Research Methods Flashcards
Advantages of questionnaires
Cheap, anonymous, time-efficient, less likely to be biased, reduced interviewer influence
Disadvantages of questionnaires
lack of depth, potential misinterpretation, inability to probe or ask further questions, misleading questions.
advantages of unstructured interviews
flexible, detailed data collection, helps explore unexpected topics, understand personal experiences and views, suitable for sensitive topics
disadvantages of unstructured interviews
time consuming, difficult to compare data, interviewer may be biased, participants could feel intimidated
advantages of semi-structured interviews
structured but also flexible, guided focus meaning key topics are covered preventing loss of focus, time efficient, exploration of complex topics, adaptable
disadvantages of semi-structured interviews
time consuming, risk of bias, participants could feel overwhelmed
advantages of structured interviews
consistency, efficient data collection, easy data analysis, reduced interviewer bias, clear focus, cost effective
disadvantages of structured interviews
lack of depth, not flexible, inability to ask further questions, interviewer fatigue,
advantages of case studies
in-depth understanding of a certain issues and group, flexible, contextual analysis
disadvantages of case studies
time-consuming, lack of generalisation, difficult to replicate, ethical concerns
advantages of scientific experiments
researchers have control over the variables, easy to reproduce, standard procedures reduce biases
disadvantages of scientific experiments
costly, time consuming, difficult to carry out, researcher bias & participant behaviour (eg: placebo)
advantages of observations
contextual understanding, flexible and adaptable, realistic data
disadvantages of observations
time-consuming, observer bias, ethical concerns
what is qualitative research?
data that is descriptive, rather than numerical and based on statistics
