CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge”
(Thomas Berger, n.d.)
Introduction
This research contains both a bibliographic study and an empirical study as outlined
in Table 1 below. The thesis uses collected data from published scholars on children’s
literature and other areas, from Federal and State Government bodies, from religious
institutions, educational institutions and some Internet sites. It also contains collected data
through the undertaking of interviews and focus group discussions with students in both
Grade Seven and Eight in the Tasmania Catholic Education System, aged between twelve
and fourteen. These resources have been used throughout the thesis to support its arguments.
Theoretical framework
The research used in this thesis was a qualitative study because much of the study
sought to inquire into people’s perspectives and experiences of the Harry Potter series and
this involved going out into the field. An essential part of this thesis was seeking to know
what people think of the series.
The research used in this thesis was centred on a methodological paradigm of a
constructivist reality view of the world, believing that, “human beings have evolved the
capacity to interpret and construct reality - indeed, they cannot do otherwise - the world of
human perception is not real in an absolute sense, as the sun is real, but is “made up” and
shaped by cultural and linguistic constructs” (Patton, 2002, p. 96). Our interpretation of the world is based on a variety of influences including our social and cultural background. In the
case of the Harry Potter series our interpretation of the text would be based, in part, on the
ideologies we bring to the reading of the text.
Research used in this study favoured a “constructionism” framework, as defined by
Michael Crotty, as it takes into account the importance of our culture’s hold on us as
paramount to our perceptions (1998, p. 58). In studying the responses of critics to the Harry
Potter books, youth responses to the Harry Potter books, and how valuable the books are for
Religious Education, this study considered the different perspectives that the collected data,
documents and interviews are coming from and what may have caused people to interpret the
text in a particular way.
In studying the Harry Potter novels, the meaning of the work depends on the cultural
context in which Rowling created the series and the cultural context in which it is
subsequently interpreted (Patton, pp. 113-114) by critics, youth and myself. The researcher’s
personal history, one must accept, will also affect the interpretation of data collected and its
subsequent analysis.
Design of the study
The research used three prime areas of study which, between them, use two research
methods. This is illustrated in Table 1, below.
As illustrated in Table 1, the research centres on three key areas:
1) How have critics responded to the Harry Potter books?
2) How have youth responded to the Harry Potter books?
3) Are the Harry Potter books of use in the teaching of values specifically in the area
of Religious Education?
Table 1. Design of study table
Research Focus Specific
Questions
Sub-questions Data sources Strategies
Critical Response
to books.
What do critics
think of the
books?
Specific critical
responses to books
(categorise).
Critically appraise
responses to the
books.
What could be the
ideologies that cause
different responses to
the books?
Publications: Books, Journals,
recognised Internet sources on
responses to Harry Potter.
Books on children’s literature and
its ideology including Nodelman,
Stephens, McCallum, McGillis
and Hollindale.
Literature and
Internet research.
Youth’s response
to books.
How have youth
responded to the
books?
Do youths read the
books?
Do youths get
recognise values in the
books?
Do the books espouse
suitable values and
morals?
Interviews with youth.
Other opinions.
Focus Groups with youths.
Youth comment on books from
Publications, Journals and
recognised Internet sources.
Interviews
Focus Groups
Literature and
Internet research.
Books usefulness
in teaching values,
specifically in
Religious
Education.
Can the books be
used in teaching
values
particularly in
Religious
Education in our
schools?
How should they
be used?
Are the books of
useful in teaching
values?
Why are they valued?
Are they Christianbased
values?
What are their
limitations?
What Values
Education is there in
Australian schools?
Are the books relevant
to modern teaching
practices?
Current Values Education
teaching documents/ strategies.
Current Religious Education
teaching documents/strategies.
Literature and
Internet research.
(Possible sample
lessons with
interview follow
up.)
Text analysis
Specific research methods/data collection techniques
There are three key data sources used in this study. There was a document analysis, a
collective case study and a focus group study. It was essentially a multiple strategy research
project due to the different types of data obtained. The reason for choosing these specific
research methods is stated below.
