Multimedia Training Kit

Basic Research Methods

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

What is research?
We ask questions all the time Research is a formal way of going about asking questions Uses methodologies Many different kinds (e.g. market research, media research and social research) Basic research methods can be learned easily

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Basic research methods

Quantitative research (e.g. survey) Qualitative research (e.g. face-to-face interviews; focus groups; site visits) Case studies Participatory research

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Quantitative research
Involves information or data in the form of numbers Allows us to measure or to quantify things Respondents dont necessarily give numbers as answers - answers are analysed as numbers Good example of quantitative research is the survey

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Surveys
Think clearly about questions (need to constrain answers as much as possible) Make sure results will answer your research question Can use Internet for conducting surveys if need to cover wide geographic reach

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Qualitative research
Helps us flesh out the story and develop a deeper understanding of a topic Often contrasted to quantitative research Together they give us the bigger picture Good examples of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews, focus groups and site visits

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Face-to-face interviews
Must prepare questions Good idea to record your interviews Interviews take up time, so plan for an hour or less (roughly 10 questions) Stick to your questions, but be flexible if relevant or interesting issues arise during the interview

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Focus groups
Take time to arrange, so prepare in advance (use an intermediary to help you if you can) Who will be in your focus group? (e.g. age, gender) Size of focus group (8-10 is typical) Consider whether or not to have separate focus groups for different ages or genders (e.g. discussing sex and sexuality)

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Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Site visits and observation

Site visits involve visiting an organization, community project etc Consider using a guide Observation is when you visit a location and observe what is going on, drawing your own conclusions Both facilitate making your research more relevant and concrete

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Case studies
Method of capturing and presenting concrete details of real or fictional situations in a structured way Good for comparative analysis

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Participatory research
Allows participation of community being researched in research process (e.g. developing research question; choosing methodology; analysing results) Good way to ensure research does not simply reinforce prejudices and presumptions of researcher Good for raising awareness in community and developing appropriate action plans
22/04/2013 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Planning your research: Key questions

What do you want to know? How do you find out what you want to know? Where can you get the information? Who do you need to ask? When does your research need to be done? Why? (Getting the answer)
22/04/2013 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Step 1: What?
What do I want to know? When developing your research question, keep in mind:
Who your research is for; What decisions your research will inform; What kind of information is needed to inform those decisions.

Conduct a local information scan Take another look at your research question
22/04/2013 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Step 2: How? Where? Who?

How do I find out what I want to know? Where can I get the information I need? Who do I need to ask? Choose your methodology
quantitative or numbers information qualitative in-depth explanatory information case studies site visits or observation participatory research

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Step 3: When?
When do all the different parts of the research need to be done? List all your research work areas Map them against a timeline Develop a work plan

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Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Step 4: Why? Getting the answer

Collect your data Keep returning to your research question Organize your research results to answer the question Keep in mind who you are doing the research for Focus on what research results do tell you Be creative, methodical and meticulous
22/04/2013 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit

Basic Research Methods

22/04/2013

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org