THE TRANSITION OF SECONDARY LEARNING

The Transition of Secondary Learning Disabled Students and Post Secondary Life Opportunities

Chapter 3

Methodology

Introduction and Overview

Research methodology refers to the research process? the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. This methodology is defined by Leedy (p.120) cited by Remenyi et al? 1998? (p. 28) as 'an operational framework within which the facts are placed so that their meaning may be seen more clearly'.

Some methods provide data? which are quantitative and some that are qualitative. Quantitative methods are those? which focus on numbers and frequencies rather than on meaning and experience. Quantitative methods (e.g. experiments? questionnaires and psychometric tests) provide information? which is easy to analyse statistically and fairly reliable. Quantitative methods are associated with the scientific and experimental approach and are criticised for not providing an in depth description.Qualitative methods are ways of collecting data? which are concerned with describing meaning? rather than with drawing statistical inferences. What qualitative methods (e.g. case studies and interviews) lose on reliability they gain in terms of validity. They provide a more in depth and rich description.Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the efficacy of individualized education plans (IEPs). Both qualitative and quantitative are said to be systematic. Qualitative research is thought to be objective whereas quantitative research often involves a subjective element. It is thought that in gaining? analysing and interpreting quantitative data? the researcher can remain detached and objective. Often this is not possible with qualitative research where the researcher may actually be involved in the situation of the research (Jankowicz? p.16).

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of individualized education plans (IEPs) by determining whether students who are diagnosed with learning disabilities during their secondary educational careers experience difficulties during their transition to advanced education or subsequent professional employment upon graduation. Specifically, the research question that guides the study asks, “What personal, demographic, and environmental variables related to the IEP facilitate or hinder learning disabled students; successful transitions from secondary school to further education or employment?” The researcher has hypothesized that race, socioeconomic status, and the degree to which the students' schools possess a formal mechanism for evaluation the IEP and the learning disabled students; progress will all influence the successful transition from secondary school to further education or employment. In this chapter, the researcher presents the methodology and research design that have been deemed appropriate for conducting an investigation that will permit either the confirmation or the denial of this hypothesis.

Research Design

In the past, researchers were constrained either to a quantitative or qualitative research design and methodology in order to execute their studies. A quantitative model, as defined by Creswell (2005), is the systematic study of phenomena and cause-effect relationships using experimental and quasi-experimental designs that produce empirically verified results using a replicable research model. Quantitative research has long been considered the gold standard for research, particularly in the natural sciences, because quantitative research designs and outcomes are typically viewed as ...