actions, institutions, events, and customs and in doing so, they construct a "reading" or

portrayal of what is being studied. The ultimate goal is to portray the complex pattern of

what is being studied in sufficient depth and detail so that one who has not experienced it

can understand it (Ary et al., 1996).

 Survey research can be classified as quantitative research in which instruments

such as questionnaires are used to gather information from groups of subjects. Surveys

are used to measure attitudes and opinions of respondents and are widely used in the

social sciences (Ary et al., 1996). Regardless of whether a survey is qualitative or

quantitative, it must be reliable (consistent) and valid (accurate) to ensure the accuracy

and truthfulness of the findings.

 Ary et al., (1996) describe validity as the extent to which an instrument measures

what it is intended to measure. Reliability is the extent to which a measuring device is

consistent in measuring whatever it measures. Vogt (1999) defines validity as a term

used to describe a measurement instrument or test that accurately measures what it is

suppose to measure. Reliability is defined as the freedom from measurement or random

error. For qualitative data, the measurement instrument is said to be reliable when

repeated measures of the same thing give identical or similar results. This reliability can

be measured for the quantitative data using statistical software packages.

 A long interview made up the first phase of the study. Long interviews are a

more formal, orderly interview process that the researcher can direct to a range of

intentions (Glesne, 1999). Researchers ask questions in the context of purposes generally

known only to themselves, while the respondents, who possess the information the

researchers are seeking, answer the questions in the context of dispositions (motives,