Challenges facing mature students during their first year of college.

reaserch_proposal_0 assignment_2_5.txtso4063_lecture_14_2.ppt

In this assignment, you are required to develop your data collection instrument as outlined in assignment one, your research proposal. You must pilot test your data collection instrument to ensure its validity. For research on humans, please test your data collection instrument on one family member of friend.

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Challenges facing mature students during their first year of college.

Introduction:

A mature student is described as a student who has had a break from education and is not of the same age as the conventional students in the same year of tertiary education (Hoult, 2006). Mature students are also referred to as adult learners, returning adults or even adult returners. In every institution of higher learning, a body deals with student affairs especially problems that affect students. However, the student bodies in most institutions deal with problems that mainly affect the conventional students without putting into perspective the problems of mature students. This paper intends to analyze the problems that are faced by mature students giving recommendations as to how they can be resolved.

Research Questions:

1) Is discrimination a factor affecting the mature student’s experience in tertiary institutions?

2) Do mature students have to constantly deal with competing priorities while studying?

3) Are the grades of mature students higher or lower as compared to those of conventional students in their first year of study?

Literature Review:

The issue of mature students has attracted a lot of research because of the increase in number of mature entries into tertiary institutions. However, this research has been focused on different areas with some researchers focusing on understanding why people decide to go back to college even after having stopped at some point in life. In order to be more specific, it is important to understand what kind of literature exists on the challenges facing mature students. The article by Jill Wallis is a follow up into research that had been conducted earlier. The author analyzes issues that affected mature students in their first year and continue to affect them even as they advance into second and third years. The criterion used to acquire information is through interviews whereby mature students were asked to volunteer and answer questions anonymously. Some of the issues discussed are low self-esteem and competing priorities, which seem to be burning issues for mature students (Wallis, 2010, p. 4). Carney and Mcneish also focus on identifying challenges that are faced by mature students and gives an account of their experiences while at school (Carney and Mcneish, 2010). The paper also gives recommendations that are based on the mature students’ perspective. Lack of confidence is also identified as a major challenge for mature students with some finding it hard to adjust to the learning environment (Hoult, 2006). In addition, mature students especially those with families have problems related to time and finance management. Female students with families are mostly affected by this problem with some of them dropping out to go and take care of their families. Mature students are also prone to psychological challenges with a higher likelihood of being affected by illnesses like stress and depression. In summary, sociologists and education experts have discovered that mature students face numerous challenges in their day-to-day experiences. The aim of research in this area is to enlighten people on these challenges and give practical solutions.

Method of Investigation:

In order to conduct a successful research, it is important to collect data in a means that is applicable for the selected topic. First, the population for this research is all mature students in their first year of study at our university. However, the research is voluntary and any person, who is not willing to participate, will not be coerced to do so. In order to have access to the student information, I will contact Mature Student Office and I will ask for their cooperation in this research. The first method that I will use to acquire data is through interviewing (Bell, 2006). This will be done on a personal basis where the students will be asked to answer questions asked by the interviewer. In addition, there are students who might not have time to attend the interviews but are willing to participate. In this case, questionnaires will be passed to them and collected after one week. Thirdly, I will also use focus group discussions where forums of mature students will be organized to discuss issues affecting them. Focus group discussions are an efficient way of acquiring social data since the students will be allowed to speak freely on issues affecting them (Rudestam and Newton 2007). The advantage of the three methods to be used in this research is that the data collected is firsthand with little or no interference. In order to analyze this data effectively, the content analysis method will be used with the responses given being used to group the data (Bryman, et al. 2009). Finally, the results of the analysis will be used to give a conclusion on the findings of the research.

Rationale and Significance of the research:

The importance of this research is to create an in-depth understanding of the problems that mature students face during their first year of study. Research shows that all students are faced with certain challenges when they first go to college but the problems faced by mature students are different. Their situation is different and therefore it is important to understand their problems separately. It is also important for tertiary institutions to understand what can be done to ease the lives of mature students. Their experiences have to be enhanced in order to encourage others to go back to school. This research is significant in alleviating these challenges in a manner acceptable to mature students.

