For This Assignment, You Will Develop A 24-Page Interview GU
For This Assignment You Will Develop A 24 Page Interview Guide For A
For this assignment, you will develop a 2–4 page interview guide for a research study, focusing on issues of work-life balance for online learners in a business or technology doctoral program. The questions in the interview guide must: Be conceptually valid. Flow logically from the concepts and theories you plan to explore in your research. Generate the type of data you are seeking. You will be able to further refine your proposed questions using instructor feedback on this assignment before conducting interviews and gathering data for analysis.
Instructions For this assignment, review the articles about work-life balance and online learners from the unit readings. The research purpose statement you construct in the next step must be developed from concepts described in one or more of these articles. Construct a research purpose statement based on selected references that is informed by an abbreviated theoretical framework and includes the research methodology and a construct of the central phenomenon, experience/event, or process that will be the focus of the study. To do this, develop a research purpose using an abbreviated theoretical framework. The research purpose must be developed from concepts described in one or more of the articles on work-life balance for online learners.
Use the following research purpose template adapted from Creswell (2009) to develop your research purpose statement: The purpose of this _________________ (exploratory/generic qualitative inquiry, phenomenological, case study, grounded theory, Delphi) research is to ________ (understand, describe, develop, discover) the ________ (central phenomenon, experience/event, process) for online learners in a business or technology doctoral program informed by the ________(theoretical framework). At this stage in the research, the ______ (central phenomenon, experience/event, process) being studied will be generally defined as ____________ (provide a credibly supported definition). Construct a research question or questions as needed.
The questions must clearly align with the research purpose statement, use constructs from the purpose statement, and be characteristic of the chosen methodology. Specifically, as you write the research questions, ensure: There is a clear link between the research purpose and research questions. The questions must speak explicitly to the phenomenon, experience/event, or process and the associated constructs under study. The constructs in the questions are identical to those discussed in the purpose and the selected theoretical framework. The primary research question recasts the purpose in question form. Subquestions, if needed, represent deeper or further inquiry into relevant subissues such as constructs of the overarching phenomenon, experience/event, or processes under study. The research questions are characteristic of the research methodology and align with the methodological approach (exploratory/generic qualitative inquiry, phenomenological, case study, grounded theory, Delphi) identified in the research purpose.​
Develop 8–10 open-ended interview questions that will be responsive to the research question and are appropriate for the collection of data from your population. Order the questions to promote logical interview flow, ease of interaction, and rapport building between the interviewer and interviewee.
Be sure the questions flow logically from the research purpose and research question, are suitably worded for your population (online learners), and will capture the data you seek in response to your research question.​ Construct a chart to show how each proposed question relates to the research purpose, research question, and key concepts or theories. Be sure to use wording that is clear and suitable for your population (sample of participants) yet consistent with good scholarly writing and free of grammatical or other mechanical errors. Additional Requirements Written communication : Written communication must be grammatically correct and free of errors that detract from the overall message. Writing should be consistent with graduate-level scholarship. Length of paper : 2–4 double-spaced pages. APA format : Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting. Font and font size : Times New Roman, 12 point. Format : Document is submitted in .doc or .docx file format.
Paper For Above instruction
Understanding work-life balance among online learners in doctoral programs, especially in the fields of business and technology, is crucial given the increasing prevalence of online education and the unique challenges faced by these students. This research aims to explore the central phenomenon of work-life balance, defined as the dynamic equilibrium between paid work, academic responsibilities, personal life, and well-being, and how online learners navigate this complex interplay. Guided by a phenomenological approach, the study seeks to understand the lived experiences of online doctoral students concerning their balancing strategies, perceived barriers, and support mechanisms.
The primary purpose of this phenomenological research is to discover the lived experiences of online learners in a business or technology doctoral program concerning work-life balance, informed by Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), which emphasizes motivation, competence, and relatedness as key factors influencing individuals' capacity to manage multiple life domains. This framework helps to understand how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect learners' perceptions and practices of balancing academic and personal spheres. The phenomenon being studied is generally defined as individuals' subjective experiences and perceptions of managing work and life responsibilities while enrolled in online doctoral programs.
Based on this purpose, the central research question is: How do online doctoral students in business or technology programs experience and perceive work-life balance? Subquestions include: What strategies do they employ to manage their responsibilities? What barriers do they encounter? How do motivation and support systems influence their balancing efforts? These questions are designed to elicit rich, descriptive data that reflect the core aspects of the phenomenon.
To gather pertinent data, the following open-ended questions are developed, structured to facilitate a logical flow and rapport building:
- Can you describe your typical daily routine as an online doctoral student balancing work, study, and personal life?
- What challenges do you face in managing your responsibilities across these different areas?
- Can you share an experience where you felt particularly successful in maintaining your work-life balance?
- What strategies or techniques do you use to manage your time and commitments effectively?
- How does your motivation, whether internal or external, influence your approach to balancing your responsibilities?
- In what ways do the support systems available to you, such as family, peers, or institutional resources, impact your ability to maintain balance?
- Have you experienced any specific barriers or obstacles that make balancing difficult? How do you cope with these?
- How has your work-life balance changed since you started your doctoral program?
- What role do personal well-being and mental health play in your ability to maintain balance?
- Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with work-life balance as an online learner?
The above questions directly relate to the research purpose and are designed to explore the key constructs of motivation, barriers, strategies, and support systems outlined in the theoretical framework. They encourage participants to share detailed personal experiences, facilitating deep understanding of how online learners manage the complex demands of their academic, professional, and personal lives.
References
- Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
- Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.
- Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716.
- Pittman, M., & Irby, M. (2020). Online learning experiences and student engagement in higher education: A review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 1-15.
- Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning. Cengage Learning.
- Artino, A. R. (2008). Motivational influences on online learning: Comparing perspectives of high and low achievers. Internet and Higher Education, 11(3), 145–151.
- Kirkup, G., & Kyle, R. (2019). Journeying into the unknown: Online doctoral students’ experiences of navigating research supervision and accountability. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 10(1), 26-39.
- Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
- Gordon, M., & Wilkerson, S. (2015). Challenges of online doctoral students: A mixed-methods study. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 18(2).
- Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.