Applying the Appropriate Research Method

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

I believe that the qualitative research design of phenomenology should be implemented for this scenario. The researcher is trying to gain and understanding of the “phenomenon” of peer mediation and the issues that concern it by collecting data that is narrative in nature.

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

I believe that the researcher in this scenario is implementing the True Experimental, quantitative research design. He/she is randomly assigning students to the two different groups. One group is receiving the intervention of peer mediation while peer mediation is withheld from the second group. Finally, the researcher analyzes numerical data, the number of office referrals received by subjects in each group, to determine the effect of peer mediation on the students’ behavior.

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

I believe that a mixed-methodology, exploratory research design should be implemented in this scenario. Qualitative data can be collected on the students’ attitude about peer mediation. Once there is an understanding about the students’ attitude, the research can make certain adjustments to the peer mediation program or continue practices that seem to be successful. Finally, quantitative data, the number of office referrals, can be collected both before and after the adjustments are made. Analysis then can be done to determine if the adjustments lead to a decrease in the number of office referrals that are filed. There is a qualitative phase in the beginning that is used to later design a quantitative phase of the study.

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

The method that is used here is the Mixed-Method design of Triangulation. Both qualitative and quantitative data are collected. The survey results make up the quantitative data while the qualitative results come from the interviews conducted. Both types of data are collected to make the most valid and appropriate conclusion about the feelings of those involved in the peer mediation process.