Research Methodology - Research Methods
Methodology
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Questionnaires
Open-ended Questions
A set of formally prepared questions that seek information on a person’s knowledge, beliefs, feelings, opinions, likes or dislikes. |
- They permit an unlimited number of possible answers.
- Respondents can answer in detail and can qualify and clarify responses |
- Different respondents give different degrees of detail in answers
- Responses may be irrelevant or buried in useless detail |
Closed Questions
A set of formally prepared questions that seek information on a person’s knowledge, beliefs, feelings, opinions, likes or dislikes. |
- It is easier and quicker for respondents to answer
- The answers of different respondents are easier to compare |
- They can suggest ideas that the respondent would not otherwise have
- Respondents with no opinion or no knowledge can answer anyway |
Interviews
Structured Interviews
A conversation between two or more people in which the interview has been planned with a set of predetermined questions developed by the researcher. |
- Can reach a large sample.
- A representative sample is possible and results can be used to make statements. |
- Less valid due to distortion of restricted answers and closed questions.
- Can't guarantee honesty of participants. |
Unstructured Interviews
A discussion between two or more people in which the interview is more informal, with the researcher planning areas for discussion without developing the actual questions. |
- Respondents may be more likely to discuss sensitive and painful experiences if they feel the interviewer is sympathetic and understanding.
- They give respondents time and opportunities to develop their answers. |
- Unstructured interviews can develop in all sorts of directions. This makes comparison between data from different interviews different.
- Respondents have the opportunity to tell lies. |
Case studies
A deep analysis of a situation.
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- Case studies allow a lot of detail to be collected that would not normally be easily obtained by other research designs.
- Within the case study, scientific experiments can be conducted. |
- One of the main criticisms is that the data collected cannot necessarily be generalised to the wider population.
- Some case studies are not scientific. |
Observations
A process of watching and recording the behaviours of participants; the researcher may be a participant or non-participant in the research activity.
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- Direct access to social phenomena under consideration
- Diverse, flexible and applicable |
- Interpretation of observations is not always reliable
- Some subjects are unwilling for observations. |
Literature reviews
A logical and methodical way of organising the already existing body or knowledge about a topic.
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- Quickly see the relevant information gathered from a source
- Explains thoughts on literature and how they relate to the research question |
- Time consuming
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