Using blogs in qualitative educational research: An exploration of method

Michelle Harricharan, Kalwant Bhopal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (SciVal)
440 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

When compared with wider social research, qualitative educational research has been relatively slow to take up online research methods (ORMs). There is some very notable research in the area but, in general, ORMs have not achieved wide applicability in qualitative educational contexts apart from research that is inherently linked to the Internet, for example, research on educational technologies or students' online behaviour. This paper demonstrates how ORMs can be useful in qualitative research projects. It describes how on-going, reflective, qualitative data were collected using a popular, community-based online tool - blogs. The research project that utilized this approach aimed to trace how a group of international students in the United Kingdom responded to their new environment over six months. This article attempts to provide a new understanding on the use of blogs as a tool for data collection.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)324 - 343
Number of pages20
JournalInternational Journal of Research & Method in Education
Volume37
Issue number3
Early online date5 Feb 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

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