Undergraduate Research Method
- What kind of research methods are you using in your research project?
Currently, I am using quantitative research methods. The main tool for data collection is the interviews. I will conduct semi-structured interviews using both open and closed-ended questions. This technique ensures that I collect the specific information I intend to get for my study in order to avoid getting unnecessary data that may make the analysis process difficult.
- Based on the type of methods used, what will these questions allow you to discover about your research?
They will help me discover the questions I intend to incorporate in my interview in order to ensure that I get the most accurate information from the participants. Additionally, these questions will enable me to discover the shortcomings of my research methods. Being aware of these shortcomings will help me to find ways of lessening their effects on the credibility of the final study.
- What might the research method/approach your faculty sponsor is using prevent you and your faculty sponsor from discovering?
My faculty sponsor is using a questionnaire. This approach is likely to prevent us from discovering the changes of feelings, emotions and behavior among our participants. Also, it may prevent us from assessing the credibility of the information provided by the participants. Also, the questionnaire may prevent us from discovering the extent to which the participants are dedicated to responding to each question we pose to them.
- If your faculty sponsor asked you for an alternative research method, what would you recommend? How would this alternative method impact the pursuit of your research question(s)?
I would recommend the ethnographic research. Ethnographic research is conducted primarily through the researcher immersing him or herself into the events or activities his or her subjects are engaged in (Wisker 145). As such, this approach does not require an intensive questionnaire. The questions that one incorporates in ethnographic research are mainly intended to help him or her get collect demographic information of the participants.
- Are there any added benefits in using the alternative method?
Alternative methods bring the aspect of flexibility. Using an alternative method requires one to be open-ended in his or her approach to research. This is because one may end up encountering information that he or she had not planned for when preparing for the research process. Additionally, using the alternative method helps address the shortcomings associated with the main method.