In my research I want to be objective so that I do not become involved with those who I am investigating because I may influence the answers which hey may give. Although my method does have potential problems such as participants giving socially desirable answers, it is still the most appropriate research method because it gives me quantitative data. I do not want qualitative data because I only want to spot trends about childhood and whether childhood is disappearing. I do not want to see reasons and feelings behind this. However I may find that students of the college do not want to participate, but informed and guaranteeing confidentiality it may resolve this problem. If I still do not get all the participants I could try and gain access to another college or going into the city centre an asking shoppers if they could participate.
Participants could also not understand questions which have a scale, Participants could see one number a good thing whereas other participants could see one number as a different emotion. I will not use a scale, just closed questions where participants have two or three answers to choose from. My presence will also help with this as I can encourage them to choose an answer. This will make the questionnaire a lot quicker and a lot simpler to understand, this is another practical reason. A face to face questionnaire has a lot of strengths, although it has its weakness. If I was to use a postal questionnaire I would not be certain I would receive all the questionnaires back making it have a low response rate and would make it less reliable. I could offer a prize but then I would have to have a prize worth winning and this would be very expensive. Whereas a face to face questionnaire I can be sure that I get all the participants I need, so I will have a high response rate having more representative data for my research. This method is cheep and I will only need to pay for a photocopy which is another practical reason.
My face to face questionnaire will use closed questions which will give me quantitative data which is very easy to analyse. Therefore I can then spot trends about the loss of childhood and have my conclusion/ results in front of me, simply. I could have also used a structured interview and chosen participants at random from my local college, but this would give me qualitative data which is harder to analyse. By using this method I would have to hire out a room which could work out more expensive. I would also have room to expand giving me information which may not be relevant. My research method is appropriate method to use because I only want to spot trends in modern society and see the way in which technology and mass media has effected the younger generations. It is quick and cheap method which will give me the results I require.
In order to protect ethical guidelines I am going to make sure that all participants’ details are kept safe and I will not or ask participants names or any contact details. I will also use the BSA to make sure I am confidential, anonymity, and use the correct professionalism. I will not have questions which may offend or make participants uncomfortable and embarrassed. I will write down participants answer, firstly so it is legible and secondly so participants can not be identified by there handwriting. I will be using questions such as, “On average how many hours do you spend on one day using technology, such as mobile phones, computers, I-pods etc?” Also I will be using questions such as, “On average, in a week, how many magazines, newspapers do you read?” The theoretical choice I have made is Positivism; this is because I am objective and value free. I want to gain quantitative data collecting trends and correlations. This theoretical choice is the best as it is a scientific approach which is best for my method.
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