Qualitative Analysis, Article Writing Example

Purpose: How do Florida public school teachers perceive the FCAT testing regime?

Design: Utilizing a phenomenological method, a sampling of Florida public school teachers will be asked to discuss their thoughts and views about the FCAT. These discussions will be held in a conversational setting, allowing for interaction and sharing of ideas by participants. These discussions will be recorded for subsequent analysis.

Sample: Participants will be selected from teachers whose personal experiences with the FCAT are varied. As the FCAT is used to assign “letter grades” to schools and for assessments of teacher performance, it will be necessary to select participants from schools that have received both positive and negative grades, as well as teachers whose individual assessments have been positive and negative.

Analysis: Transcriptions of the teacher’s discussions will be analyzed for the purpose of identifying recurring themes, practical suggestions for improvement of the FCAT, arguments in favor of the current system, and other relevant information. Such analysis will be used to prepare a report describing how Florida public school teachers perceive the FCAT.