Case Selection

Choosing the best practice model through purposeful selection impacts the findings and/or recommendations, as not all online composition classes make use of collaboration and learner-centered instruction. The community college that offered the course may present another limiting factor. It is well known for model innovative programs and leadership in online instruction. The chosen college also creates an uncommon context for distance education instruction by providing a high level of institutional, faculty, student, and services support for instruction.

Methodological Assumptions

A researcher must approach any project with knowledge about the biases inherent in her own experience, values, and beliefs are an accepted principle of qualitative research practice. "Accusations of bias are a recurrent event in the social and psychological sciences" (Hammersley & Gomm, 1997). Scheff (1997) tells us, "Qualitative studies may come closer to human reality, or plausibly appear to do so, but only as filtered through the observer's fallible memory, sensitivities and biases." Erickson (1986) posits, "Ethnography should be considered a deliberate inquiry process guided by a point of view, rather than a reporting process guided by a standard technique or set of techniques, or a totally intuitive process that does not involve reflection" (p. 51). Patton (1994) reminds us, "The purpose of qualitative evaluation is to produce findings useful for decision making and action" (p. 435). When considering the impact of the limiting factors of this, or any other, qualitative study, the praxis of both the process and the product should be considered.

With a firm foundation beneath me, I submerged myself into this research.

First having read the book of myths,
and loaded the camera,
and checked the edge of the knife-blade,
I put on
the body armor of black rubber
he absurd flippers
the grave and awkward mask.

Write to Jan -- jan@js.spokane.wa.us

Last Updated 10/20/01

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