The Factors That Motivate the Tourists to Visit a Site - Research Proposal Example

Research Method and Analysis Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Problem Statement 3 Research objectives 3 Research design 3 (a)Information requirements, 3 (b)Core functions 4 (c)Methodology 4 Data Collection Methods 5 Qualtrics Survey 6 Sample collection 7 Ethical considerations 7 Data Analysis 8 References 9 Problem Statement To evaluate the types of experiences visitors like to experience when they visit an attraction site. Research objectives To determine the types of experiences visitors like to experience when they visit a attraction site. Investigate the factors that motivate the tourists to visit a site Identify the attributes leading to visitor satisfaction when they visit a site. Research design The rationale for selecting the research design for this particular study is contingent on three factors, the type of data required (whether qualitative or quantitative), the core function and the methodology to be used. (a) Information requirements, The researcher will use exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive research. Descriptive research will mainly describe the nature of the tourists visiting the site and what motivates them to visit the site. Exploratory research will be employed in examining the areas that have not been previously investigated to come up with new knowledge on tourist experiences (Heyvaert et al 2013). It will also be used to evaluate the experiences the tourists encounter when they visit attraction sites. The proposed research design will offer direction towards creating a logical link of the data to be collected as well as the research problem. As stated by Gilbert (2008), exploratory research design can ensure greater credibility through the use of the concept of triangulation, which comprises approaching the research problem that utilise different angles at the same time. Explanatory researcher will be used to explain the significance of motivation to the tourists. (b) Core functions As MacDonald et al (2007) mentions, the two core functions of research include applied and pure. Pure research is mainly concerned with complex issues investigated to expand knowledge of the world, and in most cases to prove or reject an existing theory. Conversely, applied research applies the findings to recommend policies or strategies to improve conditions of a phenomenon. Of the two core functions, applied research is relevant to the present study. (c) Methodology Mixed method of research is proposed for this particular study. The method combines both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies (Harris & Brown 2010). In the case of qualitative research method, the research will tend to explore human behaviours. This implies that it investigate what the tourists think as well as what they think. For instance, the qualitative research will centre on how the attraction site motivates the tourists to visit the destination. As Gilbert (2008) explains, qualitative research consists of the systematic empirical investigation of the observable phenomenon through mathematical, statistical, computation and numerical techniques. Since qualitative data is more relevant for exploring the experience the tourists encounter when they visit a tourist site, this method of research will be primarily used, although supplemented by the quantitative method (Heyvaert et al 2013). At this rate, in-depth interviews will be carried out to inquire from the participants the reasons for the tourists' motivation to visit a site. On the other hand, quantitative research is essentially inquiring from people of their opinion using a structured means (Harris & Brown 2010). In this present research, quantitative research will inquire from the respondents of what motivates them to visit an attraction site. Quantitative research methodology is specifically vital for this study as it will provide numerical data that can be presented in graphical or tabular form to give the actual figures of tourist experience through visual representation. In particular, A Qualtrics survey will be employed to generate quantitative data. Data Collection Methods For purposes of collecting primary data, two methods will be used: in-depth interviews and survey methods. In the case of survey, Qualtrics will be used. The survey is essentially a process of collecting data from a sample of individuals based on their responses to a set of questions. The reason for selecting the survey method is because of its efficiency, versatility and generalizability, since they are applicable for a diverse range of situations, can be used for a large number of people at the same time and can allow a range of tourism contexts and subgroups of tourists to be sampled. It is therefore vital that the survey method be used (SagePub.com n.d). In the event of a low response rate for the tourists who will be willing to participate in the interview, it is assumed that the survey method will provide sufficient data to determine the findings. At any rate, the cooperation of the attraction site managers is also vital for this study, since accessing the sites may require their assistance in accessing some places and the tourists. The research will carry out the surveys for seven days, to allow for sufficient data to be acquired. The researcher will first approach the managers of the tourist sites to obtain permission for conducting research in their premises. During the event of collecting data, the researcher will explain to the participants the reasons for carrying out the research. The participants will participate in the study out of their own will. Each of the potential participants will be approached on a one-on-one basis. Qualtrics Survey The survey method selected for the research is categorised into four blocks. In the first block is the informed consent form intended to inform the participants of the researcher's objectives, obligations as well as that of the participant in the process of their engagement. In the second block, six questions are proposes relating to the behaviours of the tourists that can be viewed as variables in the study. Most of the questions in the block consist of multiple-choice questions intended for gathering numerical data (Ferguson et al 2004). The third block consists of the tourists' motivations. The questions presented within this block comprise open-ended questions, Likert scale and open-ended questions. The significance of using the Likert scale is based on the assumption that it will determine level of the tourist's motivation relative to each factor. Next are the open-ended questions that inquire from the respondents whether their motivation to visit a site is different from what has been included in the scale (Gilbert 2008). The last block consists of demographic details consisting primarily of multiple-choice questions that can be applied to make assumptions through statistical and numeric data. They are intended to inquire from the respondents what they think need to be improved at the attraction site. Sample collection The targeted population consists of the tourists visiting an Australian attraction site. It is anticipated that some of the target population may be reluctant to take part in the study because of reasons of privacy, or cultural issues. Random sampling method will be used due to the small number of respondents expected so as to give each members of the population an equal chance of taking part in the survey. It is also a fair method or selecting the sample and easy for assembling the sample. It is also unbiased (Explorable 2014). In particular, quota sampling method will be used, where the researcher will calculate the number of tourists he expects to take part in the study in terms of specific features, such as age and gender. For this particular study, the researcher will be gender, since it is assumed that the tourists may be reluctant about revealing their ages. Ethical considerations The research will pay attention to ethical research practices in the source of data collection, analysis, and presentation. First, the researcher will ask for permission of the potential participants to take part in the research (Davison 2002). This will be followed by explaining to the participants the scope and purpose of the study before their acceptance to participate. The participants will also be informed of their freedom to refuse to answer some questions or to turn down the interview at any point of the study. Data Collected will be presented accurately to make sure it reflects the actual data source and data context. The participants’ name will also remain anonymous (Lindorff 2007). Lastly, the research will avoid data fabrication and falsification of results. Correspondingly, all ideas derived from secondary sources will be referenced accordingly (Ferguson et al 2004). Data Analysis Data analysis will consist of three successive stages: data coding and entry, data interpretation and data analysis since collected data has to be processed, analysed, interpreted, and presented in a report format (Christensen & Gazley 2008). After collection of qualitative data, the questionnaires will be numbered or logged separately once collected. Data will be taken verbatim, or as collected from the field. The data will be taken through interpretative analysis, where the researcher will interpret responses to check for repetitive and similarities of concepts. Analysis will be in two stages. In the first stage, confirmatory factor analysis will be carried out to ascertain the scores factor of each variable (Namey et al., 2007). In the second stage, in-depth analysis will be used where the responses will be designated into relevant themes, which will be guided by the frequency of mention and the exclusivity of each category. Data interpretation will be performed using deductive and inductive reasoning (Namey et al., 2007). Additionally, constant comparative method will employed where each data collected will be designated to a respective theme to reflect the objectives the study (Harris & Brown 2010). In the case of quantitative data, master sheets or SPSS will be used to organise the data, where a summary table would be used in the analysis. The data analysis method is specifically meant for small samples like for the present study. It comprises a sheet containing several coded responses to facilitate tallying of individual responses (Harris and Brown 2010). It also allows for direct counting of the coded responses. 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