1. Multimedia Training Kit
Basic Research Methods
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

2. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
What is research?
We ask questions all the time
Research is a formal way of going about asking questions
Uses methodologies
Many different kinds (e.g. market research, media research and social research)
Basic research methods can be learned easily
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

3. Basic research methods
Quantitative research (e.g. survey)
Qualitative research (e.g. face-to-face interviews; focus groups; site visits)
Case studies
Participatory research
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

4. Quantitative research
Involves information or data in the form of numbers
Allows us to measure or to quantify things
Respondents don’t necessarily give numbers as answers - answers are analysed as numbers
Good example of quantitative research is the survey
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

5. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Surveys
Think clearly about questions (need to constrain answers as much as possible)
Make sure results will answer your research question
Can use Internet for conducting surveys if need to cover wide geographic reach
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

6. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Qualitative research
Helps us flesh out the story and develop a deeper understanding of a topic
Often contrasted to quantitative research
Together they give us the ‘bigger picture’
Good examples of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews, focus groups and site visits
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

7. Face-to-face interviews
Must prepare questions
Good idea to record your interviews
Interviews take up time, so plan for an hour or less (roughly 10 questions)
Stick to your questions, but be flexible if relevant or interesting issues arise during the interview
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

8. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Focus groups
Take time to arrange, so prepare in advance (use an intermediary to help you if you can)
Who will be in your focus group? (e.g. age, gender)
Size of focus group (8-10 is typical)
Consider whether or not to have separate focus groups for different ages or genders (e.g. discussing sex and sexuality)
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

9. Site visits and observation
Site visits involve visiting an organization, community project etc
Consider using a guide
Observation is when you visit a location and observe what is going on, drawing your own conclusions
Both facilitate making your research more relevant and concrete
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

10. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Case studies
Method of capturing and presenting concrete details of real or fictional situations in a structured way
Good for comparative analysis
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

11. Participatory research
Allows participation of community being researched in research process (e.g. developing research question; choosing methodology; analysing results)
Good way to ensure research does not simply reinforce prejudices and presumptions of researcher
Good for raising awareness in community and developing appropriate action plans
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

12. Planning your research: Key questions
What do you want to know?
How do you find out what you want to know?
Where can you get the information?
Who do you need to ask?
When does your research need to be done?
Why? (Getting the answer)
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

13. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Step 1: What?
What do I want to know?
When developing your research question, keep in mind:
Who your research is for;
What decisions your research will inform;
What kind of information is needed to inform those
decisions.
Conduct a local information scan
Take another look at your research question
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

14. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Step 2: How? Where? Who?
How do I find out what I want to know?
Where can I get the information I need?
Who do I need to ask?
Choose your methodology
quantitative or numbers information
qualitative in-depth explanatory information
case studies
site visits or observation
participatory research
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Multimedia Training Kit

15. Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org
Step 3: When?
When do all the different parts of the research need to be done?
List all your research work areas
Map them against a timeline
Develop a work plan
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

16. Step 4: Why? Getting the answer
Collect your data
Keep returning to your research question
Organize your research results to answer the question
Keep in mind who you are doing the research for
Focus on what research results do tell you
Be creative, methodical and meticulous
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit

17. Multimedia Training Kit
Basic Research Methods
25/08/2019
Multimedia Training Kit