As I outlined in my Research Methodology post, I have switched gears a decent bit and will be looking in to how women have been affected in leadership roles within the A10 Conference and why exactly that is. I will be looking more closely at leadership positions like Athletic Directors, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Media/Content Creator, and Coaches just to name a few. As far as that is concerned, that will be quantitative research as I plainly gather numbers and compare them to a specific time period from an appropriate enough distance before today. That is just the beginning however as I will then be moving in to a more qualitative space.
With this, I am tentatively planning on reaching out to a number of members from the A10, University of Richmond included, with a prepared free-response survey of sorts. I will be asking questions regarding how that individual believes gender equality has been upheld within the A10 and then how they have seen women in leadership roles affected in their time there. Do they see any signs of a homophobic boy’s club to speak? Do they feel as though heterosexism may discourage qualified candidates from job retention/longevity or promotion? Do they feel as though a woman or man is better suited to be in their position? Why or Why not? Perhaps even posing whether they think women have been affected by Title IX in the conference or if they genuinely believe that the most qualified candidates have their positions across the board? I will be eliminating my bias from all of these questions as to not give away which way lean so that it stays as neutral as possible. From there, I plan on going back through the responses received and putting together a chart of some kind as to demonstrate a unit of measurement to analyze and utilize in my own research proposal.
As of now, that is as far as I have gotten in terms of being able to analyze data and utilize important information gathered in the field. I think it important I take care of that first, analyze the information I have and then go back to the research questions in order to best understand the direction I am headed and where to go next.
Sounds like a survey will be your method, although it’s also clear that you’re interested in capturing quantitative data. The construction of your survey and its scope will be very important, and you’ll need to draft the questions you intend to ask in your proposal. Keep in mind that you survey questions should limit themselves to helping you answer your research question. If your research question continues to fluctuate, then your survey questions will be unclear, and that will result in data that you’re not sure how to analyze. Be sure to revisit your research question to so you’re able to construct clear and specific survey questions that will limit themselves to helping you answer your research question.