RosasL_Assignment#6
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School
University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley *
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Course
4350
Subject
Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by PrivateMoonHyena43
Assignment 6 Template
#
Questions
Answers
Points
1.
Title of article, Journal name, and your name
Title
: A phenomenological study of online assessment during a pandemic crisis: Insights from Malaysia, Lithuania, and Spain
Journal name:
Frontiers in Psychology
Lynda Rosas
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2.
What is the research question (purpose) addressed in this study?
What motivates the students to complete their online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic?
However, its objectives of the study were the following:
-
To examine students’ motivation related to online assessment -
To put forth the pedagogical implications of an effective online assessment
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3.
Has a literature review been undertaken? Does it provide a good and balanced background of the research issue?
Yes. A literature review was included and provided in the study. The authors specifies that there is limited research showing student motivation in online assessments and mentions that more qualitative research should be conducted to have a better understanding based on student perspectives. It also talks about the low-cost value and high-cost value when performing tasks. This review was good and balanced with the limited number of previous studies relevant to the research issue. 5
4.
Has a conceptual or theoretical framework been identified? Is it adequately described? Yes, theoretical framework was identified. It was well described through the expectancy value theory of motivation; this theory describes a relationship between the success of a student achieving a certain goal to the value of the goal. It was used to further analyze the aspects of cost values, attainment, utility, intrinsic used by Hannaford (2015).
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5.
What is the research design used?
A qualitative research methodology using a phenomenological approach. 5
6.
What type of sampling strategy was used?
A total of 18 students (i.e., six from each country such as Malaysia, Lithuania, and Spain) were selected based on a purposive sampling approach but they were recruited conveniently.
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7.
What were the eligibility criteria for the study?
Eligibility criteria for the study was based on third-year students with them being full-time and from various degree programs related to social science. Participants had no prior experience with online assessments.
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8.
Are key characteristics of the sample described (e.g., age, gender)?
Key characteristics are not described in any Figures within the study, (i.e., to age or gender). 5
9.
Were the participants suitable for informing research?
Yes, based on the research question, a student with an academic background is
suitable for research and we can provide more detailed information on the two points that need to be answered in order to clarify our views on the online 2
assessment.
10.
Were the participants fully informed about the nature of the research?
Yes, all participants were briefed on the nature of the study, confidentiality, and anonymity. However, written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.
2
11.
Was ethical permission granted for the study?
No. Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements.
2
12.
What data collection strategies were used? Are they adequately described?
Data collection strategies are adequately described through interviews with semi-structured questions based on:
-
Experiences on online assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic -
Feeling motivated or not to complete online assessments during COVID-19 pandemic and why or why not Description: -
Thematic analysis -
Data collected by research staff (the 3 researchers who worked at the respective universities where the study took place) -
Interviews were conducted in the student’s native language and later transcribed verbatim -
Interview duration was about 40-60 minutes for per participant
-
Location: private: Webex or MS Teams
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13.
Were interviews audio-recorded and transcribed?
Yes, interviews weren’t audio-recorded but were transcribed accurately. Translations of the transcriptions into English were done by the three researchers (native speaker of each language) working at the respective universities where the study took place.
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14.
What data analysis strategies were used?
Thematic analysis was employed in this study in analyzing the data. The six-
step thematic analysis procedure is: (1) becoming familiar with the data and transcribing all data; (2) generating codes; (3) classifying codes into themes; (4) reviewing and refining themes; (5) concisely defining and naming themes; (6) producing a report from the emerging themes which is a descriptive, analytical, and argumentative narrative. Direct quotations from the participants
were included to explain critical themes.
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15.
Was data saturation achieved?
More importantly, the engagement with the six participants from each country was sufficient for the saturation point, as evidenced by repeated themes.
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16.
Did the authors discuss how rigor was assured?
