chapter 10: research

Question 1

define research

Answer 1

sysematic investigation aimed at establishing facts and conclusions

Question 2

what are the steps to doing research?

Answer 2

1- identify a topic/ issue for investigation
2- research question/ hypothesis
3- aims/ objectives , purpose
4- samples and sampling methods
5- sources of data and data collection methods
6- data presentation methods and analysis
7- conclusion and recommendation
# sometimes
8- limitations and problems as well as solutions

Question 3

what is a pilot study and why do you do one?

Answer 3

preliminary test/ trial study/ mini research carried out before the main research
reasons for doing a pilot study
- to identify poorly constructed sentences
- enables researcher to pick up some mistakes
- to identify some offensive/ difficult words

Question 4

what are the features of a good topic?

Answer 4

interesting- topic should be os sufficient interest
- it’ll mtivate you to keep going with your investigation up to the end
relevant- topic must be of importance to the economic, social and political development of your country
possible/ practical- ensure you are able to collect information on it, otherwise, no need to carry it out
ethical- study mustn’t cause harm or offend people.
specific- research should be narrow and focused

Question 5

define hypothesis

Answer 5

statement which makes a prediction about what you will find out in your investigation or what will happen

Question 6

what are research questions?

Answer 6

guiding questions that control the whole research study and help you get information for our research

Question 7

define aims and objectives

Answer 7

aims- purpose or defined outcome for your research
objective- actions required to achieve the aim

Question 8

differentiate between primary and secondary data

Answer 8

primary data- data you’ve collected yourself/ original information
secondary data- data that is already existing/ collected and published by someone

Question 9

differentiate between quantitative and qualitative data

Answer 9

quantitative data- data that can be written as number
qualitative data- descriptive that’s difficult to measure numerically/count

Question 10

what is literature review?

Answer 10

entails studying written works produced by other people similar/related to topics of yours

Question 11

differentiae between direct quoting and paraphrasing

Answer 11

direct quoting- means you have taken that informaton word for word
paraphrasing- means you have used your own words reproduce the same information

Question 12

define survey population

Answer 12

entire class of people/things which you wish to investigate

Question 13

define a sample

Answer 13

small number taken from the total population to represent the whole

Question 14

why should you sample?

Answer 14

• to reduce the amount of work
• to save time
• reducese costs/ it’s cheaper
• difficult to examine everyone because the population is large

Question 15

explain random sampling

Answer 15

choosing/selecting items/individuals by chance and al individuals get equal chances to be selected
advantages
- reduces bias
- everyone has equal chance to be selected
- it’s fast easy and simple

disadvantages
- choice is haphazard
- may be gaps in types of people or places surveyed

Question 16

explain stratified/ quota sampling

Answer 16

selecting/ choosing individuals based on certain characterisitcs
advatages
- represents subgroups in the entire population
- more representative
- ensures fair coverage with random selection

disadvantages
- difficult to set up
- time consuming

Question 17

explain systematic sampling

Answer 17

when people/ items are selected at regular and equal intervals
advantages
- more representative
- will cover a large area
- intent remains the same
- less time consuming
disadvantages
- some important parts of your investigation may not be included in your study
- not everyone may be willing to answer your questions
- not all differences/changes may be picked up

Question 18

differentiate between quantitative and qualitative methods

Answer 18

quantitative methods- collection of data consisting of numbers
qualitative methods- collection of non-numerical data/ descriptive information

Question 19

distinguis between statistics and official statistics

Answer 19

statistics- science of collecting and analysing numerical data
official statistics- figures produced by government bodies

Question 20

what is a survey?

Answer 20

data collection method used to gather factual information or opinion

Question 21

state and explain the 3 most common data collection methods

Answer 21

questionaires- a list of questions on paper given to respondents to complete
observations- when you look/see/watch carefully to get information
interviews- when the interviewer/researcher asks questions to the interviewee/respondents face to face and they get answers on the spot

Question 22

name advantages and disadvantages on questionaires

Answer 22

advantages
- collects large amounts of information in a short period of time
- easy to compare answers from different respondents
disadvantages
- some people might not complete the questionaires
- response rates can be very low
- questionaires can get lost

Question 23

list advantages and disavdvantages of interviews

Answer 23

advantages
- information is first-hand/ original
- researcher can explain questions that aren’t clear
- response rate is high
disadvantages
- time consuming
- language barriers
- cultural beliefs make interviews difficult

Question 24

what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 24

advantages
- you get first-hand information
- observaion might be the only way of accessing hidden informtaion
- observing the natural setting makes data more reliable and valuable
disadvantages
- time consuming
- presence of an observer might disturb natural settings
- people might not want to be observed

Question 25

list the types of questions that can be used in questionaires and explain them

Answer 25

closed-ended- questions that require single answers
open-ended- questions that allow the respondents to give a variety of answers
rating scale- questions tat require the repsondents to show to what degree they are in agreement with something
forced choice question- a question with a set out list of possible answers from which the respondents choose

Question 26

compare what you do in preperation for an interview vs carrying out the interview

Answer 26

in preperation
- arrange interviews ahead of time
- prepare the questions carefully
- arrange all materials needed
- dress neatly
- arrange transport
- take along and interpreter
carrying out the interview
- be polite
- listen carefully/ attentively
- take notes
- identify the purpose of the interview
- arrive on time

Question 27

give difficulties and solutions that might arise in interviews

Answer 27

language barriers- use a translator
people may not have time- make it brief/short and simple
people might not trust the researcher- reassurance/gain their confidence
people might be suspicious- inform them their privacy will be resepected