INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS RESEARCH?
Although it may not seem as though we are
researchers, researching happens everyday; whether we are listening to the
radio or reading a newspaper. Researching is all about gathering information
and making us informed about decisions.
What we call research as in ‘basic research
methods’ is a formal way of asking questions. The structure called
‘methodology’ is the way we ask questions in a structured way. There are some
methodologies that can be easily learned whereas some can be complicated.
There are many different kinds of research:
MARKET RESEARCH: This is when you learn
about business markets so that investment and business decisions can be made.
ECONOMIC RESEARCH: I learnt that this is
how you go about with your own things. It could involve formulas, equations
etc. Sometimes they can be the same as market research questions.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: This usually involves
a refined and specialist research such as mathematical or chemical formulas.
MEDIA RESEARCH: This involves looking at
media content and audience. There are certain instruments for this form of
research such as measuring audience preferences.
SOCIAL RESEARCH: this is quite broad term and involves a variety of research
e.g. gathering data on the population or attitudes of people in a community.
BASIC RESEARCH METHODS:
This includes collecting data by using a
quantitative research, qualitative research and participatory research.
QUANTITATIVE DATA:
The term quantitative data involves
information or data in the form of numbers. It allows us to measure or to
quantify a whole range of things. One
forms of quantitative data is by using a survey this could also be by using a
questionnaire.
Surveys can be used in a number of ways,
you must ensure that you think clearly about our questions and make sure that
the answers will need a response. You could conduct a survey through online
questionnaires. The Internet is useful as it mostly free and incredibly
accessible. An advantage of using surveys is that it can get lots of data in a
relatively short space of time. However a disadvantage is that questions could
be misinterpreted therefore the responses will not be related to the question.
QUALITIATIVE RESEARCH:
The terms qualitative data is to deepen our
understanding about something and gives us a more valid picture of the topic.
Some examples of this could include doing face-to-face
interviews or focus groups. This allows you to meet someone and talk to them in
person about various issues. When doing a face-to-face interview, I learnt that
you must make sure that you include questions that involve an in depth response
not just yes and no answers. You need to be able to understand the complexity
of the issue. You must be able to take your time as the participant may need
time in order to get their response together and always record your interview
to listen back to later as notes can be distracting for the participant. An
advantage of using face-to-face interviews is that it helps with the analysis
of results and can have in depth knowledge. However a disadvantage is that it
could be time consuming and be difficult to compare with other analysis.
Another example is that you could do site
visits and observation this is a very useful way of gaining and insight on the
information that you are researching. A site visit and observation is a good
way to gather information and broaden your research so that your have a bigger understanding.
An advantage of site visits and observations is that it helps you understand
your research better and THEYRE A LOT MORE FUN. However it isn’t all fun and
games because it does take time and can be expensive depending on how far your
willing to travel.
PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
One of the key
problems with research is that there is always a chance of misunderstanding the
questions. It doesn't mean the researcher didn't think of the questions well
enough, it just means they're not appropriate.
I learnt that
anthropologists cave these problems the most, especially whilst doing field
work. They must be aware of their presence as an outsider which could lead to
the Hawthorne effect which is where the participants behave differently as they
know they're being studied.
I also found that
participatory research is the way forward from this as it allows members or a
particular group being researched to take part in developing research
questions, creating more methodologies.
An advantage of using
participatory research is that the research is biased and involves more of the
community. However the disadvantage of it is that it could take time for the
community to take part.
PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH!
Whilst planning your
research I found that journalist use a basic structure, it is the 5 W's and 1
H. It includes who? What? When? Where? Why? And how? This can be applied to
many situations and covers a lot of main points.
STEP 1: WHO
WHAT DO I WANT TO
KNOW?
Deciding on research
question
The most important
thing is to know and understand fully what you're researching in order to move
onto the next steps. You need to consistently bare in mind what your research is
for.
Conducting a local information
scan
Once deciding on your
research question, you can refine it by finding out further information on it
by looking on the internet, reading book etc. This helps you gain extra
knowledge on your question and you can
look at it from different view points also.
Theory
I learnt that you may
want to include some theoretical framework as it could be helpful when
researching because you can always link it back to your theory. You could do
this by talking to an expert or again going to the library.
STEP TWO: HOW? WHERE?
WHO?
HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT
I WANT TO KNOW?
Now that you know what
kind of research your looking into and what methodology is needed you need ask
questions like:
- Do i need quantitative or qualitative data?
- Shall I do a case study?
- Will I do a participatory research method?
- Will I be conducting site visits or observations?
And many more..
WHERE CAN I GET THE
INFORMATION THAT I NEED, OR WHO DO I ASK?
I found that after
choosing your methodology you must decide where your going to be collecting
your information from and who you might speak to. You could look at pamphlets
or booklets, go to the library, surf the internet etc. If you are struggling
choosing you could always devise a table of your methodologies and right where
the information would come from and any challenges you could face.
RESEARCH TIP:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Although you have
already done an information scan, your research topic could include or need a
lot more background research. You could do it the way you did the information
scan but it needs to be a lot more in depth instead of going to one expert go
to 3 to get a range of opinions for example. You must always double check facts
too just to be sure it is not biased.
WHERE TO FIND
INFORMATION:
- The internet
- Pamphlets
- Conferences
- Magazines
- Keeping track of published research
STEP THREE: WHEN?
WHEN DO ALL THE
DIFFERENT PARTS IF RESEARCH NEED TO BE DONE?
After all that
researching you must be organised and so must your team. You need to ensure
that everyone on the team knows what's expected and needed from them. It is
also important to get the most relative things done first, the best way to stay
efficient is through a work plan. The simplest way is through a table you do
this by:
- Listing all work areas
- Put them in order of priority
- Estimate the time you may need to accomplish your research.
- Build a calendar and right down the most important dates and when
it needs to be done.
STEP FOUR: WHY?
GETTING THE ANSWER
Now that you have
posed research questions and planned your research well, you can begin
collecting your data. Ensure that you work against your work plan and find
alternatives to any problems that you come across.
RETURNING TO YOUR RESEARCH
QUESTION
You must always be
reflecting and referring back to your research question so that you know thy
your on track with it. For instance you must remember who it was aimed at and
you could develop different ways of communicating with different members.
RESEARCH TIPS:
ANALYSISNG QUANTITATIVE DATA
1. Save your documents
and make copies of them so that the original can be filed way.
2. Add up the number
of responses on your surveyor questionnaire and categorise them referring it
back to your research question.
3. Work out what your
responses are showing so it's easier to generalise.
4. Be creative! There
could be something interesting within your research.
5. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK
YOUR CALCULATIONS.
RESEARCH TIPS:
ANALYSISNG QUANTITATIVE DATA
1. Read through all
your data, and make notes on anything specific.
2. Organise the data
into similar categories.
3. Identify and
patterns or causal relationships. Be creative!
4. If you've done both
forms of data try and link them together, what conclusions can be made?
Overall you must think
carefully whilst doing your research. Explain what you believe the research is
showing and be specific. File away your documents in a safe place as they could
be valuable in the future. I will take into consideration these forms and tips of research when creating my own short film so I could have background knowledge of the history film and how I could develop my understanding of short films.
