Exam 8: Understanding Research Methods, Populations and Sampling

Participant observation is the same as observation, with one major difference, the researcher is a participant in the action s/he is observing.

The term 'research methods' means data collection methods or data gathering techniques; data collection methods are the means by which researchers gather the data required for the research project.

Simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling and cluster sampling are all examples of :

The researcher is limited only by their own imaginations and by the issue of:

Visual methods involves the analysis of visual images. Any kind of visual images can be used, maps, charts, photographs, drawings, paintings, cartoons, videos and films and so on. The researcher can gather visual images or s/he can create visual images, or they can ask participants in the research to give visual images to the research project or to create visual images for the research project.

The population of the study is:

If the sampling method used is appropriate, the response rate is irrelevant.

Detail some of the typical considerations of researchers in deciding on what data collection methods to use in the research project:

Observation, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, life histories, diaries are all means of:

The researcher designing the research project decides on and defines the parameters of the population of the study.

The researcher must decide whether to work with the entire population of the study or to work with a:

Give three examples of research projects without human populations.

Saturation point is reached when the researcher, though continuing to explore the phenomenon with participants in the research, no longer hears any new thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, intentions, etc. This is saturation point, the researcher is 'saturated' with knowledge on the topic and continuing to engage participants would not be useful, necessary, or ethically sound, as engaging further participants in the research will not add in any way to the knowledge generated.

There are two kinds of sampling, probability and non probability sampling.

Online questionnaires are questionnaires which are administered online. Such questionnaires can be sent to respondents via e-mail, or respondents can be sent a link to the questionnaire which can be uploaded to a website, and invited to respond to the questionnaire. Response rates can be a substantial issue using online questionnaires.

National Lotteries use a:

When using a sample of a population in a research project, the researcher must clearly describe the sample. Then s/he must explain why that sample was selected and clearly describe the sampling method, the means by which that sample was selected.

In probability sampling the sample is drawn from a list known as:

The basic rule of probability is that:

The researcher might be working with a population with cultural issues, language issues, or with literacy issues. Any or all of these will have an impact of the design of data gathering technique.