UoLS&R_wk13_sem1 & 2

Week 13

Studying and Research

Research Methods: Qual and Quant

Opener

Think, Pair, Share

One of the first things to consider is the difference between methods and methodology
In pairs you have 2 minutes - how would you explain this to someone who had no knowledge of academic research?
Make sure you have examples to support your explanation
Be prepared to share!

Previous knowledge

INTRODUCTION

Instructions

Requirements

Watch this video for a recap of qualitative and quantitative (if you cannot access the video there is a transcript below)
Look at the examples of methods of data collection explained on the following pages & decide if they are examples of quantitative or qualitative data collection.
Does the method aim at identifying hard factual evidence (objectivity) or meaning and understanding (subjectivity)?
Linking to week 10 which methodology is the method best suited to, Positivism or Interpretivism?
Can you identify 2 positives and and 2 negatives for each of the methods?
You have 15 minutes - be prepared to feedback!

Research Methods

Experiment

UnStrucutured Interview

You find out about the real world by setting up trial situations.
The classical scientific method is data gathered in rigorously controlled circumstances to test possible causal relationships between two or more variables
Used in scientific programmes where hard data are gathered to support or disprove a given hypothesis.

An oral discussion involving two individuals.
The researcher poses general questions without attempting to control the content or the direction of his/her informant’s responses.
This technique offers considerable flexibility by allowing informants to ‘tell their stories’ in the form of an unrestricted conversational narrative.

Observation

A participant is someone who takes part in an activity.
A naturalistic method of observation in which the researcher becomes a part of the naturally-occurring situation which is being studied.
Everyday events are studied with the aim of understanding the participants’ perspective on, and experience of, these events.
The researchers involved collect datain a more informal, unstructured and natural way.
The design may be altered during the data collection phase.

Research Methods

Strucutured Interview

Questionnaire

A formal research interview which follows a set pattern of questions, and offers a fixed set of response options.
It is akin to the questionnaire; but it is conducted ‘face to face’.
Because the responses of interviewees are constrained by the structure of the instrument, data are more objective and more easily tabulated and analysed.

Designed to deliver a series of well formulated written questions, distributed either in person or by mail.
Typically used to gather large amounts of data in extensive samples whose members are relatively inaccessible or expensive to reach for purposes of interview.

Focus Group

A participant is someone who takes part in an activity.
A naturalistic method of observation in which the researcher becomes a part of the naturally-occurring situation which is being studied.
Everyday events are studied with the aim of understanding the participants’ perspective on, and experience of, these events.
The researchers involved collect datain a more informal, unstructured and natural way.
The design may be altered during the data collection phase.

Closing Quiz

Pair up and let's see which teams survives to sink the battleship!

Seminar 2 Opener

Think, Pair, Share

An important decision to make is are you Mono, Multi or Mixed?
In pairs you have 3 minutes - how would you explain what these are to someone who had no knowledge of academic research?
Make sure you have examples to support your explanation
Be prepared to share!

Previous knowledge

Seminar 2

Which are You

Status in the Curriculum

From your post-lecture tasks you should have decided if you are positivist/interpretivist and quantitative/qualitative mono/multi?
In your group each briefly (maximum 3 minutes) present your decisions to your group
Rest of the group must give feedback (as a group maximum 5 minutes)
Be sure to note down their suggestions!
This information will be used in the assessment workshops later when we come to look at writing your research design section!