Journal of Technoloygy in Counseling

Over the years, the Internet and other new technologies have had a tremendous impact on the ways counselors and other helping professionals perform their work. In fact, frequently, we hear about new ways that technology has made counseling, teaching, and conducting research easier (Fielding & Lee, 1998; Mann & Stewart, 2000). However, limited information exists that discusses a systematic process for conducting qualitative research online. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present a cutting-edge method for collecting qualitative data using the World Wide Web.

According to Flowers and Moore (2003), "The primary objective of qualitative research is to obtain information by exploring, identifying, and examining an issue by questioning, engaging, and/or observing those individuals who are involved with, affected by, and/or familiar with the issue under study." Qualitative research methods also enable researchers to unearth participants' opinions and perspectives, which often do not emerge through quantitative research methodologies (Greenbaum, 1998; Mason, 1996). While research supports the use of qualitative research methods to collect timely and valid data from students and clients (Kuh & Andreas, 1991; Patton, 1991; Whitt, 1991), there is a dearth of user-friendly information regarding how to collect qualitative data online. This brief guide will explain how to access, install, and use AOL™ Instant Messenger™ to collect qualitative data.

Conducting Qualitative Research Using the World Wide Web
Although there are many ways to conduct qualitative research online (Mann & Stewart, 2000), the authors of this article recommend incorporating AOL™ Instant Messenger™ into the qualitative research process. Specifically, the authors recommend the following approach:

The above-mentioned approach, methodological model for conducting qualitative research using AOL™ Instant Messenger™, is diagrammed in Figure 1.

Phase 1: Select Appropriate Research Design
Qualitative research methods enable researchers to investigate the "complete" person of each student and/or client of the study (Mason, 1996) and to learn more about the "unknown" and "subjectivity" of each participant. However, before any research investigation is undertaken, researchers are advised to determine the most appropriate methodology to use in light of the research questions of interest. Certain research questions can be more fully answered and explored with qualitative methods as opposed to quantitative methods and vice versa. Whether using the Internet or employing traditional methods, researchers are advised to select the most appropriate research methodology (e.g., qualitative or quantitative) that is relevant to the purpose of the study, research questions, and/or theoretical foundation of the factors under study.
Phase 2: Solicit Online Participants
The Internet has become so widespread that it has become one of the most popular mediums for finding, retrieving, and exchanging information (Crossman, 1997; McFadden, 2000). Because it offers substantial benefits, the Internet provides a convenient medium for collecting qualitative data from those individuals who have access to the Internet. There are many ways to solicit participation from students and/or clients but only a few are illustrated in this article. One way is to send individual invitations to prospective participants/interviewees, who meet the study's criteria, using e-mail communications. Another approach is to post invitations to prospective participants/interviewees using professional and student listservs. Such electronic communications are often referred to as "e-mail lists." They are typically created to stimulate discussions between subscribers (McFadden, 2000) and to disseminate information on pertinent topics related to the mission of the listserv. According to McFadden (2000), there are numerous e-mail listservs available to counselor educators and student affairs professionals.

Phase 3: Disseminate Informed Consent Forms and Electronic Instructions
Pertinent information to include in the invitation is the purpose of the study, requirements of participation, tentative scheduled dates of online interviews, and contact information of the researcher. Once invitations, whether individually or from an electronic mailing list, are made to prospective participants/interviewees, the researcher should expect to receive a number of inquiries in reference to the study. After identifying prospective participants/interviewees to participate in the online qualitative study, the researcher should send personal letters in the form of an e-mail explaining the manner in which the data will be collected. This electronic form of correspondence is similar to the letter of invitation, but it includes attachments such as the informed consent form and directions for downloading and using AOL™ Instant Messenger™.
Figure 2
Generic Letter of Invitation

Date________________

Dear Prospective Participant:

My name is [insert researcher's name and professional title], and I am currently conducting an online qualitative study, entitled [insert the title of the study].

The purpose of the study is to [insert the purpose of the online qualitative study and insert criteria for participation].

