RSCH FPX 7868 Assessment 1 Developing a Research Question for Qualitative Studies

RSCH FPX 7868 Assessment 1 Developing a Research Question for Qualitative Studies

Student Name

Capella University

RSCH-FPX7868 – Qualitative Design and Analysis

Professor Name

Date

Research Topic

Literacy plays an important role in shaping the future of the individual due to the direct linkage with employment opportunities. In the United States, approximately 130 million adults lacked literacy (Nietzel, 2020). The research topic is as follows: “Investigating the black adult perceptions regarding the low literacy: A qualitative study”.

The purpose of a qualitative study is to provide information about the individual experiences of black adults with low literacy. Specifically, the black adults encounter barriers in seeking the required education (Willis, 2022). Moreover, the study explores the obstacles faced in accessing education and the strategies to improve the literacy rate. The qualitative approach is appropriate as a method that allows for the exploration of individual perspectives, social context, and emotional impact concerning the topic of low literacy. 

Concepts and Target Population

The core concepts of the study include low literacy, barriers to accessing education, and the factors leading to literacy gaps. Barriers to literacy, such as educational inequities and socioeconomic challenges that prevent adults from accessing education (Zickafoose et al., 2024). Also, the study specifically focuses on how social, economic, and other institutional factors shape literacy experiences. Addressing diverse factors helps in understanding how the factors lead to lower literacy rates among black adults in the United States (Willis, 2022).

The core concepts’ interrelationship revealed the impact of the barriers on the literacy experiences of black individuals (Mimirinis et al., 2023). Thus, the concepts help in identifying how the diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds directly impact the literacy rate of black people. The target population for the study includes black adults aged 18 years or older in the United States. 

Topic Background

Literacy is a fundamental skill that allows individuals to engage with society and helps in maintaining economic and personal well-being. Nevertheless, the United States has major literacy issues even as a developed country. About 130 million adults in the U.S have low literacy skills who cannot read, write, or understand basic text (Nietzel, 2020). The issue disproportionately affects the low-income groups and racial and ethnic minorities. Low literacy is evident among black people, thereby widening the possibility for persistent social inequalities (Nietzel, 2020).

Also, a low literacy rate among black adults prevents them from securing a stable job, which eventually affects their economic stability. Thus, the problem affects not just the individuals but also generates vast social and financial losses, causing declines in workforce productivity (Rochmes, 2024). The multifaceted nature of the adult literacy problem, interacting with social, economic, and psychological factors, makes qualitative research would best fit to understand the experience of black adults with low literacy in the United States (Lim, 2024).

Topic Rationale

A Research Question for Each of the Five Methodological Approaches

• Ethnography: What are the black adult perceptions regarding the literacy gaps?
• Case Study: How do the beliefs and assumptions of the black adults now affect academic life? 
• Phenomenology: What are the lived experiences of the black adults encountering the socioeconomic barriers in accessing literacy?
• Grounded Theory: What educational theory helps understand the concept of the literacy gap?
• Generic Qualitative Inquiry: What are the causative factors that prevent adults from seeking higher education?

How Each Methodological Approach Aligns With a Research Question

The ethnography approach helps in investigating the perspectives of a certain group (Gertner et al., 2021). The research question is as follows: What are the black adult perceptions regarding the literacy gaps? Thus, the ethnography research focuses on exploring the black people’s perspectives regarding the literacy gaps (Pahl & Rasool, 2021). The approach helps in assessing how cultural beliefs, traditions, and social norms shape the effects on literacy (Pahl & Rasool, 2021). The research question is a good fit with ethnography and portrays a shared cultural perception of literacy gaps in the black adult community.

The case study approach focuses on assessing the particular insights regarding a phenomenon from an individual (Priya, 2021). The question based on the case study approach is as follows: How do the beliefs and assumptions of the black adults now affect academic life?  Thus, the approach provides comprehensive discussions on how beliefs actually affect academic outcomes (Priya, 2021). The research question falls under the category of a case study as it seeks to understand how beliefs and assumptions generate diversity in academic performance, requiring an in-depth understanding within a defined group.

In the phenomenology study, the core concept is to evaluate the lived experiences of individuals (Bouzioti, 2023). The research question for the phenomenology approach is as follows: What are the lived experiences of the black adults encountering the socioeconomic barriers in accessing literacy? Hence, the question relates to a phenomenon and refers to assessing the facets of the socioeconomic obstacles to literacy (Stolz, 2020). Therefore, the research question informs phenomenology and provides deep experiences of black adults experiencing socioeconomic barriers to literacy.

The grounded theory approach relies on existing theoretical concepts to identify patterns in data (Stough & Lee, 2021). Research question developed based on grounded theory approach is mentioned subsequently: What educational theory helps in understanding the concept of literacy gap?  Thus, the method assists in understanding the causes for the literacy gaps and how effective strategies could be used to manage the gap using educational theories (Stough & Lee, 2021). This research question conforms to the premise of grounded theory and relies on constructing an academic theory to explain literacy gaps.

The general qualitative approach is a method of the qualitative study that focuses on exploring the individual ideas and beliefs that are not followed by the theoretical frameworks (Wint et al., 2021). The generic approach relies on the descriptive data that help in making informed decisions (Wint et al., 2021). The question for the proposed study using a generic qualitative inquiry is as follows: What are the causative factors that prevent adults from seeking higher education? Thus, the participant provides the reasons, challenges, and experiences of the participant toward higher education (Wint et al., 2021). The research question pertains to generic qualitative inquiry and describes the various aspects of possible factors that lead to lower literacy, but does not specify using a particular theoretical framework.

Conclusion

The research topic focuses on exploring the perspectives of black adults regarding low literacy. Core concepts include factors leading to low literacy and barriers to accessing education. Low literacy among black adults in the United States is a complicated problem that has far-reaching impacts on individuals. A research question is formulated for the five approaches of qualitative study. Moreover, the association of the question with the approaches helps in investigating the perspectives of black people through different methods.

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