Method Section
Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
- Method Description
For this study, the survey will be used as the primary data collection method. Questionnaires will be among the survey instruments that will be used in the study. The questionnaires will be administered online through the SurveyMonkey. This is online cloud-based software that will be used to develop the surveys (Evans, Burnett, Kendrick et al., 2009). Secondary data collection method will also be used. The responses in the surveys will be downloaded and later imported into SPSS version 19.0. For the open-ended responses in the questionnaires, the NVivo version 9.0 be used to analyze the data. This study will be both qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative part will be analyzed using the SPSS while the quantities data will be analyzed using the NVivo. The mixed method of both qualitative and quantitative will be appropriate since this method focuses on analyzing the participants’ experiences. This study, the findings will be based on the experiences of the study subjects regarding their long-distant relationships. The secondary data will be obtained from the results of past studies. The studies selected will be less than five years ago to avoid using outdated information.
The survey method will be appropriate for this particular study since the study aims at collecting information about their opinion, behaviors, and experiences about long-distance relationships (Glasow, 2010). Moreover, this method is appropriate for this study since it can be used in both quantitative and qualitative studies. This study will be both quantitative and qualitative since it will consist of both numerical-rated and descriptive items. Survey method is more effective in studies that aim at exploring human behaviors. Since this is social and psychological research, the method will be more useful.
The online surveys will are chosen for this study because they are easier to develop, especially when using online software. Moreover, they are cost-effective since one does not need to travel to physically interview the respondents (Glasow, 2010). Apart from being easier to administer, online surveys also save time since they can be administered remotely. Also, since numerous questions will be asked in this study about the subjects, survey will give the researcher an advantage of having extensive flexibility in data analysis.
- Procedures
Before administering the questionnaires, approval will be obtained from the relevant authorities. Before filling the online surveys, the participants will be required to read the letter of consent and confidentiality. The letter will be informing them about the potential risks involved in participating in the study. It will also inform them about the benefits of the study. This will help the research to conduct the study ethically and to avoid possible ethical issues. After they have filled the online surveys, they will be collected for the analysis of the responses. The numerical answers will be imported in into SPSS for analysis while the qualitative ones will be analyzed using the NVivo analysis software (Lavery, 2018).
The study will involve 200 participants. The participants will be selected using convenience and purposive sampling. This means that the participants will be selected based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. The sampling will also be purposive since the study subjects will be chosen based on their characteristics. For instance, the study subjects will have to be in long distant relationships. This is because the study aims at analyzing the experiences of those in long-distant relationships. This method is also appropriate for this study since it is meant to get the opinions and experiences of the participants regarding their relationships. The participants’ populations will consist of both males and females of ages between 20 to 40 years. The study population will be selected from the college population.
- Procedures
At the beginning of the semester, the participants, who will mainly be students in the college be selected through various methods. One of the methods will be the use of flyers. The flyers stating the reasons for the study will be posted at strategic places with the campus. The flyers will also contain a link to the online survey link where they can fill questionnaires. The announcement will also be made through Facebook. To encourage the students to participate, an incentive will be offered in the form of gift cards. After clicking on the link, the participants will be required to log in with a user name and password, then enter and save their responses. After filling the online surveys, the answers will be collected for analysis. The completion should take less than one hour. To determine the validity and reliability of the online survey, reliability test will be used. This will involve taking a small sample and administer the questionnaires to them and record the response. After some time, the same questionnaires should be administered to the same respondents. After comparing the data in both sets of responses are similar by about 95 per cent, the survey can be said to be reliable (Evans, Burnett, Kendrick et al., 2009). The validity will be determined using the content validity strategy.
- Instrumentation
In this study, the independent variables will be the type of the long-distance relationship will be operationalized as extreme, medium-long, and non-long distance. The depended variables will be operationalized as the perception and behaviors of those in the relationships.
Since this is survey research, the instruments that will be used include the questionnaires that will consist of both closed and open-ended questions.
- Limitations and conclusion
One of the limitations of the study is that when using the survey data collection instruments is that some respondents may not be encouraged to provide answers to all the questions. However, with the incentives, they will be motivated to give answers to the questions. The biased selection of the comparison groups of the study participants through the selected sampling methods may affect the generalization of the study. However, with the small sample size that will be used in the study, this threat will be adequately addressed. The other limitation that may affect the study is the issue of confidentiality which may hinder some respondents from giving accurate information. This limitation will be addressed with a letter that will be written to assure the respondents of the research’s high confidentiality.
References
Evan, R., Burnett, D, Kendrick, O. (2009). “Developing valid and reliable online survey instruments using commercial software programs.” Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet. Vol 3 (1). Accessed
Glasow, P. (2010). “Fundamentals of survey research methodology”. MITRE.
https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/pdf/05_0638.pdf
Lavery, L. (2018). “Mixed method heaven?” NVivo.
https://www.qsrinternational.com/nvivo-qualitative-data-analysis- software/resources/blog/nvivo-and-spss-match-made-in-mixed-methods-heaven
- Appendix
Long-Distance Relationship Survey
- How long have you been in your long-distance relationship? ________ months.
- Are you in a monogamous relationship? Yes or No
- How far are you from your partner? _________miles
- How often do you see your partner in person?
-At least once a week 1-2 times per month
– 5-10 times per year 1-4 times per year
-Less than once per year Other (fill in the blank)
- Which media do you use to communicate with your partner? Check all that apply:
-text messaging phone calls
-email social network sites (i.e. Facebook)
-instant messages/chat
-video chat (i.e. skype)
-blog
-twitter other (fill in the blank)
- Are you satisfied with the use of technology in your relationship? Answer for each method:
– Not at all satisfied
-Slightly satisfied
-Somewhat satisfied Very satisfied
Open-ended questions
- How has technology improved your long-distance dating relationship?
- How has technology hindered your long-distance dating relationship?
Demographic Information
Age: _______
Gender: Male Female
Race/Ethnic group: Caucasian (white) African American Latino/Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander American Indian Alaskan Native
Relationship status: Single, Engaged, Married, Divorced, Widowed, Cohabiting
Year in school: Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Program of study: _________________ Estimated GPA: _______________
Income (per year):