This study will utilize the Internet to conduct interviews. The interviews will take place via AOL™ Instant Messenger™, a free windows-based program (available from www.aol.com) that anyone with Internet access can download and use to transfer messages instantly with other AOL™ Instant Messenger™ users. Please note that this electronic form of communication will require that participants/interviewees have access to both a computer and the Internet. More information about the study will be provided, if you choose to participate.

For participating in this online qualitative study, participants/interviewees will receive [insert the incentive for participation; however, this is optional]. If you are interested in participating in this online study, please contact me via e-mail [insert researcher's e-mail address] or telephone [insert researcher's telephone number]. Also, feel free to recommend others who might be interested in participating in the study. Please note that I will need your contact information (e.g., address, telephone number, and e-mail address) and your availability for the interviews (e.g., times and days). Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[insert researcher's name & professional title]

Figure 3
Generic Letter with Informed Consent Form and AOL™ Instant Messenger™ Instructions

Date________________

Dear [insert first name of participant]:

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this online qualitative study. Like I mentioned to you in my letter of invitation, the purpose of this study is to [insert the purpose of the online qualitative study and insert criteria for participation].

This study will utilize the Internet to conduct interviews. The interviews will take place via AOL™ Instant Messenger™, a free windows-based program (available from www.aol.com) that anyone with Internet access can download and use to transfer messages instantly with other AOL™ Instant Messenger™ users. This electronic form of communication will require that you have access to both a computer and the Internet.

I will not release any information that will be able to identify you. As a way of securing anonymity, the information that you provide will be assigned a code. I request that you use a screen name (see AOL™ Instant Messenger™ Instructions Attachment) that cannot be linked to you. Please send me your screen name by [insert deadline date]. Also, please fax [insert researcher's fax telephone number], e-mail [insert researcher's e-mail address], mail [insert researcher's mailing address] or hand-deliver the information by [insert deadline date].

For participating in this online qualitative study, you will receive [insert the incentive for participation; however, this is optional]. Your online interview is scheduled on [insert date] at [insert time]. If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail [insert researcher's e-mail address] or telephone [insert researcher's telephone number]. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

[insert researcher's name & professional title]

Attachments: Informed Consent Form
AOL™ Instant Messenger™ Instructions

Phase 4: Collect Informed Consent Forms
On college campuses and other research institutions, a formal process exists for obtaining approval to conduct research. This formal procedure usually involves obtaining informed consents, a signed statement of intent to participate in the study, from all participants before the data collection begins. The process of collecting the informed consent forms involves a range of possible options. They include, but are not limited to, receiving them by (a) fax, (b) e-mail, (c) mail, and/or (d) in person (e.g., hand-delivered). Despite the method chosen to obtain the informed consent forms, we recommend that researchers provide multiple ways to collect the informed consent forms prior to conducting online interviews.

Phase 5: Conduct Online Interviews
In a recent article, Flowers and Moore (2003) stated, "AOL™ Instant Messenger™ is a free windows-based program (available from www.aol.com) that anyone with Internet access can download and use to transfer messages instantly with other users (e.g., interviewer to interviewee and interviewee to interviewer)." Currently, more than 1 million people are using AOL™ Instant Messenger™ to send and receive messages instantly from their computers to other AOL™ Instant Messenger™ users. In AOL™ Instant Messenger™, the communication between the researcher and the participant/interviewer is instantaneous, comparable to chat rooms. Thus, AOL™ Instant Messenger™ enables the online qualitative researcher to interview participants in real-time text any place in the world.
The instructions describing how to download and use AOL™ Instant Messenger™ to collect qualitative data are outlined in the

attached Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The procedures described in the PDF file were developed for qualitative researchers who were interested in this mode of data collection. It should be noted that the PDF file should be modified for interviewees/participants. Stated differently, the researcher must be aware that interviewees/participants will need to download AOL™ Instant Messenger™ and know how to use the software program before data collection begins.