Document analysis
In trying to ascertain how critics and youth have responded to the Harry Potter series
and if the books can be of use in teaching values it was necessary to undertake an analysis of
documents written about the Harry Potter series. This involved studying literature published
on the novels and comments published on the Internet. Document analysis supports the
theoretical approach to this research because it enables the study of a variety of
interpretations of the series. Some critics also provided insight into how they have
constructed their particular view of the series. This analysis examined two key issues:
1) How have critics responded to the books and why this response?
2) How have youth responded to the books and why this response?
1) A variety of remarks by critics have been made about the Harry Potter books
regarding their strengths and weaknesses. These are commented on in the thesis. Many critics
also provide input into the criteria for making their judgments of the books.
2) In undertaking a Literature Review for this area of research it became clear that
there was little researched information on how youth have responded to the books. Young
people seem to have obtained the novels, although no sales figures illustrate who actually
bought the books and associated merchandise. Some books have reproduced limited letters
written by children about the books. There appears to be no structured research with young
people into why they have responded to the books, therefore it was necessary for the author
of this thesis to undertake some case study research with youth about their responses to the
books and their reasons for those responses to the books.
In the study of these documents it was necessary to place the documents in the context
in which they were written. Documents written about the Harry Potter books by a Baptist
minister from the Bible belt of southern United States of America may differ greatly to a
document written by a Catholic priest from New York City. A document written which takes
a Jungian view of the text will differ from a cultural studies examination of the text. Ian Hodder (2000) makes this clear when he highlights that methods of interpretation of any
material culture centre, “on the simultaneous hermeneutical procedures of context definition,
the construction of patterned similarities and differences, and the use of relevant social and
material culture theory” (p. 714). In studying the critical response to the Harry Potter series
the author’s task was made easier as the majority of the documents being interpreted are of
recent publication, and produced generally within the English speaking, Christian-based,
Western cultures.
A collective case study
As stated previously the author of this thesis felt the need to undertake research into
how young people have responded to the Harry Potter books because of the lack of any
useful researched data in this area. To achieve the required information it was necessary to
commit to a collective case study. While it is often difficult to attain an accepted definition of
exactly what a case study is due to varying interpretations, (Mason, 1996, p. 129, Stake,
2000, p. 436), this thesis research involved a collective case study, involving interviews,
based on Robert Stake’s definition of a case study. Stake stresses that a case study is simply
where we choose to study a case (p. 435). The case involved in this study was how youth
have responded to the Harry Potter series of books. The interviews provided access to young
people’s responses to the books and why they have these responses to them. This type of case
study actually refers to the study of a number of cases in order to investigate the Harry Potter
series. Through this limited research it was hoped “that understanding them will lead to (a)
better understanding, perhaps better theorizing, about a still larger collection of cases” (Stake,
p. 437).
This collective case study looked at a voluntary sample of students from twenty
different classes of Grade Seven and Eight students in two Roman Catholic co-educationalhigh schools in southern Tasmanian. These students were aged between twelve and fourteen.
Twenty-five students received parental permission to be interviewed made up of fifteen girls
and ten boys (Appendix 2).
A focus group study
The second part of this case study utilised a focus group study after the initial larger
case study. A focus group study is “… conducted to get a variety of perspectives and increase
confidence in whatever patterns emerge” (Patton, p. 385). The focus group study centred on
two groups of six to eight students from a similar background to the larger sample group,
who also volunteered and were given parental permission to take part. This focus group was
studied in an effort to reach a better understanding about how youth had responded to the
Harry Potter series and why they have these responses to the novels (Appendix 3).
The interview format was used in the case studies for a number of reasons. Firstly,
interviewing the students enabled those students who may be literacy challenged to have a
greater chance of taking part in the study than if a written questionnaire was used. Also, the
interview format, though structured, may provide information that may not have been
attainable by a written questionnaire and provides the option of probing a respondent for
more information if an answer appears, at first, inappropriate. There is also likely to be a
higher response rate than with a questionnaire due to more motivation because of the face-toface
interaction that occurs with interviews (Burns, 1990, pp. 302-3). The use of the
interview format was also very cost effective.
