CAPTURING MOBILE COLLABORATION THROUGH THE TRIANGULATION OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA

Abstract

This paper reflects on an attempt to introduce smartphones into a blended learning context and highlights several methodological considerations relevant to the collection of mobile data. While mixed methods research is now common, using this approach for investigating the challenges of mobile data collection is not as common. This study employed a mixed method longitudinal exploratory multiple case study design. The study collected qualitative and quantitative data on student interactions within a yearlong series of collaborative language learning activities. This paper describes the methodological issues that emerged during the planning and implementation of the study. The participants were undergraduate students studying English translation at a four-year private university in Tokyo, Japan. This paper adds to the knowledge of employing mixed methodology design for mobile data collection and analysis. In particular, the advantages of incorporating Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis with qualitative data. The results suggest that separate forms of data collected at similar frequencies and times that are then triangulated provided an effective methodology for studying collaborative learners in a highly mobile context. This can be seen as evidence for the inclusion of various data collection cycles of both qualitative and quantitative type within a single mobile learning research study. The discussion section includes a summary of the findings, limitations, and possibilities for furthering the study topic.