1. Fadwa Al Amri RESEARCH Methods Of Research

2. methods of interviewing focus groups questionnaires participant observation

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

4. Unstructured interviews Also called in-depth interviews life history interviews because they are the favored approach for life history research. only used for qualitative research.

5. if you want to find out about a Polish man’s experiences of a concentration camp during the war, you’re delving into his life history. Because you are unsure of what has happened in his life, you want to enable him to talk freely and ask as few questions as possible. It is for this reason that this type of interview is called unstructured – the participant is free to talk about what he or she think is important, with little directional influence from the researcher. Example Past experience (Life history)

6. http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AP/2622/ER0098A1.jpeg Questions asked in unstructured interviews with chairs and other Academic Leaders

7. The researcher attempts to achieve a holistic understanding of the interviewees’ point of view or situation. Researchers have to be able to establish rapport with the participant they have to be trusted if someone is to reveal intimate life information. So it takes tact, diplomacy and perseverance. Researchers need to remain alert, recognizing important information and probing for more detail. To realize that unstructured interviewing can produce a great deal of data which can be difficult to analyse.

8. Semi-structured interviews Semi-structured interviewing is perhaps the most common type of interview used in qualitative social research.

9. In some research, such as a grounded theory study, the schedule is updated and revised after each interview to include more topics which have arisen as a result of the previous interview. For this type of interview, the researcher produces an interview schedule (This may be a list of specific questions or a list of topics to be discussed). This is taken to each interview to ensure continuity. The interview should remain flexible so that other important information can still arise

10. Structured interviews  The interviewer asks you a series of questions and ticks boxes with your response.  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. Structured interviews are used frequently in market research. Structured interviews are used frequently in market research. Because this research method is highly structured

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

12. The discussion is led by a moderator or facilitator who :  introduces the topic  asks specific questions  controls digressions  stops break-away conversations She makes sure that no one person dominates the discussion whilst trying to ensure that each of the participants makes The discussion is led by a moderator or facilitator who :  introduces the topic  asks specific questions  controls digressions  stops break-away conversations She makes sure that no one person dominates the discussion whilst trying to ensure that each of the participants makes For example in market research this could be: a discussion centered on new packaging for a breakfast cereal in social research this could be: to discuss adults’ experiences of school.

14. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Helps people to remember issues they might otherwise have forgotten. Other people may contaminate an individual’s views. Participants can ask questions of each other, lessoning impact of researcher bias. Not everyone may contribute. Can receive a wide range of responses during one meeting. Some people may be uncomfortable in a group setting and nervous about speaking in front of others.

15. Helps participants to overcome inhibitions, especially if they know other people in the group. Some researchers may find it difficult or intimidating to moderate a focus group. The group effect is a useful resource in data analysis. Venues and equipment can be expensive. Participant interaction is useful to analyse. Difficult to extract individual views during the analysis. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

16. QUESTIONNAIRES These are three basic types of questionnaire Closed- ended combinati on of both open- ended

17. 2. Open-ended questionnaires$ Example 1. Closed-ended questionnaires Example

19. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Books/B0/B67/IMG/fwk-richmond-fig10_006.jpg Difference between closed-ended and Open-ended Questionnaires Difference between closed-ended and Open-ended Questionnaires

20. 3. Combination of both it is possible to find out how many people use a service and what they think about that service on the same form. Many questionnaires begin with a series of closed questions, with boxes to tick or scales to rank, and then finish with a section of open questions for more detailed response. it is possible to find out how many people use a service and what they think about that service on the same form. Many questionnaires begin with a series of closed questions, with boxes to tick or scales to rank, and then finish with a section of open questions for more detailed response. Many researchers tend to use a combination of both open and closed questions. Many researchers tend to use a combination of both open and closed questions. Recently, some market research companies have started to distribute their questionnaires via the internet. This suggests that soon there might be a new category of questionnaire – the interactive questionnaire, which allows respondents to work with the researcher in both the development and completion of the questionnaire.

21. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

22. Tends to be used in areas such as health and psychology. It involves the observation of a ‘subject’ in a certain situation often uses technology such as video cameras or one-way mirrors. 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. direct observation

23. In participant observation, the researcher becomes much more involved in the lives of the people being observed. 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. participant observation

24. The researcher may take months or years, as they need to build up a lasting and trusting relationship with those people being studied. the researcher hope to gain a deeper understanding into the behavior, motivation and attitudes of the people under study. Participant observation, as a research method, received bad press when a number of researchers became covert

25. Overt participant observation, where everyone knows who the researcher is and what she is doing, however, can be a valuable and rewarding method for qualitative inquiry. participant observers; entering organisations and participating in their activities without anyone knowing that they were conducting research.

26. CHOOSING YOUR METHODS

27. By now you should have thought quite seriously about your research methodology. This will help you to decide upon the most appropriate methods for your research. In quantitative research You can define your research methods early in the planning stage. You know what you want to find out and you can decide upon the best way to obtain the information. you will be able to decide early on how many people you need to contact. survey can work in the form of a questionnaire or structured interviews

28. it may be difficult to define your methods specifically. You may decide that semi-structured interviews would be useful, although you’re not sure, in the planning stages, how many you will need to conduct. You need to use other methods as the research progresses. Maybe you want to run a focus group to see what people think about the hypotheses you have generated from the interviews. Or perhaps you need to spend some time in the field observing something which has arisen during the interview stage. In qualitative research You can

29. Defining needs and means  It is not necessary to use only one research method, although many projects do this.  A combination of methods can be desirable as it enables you to overcome the different weaknesses inherent in all methods.  What you must be aware of, however, when deciding upon your methods, are the constraints under which you will have to work.  You need to think about the purpose of your research as this will help point to the most appropriate methods to use.

30. EXAMPLE 3: APPROPRIATE METHODS

34. Choosing Research Methods Participant Observation Focus Groups Interviewing Questionnaires structured Semi-structured unstructured Number People discussion issues Combination of both Open-Ended Closed-Ended Participant direct SUMMARY

35. Closed-Ended Opened-Ended SUMMARY

36. References Chapter 3 http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Books/B0/B67/IMG/fwk-richmond-fig10_006.jpg http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AP/2622/ER0098A1.jpeg Used Intuos4 Tablet for few writings and arrows In this presentation By, Fadwa Al Amri