The focus group interviews also offered additional advantages. They were timely and
effective in providing a variety of views, the interaction amongst the group provided
improved quality of data as participants tended to provide checks and balances on each other, and the focus group sessions were social occasions that provided greater chances of enjoyable
interaction (Patton, p. 386).
However, there were disadvantages to this format. The researcher was not a trained
interviewer so it was necessary to be extremely careful moving through the process so that
the reliability of data attained was not corrupted. The researcher had structured interview
questions to assist in performing a professional interview and maintaining consistency as well
as to avoid manipulation of responses given.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations were central to this study particularly because it involved the
interviewing of children. Ethical permission was received to undertake the study from the
Australian Catholic University (Appendix 4). The Australian Catholic University’s guidelines
(2001) influenced the Interviews and Focus Group work with the children. These guidelines
helped protect the dignity and rights of those being interviewed. Suitable permission forms
were sent out seeking candidates for the research project (Appendix 4).
Limitations of research
The aim of this research was to ascertain whether the Harry Potter series is useful in
teaching values to young people. The research methods used provided the means to assist in
making a judgement in regards to this area. Any research results are limited and the research
for this thesis is no exception. Efforts were made to ensure that the types of research methods
implemented were used as professionally as possible. This included a competent and fair
document analysis, as well as a fair interview and focus group process. The validity and reliability of this research was dependent on basing the conclusions
reached on accepted criteria, previously mentioned. This means that any claims made in this
thesis are only valid in regards to the limited research undertaken and the interpretations
applied to that research. Like any study, many factors affect its validity and its value to
society. In this research this includes factors such as the time at which the study was
undertaken, the dynamics between the respondents and interviewer, the cultural background
of the students being interviewed, the documents available for analysis, the chosen
definitions of terms, the interpretation of interview and focus group answers, and the
researcher’s personal history. It is always necessary for both the creators and readers of
research to remember that, regardless of how efficient and effective one’s research is, there is
not a single method, or collection of methods, that provides “the royal road to ultimate
knowledge” (Guba & Lincoln, 2000, p.178).
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge”
(Thomas Berger, n.d.)
Introduction
This research contains both a bibliographic study and an empirical study as outlined
in Table 1 below. The thesis uses collected data from published scholars on children’s
literature and other areas, from Federal and State Government bodies, from religious
institutions, educational institutions and some Internet sites. It also contains collected data
through the undertaking of interviews and focus group discussions with students in both
Grade Seven and Eight in the Tasmania Catholic Education System, aged between twelve
and fourteen. These resources have been used throughout the thesis to support its arguments.
Theoretical framework
The research used in this thesis was a qualitative study because much of the study
sought to inquire into people’s perspectives and experiences of the Harry Potter series and
this involved going out into the field. An essential part of this thesis was seeking to know
what people think of the series.
The research used in this thesis was centred on a methodological paradigm of a
constructivist reality view of the world, believing that, “human beings have evolved the
capacity to interpret and construct reality - indeed, they cannot do otherwise - the world of
human perception is not real in an absolute sense, as the sun is real, but is “made up” and
shaped by cultural and linguistic constructs” (Patton, 2002, p. 96). Our interpretation of the world is based on a variety of influences including our social and cultural background. In the
case of the Harry Potter series our interpretation of the text would be based, in part, on the
ideologies we bring to the reading of the text.
Research used in this study favoured a “constructionism” framework, as defined by
Michael Crotty, as it takes into account the importance of our culture’s hold on us as
paramount to our perceptions (1998, p. 58). In studying the responses of critics to the Harry
Potter books, youth responses to the Harry Potter books, and how valuable the books are for
Religious Education, this study considered the different perspectives that the collected data,
documents and interviews are coming from and what may have caused people to interpret the
text in a particular way.
In studying the Harry Potter novels, the meaning of the work depends on the cultural
context in which Rowling created the series and the cultural context in which it is
subsequently interpreted (Patton, pp. 113-114) by critics, youth and myself. The researcher’s
personal history, one must accept, will also affect the interpretation of data collected and its
subsequent analysis.
