This project is to run a pair of one-day workshops on qualitative research methods, for use in computer science education research. Computer science education researchers examine issues such as overall retention, retention of women and minorities, ways students understand or fail to understand key concepts, effective teaching techniques, and other issues relating to teaching and learning computer science. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are important in educational research. However, the typical computer science researcher is only comfortable with quantitative methods and has had little or no exposure to qualitative ones.
These workshops provide active computer science education researchers with a short course in two or three qualitative research methods. The first workshop covers the theory, and teaches participants how to design and conduct studies that involve qualitative techniques. Participants design and implement small qualitative research projects between the two workshops.
Intellectual merit: This project takes well-trained computing researchers and expands their repertoire of research techniques by bringing in an expert in qualitative research methodologies to provide guidance.
Broader impacts: Participants improve their ability to collect and analyze qualitative data. This improves the overall quality of research in computer science education. Naturally, an increase in quality of computer science education research leads to an increase in quality of computer science education practice, pedagogy and curriculum.
