ASSIGNMENT

HMEF5103
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
MAY 2023 SEMESTER
___________________________________________________________________________

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION

1. Answer in English or Bahasa Malaysia.

2. Number of words: 3000 – 5000 words excluding references for EACH question
(Question 1 and Question 2).

3. Submit your assignment ONCE only in a SINGLE file only.

4. Submit your assignment ONLINE.

5. Submission date : 5 August 2023.

6. This assignment accounts for 100% of the total marks for the course.

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 ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

Objective:
This assignment aims to enable learners to develop appropriate strategies for planning a
research proposal for qualitative research. It also introduces learners to the practical
applications of data collection and writing a report on qualitative research in nature. The
tasks for questions 1 and 2 need to be linked together to give a coherent picture of the
whole research study.

QUESTION 1: PLANNING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL (40%)

You must choose any topic from your subject area that you are interested in. Produce a
draft of the research proposal consisting of the following sections:

Part 1: Introduction
 Title of the research
 Statement of the problem
 Research objectives
 Research questions

Part 2: Literature Review

 A review of the literature on your topic which includes policies and past
studies
 The research gap, which is an explanation of how your study goes beyond
what is already known.
 A theoretical framework to underpin the study
 A conceptual framework

Part 3: Research Methodology

 Describe your research design.
 Sampling method and profile of key informants.
 Prepare an interview protocol (consider whether this should include
documentation, video, etc.).
 Data collection procedure and analysis procedure.

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  Validity and reliability techniques
Below are the key arguments to consider when writing your research proposal:
1. What do readers need to understand your topic better?
2. What do readers need to know about your topic?
3. What are you proposing to investigate?
4. What is the setting and who are the people you will study?
5. What methods will you use to collect data?
6. How will you analyse the data?
7. How will you validate your findings?
8. What ethical issues will your study raise?

You can begin your assignment by reading related sources about your chosen area of
interest and taking notes. Remember that your discussion must relate to the literature to
date. As for the research methodology, you should describe it as precisely and in as much
detail as possible.
[Total: 40 marks]

QUESTION 2: CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS AND WRITING A REPORT (60%)

Based on the research proposal prepared in Question 1, you are required to conduct in-
depth interviews with 3 (THREE) informants related to your study topic. Ask permission to
record an in-depth interview of about 60 minutes. You are required to prepare report
findings based on the interview. Following are the guidelines of the report writing for the
analysis and findings.

Part 4: Coding, Emerging Themes and Data Analysis

 Transcribe the interview, describe how the data is coded and identify the
emerging themes
 Write descriptively and narratively in a thematic format (NOT in a
dialogue/conversation form or raw data or table form).

As a guideline when searching for themes, you are advised to look into the aspect of the
following:

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  Repetitions: topics that recur again and again
 Indigenous typologies or categories: local expressions that are either unfamiliar or
used in an unfamiliar way
 Metaphors and analogies
 Transitions: the ways in which topics shift in transcripts and other materials
 Similarities and differences
 Linguistic connectors: examining the use of words such as ‘because’ or ‘since’,
because such terms point to causal connections in the mind of participants
 Missing data: reflecting on what is not in the data by, for example, asking questions
about what interviewees omit in their answers to questions
(Source: Creswell & Creswell, 2018)

Note: The anonymity of the participant must be preserved at all times.

Part 5: Discussion, Implications and Conclusion

 Elaborate on key findings that reflect the research questions that have driven
the learners’ research.

 Relate the findings and discussion to the research questions

 Clarify the implications of the findings for your research questions
 Show how your findings have implications for the theories in your area of
interest
 Point out any limitations of your research afterwards

Note: You must include the following documents as attachments:

 Interview questions
 Link to the video/audio recording. Make sure that the link is accessible to the
examiner.

[Total: 60 marks]
Assignment Format:
a. Use Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.

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b. References should be from 2017 to the present, and all references cited in the text
(Questions 1 & 2) must be included in the reference list. Give the references in the format of
the American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition).

 Plagiarism is not allowed. If you are unsure what plagiarism is, read the websites dealing
with this issue, e.g. owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts.

[TOTAL: 100 MARKS]

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ASSIGNMENT RUBRICS
HMEF5103: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY / MAY 2023 SEMESTER
QUESTION 1: PLANNING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL (40%)
Excellent
*QN CLO Criteria Weight
4 3
1 1 Topic Research 0.25 The topic very clearly
reflects the focus of the
study, revealing adequate
information about
research variables,
subjects & setting of the
study
1 Introduction 0.25 The introduction provides
very clear information
from general to specific
4 Problem Statement 2 Issues and problems are
very relevant and provide
a very clear lead-in to the
research problem
3 Research Objectives / 1 Research Objectives and
Questions Questions are highly
focused and provide a
clear direction for
measuring the relationship
between variables.
ATTACHMENT
Good Fair Poor Unsatisfactory
Max
2 1 0 Marks
Part 1
The topic reflects the The topic reflects the The topic hardly No submission. 1
focus of the study, focus of the study, reflects the focus of
revealing fairly revealing some the study, revealing
adequate information information about little information
about research research variables, about research
variables, subjects & subjects & setting of the variables, subjects &
setting of the study study the setting of the
study
The introduction The introduction The introduction does No submission. 1
provides clear provides some not
information from information from provide any
general to specific general to specific information from
general to specific
Issue and problems are Issues and problems are Issues and problems No submission. 8
relevant and provide a fairly relevant but do not are hardly relevant
clear lead-in to the provide a clear lead-in to and do not
research problem the research problem provide a clear lead-in
to the
research problem
Research Objectives Research Objectives and Research Objectives Unsatisfactory/ 4
and Research Research Questions are and Questions are No response.
Questions are focused, fairly focused, providing hardly focused,
providing clear fairly clear, direction for providing only vague
direction for measuring measuring relationships directions for
relationships between between variables. measuring the
variables relationship between
variables.
6

