Running head: METHODS PROPOSAL

Methods Proposal:

Does having a Customer Service Job while in College Improve Communication Competence?

By:

Ashley Ayers

Winona State University

CMST 380

Dr. Swenson-Lepper

11/29/16
METHODS PROPOSAL

Operational Definitions

The variables I will use for my research project will be customer service jobs in a

restaurant or retail environment and communication competency. The conceptual definition of

customer service jobs is working with the public in their job setting. The operational definition I

will be using for customer service job will be if they work in a restaurant setting with people as a

waitress, waiter or host or if they work in a retail environment with customers. Communication

competency is defined conceptually as the knowledge of appropriate communication patterns in

a given situation and the ability to use the knowledge (Cooley & Raach, 1984, p.25 ).

Communication competency will be measured operationally by documenting what skills the

participants learned or improved while working their job. I will be measuring these skills through

focus group open ended questions that ask their competence to their job and professional skills.

Participants

Participants in this study will include an equal number of male and females in college

ranging from ages 18-24. The ethnicity will not be a factor in this study. The participants will

either currently have a job or have had a job within the last four years. The reason for choosing

this specific group of participants for my focus group is because I will be measuring their skills

from their job whether it be customer service in the restaurant and retail setting or not. I will be

focusing on ages 18-24 because they are in the traditional college age category. There will be 3

focus groups and each focus group will involve 5-8 people. This number of people will give a

wide range of answers without an overwhelming number of responses.

Research Method
METHODS PROPOSAL

The research method I will be using is 3 different sets of focus groups with similar but

not exactly the same questions. Each focus group will get about 15 questions to discuss and

answer. The types of questions will start broad asking about their experiences at their job and

move towards more specific questions such as training positives and negatives within the job.

Some questions will also be on specific skills they learned while on the job and what

communication skills they learned or improved. I will be doing a thematic analysis on the

answers of the questions from the participants. By putting their answers in categories, I am able

to see the patterns or concepts that the participants use as answers.

Procedures

The first stage will be finding 5-8 participants that fit into each category for the focus

groups. The categories include those that have worked in customer service in the restaurant

setting as a waitress/waiter or hostess. The second category will be for those that have worked in

customer service in a retail setting. Lastly, the third category will be for those that have had or

have a job not in customer service in the two types of settings listed above or if they have an on

campus job. These groups will be determined by what type The second stage of the focus group

will be to assign a time and location for the focus group to take place. Focus groups will last

about an hour and will include an introduction with the rules and reason for the project and will

end with a conclusion on what they said during the focus group. The focus group will also end

with cookies and juice for the participants thanking them for their time and responses. The

instructions that the participants will receive at the beginning of the focus groups will be that

they are to be as honest as possible and give each person a time to share if the question applies to

them and if they have an answer. I will also audibly record the focus groups so I am able to go

back and listen to the answers that the participants gave.

METHODS PROPOSAL

Analysis

For the analysis of my data from the three focus groups, I will be using a thematic

analysis for the qualitative data. I will be using this to find themes and main concepts or points

that the participants talk about and address in the focus groups. I will look for repetition in the

answers as well as outliers in the answers to determine patterns. Lastly, I will be comparing and

contrasting the three focus groups to each other to examine if having a certain type of job in

college improves communication competency.

METHODS PROPOSAL

References

Cooley, R. E., & Roach, D.A. (1984). A conceptual framework. In R. N. Bostrom (Ed.),

Competence in communication: A multidisciplinary approach (pp.11-32). Beverly Hills,

CA: Sage.
METHODS PROPOSAL

Appendix A

Focus Group Questions for people with jobs that are on campus or that are not in the restaurant

or retail setting:

1. What communication skills are you learning in your job?

2. What training did you have for your job?

3. How was your training experience good or bad?

4. What was the first day on the job like?

5. Where their certain skills you hoped to learn on the job?

6. Was there things you wished had learned during training?

7. In what ways were you competent towards your job after training?

8. Do you work independently on the job or with other?

9. Is there teamwork needed in your workplace and if so, how?

10. What are some communication skills you are not learning on the job?

11. Are there any skills you are improving on the job?

12. If you work independently, is that helping or harming your communication?

13. Does your boss want to help you gain leadership or communication skills and how do they

show that?

14. What skills are you not improving at all?

15. Has your communication classes helped you in this job?

METHODS PROPOSAL

Appendix B

Focus Group Questions for people that have a customer service job in the retail setting:

1. What communication skills are you learning in your job?

2. What training did you have for your job?

3. How was your training experience good or bad?

4. What was the first day on the job like?

5. Where their certain skills you hoped to learn on the job?

6. Was there things you wished had learned during training?

7. Were you competent towards your job after training and how?

8. How does the retail setting improve your teamwork with other co-workers?

9. Is there teamwork needed in your workplace and if so, how?

10. What are some communication skills you are not learning on the job?

11. Are there any skills you are improving on the job?

12. How does the stressful days in retail help your communication?

13. Does your boss want to help you gain leadership or communication skills and how do they

show that?

14. What skills are you not improving at all?

15. Have your college classes helped you in this job and if so how?
METHODS PROPOSAL

Appendix C

Focus Group Questions for people with customer service jobs in the restaurant setting as a

waitress/waiter or hostess:

1. What communication skills are you learning in your job?

2. What training did you have for your job?

3. How was your training experience good or bad?

4. What was the first day on the job like?

5. Where their certain skills you hoped to learn on the job?

6. Was there things you wished had learned during training?

7. Were you competent towards your job after training and if so, how?

8. In the restaurant setting, how do you react with conflict from customers?

9. Is there teamwork needed in your workplace and if so, how?

10. What are some communication skills you are not learning on the job?

11. Are there any skills you are improving on the job?

12. How is there interdependence within your workplace and how does that involve your

communication skills?

13. Does your boss want to help you gain leadership or communication skills and how do they

show it?

14. What skills are you not improving at all?

METHODS PROPOSAL

15. Have your college classes helped you in this job and if so, how?