CHAPTER I

I. PROBLEMATIC SITUATION

Nowadays, there is a clear prevalence of the quantitative research over the

qualitative research but both of them present advantages and disadvantages.

When applying the quantitative method, there is a tendency aimed to be served

from the subject of study. In second place, the qualitative approach is aiming to ask

and the quantitative approach is aiming to respond. Thirdly, the qualitative

approach allows a more horizontal communication among the investigator and

those being investigated, a major naturalness and ability of studying the social

factors in a natural setting. Finally, the qualitative research questions to the

quantitative research: Are generalizable those discoveries? The quantitative

research questions to the qualitative : Are generalizable those discoveries?

Therefore, it is concluded that the use of both procedures in an investigation could

probably help to correct the biases of each method. Therefore, the quantitative and

the qualitative are seen in a contradictory way, but like two cohesive and

supplementary devices.

The selection of the method to follow during the development of thesis in most

cases is due to the lack of knowledge of the existent research methodology,

commonly opting for a quantitative approach in which is used the collecting and

the analysis of data to answer research questions, and to prove previously

established hypotheses. This method relies on the numerical measurement, the

use of statistical procedures (Sampieri 2002), but this is insufficient to assume to

the perspective of the subjects implied in the research and the positivist

formalization of this approach ignores the multiple facets of the social processes.

On the other hand, a qualitative research practice allows the knowledge of reality

from a holistic perspective that integrates subject and object, making possible the

understanding of their links and their interactions. That is why, through the

qualitative research you can extend deeply the knowledge in the progress of the

acquisition of a foreign language. Besides, a qualitative research proposes the

solution of sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic problems that can be analyzed

exhaustively.

The qualitative research uses different technical methods that are applied to areas

related to the process of learning English as a second language. The qualitative

research supposes a critical vision toward the traditional sciences and its

knowledge built from formative bases that can pursue social changes. This

position emphasizes the purposes of the investigation, its epistemological

foundations, as well as a wide definition of the concept. According to Denzin and

Lincoln, the qualitative research is a group of interpretative practices. These have

no bound with a certain theory or paradigm in particular, it is not exclusive of one or

another area of knowledge, neither it processes its own methods. But it is worth of

the approaches, the methods and techniques of diverse disciplines and theoretical

perspectives as ethnometodology, phenometodology, psychoanalysis, cultural

studies, the critical theory, the positivism, and the post-positivism among others.

At present, there is no method that guarantees that the generalization of a

hypothesis can be refused with single evidence against it. Consequently,

scientifics like K. Koppler looks for better explanations all the time. Some authors

say that in terms of internal validity a Quantitative method is weak ,It is hardly ever

known if they measure what they want to measure; but the Quantitative method is

strong in external validity. The method findings can be generalizable to the

population but the qualitative method is considered opposite.

II. JUSTIFICATION

The study to be developed is “A Qualitative research approach as a proposal for

researching projects developed by undergraduate students majoring in

Licenciatura en Idioma Ingles at Universidad de Oriente”.

Through this research project is developed a research directed to the qualitative

approach which methodological foundation stood out, as well as, its performing in

the Humanistic Sciences and others where they can be applied. This research

project took as a development context the students majoring in Licenciatura del

Idioma Ingles at Universidad de Oriente San Miguel.

The Qualitative research is appropriate to the development of research projects in

the English Language because it is through the observation and interaction with

people that the necessary data is gathered to establish the Qualitative research

method. The curriculum for the English major does not have numerical subjects,

and that it is why students should apply the Qualitative research instead of the

Quantitative method.

The investigation is relevant because it offers an innovation to the development of

this kind of research project. The investigations through qualitative methods rely

on techniques to gather the meaning of facts and phenomena that can happen in

the economic, social, political or cultural educational setting.

Beside it is proved that most of the theses developed at Universidad de Oriente by

the School of Arts and Sciences have a quantitative approach. To support this

assertion some indexes thesis have been included .(See annex # 1).

It is important to point out that the qualitatitive method carries out a theoretical

systematization of the information referred to the quantitative paradigm, starting

from the suppositions that hold it. The results would come to solve problems in this

kind of investigation. The data presented in a contextualized way will respond to

the question, how can the methods be understood? How can they be applied to

research the Salvadorean reality?.

On the other hand, this research project pretends to benefit Universidad de

Oriente by a systematization of data that would be a source to support researching

activities.

III. OBJECTIVES

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To provide theoretical and methodological foundations to develop qualitative

research projects by the students majoring in Licenciatura en Idioma Inglés.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To describe the theoretical foundation of the process of the qualitative

research.

2. To establish the methods and techniques of the qualitative research.

3. To provide guidelines to do qualitative research projects applied to foreing

language learning issuses.