RESEARCH 3 - INTRODUCTION OF RESEARCH

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.