Primary Methods: Research Methods

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  • Primary Methods : Research Methods
    • Interviews
      • Asking people questions and writing down their responses
      • Questions may be the same for everyone (structural or formal)
        • But it depends on how people respond (Semi-Structured)
          • Or they can Vary (Unstructured or Informal)
      • Questions may be Open-ended or closed
      • Group interviews, may be done where the respondents are likely to be nervous
        • Such as in Schools
        • But there is a danger of peer pressure so may be invalid
      • Interviews with a regular group at regular interviews to see how they have progressed is longitudinal.
    • Observation
      • Watching, listening to and recording people's behavior
        • Can be done overtly or covert
      • Listening to conversations  and absorb general impressions of attitudes, motives and interactions over a long period, even years
    • Experiments
      • Setting up an artificial situation
      • Creating a hypothesis
      • The experimental group is subjected to a stimulus and it's behavior is watched and compared with that of a control group
      • Field experiments are conducted in environments where the participants are already situated, such as hospital or streets, so they are unlikely to be aware of the study
      • Laboratory experiments entail researchers inviting volunteers to a prearranged setting where conditions may be easier to control
      • Th Hawthorn Effect : if someone is aware that they are being watched then they are more likely to be proactive because someone is taking an interest

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