The research question for the identified study was defined as “How effective were the professional development programs in improving teacher skills, as perceived by students of Green Valley Community College?” Following the identification of the research question, it becomes necessary to define the research design that will be used in the completion of the study. In this case, the research question indicates that the study will be qualitative in nature for the provided scenario, given the focus on student perceptions (Creswell, 2012; Farber, 2006). The next step, once the methodology has been set, is the identification of the research design to be used in the completion of the study.

There are five primary qualitative designs that are most commonly used, including the narrative inquiry, the grounded theory approach, the case study, the ethnography, and the phenomenology (Creswell, 2013). The narrative inquiry approach was considered, but this approach would focus more on student life experiences than it would the perceptions of students regarding the effectiveness of teacher development programs; this approach was dismissed (Creswell, 2013). The grounded theory approach was dismissed, as the purpose of the study is not to generate a new theory (Creswell, 2013). The ethnography was dismissed as well, given that this type of study is beneficial in the completion of cultural research, and though it could be argued that the culture of the school would suffice, the study is not one that is anthropological in nature, nor is the researcher a participant, two characteristics that are common determinants in whether or not to adopt this research design (Creswell, 2013). The phenomenology allows for the collection of lived experiences, making it a potential candidate though it does require an extensive amount of time for the collection of that data (Creswell, 2013). The case study approach allows for the study of a specific group within a set population boundary, making it better suited for the type of information being collected and in light of the given population (Creswell, 2013).

The people that will make up the sample pool will be students who are taking classes being taught by professors who have gone through the different professional development programs. The research site will be the college campus itself. Given that the students already complete end-of-course surveys, and it is from this information that the previous disinterest from students was recorded, this same method of data collection will be used to determine the effectiveness of the completed professional development programs.

There is often a certain degree of confusion when the term survey is used in the completion of qualitative research, as there is a blanket assumption that this is primarily a quantitative instrument, however this is not the case. In qualitative research, particularly in social research, the survey is a strong instrument that can provide a host of beneficial data (Jansen, 2010). The qualitative survey works as an instrument as it is able to provide specific characteristics within a given population, allowing for further exploration of a given topic (Jansen, 2010). Thus, though the word survey is used in the identifying name of the instrument, this consists primarily of short answer questions regarding the course, complete with several confirmation questions regarding the specific course that was taken and the professor offering the course itself. It is a qualitative instrument, in spite of the use of the word survey in the title.

As students, in completing the surveys, grant the college the ability to use the collected data toward the improvement of college course offerings, the school will have already obtained permission to use the collected data toward such a purpose as that identified in previous documents pertaining to this study. Students are not obligated to complete the end-of-course surveys, most of which include 5-10 questions and request short-answer responses, making the sampling strategy to be used that of a selective, purposive sample. The selective sample allows for the identification of a group of individuals based on the amount of time available for the completion of the study, the framework being used, and based on restrictions placed on data collected and as molded by the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study (Coyne, 1997). A purposive sample allows for the selection of “information-rich cases for study,” ensuring that there may be a greater depth to the completed study, and that it will enable the researcher to more effectively and thoroughly explore the identified topic at hand (Coyne, 1997, p. 624).

Thus, in order to obtain permission to access the data to complete the study on behalf of the school, the researcher will need to obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board, and will need to contact the administration in order to obtain permission to access the data collected as a result of the qualitative end-of-course surveys. As these data are already scrubbed of all personal data, and as each response is collected in a database divided by class taken and professor with whom the class was taken, as there are certain courses taught by multiple professors, the only other data that I will need will be the initial dataset from the university where it was noted that student interest was flagging and the list of which professors have taken which professional development courses, so this information may be factored into the analysis of the student perception data.

Through a comparison of the student responses prior to the professional development programs and after the professors have completed the professional development programs, it will be possible to identify which of the professional development programs completed by the professors provided the highest level of benefit in terms of improving student interest and engagement. This will not only allow for the resolution of the identified research question, it will work to ensure that the college is able to obtain the data it needs in order to continue to work to improve school offerings for its students.