Research Method Research Participants

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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology of the research. It consists of six sections. The discussion in this chapter includes research method, research participants, research instruments, data gathering techniques, data analysis techniques, and research procedure.

A. Research Method

This was a qualitative study because the writer intended to gain a holistic picture and an in-depth understanding of human behavior, rather than a numeric analysis of data Ary et al., 2002:25. Therefore, the writer believed th at the use of qualitative approach was appropriate to this study since “human behavior is bound to the context, in which it occurs and social reality cannot be reduced to variables in the same manner as physical reality” Ary et al., 2002: 422. In addition, understanding and portraying the meaning, which was constructed by the participants involved in the setting of microte aching class, were the most important in this study Ary et al., 2002: 422. This study mainly would like to give an in -depth description of the prevailing method of assessment in microteaching class, weekly e-reflections that took place in microteaching students. Concerning on figuring out the objectives of the study, the writer applied content or document analysis as the appropriate method to describe prevailing practices Ary et al., 2002: 442. The materials analyzed were each participant’ s weekly e-reflections and their video recording s of their class teaching practice.

B. Research Participants

The participants of the study were three sixth -semester students of English Language and Education Study Program ELESP of Sanata Dharma Unive rsity. The study took place in the setting of microteaching class. The aim of this class was further to develop students’ teaching performance by applying certain teaching methodology or approach. There were sev en microteaching classes in the even semester of the academic year 20082009 and each class consisted of approximately 20-25 students. All of them had taken all the requirement subjects to join this class, such as Instructional Design, Approach, Method, and Techniques, Language Learning Assessment cl ass and other compulsory subjects. Thus, they had completed the provisions to enroll microteaching class. In selecting the participants of this study, the writer considered the nature of this study that did not aim to make generalization to a certain pheno menon the study was only to explain what exactly happened. Therefore, the participants selected in this study did not represent the wider population, but they simply represented themselves Cohen et al., 2003: 102. Thus, the writer selected three participants from one of the microteaching classes class C. Another reason of selecting three participants in this study was the consideration to the practicality of time in which the writer would spend much time only to examine one participant since the compl exity of procedures of data collection process and data analysis that will be elaborated later in the following parts. In order to be able to find the answers to the two research questions in the initial chapter, the writer ap plied purposive sampling. Coh en et al. 2003: 103 stated “in purposive sampling, researchers handpick the cases to be included in the sample on the basis of their judgement of their typicality. In this way, they build up a sample that is satisfactory to their specific needs.” Therefo re, in this study, considering the completeness of information needed to answer the research questions, the writer selected the three participants who regularly posted their weekly reflection in their weblogs. Considering the demand of each participant not to present their real names in presenting the result of data analysis in this paper, the writer also applied “pseudonym”, hiding the real identity of each participant. Therefore, all names in the next chapter were not the real name of the participants.

C. Research Instruments