CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
This research was descriptive qualitative that found out about Thai students’
strategies in overcoming their problems in learning vocabulary. Descriptive
research is a research that asks questions about the nature, incidence, or
distribution of variables; it involves describing but not manipulating
variables.(Ary, Jacobs & Sorensen, 2010, p.640). In addition, Descriptive research
determines and describes the way things are, involves collecting numerical data to
test hypotheses or answer questions about the current subject of study (Gay, 2000:
275). Qualitative research is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of
comprehensive narrative and visual (i.e., nonnumerical) data to gain insights into
a particular phenomenon of interest (Gay, Mills & Airsian, 2012, p.7). It means
this research focuses on evaluation research that explains and describes events,
phenomenon, and data happened in the field based on the reality. In qualitative
research, context is not controlled or manipulated by the researcher. The effort to
understand the participants’ perspective requires researchers using qualitative
methods to interact extensively and intimately with participants during the study.
Qualitative research is to provide understanding of social setting or activity
from the perspective of the research participant (Gay, 2000, p 204). In addition,
qualitative research seeks to probe deeply into the research setting to obtain in-
depth understanding about the way things are, why they are that way, and how the
participants in the context perceive them (Gay, Mills & Airsian, 2012, p.7). The
qualitative research involves the collection and analysis of preliminary
nonnumeric data obtained from observation, interviews, tape recordings,
documents and the like.
Dealing with the theories, the researcher did descriptive qualitative in this
research in order to know Thai students’ strategies in overcoming their problems

22
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in learning vocabulary. Then, she described Thai students’ strategies in

overcoming their problems in learning vocabulary.

B. Research Setting
This research was conducted at Pratepsatsana Islamic School that located in
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, South Thailand. In this research, the researcher
analysed the Thai Students’ strategies in solving their problems in learning
vocabulary. Research setting of qualitative research includes three elements such
as the place, the actor and the activity (Sugiyono, 2011, p.207). Place is the
location where the interaction in social situation happening. Then, actor is the
people who will be the subject of the research. Last, activity is acting of actor in
social situation that happening.

C. Research Informant
Research informant is defined as people who have information and know
about the problem related to the research. Research informant is chosen based on
who was the right and have information, perspective, and experience related to the
topic of the research (Gay, 2000, p 139). Research informant is people that will
give information about entire situation about the problem in this research.
Research informant fulfilled some criteria of informants. There are five
criteria in selecting the research informant: honest, reliable, speaking up, subject
is neutral, subject has view point about certain case that happening (Moleong,
2006, p. 132). In addition, the characteristics of a good key informant include the
ability to be reflective and thoughtful, to communicate (orally, in writing, or both)
effectively with the researcher, and to be comfortable with the researcher’s
presence at the research site (Gay, Mills & Airsian, 2012, p.142). The research
informant of the research was the Thai students that already success overcome
their problem in learning vocabulary.
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The researcher used purposive sampling. In purposeful sampling,

researchers intentionally select individuals and sites to learn or understand the
central phenomenon (Creswell, 2012, p.206) Therefore, the informants of this
research were students Pratepsatsana Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat
2019/2020 academic year. She chose them because English teacher suggested her
to take the informants from AFS Class. AFS Class means American Field Service
where the students are prepared to join students exchange program in US. She
chose the students whom are applied strategies in overcoming their problem in
learning vocabulary. She observed them while they were learning in AFS Class to
ensure the students qualified to be the informants. Thus, the students who has
strategies in solving their problem in learning vocabulary, were judged know the
information about Thai students’ strategies in solving their problem in learning
vocabulary.
D. Technique of Data Collection
1. Research Instrument
The researcher has the important role in this research. The researcher is
the key instrument. She relies on herself as the instrument of the data collection
(Gay, 2000, p.19). She used interview guide to help her in order to find Thai
students’ strategies in overcoming their problem in learning vocabulary.
Data was collected by doing interview. An interview is a purposeful
interaction, usually between two people, focused on one person trying to get
information from other person (Gay, 2000, p.19). In addition, an interview is a
purposeful interaction in which one person obtains information from another
(Gay, Mills & Airsian, 2012, p.386). Interviews permit her to obtain important
data they cannot acquire from observation alone, although pairing observations
and interviews provides a valuable way to gather complementary data.
The interview in this research was an unstructured interview in order to
get more information from informants without making them mind about that.
The unstructured interview is little more than a casual conversation that allows
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the qualitative researcher to inquire into something that has presented itself as
an opportunity to learn about something at the research setting (Gay, Mills &
Airsian, 2012, p.386). The goal of informal interviews is not to get answers to
predetermined questions but rather to find out where the participants are
coming from and what they have experienced.
This technique was used to get direct information from the informants
who use strategy in learning vocabulary. It means the researcher interviewed
the informants to get more data about the vocabulary learning strategy applied
by Thailand students to overcome vocabulary problems and then she recorded
the interview process. On the other hand, there were some additional
instruments that is used in this research. They were audio recording. The
interview itself conducted during January 2020 in English room of
Pratepsatsana Islamic School School in Nakhon Si Thammart, Thailand.
To create a rapport between the researcher and the informants, the
interviews were conducted in English. Because English teacher of
Pratepsatsana Islamic School said that in AFS Class, the students are fluent in
English. To guide the interview, the researcher is followed some steps (Gay,
2000, p.23). They are:
a. Listening more, talking less. Listening is the most important part of
inter-viewing
b. Following up on what participants say and ask question when you do
not understand
c. Avoiding leading question, ask open-ended questions
d. Avoiding interrupt. Learn how to wait
e. Keeping participants focused and ask for concrete details
f. Tolerating silence. It means the participants is thinking
g. Avoiding judgemental about participants’ views or beliefs.
h. Avoiding debate with participants over their responses.
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To find the data, the researcher did the depth interview. In this research,
she focused on the students who had strategies in overcoming their problem in
learning vocabulary. Then, she did interview with fifteen students that judged
had strategies in solving their problem in learning vocabulary. She did the
interview as follows:
a. Informant 1 (I-1) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (6.45
p.m.)
b. Informant 2 (I-2) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (6.55
p.m.)
c. Informant 3 (I-3) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (7.15
p.m.)
d. Informant 4 (I-4) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (7.50
p.m.)
e. Informant 5 (I-5) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.00
p.m.)
f. Informant 6 (I-6) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.05
p.m.)
g. Informant 7(I-7) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.10
p.m.)
h. Informant 8 (I-8) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.20
p.m.)
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i. Informant 9 (I-9) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana

Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.25
p.m.)
j. Informant 10 (I-10) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.33
p.m.)
k. Informant 11 (I-11) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.40
p.m.)
l. Informant 12 (I-12) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.45
p.m.)
m. Informant 13 (I-13) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.50
p.m.)
n. Informant 14 (I-14) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.50
p.m.)
o. Informant 15 (I-15) was interviewed at English room of Pratepsatsana
Islamic School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, January 31st 2020 (8.58
p.m.)
E. Checking the Data Trustwoerthiness
Checking the data trustwoerthiness was used to ensure the trustwoerthiness
of the collect data. The researcher needs to make sure that his/her findings and
interpretations are accurate or credible (Creswell, 2012, p. 259). In this research,
she conducted member-checking to obtain the level of confidence (credibility) in
the results of the research. This credibility was implemented to prove that what has
been collected by her was in accordance with the reality in the field. Credibility is
defined as the confidence that can be placed in the truth of the research findings.
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The qualitative research establishes the credibility of the findings through

strategies such as: prolonged engagement, persistent observation, reflexivity (field
journal), triangulation, member-checking, peer examination, referential adequacy,
etc (Holloway & Wheeler; Macnee & McCabe in Anney, 2014, p.276).
The researcher clarified the data has been collected. It was done to test for
misinformation caused by distortions or bias of the researcher and the informants.
Furthermore, she did member-checking. Member-checking is one of the most
important techniques for increasing the credibility of qualitative research results
(Guba in Dayter, 2006). In this case, she involved the informants to review to
check the data had been analyzed by her. It purposed to check whether there are
any changes of the information or not. If the informants agree with the data
reported by her, the conclusion of the research results can be said to be credible.
(See appendix 5)

F. Technique of Data Analysis

The data was analysed based on the the result of the interview. The result of
the interview was analysed in three steps; reduction of the data; data display; and
conclusion and data verification (Miles and Huberman,1994 p.10-11). In analysing
qualitative data needs three activities, they are:
1. Data Reduction
Data Reduction is interpreted as the process of choice, interest
focused, simplifications, abstractions and ata transformation that exist
from written noted in the field. The reduction of the data is occured
during the interview happend. It means when the data is collected, the
phase of the continuing of reduction is occured such as drawing
conclusion, codification, investigating themes, grouping and writing
memorandum.
In the data reduction, the researcher did some step. First, she made
transcriptions of the interview result. Second, she organized the sequence
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of all transcription, and coded the transcription that related to the Thai
students’ strategies in overcoming their problem in learning vocabulary.
Third, she gave initial reading for the data, such as: Informant 1 (I-1),
Informant 2 (I-2), Informant 3 (I-3) and so on. Fourth, she selected the
data related to the topic. The researcher also discard and unneed ones in
the transcript. Fifth, she bolded and gave code of the data transcription
for each items related to, for example ; S for strategies, S.1 as the first
strategy, S.2 as the second strategy and hencef orth. At last, the
researcher put the same information in the table. (See appendix 3)
2. Data Display
Data display is the set of informant arrange to give possibility to
draw a conclusion and do a treatment. In this step, the researcher showed
Thai Students’ strategies in solving their problems in learning
vocabulary.
In this case, she displayed the data in form of table. The table
showed the informants’ number and their strategies in overcoming their
problem in learning vocabulary. The researcher displayed the data in the
table form, it showed the informants with related strategies from
interview. Then, the researcher grouped the data into some strategies
based on previous finding in the table. (See appendix 4)
3. Conclusion and Data Verification
After reducing the data and displaying the data, the final step is
conclusion and data verification. The researcher made conclusion and
verification of data. This activity was aimed to conclude about the Thai
Students’ strategies in overcoming their problems in learning
vocabulary. In this case, the conclusion was taken based on the data
which has been reduced and displayed. (See appendix 6)