Ethical Issues:

This research will be conducted according to all AHSS ethical guidelines of conducting research. All respondents will participate in the research upon giving their informed consent. In addition, information can only be disclosed upon the terms agreed with the respondents. The research will only be used for the intended purpose according to the guidelines.

References:

Bell, J. (2006). Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science. Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press.

Bryman, A., Bell, E. A., & Teevan, J. J. (2009). Social research methods. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.

Carney, C. and Mcneish, S. (2010) ‘Listening to the needs of the mature students- a qualitative survey’, Widening participation and lifelong learning, 7 (3), 1-8.

Hoult, E. (2006). Learning support: a guide for mature students. Sage study skills. London, UK: SAGE.

Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (2007). Surviving your dissertation: a comprehensive guide to content and process. Los Angeles, LA: Sage Publications.

Wallis, J. (2010). ‘Challenges facing mature returners to education and strategies undertaken by the Applied Education Studies Team to address these (Phase two and three).’ Bridges Experience: University of Bedfordshire.

SO4063 Introduction to Social Research
Assessment 2:
Design your own data collection instrument.
Weighting
10% of your final grade.
Deadline
Monday 8th November 2010 at noon.
Length
Survey should be no longer than 2 pages (at the max). Interview guides,
coding schemes, observation schedules etc should be no longer than a page.
Feedback
Grade and individualised feedback in week 12 through the Feedback tool in
your SO4063 website.
In this assignment, you are required to develop your data collection
instrument as outlined in assignment one, your research proposal. You must
pilot test your data collection instrument to ensure its validity. For research on
humans, please test your data collection instrument on one family member of
friend.
Required structure
1.
Sociology Submission Form
2.
Title of your research and your name
3.
Sampling: 1 sentence on each of the following;
Population of interest
Sample type
Sample size
4.
Mode of Delivery: 1 paragraph on;
How and where you will find these people/documents/your data? For
example, over the internet, on the phone, in the street, by email and
what implications will this have on your sample?
5.
Research Information Sheet (see lecture slides)
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6. Data Collection Instrument:
Survey/Structured Interview: Bryman chapters 8/9.
Observation: Bryman chapter 11.
Content analysis: Bryman chapter 12.
Focus groups : Bryman chapter 19.
Others: Bryman chapter 2.
7.
Pilot test: Brief note on anything you had to change or learned after
piloting your data collection instrument.
Don’t forget about informed consent.
Recommended readings:
Alan Bryman (2008) Social Research Methods.
G. Nigel Gilbert (ed), 1993. Researching Social Life.
General requirements
Your assignment must begin with the official sociology submission form,
which is available in the resources section of your SO4063 SULIS website.
This cover page must be the first page of assignment.
Submission
You are required to submit your assignment electronically on the SULIS site
for So4063 and in hard copy into the sociology box outside F1-003. All
submitted papers are retained for the external examiner and will not be
returned to students so keep a copy for your own records.
All grades are provisional pending external examination.
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Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence which involves presenting other
persons words, ideas or findings, for example, as one’s own. If you use other
people’s words or ideas without adequately crediting them you leave
yourself open to a charge of plagiarism. If you quote from another person’s
work ensure that you use quotation marks to acknowledge that these are their
words rather than your own. If you quote or paraphrase another persons work,
or reproduce their statistics, diagrams, figures or graphs, ensure that you
reference them in-text and in your bibliography. The University uses the
software package ‘Turnitin’ to check for plagiarism. This software will be used
to check all papers submitted in this course.
Department of Sociology plagiarism policy
All students are required to familiarise themselves with the Department of
Sociology plagiarism policy which is available on the course SULIS site and
from:
http://www.ul.ie/sociology/index.php?pagid=11&useid=dgr2918274
Please note that all cases of plagiarism will be reported and penalised.
Referencing and paraphrasing
Plagiarism can be best avoided by appropriately referencing the authors that
you draw on in your writings. It is also essential that you delineate quotes
clearly and, where you choose to paraphrase their work, you do so
adequately. Instruction on referencing and paraphrasing will be available from
your tutor through your weekly tutorials.
For this module you are required to employ the system of referencing
elaborated in the UL library’s publication Cite it Right.
Cite it Right is available electronically from:
http://www.ul.ie/~library/pdf/citeitright
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Wikipedia
Please note that it is not permissible to cite Wikipedia as a source in your
research proposal. Please also avoid electronic encyclopaedias and
dictionaries, online question answering services and English language
dictionaries.
Department of Sociology, UL Policy on Late Submission of Assignments
Students are required to submit assignments by the deadline set by the
Department of Sociology, using the submission procedure specified for that
assignment.
What penalties are imposed if this deadline is missed?
Where an extension has not been agreed in advance, or where a student
submits an essay after the agreed extensions has expired, the Department
will impose a penalty for late submission. For the first day that elapses
between the expiration of the deadline and the receipt of the work by the
Department, 5 percentage points will be deducted from the student’s mark for
that assignment. Assignments received after the 24 hour period has
lapsed will attract a mark of zero.
How can students apply for an extension?
The Department may at its discretion and for good cause sanction an
extension to individual students. In order to be granted an extension, students
will be required to present a medical certificate or other evidence of a
compelling reason for late submission. This must be in writing. In the first
instance, students seeking an extension should contact the staff member who
is convenor of the relevant module. On submission of the assignment, the
written authorisation for an extension should be attached to any
such late assignments.
When should students apply for an extension?
Students can apply for an extension a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the
deadline by submitting a written request by e-mail for such an extension. This
is so that students can be informed in writing prior to the assignment deadline
whether or not the extension has been granted.
What about further extensions?
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On a discretionary basis, the department may allow further extensions.
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SO4063 Lecture 14
Collecting Data