Phase 6: Print and Analyze Interview Transcripts
Once the transcripts have been printed in hardcopy form, the researcher can begin to analyze the data, using traditional analytical procedures that are appropriate given the research design and the purpose of the study as identified in Phase 1. Additionally, the researcher may import the transcript files to a qualitative data analysis software package (e.g., NUDIST or ATLAS.ti) for analysis. Such software is useful in organizing and managing qualitative data.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using this Procedure
As with all data collection methodologies, there are advantages and disadvantages related to using a particular approach. We contend that it is important that researchers understand the strengths and limitations of each methodology before implementing their research project. Having a familiarity of these issues typically improves the quality of the research process and the study's results. Based on our general observations and experiences with this data collection procedure (Flowers & Moore, 2003; Moore & Flowers, 2003), we have identified the following tentative list of advantages and disadvantages of using the World Wide Web to collect qualitative data versus traditional methods:

Conclusion
The proliferation of the Internet and innovations in computer technology in recent years has given rise to a number of advances in research. With currently more than 600 million worldwide Internet users (NUA Internet Surveys, 2002), the World Wide Web has and will continue to change the way counselors and other helping professionals give guidance, advise, teach, and conduct research. This paper discussed a framework for using the Internet and information technology to conduct qualitative research. Using the approaches discussed in this article may assist counselors and student affairs professionals in collecting and analyzing qualitative data (in real-time) and thereby increase the utility of their results for decision makers who need timely information to make programmatic or policy decisions. This approach is further supported in light of recent research that has even suggested that using the Internet to collect data may result in greater response rates if researchers employ the proper mix of methodological variables (i.e., monetary incentives, appropriate organization of items on the online survey, etc.) in developing the instruments and survey administration procedures (Carini, Hayek, Kuh, Kennedy, & Ouimet, 2003; O'Neil & Penrod, 2001).

References
Carini, R. M., Hayek, J. C., Kuh, G. D., Kennedy, J. M., & Ouimet, J. A. (2003). College student responses to web and paper

surveys: Does mode matter? Research in Higher Education, 44, 1-19.

Crossman, D. M. (1997). The evolution of the World Wide Web as an emerging instructional technology tool. In B. H. Khan (Ed.),

Web-based instruction (pp. 19-23). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Fielding, N. G., & Lee, R. M. (1998). Computer analysis and qualitative research. London: Sage.

Flowers, L. A., & Moore, J. L. (2003, Winter). Conducting qualitative research on-line in student affairs. Student Affairs On-Line, 4.

Retrieved March 9, 2003, from http://studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Winter_2003/research.html

Greenbaum, T. L. (1998). The handbook for focus group research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kuh, G. D., & Andreas, R. E. (1991). It's about time: Using qualitative methods in student life studies. Journal of College Student

Development, 32, 397-405.

Mann, C., & Stewart, F. (2000). Internet communication and qualitative research: A handbook for researching online. Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage.

McFadden, J. (2000). Computer-meditated technology and transcultural counselor education. Journal of Technology in Counseling, 2,

Number 2. Retrieved March 10, 2003, from http://jtc.colstate.edu/vol1_2/transcult.html

Mason, J. (1996). Qualitative researching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Moore, J. L., & Flowers, L. A. (2003). Using the Internet to collect qualitative data: An exploratory study assessing the effectiveness

of conducting qualitative research online versus traditional interviewing techniques for African American college students.
Manuscript in preparation.

NUA Internet Surveys (2002). Retrieved March 11, 2003, from http:www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/index.htm.

O'Neil, K. M., & Penrod, S. D. (2001). Methodological variables in Web-based research that may affect results: Sample type,

monetary incentives, and personal information. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 33, 226-233.

Patton, M. J. (1991). Qualitative research on college students: Philosophical and methodological comparisons with the quantitative

approach. Journal of College Student Development, 32, 389-396.

Whitt, E. J. (1991). Artful science: A primer on qualitative research methods. Journal of College Student Development, 32, 406-415.

James L. Moore III is an Assistant Professor in Counselor Education at The Ohio State University. Correspondence should be addressed via email to jlmoemoe@aol.com