Design of the study
The research used three prime areas of study which, between them, use two research
methods. This is illustrated in Table 1, below.
As illustrated in Table 1, the research centres on three key areas:
1) How have critics responded to the Harry Potter books?
2) How have youth responded to the Harry Potter books?
3) Are the Harry Potter books of use in the teaching of values specifically in the area
of Religious Education?
Table 1. Design of study table
Research Focus Specific
Questions
Sub-questions Data sources Strategies
Critical Response
to books.
What do critics
think of the
books?
Specific critical
responses to books
(categorise).
Critically appraise
responses to the
books.
What could be the
ideologies that cause
different responses to
the books?
Publications: Books, Journals,
recognised Internet sources on
responses to Harry Potter.
Books on children’s literature and
its ideology including Nodelman,
Stephens, McCallum, McGillis
and Hollindale.
Literature and
Internet research.
Youth’s response
to books.
How have youth
responded to the
books?
Do youths read the
books?
Do youths get
recognise values in the
books?
Do the books espouse
suitable values and
morals?
Interviews with youth.
Other opinions.
Focus Groups with youths.
Youth comment on books from
Publications, Journals and
recognised Internet sources.
Interviews
Focus Groups
Literature and
Internet research.
Books usefulness
in teaching values,
specifically in
Religious
Education.
Can the books be
used in teaching
values
particularly in
Religious
Education in our
schools?
How should they
be used?
Are the books of
useful in teaching
values?
Why are they valued?
Are they Christianbased
values?
What are their
limitations?
What Values
Education is there in
Australian schools?
Are the books relevant
to modern teaching
practices?
Current Values Education
teaching documents/ strategies.
Current Religious Education
teaching documents/strategies.
Literature and
Internet research.
(Possible sample
lessons with
interview follow
up.)
Text analysis
Specific research methods/data collection techniques
There are three key data sources used in this study. There was a document analysis, a
collective case study and a focus group study. It was essentially a multiple strategy research
project due to the different types of data obtained. The reason for choosing these specific
research methods is stated below.
Document analysis
In trying to ascertain how critics and youth have responded to the Harry Potter series
and if the books can be of use in teaching values it was necessary to undertake an analysis of
documents written about the Harry Potter series. This involved studying literature published
on the novels and comments published on the Internet. Document analysis supports the
theoretical approach to this research because it enables the study of a variety of
interpretations of the series. Some critics also provided insight into how they have
constructed their particular view of the series. This analysis examined two key issues:
1) How have critics responded to the books and why this response?
2) How have youth responded to the books and why this response?
1) A variety of remarks by critics have been made about the Harry Potter books
regarding their strengths and weaknesses. These are commented on in the thesis. Many critics
also provide input into the criteria for making their judgments of the books.
2) In undertaking a Literature Review for this area of research it became clear that
there was little researched information on how youth have responded to the books. Young
people seem to have obtained the novels, although no sales figures illustrate who actually
bought the books and associated merchandise. Some books have reproduced limited letters
written by children about the books. There appears to be no structured research with young
people into why they have responded to the books, therefore it was necessary for the author
of this thesis to undertake some case study research with youth about their responses to the
books and their reasons for those responses to the books.
In the study of these documents it was necessary to place the documents in the context
in which they were written. Documents written about the Harry Potter books by a Baptist
minister from the Bible belt of southern United States of America may differ greatly to a
document written by a Catholic priest from New York City. A document written which takes
a Jungian view of the text will differ from a cultural studies examination of the text. Ian Hodder (2000) makes this clear when he highlights that methods of interpretation of any
material culture centre, “on the simultaneous hermeneutical procedures of context definition,
the construction of patterned similarities and differences, and the use of relevant social and
material culture theory” (p. 714). In studying the critical response to the Harry Potter series
the author’s task was made easier as the majority of the documents being interpreted are of
recent publication, and produced generally within the English speaking, Christian-based,
Western cultures.