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Lecture Objectives
To outline the requirements of assessment 2: create a data collection instrument
To continue questionnaire design workshop

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Priority readings
Alan Bryman (2008) Social Research Methods, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chapter 9

OR
Nigel Gilbert (2001) Researching Social Life, 2nd ed., London: SAGE.
Pages 99-105

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Data collection
Research topic
Research questions
Research methods
Now collect data?
First prepare and follow guidelines
The following procedures are recommended for a
survey/structured interviews:
Determine the major questions
Draft questionnaire items/questions
Design the questionnaire/questions
Pilot test the questionnaire/interview
Develop a data-collection strategy
Develop a cover letter and send the questionnaire

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Cover Letter/Information Sheet
Introduce the research
Written rationale
identify yourself, your employer, purposes of research and procedure of interview
ethical issues:
anonymity, confidentiality, right to withdraw
opportunity for interviewee to ask questions

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Collecting the data
know your way around the interview schedule/survey
keep to the schedule: even small variations in wording can affect responses
recording answers: write exact words used by interviewee, or use fixed choice questions.
clear instructions
filter questions
question order
every interviewee must get questions in the same order
general questions before specific questions
earlier questions may affect salience of later ones
first questions should be directly related to the topic
potentially embarrassing or sensitive questions towards the end

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In Interviews
probing
when respondent does not understand question or gives insufficient answer
non-directive probes: “mmm”, “can you say a bit more about that?”
repeat fixed choice alternatives
prompting
interviewer suggests possible answers
show cards

leaving the interview
thank the interviewee

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Research Training Exercise
Each question must have its own answer space: a tick-box, a space for writing, a set of categories
For this project, use closed questions: a fixed set of options AND instructions (i.e. tick one, tick all that apply or rank by importance)
Usually allow for ‘Other’ and a space for people to write ‘If other, please specify’

Why closed questions?
quicker and easier to complete (better response rate and less missing data)
easy to process data (pre-coded)
easy to compare answers (intercoder reliability)

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Closed Questions
Disadvantages
restrictive range of answers: no spontaneity
difficult to make fixed choice answers exhaustive
respondents may interpret questions differently

Closed questions can take a number of forms
Two options, tick one
Many options, tick one
Many options, tick zero or more
Many options, rank by importance
Likert (agreement scale)

The practical organisation of the questionnaire must take
question structure into account: easy to answer and easy to
process.

