introspection. They help keep you grounded, and offer triangulation points in the sense-making process as you grapple with your own questions and insights. They act as sounding […]
Blogs and democratization within hierarchical organizations
an update on “giving voice to important matters” after we briefed him on the power of blogging, our commandant, the senior military officer in charge of the college has embraced the idea and has started asking provocative questions about the future of the college’s curriculum and modes of instruction. Students and faculty are starting to […]
PAR Journal entry: initiating the “Force generation” project
this is the text of an info paper I wrote for our Deputy Commandant to send to the 3 and 4 star generals in charge of Army leader education and training. It describes the motivation for and purpose of our inquiry into “the education gap of force generation”, and lays out a methodology and strategy […]
College, teach thyself?
My commentary from a discussion thread at the CAC blogs on the topic of General Officers education and selection. I am interested in how we improve the capability of the college to support life long learningi nour student officers (and faculty). I argue that our college should be as flexible as the organizations we are […]
participatory action research and the “scoping” problem
Some advice for a friend grappling with the difficulty of finding and keeping a tight focus of the issues emerging from his group research into sex discrimination in the workplace. I wish i could foloow my own advice and stay focused Phil: here’s a thought experiment: what would happen if you treated your research inquiry […]
Action research, personal journal entry 20090124
The first time I prepared this for an entry on our doctoral discussion forum , I constructed it inside Moodle (our discussion environment; its horrible), attached the file, pushed the upload button only to lose it in hyperspace when my Internet connection crashed. It was important enough to me to rework the piece, however and […]