Research Methods

You should know? When you’re thinking about your research, ask yourself the five ‘Ws’: – What is my research? – Why do I want to do the research? – Who are my research participants? – Where am I going to do the research? – When am I going to do the research?

research methods Once you have answered the five ‘Ws’ you can go on to think about how you’re going to do your research. The first thing you need to do is to think about your research methodology.

Research Methods Is the philosophy or the general principle which will guide your research. It is the overall approach to studying your topic and includes issues you need to think about such as the constraints, dilemmas and ethical choices within your research. Research Method: research methods is the tools you use to gather data, such as interviewing, focus groups, questionnaires and participant observation.

INTERVIEWING In social research there are many types of interview. The most common of these are: unstructured semi-structured structured

Unstructured interviews Unstructured or in-depth interviews are sometimes called life history interviews. This is because they are the preferred approach for life history research. In this type of interview, the researcher attempts to achieve a holistic understanding of the interviewees’ point of view or situation. For example, if you want to find out about a Polish man’s experiences you ask his/her the open questions or let him/her to say what he like…

Semi-structured interviews Semi-structured interviewing is perhaps the most common type of interview used in qualitative social research. In this type of interview, the researcher wants to know specific information which can be compared and contrasted with information gained in other interviews. To do this, the same questions need to be asked in each interview. However, the researcher also wants the interview to remain flexible so that other important information can still arise.

Structured interviews Structured interviews are used frequently in market research. Have you ever been stopped in the street and asked about washing powder or which magazines you read? Or have you been invited into a hall to taste cider or smell washing-up liquid? The interviewer asks you a series of questions and ticks boxes with your response. This research method is highly structured hence the name. Structured interviews are used in quantitative research and can be conducted face-to- face or over the telephone, sometimes with the aid of lap-top computers.

FOCUS GROUPS Focus groups may be called discussion groups or group interviews. A number of people are asked to come together in a group to discuss a certain issue

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

QUESTIONNAIRES There are three basic types of questionnaire: closed ended, open-ended combination of both

Closed-ended questionnaires Closed-ended questionnaires are probably the type with which you are most familiar. Most people have experience of lengthy consumer surveys which ask about your shopping habits and promise entry into a prize draw. This type of questionnaire is used to generate statistics in quantitative research. For example:

Open-ended questionnaires Open-ended questionnaires are used in qualitative research, although some researchers will quantify the answers during the analysis stage. The questionnaire does not contain boxes to tick, but instead leaves a blank section for the respondent to write in an answer. For example:

Combination of both Many researchers tend to use a combination of both open and closed questions. That way, it is possible to find out how many people use a service and what they think about that service on the same form. For example:

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION There are two main ways in which researchers observe: Direct observation Participant observation Direct observation tends to be used in areas such as health and psychology. For example: the interaction of mother, father and child in a specially prepared play room may be watched by psychologists through a one way mirror in an attempt to understand more about family relationships.

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION Cont.. Participant observation can be viewed as both a method and a methodology. It is popular amongst anthropologists and sociologists who wish to study and understand another community, culture or context. They do this by immersing themselves within that culture. anthropologists : انسان شناس

Summary Focus groups may be called discussion groups or group interviews Direct observation tends to be used in areas such as health and psychology Closed-ended questionnaires are probably the type with which you are most familiar.