A collective case study
As stated previously the author of this thesis felt the need to undertake research into
how young people have responded to the Harry Potter books because of the lack of any
useful researched data in this area. To achieve the required information it was necessary to
commit to a collective case study. While it is often difficult to attain an accepted definition of
exactly what a case study is due to varying interpretations, (Mason, 1996, p. 129, Stake,
2000, p. 436), this thesis research involved a collective case study, involving interviews,
based on Robert Stake’s definition of a case study. Stake stresses that a case study is simply
where we choose to study a case (p. 435). The case involved in this study was how youth
have responded to the Harry Potter series of books. The interviews provided access to young
people’s responses to the books and why they have these responses to them. This type of case
study actually refers to the study of a number of cases in order to investigate the Harry Potter
series. Through this limited research it was hoped “that understanding them will lead to (a)
better understanding, perhaps better theorizing, about a still larger collection of cases” (Stake,
p. 437).
This collective case study looked at a voluntary sample of students from twenty
different classes of Grade Seven and Eight students in two Roman Catholic co-educationalhigh schools in southern Tasmanian. These students were aged between twelve and fourteen.
Twenty-five students received parental permission to be interviewed made up of fifteen girls
and ten boys (Appendix 2).
A focus group study
The second part of this case study utilised a focus group study after the initial larger
case study. A focus group study is “… conducted to get a variety of perspectives and increase
confidence in whatever patterns emerge” (Patton, p. 385). The focus group study centred on
two groups of six to eight students from a similar background to the larger sample group,
who also volunteered and were given parental permission to take part. This focus group was
studied in an effort to reach a better understanding about how youth had responded to the
Harry Potter series and why they have these responses to the novels (Appendix 3).
The interview format was used in the case studies for a number of reasons. Firstly,
interviewing the students enabled those students who may be literacy challenged to have a
greater chance of taking part in the study than if a written questionnaire was used. Also, the
interview format, though structured, may provide information that may not have been
attainable by a written questionnaire and provides the option of probing a respondent for
more information if an answer appears, at first, inappropriate. There is also likely to be a
higher response rate than with a questionnaire due to more motivation because of the face-toface
interaction that occurs with interviews (Burns, 1990, pp. 302-3). The use of the
interview format was also very cost effective.
The focus group interviews also offered additional advantages. They were timely and
effective in providing a variety of views, the interaction amongst the group provided
improved quality of data as participants tended to provide checks and balances on each other, and the focus group sessions were social occasions that provided greater chances of enjoyable
interaction (Patton, p. 386).
However, there were disadvantages to this format. The researcher was not a trained
interviewer so it was necessary to be extremely careful moving through the process so that
the reliability of data attained was not corrupted. The researcher had structured interview
questions to assist in performing a professional interview and maintaining consistency as well
as to avoid manipulation of responses given.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations were central to this study particularly because it involved the
interviewing of children. Ethical permission was received to undertake the study from the
Australian Catholic University (Appendix 4). The Australian Catholic University’s guidelines
(2001) influenced the Interviews and Focus Group work with the children. These guidelines
helped protect the dignity and rights of those being interviewed. Suitable permission forms
were sent out seeking candidates for the research project (Appendix 4).
Limitations of research
The aim of this research was to ascertain whether the Harry Potter series is useful in
teaching values to young people. The research methods used provided the means to assist in
making a judgement in regards to this area. Any research results are limited and the research
for this thesis is no exception. Efforts were made to ensure that the types of research methods
implemented were used as professionally as possible. This included a competent and fair
document analysis, as well as a fair interview and focus group process. The validity and reliability of this research was dependent on basing the conclusions
reached on accepted criteria, previously mentioned. This means that any claims made in this
thesis are only valid in regards to the limited research undertaken and the interpretations
applied to that research. Like any study, many factors affect its validity and its value to
society. In this research this includes factors such as the time at which the study was
undertaken, the dynamics between the respondents and interviewer, the cultural background
of the students being interviewed, the documents available for analysis, the chosen
definitions of terms, the interpretation of interview and focus group answers, and the
researcher’s personal history. It is always necessary for both the creators and readers of
research to remember that, regardless of how efficient and effective one’s research is, there is
not a single method, or collection of methods, that provides “the royal road to ultimate
knowledge” (Guba & Lincoln, 2000, p.178).
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