ACM 4063Communication Research

Lecture 6

Research Design

It is a master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for collecting data and analyzing the needed information (Zikmund et al, 2010)

It involves a series of decision making choices to ensure the needed data can be gathered and analyzed

It is the strategy, plan, and the structure of conducting research project

The main purpose or function of research design is to ensure the researcher would get the ‘valid’ data from the ‘correct’ respondents to answer the research questions and the research objective or to test the theory that lead to credible results of the study

Often times, research design is associated with data collection methods

There are also who equate research design with types of research such as: experiment design, case study design, longitudinal and cross-sectional design

Methods of data collection for these designs can be done through the use questionnaire, interviews, observations, analysis of documents and others

Research design is different from the method by which data are collected.

Many research methods texts confuse research design with research method as they treated research design as mode of data collection, rather than as a logical structure of the inquiry

Research design is more than research method

The elements in research design consist of:- purpose of study and approach (quantitative or qualitative)- study setting (field or laboratory)- temporal aspect (time horizon)- population and sampling- measurement (and type of data)- data collection method(s) and Q administration

- data analysis

Methods of data collection

Conducted after the population and samples had been identified and selected

Questionnaire or research instrument had been pretested and improved

Consent from authority or related organizations had been approved

Enough questionnaires had been prepared and enumerators had been trained accordingly

Major methods of data collection:* Survey methods* In-depth interview* Focus group interview* Observation* Content analysis* Experiment* Document review

Survey methods

Most often used in communication research

Convenient method for gathering descriptive data from large representatives of population

A straight forward method – ask questions, record answers and analyze data

Use of research instrument that was specifically developed or standard - questionnaire

Data collection for survey method can be conducted by researcher or enumerator – called researcher-administered questionnaire:- done in face-to-face interview or telephone - the researcher or enumerator asked questions to the respondents and fill in the

answers - help respondents in minimizing error, high

return- can probe for more information and do observation

Another method is self-administered questionnaire – the respondents answer the questions by themselves:- questionnaire distributed in advance through mail or dropped at locations- respondents answer the questionnaire at

their own discretion- suitable for sensitive variables and questions require facts and accurate information

- low response rate, thus follow-ups must be done through remainders or telephone calls- indicate collection time and provide stamped self-addressed envelopes for mailed-questionnaires- have someone to coordinate at the location for drop and pick up technique- cover letters and letter of consent must be sought from relevant authority to enhance return

Getting high response rate from the respondents have been a big challenge

There must be clear instruction in the questionnaire and the questions must be simple and direct

The lettering is big enough to enhance legibility

Do not burden the respondents with difficult and sensitive questions

Can conduct group interview to collect data – researcher reads the questions and respondents fill in the answers:- helps in speeding data collection- better return- group safety, anonymous- can probe for more information and conduct observation

It is common to give respondents a token of appreciation as a way to say thank you

Give after data collection and make sure they are not aware about it – element of surprise

Data collection needs to be planned: make arrangement for place, appointment with relevant authority and with the respondents

If it involves agency, prior approval is a must

Enumerators need to be trained before they are sent for data collection

They should be aware of the goals of research and methods of data collection

Familiarize them with the research instrument

Let them practice in administering interview as unskilled interviewer can destroy the validity and reliability of a well-designed research instrument

The following skills need to be emphasized:- establishing rapport with respondents- introducing him/herself- ways in asking initial questions, rephrasing

questions and probing for more information- ways to listen with interest- ways to record responses- ways to end interview session

For directive interviews, the interviewer reads questions to respondents clearly and accurately, then record their answers

For non-directive interviews, the interviewer phrase questions appropriately for specific respondents, know when to direct respondents, know when the interviewer can interject, and know when and how to probe for more information, then record their answers

Advantages of interviews:- can increase depth of response by probing- can clarify questions to respondents- can encourage full participation- can observe respondents’ demographic features- can detect non-verbal responses- can enhance response rate- can reach remote respondents through telephone

In-depth interview

Normally done in qualitative approach Before the interview the researcher

and respondent must establish rapport The researcher must prepare lead

questions to start the interview Good to record the interview on audio

tape, but ask permission first Be aware of the respondents non-

verbal cues

Probe for more information if necessary Let the respondent presents their views

completely, do not interject Give respondent ample time to think in

answering the questions Do not feed the respondents with your

own responses Must know when to stop the interview

Proper interview will yield valuable information, but takes time

Researcher must adapt to the respondent’s situation

Can be done on one-to-one basis or small group

Check all questions are answered and thank the respondents by giving token

Focus group interview

Usually conducted to complement other data collection methods

If done before data collection, the purpose is to get inputs for statement of problems, research questions, research objectives and major variables of the study

If done after data collection, the purpose is to get in-depth data, make observations, and verify information

Need a group of about 10 people, somewhat similar to respondents of the study

Need to be facilitated by someone who knows about the research – facilitator needs to be trained to guide discussion, probe for information, and capture the main points

Ought to have key questions to start the discussion and everyone should be given the chance to participate

It is recommended that the session is recorded – video and/or audio

Good to have someone to record the interaction so that the facilitator can focus on discussion

Stop when no new information is generated or saturation point is reached, look for non-verbal signs or clues

Do not forget to give token of appreciation

Observations

This is one way of getting the information by which the researcher observe and record the information

The danger of this method is the bias of researcher who will see what he wanted to see, the researcher needs to be neutral

On the other hand, if the researcher has no idea what to observe, he/she will be overloaded with information

Observation can be done in the following manners:* Structured – the researcher had a specific plan what to observe* Unstructured – the researcher does not have specific plan what to observe* Participatory – the researcher takes part in the activity and record his/her experience* Outside – the researcher observe what’s going on, does not participate and record what he/she sees

* Full cycle – the researcher observes the entire event * Snapshots – the researcher observes

from time to time, not all the time* Written records – the research writes

what he sees or experiences* Visual records – the researcher records everything about the event visually using video or audio

* Inputs from informants – the researcher asks respondents about the event and its meaning * Own judgment – the researcher makes his/her own judgment or meaning about the event* Individual – researcher does it alone* Group – researcher and others involve

in observation

Each observation technique has its own strengths and weaknesses – choose the one that will generate the most data

Data from the field must be kept properly and must be complete data – do proper records

Visual record normally helpful Analyze the data according to research

questions and objectives