Changing the Lens: A Position Paper on the Value of Qualitative Research Methodology as a Mode of Inquiry in the Education of the Deaf

Abstract

A case study of a young deaf child's conversation development is used to explore the relationship between mode of inquiry and findings resulting from the use of qualitative research methodology. Data were collected through participant observation, videotaping, and interviews in the participants' natural settings. The breadth of findings from thematic analysis of descriptive data and discourse analysis of language samples led to the discovery of the child's language competencies in a field where research usually focuses on language deficits. Additionally, data revealed the contextual features that contributed to the child's conversation development. Scope of findings and implications for educators and researchers provide evidence of the value of qualitative methodology as a mode of inquiry in the field of education of the Deaf.

Effective Teachers: An Investigation from The Perspectives of Elementary School Students

“…As often happens in qualitative research, unexpected findings that move beyond the original scope of an investigation become evident during analysis of the data (Evans, 1998:, Anzul, Evans, King & Tellier-Robinson, 2001. This is the way a second overarching idea took shape in this study.…”

Qualitative research interviews of children with communication disorders: methodological implications

“…In all events, deaf interviewees may, early in the exchange, have doubts as to whether they will be readily understood by their interlocutor, and this needs to be clarified rapidly. Finally, among deaf children, it is best to insist on the deaf children's linguistic skills (especially in sign language) than on their language deficits (Evans 1998). …”

Blending Observational Methods: Possibilities, Strategies, and Challenges

“…It can supplement field notes at times in which details of a situation may be too complex for the observer to perceive and require detailed retrospective review. For example, Evans (1998) supplemented her field observations of deaf children with video recordings of their conversations. She was unable to fully attend to the subtle nuances of signing during participant observation, but because her video recordings captured these behaviors she was able to include an analysis of signing behaviors in conjunction with her in-person observations.…”