Introduction
The current study entails the determination of the constituents of a high self-esteem in young children. The methodology chapter details the approach of the researcher into answering this question. This section presents information on the paradigmatic choices of the researcher. The chapter will also outline the ontological and epistemological positions on which the study is based. The section will also outline the research design to be used and a description of the participants and their location. The methodology chapter will also highlight the materials that the researcher will use, the procedure through which the study will be performed, the modalities for the interviews and the participant observation and the reliability and validity concerns.
Paradigm
The researcher will use the interpretivist paradigm in the current study. The interpretivist paradigm believes in multiple and relative realities (Thomas, 2010, p.295); that the meaning of the realities is dependent on the perception and social construction as well as the meaning systems that are used in the interpretation of the information (Edirisingha, 2012). The paradigm also calls for the use of research structures that are flexible and receptive to capture the meaning in the interaction between human beings effectively (Edirisingha, 2012). This paradigm affects the choice of the research instruments.
Ontology
Ontology is concerned with being, realities and the nature of becoming. Ontology as a branch of philosophy is very central to this study. Ontology is influential to the choice of the methodological approach in the study (Ali, 2012). The ontological view upon which the study is based is that the interaction between people, the actions, their behavior and habits and how the recipients interpret them is important to their being (Ali, 2012). This is descriptive of the research intentions because the researcher seeks to understand how the actions of the teacher in rewarding, encouraging and praising the children influence their self-esteem (Ali, 2012).
Epistemology
Epistemology is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, the scope of knowledge, and the boundaries of knowledge. The methodological choices made by the researcher reflect an epistemological position that forms an antithesis to the positivism paradigm. Instead, it is influenced by the belief that people are unique (Becker, Bryman & Ferguson, 2012, p.127). It is based on this belief that that the researcher attempts to gain knowledge of the constituents of high self-esteem for young children. The way of gaining this knowledge is participating in the activities of the study objects to observe them closely (de Gialdino, 2009). The epistemological position upon which the study is based is that knowledge is developed through experience and observation because conversations are inadequate in acquiring the in-depth knowledge about something (Ali, 2012).
Research Design
The researcher will perform a qualitative study using the participant observation research design in order to determine the constituents of high self-esteem for young children. Participant observations enable the researcher to use all his senses to describe, elucidate and provided detailed explanations of the behaviors, events, and artifacts that are relevant to the subject on whom the study is based (Lacono, Brown & Holtham, 2009, p.40). The participant observations are performed in the natural environment of the subjects on whom the study is based (Lacono, Brown & Holtham, 2009, p.40). In this instance, the participant observations will be performed in the classroom as it is where the teacher and the young children interact. The researcher will take part in the classroom activities, but only a manner that does not disrupt the interaction between the teachers and the students (Kawulich, 2005.). The exposure to the activities of the children and the teacher will help the researcher get a first-hand experience of the factors that predict the self-esteem of the young children (Lacono, Brown & Holtham, 2009, p.40).
Participants and Location
The participants from who the participant observation will be performed to collect the qualitative data required to determine the constituents of self-esteem for young children include the teachers and the children. The teachers are in a good position to volunteer this information because they interact with the young children during class time, and as such, are privy to such information. The teachers use different approaches to motivate and reward the children during class time. The choice of a certain approach and its success in achieving the desired effect are important to understanding the constituents of self-esteem for the young children. The children are also important participants because they are the subjects on whom the study is based. Observing them in the classroom context as they interact with the teachers will give important information to the researcher that will aid in answering the research question.
