Practical

Question 1

Can it be done? Time, cost, funding, hiring experts, access to participants - The Logistics of the study

Answer 1

Practical

Question 2

Issues

Answer 2

Non-Exhaustive list:

• Funding bodies - Who is going to pay for the research? What criteria might they place upon the research? What are their interests? Includes Governments, businesses, charities, universities, etc.
  • e.g. Governments want large scale data which requires quantitative methods).
  • Gouldner saw this as the biggest concern for doing research.
• Access to Participants - How easy will it be to study the target group?
• Impact of Research - Will it advance our understanding of society? How much is it worth sacrificing to do?
• Opportunity to Conduct Research - Will it be feasible for the researcher to conduct research on that topic?
  • Mac an Ghail got lucky by working as a teacher while studying education.
• Time - How long will it take to conduct the research? How long will it take to collect and interpret data? Will additional training be needed?
• Costs - What costs will the research incur? Will the research require multiple researchers? Will there be hidden costs? Specialist equipment?
• Participants - What sampling methods will be used to select participants? Will permission be required from gatekeepers for access to them?