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Issues in E-Research: Log In/Out Virtual Fields

Year 2017, Volume: 18 Issue: 3, 156 - 167, 01.07.2017
https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.328946

Abstract

Evolution of technology and its tremendous use in education has changed the ways of educational services in higher education around the world. There is worldwide access to higher education through virtual learning environments. This is a new avenue for 21st century education and within a short time, it has been able to establish new culture of learning i.e. e-learning or online learning. As a result, e-learning has been the greater field for educational research. In this context, this paper focuses on methodological issues of the Internet mediated research (e-Research) with particular focus on virtual fields. Paper explores and discusses on possible sources of data, methods of data collection, process of analysis and ethical issues to adopt research with virtual fields. In doing so, the purpose is to reveal answer to the question: how do e-Researchers deal with methodological issues related to collecting data, determining data sources, data analysis/interpretation, and ethical considerations? Paper presents examples from the Internet mediated empirical studies. Conclusion of the paper is that e-field or cyberspace is an avenue for modern researchers. Researchers are supported with various Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools for field access, data collection, analysis and interpretation. However, they need to pay full attention to deal with major issues such as locating and gaining access to virtual/Internet-mediated fields, selecting e-participants and working with them, and using varieties of ICT tools for data collection, analysis and interpretation.


References

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Data mining: Concepts and techniques. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publisher. Harrington, M. C. (2009). An ethnographic comparison of real and virtual reality field trips to trillium. Children, Youth and Environments, 19(1), 74-101. Hesse-Biber , S., & Griffin, A. J. (2013). Internet-Mediated technologies and mixed methods research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 7(1), 43-61. Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. London: Sage. Hine, C. (Ed.). (2005). Virtual methods: Issues in social research on the Internet. New York: Oxford International Publishers Ltd. Holmes, D. R., & Marcus, E. G. (2008). Refunctioning ethnography the challenge of an anthropology of the contemporary. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), The Landscape of Qualitative Research (pp. 519-537). New Delhi: Sage. 167 Kozinets, R. V. (2002). The field behind the screen: Using Netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(1), 61-72. Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing ethnographic research online. Washington DC: Sage. Latour, B., Jensen, P., Venturini, T., Grauwin, S., & Boullier, D. (2012). The whole is always smaller than its parts’ – a digital test of Gabriel Tardes’ monads. The British Journal of Sociology, 63(4), 590-615. Madge, C., & O'Connor, H. (2002). On-line with e-mums: exploring the Internet as a medium for research. Wiley, 34(1), 92-102. Makagon, D. (2013). Collective fieldwork interviews in the classroom without walls. Qualitative Communication Research, 2(4), 356-380. Markham, A. N. (2011). Internet Research. In Silverman, D. (Eds.). Qualitative research: Theory, method, and practices, (3rd ed.). London: Sage. Marres, N. (2015). Why Map Issues? On controversy analysis as a digital method. Science, Technology & Human Values, in press. Marres, N., & Gerlitz, C., (2015). Interface methods: Renegotiating relations between digital social research, STS and the sociology of innovation. Sociological Review,64(1). doi: 10.1111/1467-954X.12314 Messaoud, R. B., Rabaséda, S. L., Missaoui, R., & Boussaid, O. (2008). An online environment for mining association rules in multidimensional data. In D. Taniar, Data mining and knowledge discovery technology (pp. 1-35). New York: IGI Publishing. Paechter, C. (2012). Researching sensitive issues online: implications of a hybrid insider/outsider position in a retrospective ethnographic study. Qualitative Research, 13(1), 71-86. Peachey, A. (2010). The third place in second life: Real life community in a virtual world. In Researching learning in virtual world (pp. 91-110). London: Springer. Rogers, R. (2009). The end of the virtual: Digital methods. Inaugural Lecture Series, vol. 339. Amsterdam University Press. Smith, J. A. (2008). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Sage. Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press. Weeden, M. R. (2012). Ethics and on-line research methodology. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 9(1), 40-51. Woolgar, S. (2002). Introduction: Five rules of virtuality. In S. Wooglar (Eds.), Virtual society? Technology, Cyberbole, Reality (pp. 1-22). New York: Oxford University Press.
Year 2017, Volume: 18 Issue: 3, 156 - 167, 01.07.2017
https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.328946

