Methods In context

Question 1

P

Answer 1

Practical-

Is it expensive or cheap?
Time consuming?
Easy to distribute?

Question 2

E

Answer 2

Ethical-

Is this ethical?
Do I have parental consent or consent from participants?/ Overt or Covert?

Question 3

R

Answer 3

Reliability-

is the information I have collected likely to be reliable?
If this study is repeated am I likely to get the same results?/ Structured or unstructured?

Question 4

V

Answer 4

validity-

Are my results likely to be the truth?

The extent to which an indicator really measures the concept under investigation.

Question 5

E

Answer 5

Example-

Can I give an example?

Question 6

R

Answer 6

Representativness-

Is my sample size likely to mirror the researchers target population and reflect it’s characteristics?
Am I limiting who will respond by using e.g. complex language, time consuming interviews?

Question 7

T

Answer 7

Theoretical-

Positivist/ interpretivists

Positivists want to create quantitative data to test hypotheses, numbers. (E.g. they prefere closed, pre-coded questionnaires that give the same responses from each person making data easier to piece together.)

interpretivists prefer to use qualitative data that reveals the meanings people attach to the world. (E.g. they prefer open questions that allow people to detail their own opinion/INTERPRETATION)