Research MethodologyData Collection 2: Observation, Interview, Questionnaire

Primary Sources in Social SciencesPrimary source: first-hand information

1) Observationa) Participant

b) non-participant

OR:

c) Natural situation

d) Controlled situation

Method of recording: narrative, scales, categories, mechanical devices

2) Interview

3) Questionnaire

The Interview1) Unstructured (flexible structure, content, questions, can

be the preliminary step to the structured interview)a) In-depth interview

b) Focus-group interview

c) Narrative

d) Oral history

2) Structured (rigid structure, content, questions, wording, pre-written questions)

- Different media can be used- Questions similar to those in a questionnaire

Research Problems and Unstructured Interviews - ExerciseMatch the research problems below with the most

appropriate type of unstructured interview.

Research Problem Interview Type

The reintegration problems of Holocaust survivors

Focus group

The reintegration problems of Natascha Kampusch, victim of abduction and 8-year confinement in a cellar

Narrative

The reintegration problems of ex-prisoners

In-depth

The anthropology of a newly discovered indigenous tribe

Oral history

Fields of Study and Interview Types - Exercise

Match the fields of study below with the most appropriate type of unstructured interview (more solutions are possible). Give examples for possible research problems.

Field of Study Interview Type

dialectology In-depth

history Focus group

psychoanalysis Narrative

cultural anthropology Oral history

ELT methodology

sociolinguistics

psycholinguistics

The QuestionnaireWays of administering a questionnaire

Mailed questionnaire Collective administration Administration in a public place

Structured interview or questionnaire? – factors to consider Nature of the investigation (anonymity) The geographical distribution of the study population The type of the study population (literacy) Responses to be expected (response-rate, spontaneity, clarification, external

influence) Complexity of the issue Quality of the interaction/interviewer Bias Costs

The Covering Letter and IntroductionThe institution the researcher representsMain objectives of the studyRelevance of the studyGeneral instructions (if necessary)VoluntarinessAnonymityContact numberReturn addressSaying thanks

Forms of Question1) Open-ended (spontaneous answer)

In-depth information Content-analysis Variety, freedom of expression No investigator bias

2) Close-ended (multiple choice) No depth and variety Investigator bias (through preformulated answers) Conditions the respondents’ thinking Easy to analyse Security of gaining the required information

Formulating Questions – Basic Rules Simple, everyday language

e.g. Do you like pusillanimous people? No ambiguity

e.g. Has your marriage improved because your family income has increased?

No double-barrelled questions

e.g. How often and in what situations do you switch to Hungarian in the ELT classroom?

No leading questions

e.g. It is easier to explain English grammar in Hungarian, isn’t it? No questions based on presumptions

e.g. How often do you switch to Hungarian in an ELT classroom?

Exercise – Formulating QuestionsDecide whether the following questions are appropriately formulated. Correct

the inappropriate ones.

1) What regionally specific words do you use?

2) How much is the average student-talking time in your ELT classroom?

3) Do you use audio-visual aids in the ELT classroom?

4) You use the grammar-translation method in your ELT classroom, don’t you?

5) Has the introduction of the communicative method increased student talking time in your ELT classroom?

6) What aids do you think can increase the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching?

7) How often and for how long do you do drills with your students?

8) Do you use different sociolects in your ELT classroom?

9) Do you consider the grammar-translation method outdated?

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Gőcze István. A tudományelmélet és kutatásmódszertan alapjai. Budapest: ZMNE, 2010.

Gyurgyák János. Szerkesztők és szerzők kézikönyve. Budapest: Osiris, 2003.

Kumar, Ranjit. Research Methodology. London: Sage Publications, 2005.

Majoros Pál. A kutatásmódszertan alapjai. Budapest: Perfekt, 2010.