Adelman, Jenkins, and Kemmis (1980) stated the case study design as “user-friendly”
and popular among teachers as the data are “strong in reality”. These data from questionnaires
observations and conferences provide a generalized valuable view to the beliefs, values, and
attitudes of the participants. The researcher will have the opportunity to observe and analyze how
the participants act, speak, and engage with each other naturally, as well as with other people in
Research methods are often divided into two main types: qualitative and quantitative
methods. Qualitative research method is used to gain insights of participants’ understandings and
opinions towards the topic questions. It also helps to develop some hypotheses for quantitative
research. Some common tools include group discussions, individual interviews, and
observations.
Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by numerical data or data that can
be transformed into visual statistics. It uses measurable data to quantify attitudes, opinions and
other factors, and reveal patterns in chart or table. Quantitative data collection methods include
quantitative methods. Shorten and Smith (2017) presented that applying mixed methods can gain
which providing an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and experience.
diverse attitudes and opinions about using e-dictionary while learning vocabulary. A survey (see
Appendix B) is to collect participants’ opinions in a numerical way
Methods
Setting. This study was conducted in a language academy attached to a University in the greater
San Diego area. One of the classes taken in this institute is an advanced reading class, a class for
students who wants to develop academic reading skills in English through a variety of in-class
and homework assignments focusing on reading preparation for college. Countries of origin of
these students include Saudi Arabia, China, and Mexico. This class takes every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday, from 10:45am to 12:15pm. Using mobile phones in class is allowed by
the instructor for academic use or entertainment. However, based on my observations, most
Participants. The participants of this study are international students.4 males and 2 females
whose reading level is at advanced level were selected to participate in this study. Three of these
Methodology. In this study, quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to understand
how students use electronic dictionaries in the process of vocabulary learning through feedback
Ethical Considerations. As a researcher, it was important for me to follow the policies and
instructions of the institution, to ensure that instructors and students’ rights are respected. In
addition, maintaining privacy of the participants and accuracy of the data collected through
member check was important. Lastly, I worked with the students to ensure that their personal
interests, personal issues, and any other related aspect of their personal needs was respected,
such as the purpose of learning English and their preference to use e-dictionary.
following:
a) Feedback Forms
b) One-on-one Conferencing
Feedback Forms. The purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain general background
information from the participants, which included the participants’ preference of using
attitudes towards using e-dictionaries when doing their homework, and participants’
Conferencing. Multiple conferencing opportunities with the students provided more insight
into the students’ experiences. The conferencing sessions were designed to provide deeper
insights from participant feedback forms, create richer interactions with the students and
more personalized responses. All conferencing sessions were audio-recorded then transcribed
for analysis.