Materials
Several materials will be used in the performance of this study. One of the materials is an observational checklist. The observational checklist will guide the researcher when collecting the date on what information, patterns, and behaviors to look for in both the children and the teachers. The researcher will also use an interview schedule during the study. The interview schedule will guide the researcher on the questions that need to be posed to the teachers (Watkins & Gioia, 2015, p.57). The interview schedule will be semi-structured thereby giving the researcher some leeway to explore other issues that he might deem importance based on the responses the interviewees (Zohrabi, 2013, p.255). The researcher will also use a voice recorder. The detail in the information is an important attribute of the data collected for qualitative studies. The voice recorder will be used to record the interview to allow the researcher to concentrate on moderating the interview and probing for clarity. The voice recorder will also allow the researcher ample time to go over the responses of the interviewee after the interview is over.
Procedure
The researcher will use semi-structured interviews and observation checklists to collect the information required to answer the research question (Jackson, 2008, p.89). The use of the tools will be guided by the unique needs for the information in the study. The focus of the researcher as has been fructified in the previous sections is to determine how the teachers use the aspect of praise, encouragement, and rewards in order to build the self-esteem of the children. The researcher is also concerned with how the use of encouragement, praise, and rewards affects the children. To acquire this caliber of information, the researcher will note the aspects of the child that the teacher chooses to reward, praise, or encourage. This could either be the process or the effort that a child applied in the classroom especially when they are required to perform a certain task or the person; meaning the ability of the child. The researcher will observe how the how the teacher achieves this and what approaches are used.
Interview
The interview will be performed with the teachers to the children. Before the interview, the researcher will introduce themselves officially. The researcher will then explain to the teacher the purpose of the interview and ho it contributes to the study. The research will explain the nature of the questions that the teacher can expect. The researcher will also inform the interviewee that they have the liberty to avoid questions that cause a conflict of interest or those questions that are too personal for their comfort while reiterating the importance of the interview.
The researcher will also inform the interviewee that their confidentiality will be guaranteed during and after the interview. The researcher will also issue the interviewee with an informed consent form that they will be required to sign to signify that the participation in the study was voluntary and was contingent to a clear explanation of the pertinent details regarding the study. The researcher will also request the consent of the interviewee to have their voice recorded during the study. The researcher will explain that the recordings will only be used for the data analysis purposes and that they will be destroyed after the exercise.
Observation
Participant observations are best performed when the subjects being studied are in their natural environment. This is to prevent any alteration of the normal behavior due to an environment that is manipulated. The researcher will perform the observations during the lessons or learning interactions between the teacher and the students. The researcher will position herself in a way that he does not interrupt the normal learning processes and activities. However, a vantage point where he can observe everything with ease is required. The researcher will use the checklist to note the occurrence of various happenings that decode the required information (McGrath & Coles, 2013, p.141). In addition, the researcher will look for the use of praise, rewards and encouragement from the teacher and determine whether it is the ability or the effort being rewarded, praised, or encouraged. The researcher will also observe and take notes of the approaches used by the teacher to encourage, praise, and reward and the effect that these approaches have on the child.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity are important to the trustworthiness of the findings of any study (Shenton, 2004, p.63). The researcher will make deliberate efforts to improve the reliability and validity of the study. One of the aspects that affect the internal validity is the credibility (Sullivan, 2011, p.119). In this regard, the researcher will make precise descriptions of the parameters that characterize the study (Fox, 1998, p.19). This involves the description of the study subjects, the methodology aspects, the location and the time of the study. These aspects are adequately described in this and the other sections of the dissertation proposal. Additionally, the credibility of the study is improved through the use of voice recorders during the interviews to ensure accurate recording of information (Fox, 1998, p.19).
The external validity of the study is affected by the transferability of the results. Even though the sampling techniques in the qualitative studies do not result in a representative sample (DeMonbrun, Finelli & Shekhar, 2015), the researcher will ensure that the present study benefits from the diversity in the study subjects (Fox, 1998, p.20). The internal reliability of the study is will be enhanced by ensuring that the measuring instrument that the researcher uses in collecting the data. The researcher will also make considerable efforts to rid himself of any bias so that there is an element of inter-observer reliability. Entrenching objectivity into the data collection process will also enhance the inter-observer reliability and the confirmability of the findings (Fox, 1998, p.20).
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