| Course | ORR-5100 Qualitative Methods for Organizational Research |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Module 3 data collection protocol |
| Length | About 680 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Master of Science in Healthcare Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ORR 5100 Module 3
Fourteen Conversations: A Data Collection Protocol for a Study of Registration Staff Turnover
Student Name
Master of Science in Healthcare Management, Thomas Edison State University
ORR-5100: Qualitative Methods for Organizational Research
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Fourteen Conversations: A Data Collection Protocol for a Study of Registration Staff Turnover
Design
Creswell and Poth (2018) describe five approaches to qualitative inquiry: narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case study. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) add the basic qualitative study, which seeks to understand how people interpret their experiences without the specific commitments of the other approaches. A phenomenology would focus narrowly on the essence of the experience; a grounded theory would aim to build a theory of turnover. The study's purpose, to explore how representatives experience their first year and what shapes their decisions, fits a basic qualitative design using semi-structured interviews.
Sampling
The study uses purposive sampling, selecting participants who can speak to the experience being studied.
Including both groups lets the study compare those who stayed with those who left. Within each group, I will seek variety in shift, entrance and prior experience. Guest et al. (2006) found that in a study of relatively homogeneous participants, most themes appeared within the first twelve interviews and the basic elements within six. Fourteen interviews, seven per group, should approach saturation for each group; if new themes still appear in the last interviews, I will add up to four more.
| Group | Criteria | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Current representatives | Hired 6 to 18 months ago, still employed | 7 |
| Former representatives | Left within 12 months, in the last two years | 7 |
| Total | | 14 |
Recruitment
Current representatives will receive an invitation from human resources, not from me, stating that taking part is optional and has no bearing on their jobs. Former representatives will be contacted by human resources using the contact details they left; they will be offered a $40 gift card for their time.
Interview Guide
Kallio et al. (2016) reviewed how researchers develop semi-structured interview guides and recommended moving from easy, descriptive questions to more sensitive ones, using open questions and preparing follow-up probes.
The questions do not mention pay, schedules or supervision; if participants raise them, the probes will follow.
| Question | Probes |
|---|---|
| 1. Tell me how you came to work in patient access. | What did you expect the job to be like? |
| 2. Describe a typical shift in your first few months. | Which entrance? What made it easier or harder? |
| 3. What parts of the work did you find most demanding? | Can you describe a specific moment? How did you handle it? |
| 4. How did you learn the job? | Who helped you? What was missing? |
| 5. How did you feel about asking patients for payment or insurance details? | How did patients react? How did that affect you? |
| 6. Tell me about a time you thought about leaving, or decided to leave. | What was happening then? Who did you talk to? |
| 7. If you could change one thing for new representatives, what would it be? | Why that change? |
Who Conducts the Interviews
Because I manage the department, a human resources specialist trained in interviewing will conduct all interviews with current staff and most with former staff. I will review transcripts only after identifying details are removed.
Consent and Confidentiality
Each participant will receive a consent form explaining the study's purpose, that taking part is voluntary, that the participant may end the interview whenever they wish, that it will be recorded and how the data will be kept safe. Names will be replaced by codes, transcripts stored on an encrypted hospital drive and recordings deleted after transcription. Quotations in reports will be edited to remove identifying details. The study will be submitted to the hospital's institutional review board, which may classify it as quality improvement.
Recording and Transcription
Interviews will last 45 to 60 minutes, be held in a private room or by video, be audio recorded with consent and be transcribed word for word by an outside service that has signed a confidentiality agreement. The interviewer will write field notes within an hour of each interview.
Conclusion
The protocol sets out a basic qualitative design, a purposive sample of current and former representatives, an interview guide that moves from easy to sensitive questions and procedures that protect participants from pressure and exposure.
References
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
Kallio, H., Pietila, A.-M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954-2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Reading the ORR 5100 Module 3 assignment instructions
The data collection protocol, worth 15 percent of the ORR-5100 grade, sets out how you will gather data for the study you have been developing. Expect to choose and justify a qualitative design, describe a sampling strategy and sample size, present an interview guide or observation plan with probes, and explain recruitment, consent, confidentiality and recording. Write the protocol in enough detail for another researcher to follow it, and address any power relationship between you and the participants. Write the interview guide in the order you will use it, with probes beside each question, and explain how many interviews you plan and how you will know when you have enough. Plan a pilot interview.
How this ORR 5100 Module 3 example is built
The protocol opens by choosing a basic qualitative design over four other approaches, with reasons. A table sets out a purposive sample of two groups, and research on saturation justifies its size. Sections cover recruitment through a third party, a seven-question interview guide with probes in a table, who conducts the interviews, consent and confidentiality, and recording and transcription. The conclusion summarizes the protocol. The protocol plans for saturation by allowing up to four more interviews if new themes still appear, and it calls for field notes to be written soon after each interview ends. Recruitment through human resources and gift cards for former staff are explained with the reason for each.
Where the marks sit in the ORR 5100 Module 3 rubric
Mentors grade the protocol on a justified design, a clear and defensible sampling plan, an interview guide with open questions and probes, ethical procedures and enough detail to be carried out. Protocols that address the researcher's power over participants, and design around it, show ethical awareness. Supporting sample size with research on saturation demonstrates rigor. An interview guide that moves from easy to sensitive questions shows practical skill. A rule for when to stop interviewing, tied to saturation, shows planning rather than an arbitrary number. Field notes and verbatim transcription show attention to data quality. Explaining who conducts the interviews, and why, shows that the protocol has been thought through from the participant's side.
Common ORR 5100 Module 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by listing questions without probes, by stating a sample size without justification, by omitting consent and confidentiality or by ignoring their power over participants. Others choose a design without explaining why. Justify your design and sample. Write open questions with probes. Plan recruitment that avoids pressure. Describe how data will be protected. Set a rule for when you will stop interviewing, and plan how you will capture what recordings miss. Think about how a participant would feel at each step, from the invitation to the recording. A free first sample on your own ORR-5100 data collection protocol is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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ORR 5100 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free ORR 5100 Module 3 sample paper?
A data collection protocol with an interview guide for a study of registration staff turnover is above.
What is purposive sampling?
Selecting participants who can speak to the experience being studied, rather than choosing at random.
How many interviews are enough in a qualitative study?
Research suggests most themes appear within about twelve interviews in a fairly homogeneous group, depending on the study.
What is a semi-structured interview guide?
A set of open questions with prepared probes, asked flexibly so participants can raise their own topics.
How much is the ORR-5100 data collection protocol worth?
Fifteen percent of the course grade.