Research Methodology Essay

This look for carry is an satisfy query investigating into the issues of illiteracy in the occidental neighbourhood of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An go through research is a instance of qualitative research of cyclical nature which is used to improve charge (Parsons and Brown, 2002). In early(a) words, the work is meant to aid in executing an action plan that entrust help reduce illiteracy in the westward country of Abu Dhabi.It is meant to be cyclical in nature in that it is to a fault intended to improve the provision of pornographic literacy with time by providing a means by which the program can be adequately enforced and improved upon with time. The results of this work identified the specific aras that call for attention in the provision of learning for Abu Dhabi crowings that are forty years old and over. It besides suggested slipway of assessing progress and improving upon the program with time.At the end, the research wor k became a useful resource for Abu Dhabis Hesperian Region cultivation Council (WRDC) and opposite organizations who are stakeh quondam(a)s in improving adult acquire in the westward Region of Abu Dhabi. This chapter describes the stages and processes that were involved in carrying out the research work. It presented the information collection processes, describing overly, the target research participants, the research locations, involvements of the main stakeholder organization, different stakeholders enjoyments, and action plan towards the adoption, implementation, evaluation, and review of the research results.Research Design and Procedure The research plan of attack involved data gathering activities chartered at obtaining all the germane(predicate) information about illiteracy in the target field for this research. bigeminal sources and research meanss were used for the data gathering process. These includes, previous socio-economic studies in the westerly Regi on, the statistics of adult students in the literacy classes as obtained from the Family Development mental home and Abu Dhabi reproduction Council, refreshs and oppugns with semiliterate adults (forty years and over), and so on.The research made use of research consumes of adults who are forty years and to a higher place in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. The experiments of necessity consisted mostly of untaughts within the region. In attachment, otherwise sources were employed in gathering information and these shall be discussed further in the sections following. The data were on that pointafter examine to draw out workable solutions for the adult literacy program in the Western Region. Interviews with a Sample of Illiterate Adults Aged 40 Years and Over.The interviews were conducted curtly after realiseing initial contacts and discussing with parties that are of interest in the illiteracy issue. The interviews aim at establishing the attitudes of the old illite rates in the Western Region (40 years and over) towards the alterative measurements being taken to reduce illiteracy and how they gull come to shoot the ongoing adult literacy program lay by WRDC. Though the interviews were not formal or structured, questions were set to serve as guidelines during the interviews.A stress of the set of questions that were asked is as presented in Appendix A. For a proper geographical representation, the interviewees were picked from across the cities within the Western Region of Abu Dhabi and not just turn up from one city. The six cities from which the interviewees were drawn are Madinat Zayed, Al Mirfa, Ghayathi, Sila, Dalma, and Peda Al Mutawa. in that location was no strict pattern for the selection of the sample. Rather, convenience sample approach was used. The interviews spanned over a end of two months.In show to build it to a greater extent flexible, the interviews were conducted through different means. This included personal face-to-face interviews, folksy chatting during family and social gatherings, informal or semi formal phone chatting, and so on. The general strategy for the interviews was to start with broad questions and then follow up on the interviewees responses. Efforts were made to gain a full soul of how severally of the respondents captured the meaning of individually question.This helped to avoid imposing meanings on the interviewee. Rather, it helped the interview process to achieve its target of obtaining information purely as reflected by the adult illiterates. In addition, the interviews were done in a language that for each one interviewee understood rather than conducting exclusively in English or other unfamiliar languages. Most especially, the approach of adopting a mixture of languages was employed to go over that each interviewee feels at home in responding to the questions.This is inevitable in order to obtain a feedback that is not influenced by any adverse or embarrass ing conditions during the interview and this includes the effects that language barrier may take aim on the respondents if unfamiliar languages were used. Survey to Investigate the Reasons Behind Illiteracy for Adults Forty Years Old and Above. This is another research instrument that was used in addition to the interview. This is also more like the interview but is more formal in nature and administration.The intention of this was to obtain information from the illiterate adults as regards the reasons quarter their illiteracy. In other words, it intends to establish the reasons for the occurrence of gritty illiteracy rates in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. While the interviews responses will establish that there are indeed illiterate adults in this region and render clues as regards the attitudes of the illiterates towards adult literacy, the fall over results will explain the reasons behind the occurrence of laid-back illiteracy rate.As it was for the interview, the survey was conducted using a research sample of adult illiterates (forty years and over) obtained across the cities of the Western Region. The sample was drawn from Madinat Zayed, Al Mirfa, Ghayathi, Sila, and Dalma. In addition, the language was such that the respondents understood the questions being asked except in cases where this was a measure of the illiteracy levels of the respondents. The sample of the survey questions are as presented in appendix B below. Need read/write head Survey to know the cultivation necessitate of adult learners at the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.The ultimate objectives of this work are to ensure that the reasons behind high illiteracy rates are unearthed in the Western Region, and to enhance a high rate of patronage of the adult literacy classes. Thus, it will be necessary to gain insight into the learnedness needs of these illiterate adults so that the program may not continue to disappoint their expectations. In other words, there is a need to mak e the program all encompassing, visiting the expectations and the learning needs of the adults for who the program has been established.Moreover, the program should also be able to meet the needs of anticipating learners. In this light, a survey was also conducted to assess the learning needs of the illiterate adults at the Western Region. The sample of the survey instrument for this assessment is as included in appendix C. The survey sample at this time cut across the cities in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. However, the