1. Developing a Methodology

2. Today… Research methods & ethics Developing a methodology
Research time (continuing with your literature review)

3. Research methods Some key terms: Primary data Secondary data
Reliability
Validity
Quantitative
Qualitative

4. Primary Data Collecting data / information yourself Some examples:
Surveys / questionnaires
Focus groups
Interviews
Experiments

5. Secondary data Data / information collected by somebody else.
Make use of information which is already out there
Your literature review will be based on secondary data.
What is a “good” source for secondary data?
(Remember, your research question may change as you review the existing literature).

6. Reliability Reliability:
Consistency of data collection, analysis and interpretation
Could independent researchers reproduce the study and obtain the same (or similar) results?

7. Validity
Validity:
Are you measuring what you think you are measuring ?!

8. Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Detailed
Fewer participants
More subjective
Less reliable
Lower external validity
Measurable data
More participants
More objective
More representative
More reliable
Higher internal validity
Think of any examples?

9. Methods More Qualitative More Quantitative Participant observation
Informal interviews
Unstructured interviews
Semi-structured interviews
Structured interviews
Focus groups / workshops
Increasing control over responses
Increasing flexibility / openness to the unexpected
Open questions
Closed questions

10. What question(s) are you asking ?
What, who, when : descriptive / exploratory : information gathering
Why : explanatory / understanding
How : informing processes of change
YOUR QUESTION(s) WILL DETERMINE YOUR METHOD(s) & METHODOLOGY

11. Interviews
Openness
Unstructured
Semi-structured
Structured
Control

12. Interview Tips Practice beforehand
Organise the meeting around the interviewee
Pay attention to the venue
Introduce yourself and your research (ethics)
Use open questions
Start broad, narrow down, end broad
Use prompts, encouraging noises
Take notes / record
Manage the time / group dynamics
Thank them !

13. Semi-structured interview guides

14. Structured Interviews (Questionnaires)
Interview guide with fixed, usually short questions
Explanation (short) of the research (ethics)
Various methods of administration (
Q&A – not a conversation
Tend to use “closed” questions
Each question should get you information on a specific variable that you have defined in advance

15. Questionnaire tips List the topic of interest
Develop question(s) for each topic
Check – are questions understandable; relevant; leading; composite...??
Question order / grouping – think about flow
Use a range (but not too many) question types (e.g. closed checklist; ranking; scales)
Clear layout – font size, paper colour, single- sided
Pilot

16. Document analysis (1) Finding and interpreting patterns in data
Can include….Written documents (public records, private papers, biography); Photographs, Posters, Maps, Films….
Why do it ?
- Documents reveal what people do or did and what they value
- Behaviour occurred in a natural setting
- Data has strong validity
When to do it ?
- When documents exist that are relevant to your question !!
- If you don’t do it you have a hole in your research
- If you can’t observe or do interviews with your population

17. Document Analysis (2) Types of Document Analysis: Quantitative
Content Analysis (formal, systematic; lends structure to research; topics are categorized in a precise manner so you can count them; ignores context and multiple meanings)
Qualitative
Discourse Analysis (concerned with production of meaning through talk and texts; how people use language)
Thematic Analysis (concerned with finding the frequent themes)

18. Sampling… Who / what is to be included in your study?
Is your sample representative?
Where do you get your sample from?
Who can you speak to?
What media could you look at?
Will you need to look at official documents?
Will you be able to get access?

19. Ethics
“Ethics serve to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct and provide reasons for those considerations (National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans (1999).”
Physical and psychological welfare of participants
Respect for privacy
Use of deception
Informed consent
Debrief
Examples of research that might be considered unethical?

20. Task 1 – Thinking about a methodology
Identify the different methods that you could use to complete your Project
Under each method, write one reason (justification) for using that particular method
Under each method, write one justification for not using that particular method.

21. Task 2 - Selecting a method
From the list of methods that you could use, select the method(s) that you feel is most appropriate
In pairs, question your partner on their choice of method:
Why have they chosen it?
How are they going to “execute” their project? (How much detail can they give you?)
Why didn’t they go with another method?
Can you spot any problems with their method?