Assessment Information
Subject Code: BUS605
Subject Name: Business Research Methodology and Data Collection
Assessment Title: Assessment 2 – Qualitative data collection, coding and analysis (Individual Written Report)
Weighting: 40 %
Total Marks: Length: 40
2500 (+- 10%)
Due Date: Submission due Week 8 – Sunday at 11.59 pm
COURSE: Master of Business (Research)
Unit: Business Research Methodology and Data Collection
Unit Code: BUS605
Type of
Assessment: Assessment 2 – Individual Written Report
Unit Learning Outcomes addressed: (a) Demonstrate an advanced ability to identify, assimilate, and review applications of, particular research techniques.
(b) Identify various means of data collection that are feasible and can be ethically enacted.
(c) Articulate and critically evaluate differences between alternative research methodologies.
(d) Explain how research outcomes may be affected by the nature and application of particular research techniques.
(e) Demonstrate an advanced ability to construct a robust methodology for addressing a research question.
(f) Explain how the use of selected methodologies is relevant to a specific research proposal.
Criteria for Assessment: • Clarity of introduction
• Literature review
• Methods
• Findings of a qualitative study
Submission Date: Week 8 (online submission).
Total Mark & Weighting: 40 marks | 40%
Students are advised that any submissions past the due date without an approved extension or approved extenuating circumstances incur a 5% penalty per calendar day,
calculated from the total mark e.g. a task marked out of 40 will incur a 2-mark penalty per calendar day.
Task description
This assessment will help you to design and implement a qualitative study. The knowledge and skills you have acquired in BUS 600, BUS 604, and BUS 606 will be useful in this assessment.
Scenario
Excelsia College is one of the fastest-growing faith-based Colleges in Australia. The College relies mostly on international students. As part of developing student satisfaction strategy, the College is seeking to understand the learning experience of its international students. Based on this scenario, conduct qualitative research to help the College to obtain useful insights to develop the strategy.
You must identify, define, and situate the research problem in relevant literature and theory. Develop research questions and research objectives based on your research problem. Please limit your research questions to three.
To clearly define and justify your research problem, you must learn from the existing literature and understand what other researchers have done and how they have done it. Thus, you must critically review relevant literature on the above topic. The literature review will enable you to overcome challenges in designing your research and implementing it (Please review not less than 20 journal articles from top-tier journals).
Design your qualitative study and report your findings. After the literature review, use an appropriate qualitative research strategy to address the research problem you have identified. Identify and describe your sample for the study. Based on the research questions, design a semistructured interview guide to collect data from your sample. Limit your sample size to four. Describe how you selected your sample, how you contacted them, and how you conducted interviews, how long the interview took, and how you recorded the interviews. Transcribe all the interviews, code them, and analyze using a thematic analysis technique. Provide justifications for all your methodological decisions.
Attach your codes and interview transcripts as appendices.
Structure of the research report:
Abstract: state your research objective, your research strategy, sample, participant selection method, data collection method, data analysis method, key findings.
Introduction: Using relevant sources describe the basic facts and importance of the research topic – provide the general and specific contexts of the study. Describe clearly and concisely, the issues you want to address- state the specific problem you want to address (e.g. lack of understanding of the subject, competing explanations, overlooked area), situate it in the relevant literature, and theory. State the motivation of your research and how important is it for Excelsia College, the education sector in Australia, and knowledge advancement. State your research questions/ objectives.
Qualitative design: Based on your research design conduct your qualitative study. Restate your research questions/ objectives. Describe the qualitative research strategy you have chosen for your study.
Identify and describe your sample for the study- who are the participants of your study?. Provide justifications for selecting these participants.
Based on your research questions, design a semi-structured interview guide to collect data from your participants. Provide justifications for using a semi-structured interview for your data collection.
Describe how you selected your participants, how you contacted them, how you conducted your interviews, how long the interview took, and how you recorded the interviews. Provide justifications for your decisions.
Analysis and Findings: Transcribe all the interviews, code them, and analyze using a thematic analysis technique. Write a report to present your key findings.
Total Marks: /35
Criteria for Written Report High Distinction 85%-100% Distinction 75%-84% Credit
65%-74% Pass 50%-64% Fail 0-49
Clarity of introduction (problem, research question, and research objectives) (5 marks) All aspects of the research problem are defined.
Research problem, research question (s), research aim are clearly stated. Most aspects of the research problem are defined.
Research problem, research question (s), research aim are well stated. Some aspects of the research problem are defined.
The clarity of the research problem, research question (s), research are slightly lacking. Very few aspects of the research problem are defined.
Research problem, lacks clarity, research question (s), research aim are inconsistent with the research problem. The scope of the research problem is inaccurately defined.
The research problem lacks clarity, research question (s), research aim are poorly presented.
Literature review (10 marks) The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the literature.
Seminal papers are cited, the literature supports the research problem and leads to the research questions. The student has shown an adequate understanding of the literature.
Some relevant seminal papers are cited, the literature supports the research problem and leads to the research questions. The student has shown some understanding of the literature.
Some papers are cited, literature slightly supports the research problem and research questions. The student descriptively presents very little literature.
Papers cited do not accurately support the overall argument of the study. A very limited review/ no literature is presented.
Methods (10 marks) The student has described and justified all the methodological decisions.
The interview guide completely addresses the research question. Most research methods are clearly described with justifications.
The interview guide mostly addresses the research question.
Some of the research methods are clearly described, justifications are slightly weak.
The interview guide to some extent addresses the research question.
Very few research methods are clearly identified.
The interview guide inaccurately addresses the research question.
The clarity of the methods is lacking. The interview guide is poorly designed and does not accurately address the research questions.
Findings of a qualitative study (10 marks) Four participants were interviewed.
Coding and codes are accurate. All findings address Three participants were interviewed.
Most of the findings are related to the interview guide, most of Two participants interviewed.
Some of the findings are related to the interview One participant was interviewed.
The clarity of the findings lacks clarity, has little Data analysis is poorly done, very limited, or no
the research and are related questions used in the interview.
the findings are address some of the research questions.
guide, some of the findings address the research questions.
relation to the questions used in the interview. relevant findings are reported.
Academic writing (5 marks) Writing is very well clear, concise, and coherent. Discipline-specific language has been used.
Arguments are supported by relevant sources.
No grammatical and punctuation errors.
Over 15 journal articles have cited, report accurately referenced in APA format. Writing is very well clear, concise, and coherent. Discipline-specific language has been used.
Exhibits and Facts are clearly presented in support of claims. Very little grammatical and punctuation errors.
At least 10 journal articles have been used to identify the research problem.
The report is accurately referenced in APA format.
Writing is very well clear, concise, and however, the logical flow is slightly lacking. coherent. Discipline-specific language has been used.
Arguments are not well supported with relevant sources.
Some little grammatical and punctuation errors.
At least 8 journal articles are used to identify the research problem.
Most of the references are consistent with the APA format
Reasonably organized report is presented in discipline-specific academic language.
Some grammatical and punctuation errors.
At least 3 journal articles are used to identify the
research problem
Referencing is slightly inconsistent with the APA format.
Discipline-specific language is hardly used. The arguments lack coherence and support.
Very limited sources were used.
Referencing is poorly done.