Using blogs in qualitative educational research: An exploration of method

Michelle Harricharan, Kalwant Bhopal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)
168 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Qualitative educational research has been relatively slow to take up online research methods (ORMs). Apart from research that is inherently linked to the internet, for example research on educational technologies or students’ online behaviour, ORMs have not achieved wider applicability in educational contexts. This paper demonstrates how ORMs can be useful in qualitative research projects.It describes how on-going, reflective, qualitative data was collected using a popular, community based online tool - blogs. The research project that utilised this approach aimed to trace how a group of international students in the United Kingdom (UK) responded to their new environment over six (6) months. Such an approach is unique in qualitative educational research and there has been little research which has explored the use of blogs. This article attempts to provide new understanding on the use of blogs as a tool
for data collection
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)324
Number of pages343
JournalInternational Journal of Research and Method in Education
Volume37
Issue number3
Early online date5 Feb 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • blogs
  • online tools
  • methods

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Using blogs in qualitative educational research: An exploration of method'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this