Abstract

References

  • Akbulut, Y. (2015). Predictors of inconsistent responding in web surveys. Internet Research, 25(1), 131-147. Asdal, K., & Moser, I. (2012). Experiments in context and contexting. Science, Technology & Human Values, 37(4), 291-306. 166 Bainbridge, W. S. (2007). The scientific research potential of virtual world. Science, New Series, 317(5837), 471-476. Battles, H. T. (2010). Exploring ethical and methodological issues. International Journal of Qualitative Method, 9(1), 27-39. Chi, M. T. (1997). Quantifying qualitative analyses of verbal data: A practical guide. The journal of the learning sciences, 6(3), 271-315. Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Dicks, B., Mason, B., Coffey, A. & Atkinson, P. (2005). Qualitative research and hypermedia: Ethnography for the digital age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Emerton, M. (2003). Ethical and methodological problems in online research. Australia: Faculty of Arts, University of Wollongong. Fernback, J. (1999). There is a there there. In S. Jones (Eds.), Doing internet research: Critical issues and methods for examining the net. Sage. Thousand Oaks Flick, U. (2006). An introduction to qualitative research (3rd ed.). London: Sage. Gatson, S. N. (2011). The methods, politics, and ethics of representation in online ethnography. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln, The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 513-527). Thousand Oaks, London: Sage. Guimaraes, M. J. (2005). Doing anthropology in cyberspace: Fieldwork boundaries and social environments. In C. Hine (Ed.), Virtual methods: Issues in social research on the Internet (pp. 141-156). Newyork: Berg, Oxford. Hammer, D., & Berland, L. K. (2013). Confusing claims for data: A critique of common practices for presenting qualitative research on learning. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 23(1), 37-46. Han, J., & Kamber, M. (2000). Data mining: Concepts and techniques. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publisher. Harrington, M. C. (2009). An ethnographic comparison of real and virtual reality field trips to trillium. Children, Youth and Environments, 19(1), 74-101. Hesse-Biber , S., & Griffin, A. J. (2013). Internet-Mediated technologies and mixed methods research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 7(1), 43-61. Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. London: Sage. Hine, C. (Ed.). (2005). Virtual methods: Issues in social research on the Internet. New York: Oxford International Publishers Ltd. Holmes, D. R., & Marcus, E. G. (2008). Refunctioning ethnography the challenge of an anthropology of the contemporary. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), The Landscape of Qualitative Research (pp. 519-537). New Delhi: Sage. 167 Kozinets, R. V. (2002). The field behind the screen: Using Netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(1), 61-72. Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing ethnographic research online. Washington DC: Sage. Latour, B., Jensen, P., Venturini, T., Grauwin, S., & Boullier, D. (2012). The whole is always smaller than its parts’ – a digital test of Gabriel Tardes’ monads. The British Journal of Sociology, 63(4), 590-615. Madge, C., & O'Connor, H. (2002). On-line with e-mums: exploring the Internet as a medium for research. Wiley, 34(1), 92-102. Makagon, D. (2013). Collective fieldwork interviews in the classroom without walls. Qualitative Communication Research, 2(4), 356-380. Markham, A. N. (2011). Internet Research. In Silverman, D. (Eds.). Qualitative research: Theory, method, and practices, (3rd ed.). London: Sage. Marres, N. (2015). Why Map Issues? On controversy analysis as a digital method. Science, Technology & Human Values, in press. Marres, N., & Gerlitz, C., (2015). Interface methods: Renegotiating relations between digital social research, STS and the sociology of innovation. Sociological Review,64(1). doi: 10.1111/1467-954X.12314 Messaoud, R. B., Rabaséda, S. L., Missaoui, R., & Boussaid, O. (2008). An online environment for mining association rules in multidimensional data. In D. Taniar, Data mining and knowledge discovery technology (pp. 1-35). New York: IGI Publishing. Paechter, C. (2012). Researching sensitive issues online: implications of a hybrid insider/outsider position in a retrospective ethnographic study. Qualitative Research, 13(1), 71-86. Peachey, A. (2010). The third place in second life: Real life community in a virtual world. In Researching learning in virtual world (pp. 91-110). London: Springer. Rogers, R. (2009). The end of the virtual: Digital methods. Inaugural Lecture Series, vol. 339. Amsterdam University Press. Smith, J. A. (2008). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Sage. Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press. Weeden, M. R. (2012). Ethics and on-line research methodology. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 9(1), 40-51. Woolgar, S. (2002). Introduction: Five rules of virtuality. In S. Wooglar (Eds.), Virtual society? Technology, Cyberbole, Reality (pp. 1-22). New York: Oxford University Press.
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Details

Journal Section Articles
Authors

Shesha Kanta Pangenı This is me

Publication Date July 1, 2017
Submission Date July 17, 2017
Published in Issue Year 2017 Volume: 18 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Pangenı, S. K. (2017). Issues in E-Research: Log In/Out Virtual Fields. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 18(3), 156-167. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.328946