Research Methods

Research Methods

1. Questionnaires

   • closed
     • restricted to what they can reply like
       • Quantitative
   • open
     • respondents are free to answer the question in anyway they like
       • Qualitative
   • Pro's
     • cheap and easy
     • easy to generate statistics
     • Representative
     • quick
   • Cons
     • low response rate
     • truthfulness
     • who?
     • serious or not?

2. Interviews

   • structured- set questions
   • semi-structured- set questions but can go off into conversation
   • unstructured- conversation
   • focus groups- group lead the conversation and interviewer takes notes
   • pros
     • response rate is high
     • in-depth
     • more truthful
     • interviewer can clarify questions
   • cons
     • expensive
     • time consuming
     • difficulty in recording
     • smaller sample
     • social desirability bias
   • social desirability bias- interveiwee says what they think the interviewer wants to hear

3. observations

   • covert- covered identity
     • no one changes their behaviour
     • un-ethical
   • overt- open identity
     • ethical
     • hawthorne effect
   • participant- takes part
     • objective- no bias
     • difficult to take notes
   • non-participant- doesn't take part
     • verstehen
     • subjective

4. content analysis

   • used to study the media
     • prepare relavent categories and create a tally chart
   • operationalise
     • to define exactly what is meant by any term used for catergorisation
   • pros
     • flexible
     • can be written, videos or speech
   • cons
     • media is biased
     • time consuming
     • attention to detail
     • expensive

5. Amy Vickery