Methodology

Presently, there are three main methods are distinguished: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research.[ CITATION Daw09 \l 1033 ] In current research qualitative method was chosen among these approaches. The decision was made on the base that the purpose of the study is to understand the motivation of people for choosing English as a second language. And inasmuch as motivation, experience, thoughts and behaviors of people are all related to Qualitative research corresponding decision was made. The study doesn’t focus on proving a hypothesis or identifying the target market, therefore, quantitative method couldn’t be chosen as a methodology as well as mixed methods as it contains both methods together.

Another, but no less important aspect of a good research is an appropriate method. The qualitative method was chosen because the motivation of students was to be examined; therefore, unstructured interviews were preferred as the tool to collect the data. The reason for it was that in order to satisfy the topic question open answers and in-depth explanation were preferred. There are also other methods: questionnaires, focus groups and participant observation. However, we couldn’t use them as they are for proving (questionnaires) and discovering (focus groups) facts. Likewise, participant observation was not suitable, because this method is usually used to understand deeply the other society or culture. Thus, interviews suited the best for current issue.

Furthermore, choosing participants to interview is also very serious decision. To decide properly the research population the sampling techniques were applied. Among the available choices which are: probability and purposive sampling techniques, purposive was taken as a base. In order to get more diverse knowledge from different groups, quota sampling method was utilized. The participants were chosen with different academic goals, whether they are going to study university in English speaking country or not. Additionally, gender and the level of English were taken into consideration when choosing participants.

In total, 8 students were questioned, which were equally divided in terms of gender. The research population was small as in qualitative research it doesn’t necessarily have to be big. However, more in-depth opinions were required from participants. On behalf of being able to analyze the data properly, a good recording was provided. There are several ways of recording: visual and audio, note taking and box-ticking. High-quality audio equipment was used for 2 reasons. Firstly, to ensure that the interview was conducted without interruptions and destruction of the participant’s mind. Secondly, in order to be able to analyze the data correctly and freely. Taking ethics into account, the participants were asked before the interview if they agree or disagree with audio recording. However, none of them disagreed. The duration of an interview was approximately 10 minutes. Meantime, the basic information (age, gender, country of origin) was written down.

All researches involve ethics in one way or another, especially qualitative research. The key to success was to be ethical – to treat participants with respect and honesty, and to be aware of sensitive topics. Simply, the awkward situations, which could occur by asking complex or sensitive questions, were avoided. Firstly, I introduced myself and gave them basic information of what kind of research I am doing and why. When they accept to take part, the explanation of what they had to do was given. Before starting an interview the Code of Ethics was provided. When necessary, the meaning of each part of the code was explained. My interview schedule was prepared carefully with a logical flow of questions. To ensure maximum quality of an interview it was held in a quiet place. Moreover, in order to make participant feel at ease, comfortable place and several amenities (coffee, tea or another drinks) were organized. After each interview participants were provided with my business card with contact information on it. At the end of an interview I was grateful for the time they allotted for me.