Rigor in documentation:
-
The current study was guided by Guba and Lincoln’s (1994) four qualitative research criteria: confirmability, credibility, dependability, 5
and transferability. Member checking was used to achieve the concept of credibility (Creswell and Poth, 2017). -
The findings are trustworthy, convincing, and accurately reflect the actual situation. A panel of experts in technology and educational research also validated the interview questions.
Procedural rigor:
-
The interviews were conducted in the student’s native languages—
Spanish, Lithuanian, and Malay—and later transcribed verbatim. Translations of the transcriptions into English were done by the three researchers (native speakers of each language) working at the respective universities where the study took place. Ethical rigor:
-
Ethical review and approval were not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements -
Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements -
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. - All the participants were briefed on the nature of the study, confidentiality, and anonymity. The participants were full-time students from various degree programs related to social science.
17.
What major themes or processes emerged? Did the results answer the research question(s)?
The major processes that emerged that are associated with online assessments are such as:
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Stress and fear of online assessment (privacy, internet usage limitations, technical problems). -
Inefficient assessment (cheating, security measures).
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Effective assessment guidelines. -
Flexibility in assessment. Yes, the results to the findings about how the participants(students) felt towards certain implications within the online assessment did play a role in their commitment in the course and motivation to commit.
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18.
If excerpts from the data are provided, do the themes appear to capture the meaning of the narratives, i.e., did the researcher adequately Yes, the researcher adequately interpreted the data and conceptualized the themes or categories. -
Themes discussed throughout the literature
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interpret the data and conceptualize the themes or
categories?
-
Flexibility in assessment -
Intrinsic value -
Effective assessment guidelines -
Attainment value -
Stress and fear in online assessment -
Cost value/ utility value
-
Inefficient assessment The excerpts provided captured the meaning of the narratives. The study reveals several significant findings related to assessment and motivation and are shown in figures 1-4.
19.
Were credibility, dependability, transferability, and goodness discussed? See Ryan et al. article for definitions.
Yes, credibility, dependability, transferability, and goodness were discussed within the study. -
Credibility was achieved through member checking. -
Dependability was achieved through the data analysis process bringing about sufficient/transparent information to help the reader comprehend the study. Additionally, three research team members working in the respective universities partook in the data collection process where the study took place enhanced dependability. -
Transferability is possible outside of the context of this situation by providing a guided reference point to educators in planning their online
assessments. -
Goodness is achieved through the study’s ability to provide in-depth transparent context, data, explanations of results and the process that occurred to answer the research question. So, all stages of this research
study are clearly explained.
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20.
What were the study limitations?
Several limitations were included in the study: -
sample size (limited), the study had a small number of participants from the three countries which limits the generalizability of the findings to other populations. -
Self-selection bias, the study relied on the participants who volunteered, causing a self-selection bias. The participants may have had different experiences or points of views than those who didn't participate. -
Language limitations, the study was translated in three languages which could have caused improper meanings lost in translation during the data analysis process. -
Potential social desirability bias, the researchers noted that participants were reluctant to express negative experiences towards online 5
assessments. -
Lack of control over the assessment environment, the researchers noted
that they did not have control over the assessment environment, which could have influenced the experiences of the participants.
21.
What is your overall assessment of the article? The article was a well-structured qualitative study whose findings address the research question posed. It included a total of 18 undergraduate students, 6 from each of the three countries assessed, which makes it for a decent sample of the value for the study. Overall, the study revealed several important findings regarding assessment and motivation; as well as its themes drawn from this research can also be used to develop holistic and comprehensive concepts (and possibly a questionnaire) to fully understand online teaching and learning from the perspective of educators and students.
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22.
What is your overall assessment/impression of a qualitative methods article compared to the other quantitative articles you read? (2-3 sentences)
My overall assessment is based on qualitative method article; it demonstrates a more in-depth detail as to how people react within the process of the research question. In comparison with previous quantitative papers, I think that each type of research has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is based on what is being studied to determine what works best and what it means. However, the insight provided by the qualitative method allows a researcher to comprehend human experience outside of the numbers that quantitative methods provide. 5