Abstract:

This paper offers insights into how research experiences are obtained in writing theoretical framework and methodology chapter. Specifically, it accentuates the relevance of using Critical Realism (CR) combined with Focused Ethnography (FE) to form the theoretical framework addressing the flexible integration of ICT by the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university teachers in a public university in Vietnam. This study is quite complex in the sense that a wide range of specific data collection methods are used including a survey questionnaire sent to 133 EFL university teachers, 10 classroom observations, document analysis of 12 ICT policy related texts and face to face interviews with 44 participants. Although this study is qualitative in nature, there is a need to have an ontological depth and an overarching methodology to ensure reliable analysis of data. Therefore, this paper describes how CR shapes the researcher’s ontological perspective and how FE is utilised as an overarching methodology. What will be deeply discussed in the paper is the ‘inside outsider’ role adopted by the researcher. Distinctive features of such a role evolving in a developing context like Vietnam are explored under critical realist perspective. In this paper, I present the impacts of the critical realist stance on both data collection and data analysis process. Initial results from separate chapters show the cohesion and connection among different research methods. Based on this theoretical framework, I argue that the use of CR and FE in ICT studies offers new approach in addressing ICT integration practices so as to avoid epistemic fallacy triggered by positivism.

Keywords:

Critical Realism, Focused Ethnography, ICT, research methods, reflexivity.