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Simple closed questions
Example questionnaire extract
Gender: Male □ 1 Female □ 2
Age: 18 or under □ 1
19-23 □ 2
24-30 □ 3
31 or older □ 4

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More complex closed question
Marital status
Single □1
Married □2
Divorced/Separated □3
Other □4
If ‘Other’ please specify:_______________

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How often?
4. How often do you read newspapers?
Tick the category that is closest:
Never □ (Skip to question 6)
More than 1 per day □
1 every day □
2-4 per week □
1 per week □
Less than 1 per week □

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Variable number of answers
Where do you eat out?
Tick each one that applies
Restaurant □
Café/cafeteria □
Pub □
Other □
If ‘other’ please specify:_____________

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Types of Questions
personal factual questions
factual questions about others
informant factual questions
attitudes
beliefs
normative standards and values
lay knowledge
Attitudes:
questions have already been piloted
known properties of reliability and validity
helps you to draw comparisons with other studies
bias: some positively phrased and some negatively phrased

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Measuring Attitudes
Measurement of attitudes often uses “Likert” scales:
a set of statements relevant to the attitude being
measured with options indicating agreement:
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree

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Likert Scales
6. People have different views about women’s role in society. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following things people might say, using the categories provided:

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
A woman’s place is in the home □ □ □ □ □
Young children suffer if the mother works outside the home □ □ □ □ □
Women are entitled to the same pay for the same work as men
□ □ □ □ □

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Open Questions
Advantages
respondents answer in their own terms
allow for new, unexpected responses
exploratory – generate fixed answer questions
Disadvantages
time-consuming for interviewer and respondent
difficult to code
more effort required from respondent
interviewer variation in recording answers

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Pilot Survey
Check that the research instrument works
gain practice at using interview schedule
does each question flow smoothly on to the next?
identify vague or confusing questions
remove any questions that received uniform responses- no variability
open questions can generate fixed choice answers to include in the final study

pilot respondents should not be in final sample.

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Assignment 2
Ask yourself:
Are the questions comprehensible?
Are the categories in closed questions adequate? Do they cover everything? Make the right distinctions? No very unlikely ones? Will they make sense to the respondent?
Is the structure okay? Not too complicated or illogical?
Is there anything likely to confuse the respondent or interviewer?
Exactly how long will it take? If too long, shorten it now!
Piloting will also allow you to create closed categories for questions, using real-world feedback rather than your imagination

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Example Information Sheet
Survey of Students views on SULIS
Dear Student,
The survey is part of a research project for my course of study in
U.L. The purpose of this questionnaire is to assess how often you
use SULIS and for what purposes.
The survey will take no longer than 5 minutes. The information
provided by you in this questionnaire will be used for research purposes.
It will not be used in a manner which allows identification of your
individual responses. Participation in this study is completely voluntary
and you can withdraw at anytime.
If there are any other concerns or questions please feel free to email me
at _______________ or my lecturer Dr. Carmel
Hannan(carmel.hannan@ul.ie)
Thank you for your cooperation.

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Example Survey
Please tick in the appropriate box
Do you consent to take part in this survey? Yes □ 􀁔 No□
Are you Male□ Female □
Which age group do you fit into?
etc

Thank you for participating in this research.

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Assignment 2
Worth 10%
Due beginning week 10
Your individual Project
The sample
Propose mode of delivery (email, internet, phone etc.)
Your research collection instrument/s
Introductory paragraph
A pilot test report/noting any changes

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Lecture Plan
Introduction to SPSS
Labs begin next week
Essential you all attend