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Research Methods - Coggle Diagram
Research Methods
Observation
Banefits
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Researcher can either be a disinterested observer or a participating observer (a key and active participant = action research)
As the surroundings affect how participants behave, act and interact with others, and how their actions are seen by others, observation allows researchers to understand more about what happens in complex real-world situations than by just asking questions or responses in questionnaires = more in-depth findings
Techniques/attentive to
If the observation isn't structured, how can it be done = will the recordings be selective or note everything
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Whether the observer's features (age, sex, ethnicity, dress) affect the observations
Environment analysis = is the setting artificial, is the observer very visible
Is observation enough or is there a need for participation or other data collection = if participates too, how can the two processes be balanced (test beforehand)
How to get around problems that come up like if observation can't be done somewhere which is important
Very time consuming so having planned categories beforehand can help decrease the needed time however, it might decrease the amount of details and flexibility needed = focused on just a set list of categories and noting the participants' responses to specific stimuli = observational technique = experimental approach
Questionnaire
Benefits
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Can use a variety of question types combined together to have more in-depth responses (test beforehand)
Question types = quantity or information, category, list or multiple choice, scale, ranking, complex grid or table, and open-ended
Techniques/attentive to
Length of the questionnaire= shouldn't be too long but have good spacing between question to clearly divide them
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How detailed the questions are, should be straight to the point and there should be a definition of specifically important words
Having an extra comment area is good to allow participants to give clear/more in-depth responses were needed
Question problems
Don't use many questions with negative formations, however for attitude questionnaires it is good to have a mix of positive and negative question,
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Limited number of open-ended questions as they take too much time to answer well and can be overanalyzed
Make sure that the formulation of the questions don't presume or lead to an answer but formulate them to allow all possible responses
Order of questions is important, avoid offensive questions and put more sensitive ones towards the end of the questionnaire to not affect the rest of the responses
When a different language is used translate to English and then back translated from English to have a more accurate translation
Questionnaire should be typed or printed, should be clearly organized and be aesthetically pleasing
At the start need to introduce yourself, the purpose of the questionnaire and give a contact address (if via post have a separate letter in the envelope) (if in person be ready to answer questions on the survey), and at the end thank the participants and invite their future comments/questions
Give clear instructions on the expected format of answers and make sure the format is constant (always ticking/circling/filling in)
Interview
Techniques/attentive to
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Either participant's home, workplace, or at a neutral ground (street/restaurant)
Can be very structure, more open-ended, or in-between
Types: survey questions, classroom/courtroom/clinical questioning, personnel interviewing criminal interrogation, and journalistic interviewing and can use photos to start conversations
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Focus groups
Pros
Varying perspectives present, lead to the analysis of the formation of meanings, how they are negotiated and challenged
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Recorded
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Cons
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Might have technical difficulties, have awkward pauses when starting/stopping/changing tapes, and takes a long time to transcribe and analyze
Follow up = transcript sent for comment, additional questions sent in writing, or if a series of interviews are done they are built on one another
Biographical-interpretive method = use of open questions, elicit stories, avoid reasoning questions (why) and follow participants ordering and phrasing
Notes
Pros
Instant record of main points, don't need to get any type of recording tool, and don't have to think of initial sorting/categorizing/analyzing of the collected data
Cons
Can distract both participants, can make the interviewee think that they have said something important when the interviewer takes notes, and they can therefore also think that what they said is insignificant if the interviewer doesn't take notes, also during the interview the interviewer might not see the importance of a comment and not note it down
Interviewer has to focus on asking questions, listening, and writing notes, this is hard to do all at once, however, if they wait to take notes after the interview they will forget some comments that could be relevant
Benefits
naturalistic, autobiographical, in-depth, narrative or non-directive
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