age range of the survey sample was deliberately chosen to be below 40 years.This is due to the fact it is not exclusively those above 40 years of age that has learning needs and it will be advantageous to set up a program that will be all encompassing, taking care of the needs of learners from age grades lower than 40 years. The sample age range was fixed between 20 and 70 years. It is to be noted that the assessment was not limited only to adults who have been enrolled in the program and are still part of the training. The sample also included those who were enrolled but could not continue as salubrious as those who did not enroll at any time.Again, the language of the survey was that which the respondents infer well and did not influence their responses in any way. Equipments Need Assessment. aft(prenominal) obtaining the results of the three earlier mentioned surveys, an assessment of the equipments need for the present adult learning centers in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi was carried out. Precisely, the five Family Development Foundation (FDF) distaff adult learning centers in the Western Regions cities (one each in five cities of Abu Dhabi Western Region Madinat Zayed, Al Mirfa, Ghayathi, Sila, and Dalma) were assessed.This was carried out in conjunction with the FDF to give weight to the exercise and ensure detailed responses. A formal letter was sent to each of the centers asking them to identify and soil their needs in te rms of the facilities, resources and other materials for their adult education classes, as it is peculiar to each center. These responses could also be used to infer what the needs of the corresponding evening manful classes are to an appreciable degree of accuracy. The male classes are also five (one in each of the five cities earlier mentioned).In addition, in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) a survey of the current enrollment in each of these male and female centers was taken. This provided a service line for comparison with the current situation in adult literacy efforts across other cities and regions of Abu Dhabi. Adoption and Implementation of Research Results This research work was carried out to establish practical solutions for illiterate people in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi especially those who are not interesting in the current official adult education program.The results of this work is to aid the main stakeholder organization, (WRDC) establ ish flexible adult learning program for adults who are 40 years or older but are not interested in the mainstream adult education options. In addition, the program would adopt lifelong learning approach towards literacy. On the long run, the outcome of the program, through the facilitation of the research, will improve on the social, health and economic conditions of the beneficiaries.After the fieldwork, the data were analyzed and the results obtained. Thereafter, in conjunction with WRDC and ground on the results of the abridgment, a strategic proposal/plan was drawn to provide a more workable and lasting solution in handling the peculiarities of adult learning in Abu Dhabis Western Region. This was then presented for discussions with other stakeholders whose support had been enlisted in the research work. The stakeholders are the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC).At the end of the stakeholders discussions, the proposal was reviewed and modified with the specific roles of each of the partners in the proposal clearly defined. The discussions also involved the program cost partition and budget. The funding for the program was then shared among the three parties involved in the program. Thereafter, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was drafted and signed by the three parties. The Roles of the Partners in Program Planning and Execution. The WRDC was to conduct needs assessment for Western Regions illiterate participants.Information to be gathered include their age, gender, willingness to introduce in the program and for how many a(prenominal) days or hours per week, preferred period of the day for lectures (wither morning or evening), preferred program duration (how many months or year), preferred location for lectures (whether in a Family Development Foundations learning center, a nearby school or other preferred locations), transportation needs, preferred subjects, how they want to learn, and so on. This has be en carried out earlier in the fieldwork as described in the previous sections. ADECs role was to identify needed learning materials (e. g. extbooks, copybooks, teacher guidebook, hand outs, etc) in addition to other similar roles.In addition, FDF has the role of clarifying learning surroundings characteristics and needs. These needs are mainly related to the equipments and furniture needs at the learning centers. These roles had been carried out as described earlier as well. ADEC and FDF also specified manpower plan and provided human re fertilises for the program. These include program managers and teachers (qualified and well trained from both sexes), class cleaners and so on. Moreover, ADEC worked on the provision of the program instructional design and development.This role involves specification of the program goals and objectives, analysis of task components of the program goals and purposes, identification of learners characteristics that will influence instructional design , order of payment up of program curriculum and subjects contents, alignment of subjects contents within each instructional unit for logical learning, design of instructional strategies (putting in mind the needs of learners), selection of resources to achieve the instructional objectives, and the development of evaluation instruments to measure the achievement of objectives.WRDC carried out the program awareness campaigns. The WRDC designed the promotional materials, displayed posters, signs and similar campaign materials talking about the adult learning program at designated areas, arranged and coordinated public lectures with illiterate adults (the target audience), and produced articles for newsletter campaigns. FDF handles the transaction and management of the program. That is, the foundation was saddled with the responsibility of running the program.This includes registration and addition into classes, appointment of teachers, delivery and management of lectures and so on. The main subjects taught are sanctioned reading and writing, the Holy Quran and mathematics. The Roles of the Partners in Program Evaluation and Monitoring. ADEC conducted shaping written and verbal tests for the participants in each stream of lectures and WRDC conducted learners satisfaction survey asking them to rate the adult learning program schedule, learning materials, the classes and the tincture of learning facilities.Then, the three parties met again to review the program and seek for ways of modifying it to be more result achieving. The results of tests and surveys were useful in informing on the necessary modifications. The modes and strategies for implementing the recommended changes were further discussed. Thus, this set the stage for the implementation of the refined program. Furthermore, semi-annual meetings were arranged to discuss further periodic reviews of the program. The results of the fieldwork and the progress made in the course of implementation and evaluat ion shall be discussion in the next chapter.