3 Literature Review 3 The literature reviewed is
very relevant to the study.
The explanation is very
detailed and clear
3 Theoretical Framework 0.5 The explanation is very
detailed and clear. It is
very much related to the
title.
3 Conceptual Framework 0.5 The explanation is very
detailed and clear.
2 Research Methodology 2.5 The research method is
very appropriate. The
explanation is very clear
with adequate, relevant
justification
Total 10
Part 2
The literature reviewed The literature reviewed The literature No submission. 12
is relevant to the is fairly relevant to the reviewed is hardly
study. The explanation study. The explanation is relevant to
is detailed and clear fairly detailed and clear the study. The
explanation is sketchy
and vague
The explanation is The explanation is fairly The explanation is No submission. 2
detailed and clear. It is detailed and clear. It is sketchy and vague. It
related to the title. quite related to the title. is not related to the
title.
The explanation is The explanation is fairly The explanation is No submission. 2
detailed and clear. detailed and clear sketchy and vague
Part 3
The research method is The research method is The research method No submission. 10
appropriate. The fairly appropriate. The is hardly appropriate.
explanation is clear explanation is fairly clear The explanation is
with quite adequate with some rather vague with
relevant justification relevant justification minimal or no
relevant
justification
40
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QUESTION 2: CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS AND WRITING A REPORT (60%)
QN CLO
Criteria Weight
2 3 Coding and Emerging
Themes
(Ability to code data and
identify emerging
themes)
3 Data Analysis
(Ability to analyse data of
the THREE (3) informants
descriptively and
narratively in a thematic
format with a mixture of
direct and reported
speech).
3 Discussion
Unsatisfactory/
Excellent Good Fair Poor Max
Or No Response
Marks
4 3 2 1 0
Part 4
2.5 The coding of data The coding of data The coding of data The coding of data Inability to code data and 10
and identification of and identification of and identification of and identification of poor /no identification of
themes are excellent: themes are good: themes are themes are weak: themes.
satisfactory:
Able to search Able to search Able to search Able to search
through the data for through the data for through the data for through the data for
all or most of the quite a number of a limited number of minimal regularities
regularities and regularities and regularities and and patterns.
patterns. patterns. patterns.
Words and phrases Words and phrases Words and phrases Words and phrases
used for coding very used for coding used for coding used for coding do
accurately represent generally accurately sometimes not represent the
the patterns represent the accurately represent patterns established.
established. patterns established. the patterns
established.
3 Shows excellent Shows good ability to Shows an ability to Analysis and No analysis is done. 12
ability to analyse and analyse and evaluate analyse and evaluation are very
evaluate issues. issues. evaluate the issues, limited.
The analysis uses a The analysis uses but not in depth.
mixture of direct more reported The analysis is short
speech and reported speech. Good and simple.
speech. Excellent analysis.
analysis.
Part 5
2 An excellent A good discussion of A fair discussion of Poor discussion of No discussion is provided 8
discussion of the the main findings. the main findings. the main findings.
main findings. Good formulation of Proper formulation Poor formulation of
Excellent formulation the personal of the personal the personal
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 of the personal response. response response.
response.
Implications 2 The implications The implications The implications The implications do No submission. 8
provide very clear provide clear provide some not
information on information on information on provide any
reflections and reflections and reflections and information on
suggestions. suggestions. suggestions. reflections and
suggestions
Conclusion 0.5 The conclusion is well The conclusion is The conclusion The conclusion is not There is no conclusion. 2
connected to all the connected to all the shows some clearly written.
reflections. reflections. connections to the
reflections.
References 1 All references are Most of the Few references are Few references are The is no reference 4
listed according to references are on the on the list according on the list according provided.
the citations in the list according to the to the citations in to the citations in the
text. citations in the text. the text. text.
References listing Reference listing Reference listing Reference listing
conforms to APA adheres to APA adheres to APA contravenes a
conventions with no conventions. conventions. number of basic APA
errors. conventions.
2 3 Interview Questions 2 Has clear questions Has questions to No questions for Very poor and little No interview protocol. 8
to establish rapport establish rapport; introduction nor information on the
and inform and Only a few of the rapport; interview protocol.
introduce the study; interview questions All the interview
All interview are suitable to explore questions are only
questions are the selected topic; the weakly suitable to
appropriate to rest are only probe the selected
explore the chosen moderate with topic.
topic. only minimal The discussion is not
Clear dimensions and dimensions. well explained.
excellent discussion. Sufficient discussion.
1 Evidence of video or 2 The direction and The direction and A moderate Little effort has been No effort has been made 8
audio recording organisation of the organisation of the direction and made to direct the to make the video/audio
organisation video/audio are well video/audio are good organisation of the video/audio. organised or interesting.
thought out and and capture the video/audio and at The structure and
capture the audience’s attention times able to organisation of ideas
audience's attention throughout. capture the in the video/audio
throughout. There are clear audience’s are not smooth
The structure and attempts to link attention. and/or might contain
details of the details in the video/ There are attempts some mistakes in the
video/audio are audio but in one or to link details in the facts that affect the

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 arranged in a logical two parts, the details video/ audio but the general
order and the way appear incoherent. structure and understanding of the
they are presented organisation of the viewer.
keeps the video lack direction
viewer/listener that affects the
interested. viewer’s/ listener’s
comprehension.
TOTAL 15 60
*QN = Question Number

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