Social Media for Raising Awareness and Reducing Car Accidents - Research Proposal Example

SECTION I Introduction: Research Methods Several methods are currently used to collect information required in any field of research; these methods are broadly categorized into qualitative and quantitative research methods. Other instances exist where the two methods can be used together, yielding mixed methods. Each of the methods above has advantages, disadvantages, and varying levels of usability in different situations. The decision to use either qualitative or quantitative research method will be determined by the kind of research one will be doing and the type of data to be collected. Researchers who handle quantitative data will most of the time be collecting measurable variables or verifying existing theories and hypotheses. In addition, new hypotheses may be generated using numerical data collected during a research. However, it is the qualitative analysis of data rather than numerical computation that actually gives meaning to any given research. This research proposal attempts to study research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative), their characteristics, importance, suitability of application and circumstances under which one method is more suitable than the other. Further, it investigates the importance of using mixed methods of research. It is divided into three sections. The first section tackles into detail qualitative research, quantitative research and mixed research methods. The second section studies into detail the process of undertaking a quantitative research study, taking into detail the steps involved. The third section attempts to apply the processes and concepts of quantitative research methods to conduct a research on How to use social media to raise awareness and reduce the rate of car accidents. Qualitative Research Method This type of research is n normally used when a researcher aims at gaining a deeper understanding of a specific event rather than a superficial understanding/ knowledge of a large sample in a population. The main goal of qualitative research is to provide a concise outlook into the order, structure and the exact relationships between the research parameters. Rather than introduce manipulative variables that impose the researcher’s operational definitions on the research parameters, it allows the true meaning of the research emerge on its own from the research. This means it is more flexible and adaptable to most situations since data collection tools, methods and concepts are easily adjusted to meet the needs of the research at any stage. In order to bring the best results out of every research situation, qualitative research employs first hand field experience, encourages honest reporting and use of excerpts of actual field conversations in the final report. In doing so, it attempts to understand how variables deduce significance from their surroundings and how this influences their behaviour. The main data collection method used by Qualitative research is observation. Observation refers to the selection, study and collection of data on the behaviour of people or species under study. It is an extremely useful tool for generating detailed descriptions of events, obtaining information and conducting research where other methods will produce inadequate results or totally unusable. Observation as a data collection method has several advantages. First, it lowers amount of distortion between the observer and the observed phenomena as would be the case when another medium is used such as a questionnaire. Second, it allows data collection to take place in the natural setting of the study – hence more accurate results. Third, it can be used in situations where the subjects under study are unresponsive e.g. people who are unwilling to speak to the researcher. To correctly serve its purpose as a data collection method, observation must meet certain conditions. It must; be systematically planned and recorded, relate to existing theories and literature, serve a defined research objective and must be subject to controls and checks for validity. Stages of Qualitative Research Method 1. Definition of Problems and Site Selection At this stage, the researcher identifies the problem or area of interest, and charts out the best way to produce greatest understanding of the problem. The researcher further identifies general concepts data that will be gathered to support the concepts formulated. 2. Choice of Strategy. The researcher must then decide how to record observations e.g. writing notes, or by recording video. It also involves taking care of ethical issues such as confidentiality and anonymity. Other factors to consider include; deciding whether to adopt an aggressive or a more passive role, being truthful and honest and being non partisan in your quest for answers as this will help in obtaining truthful unbiased information. 3. Selecting Phenomena and To Observe. At this stage the researcher is supposed to identify his or her key informants that will be important in getting the researcher comfortable in the field. Since they are the key informants, their statements may be taken as evidence even if they are self-serving. Another factor that researchers should be aware of is the validity of information volunteered against statements that are issued in response to asked questions. 4. Cultivating Rapport with Participants. In order to gain the confidence and trust of informants, researchers need to speak their language and try to understand their world by putting themselves in the shoes of the informants. Additionally, the researcher must take into consideration personal behavioral dynamics between different people that is likely to make different informants respond differently. It is also important for researchers to know that they are most likely to gain the best when they play their role as a neutral outsider. 5. Preliminary Analysis of Observations. Here, the researcher will generate a preliminary model that tries to explain the data collected. To help do this, the researcher will have to check whether some proportion of events occur under distinct circumstances or in all circumstances. Further observations may be needed to strengthen the researchers preliminary analysis findings. 6. Final Analysis and Interpretation. At this stage, existing and formulated models will be checked against the evidence gathered in the field. Advanced concepts are introduced and evidence that support them are included and explained. The researcher must then try as much as possible to present the result in a brief and concise report. Disadvantages of Qualitative Research Method There are several problems associated with qualitative research studies. First, they are more time consuming since observation as a means of data collection consumes a lot of time. Second, it is a tiresome way to gather information since the volume of data to transcribe is normally huge. Third, it is more difficult to code qualitative data due to the wide range of responses that informants give. Fourth, this method is not applicable to social settings that are widely dispersed. Fifth, qualitative study is effective only in a case study and hence has very limited applicability to other situations. Sixth, this method of research only gives nominal level data which is very hard to quantify. Finally, it is difficult to control researcher biasness in qualitative research. Quantitative Research Method Quantitative research methods lay emphasis on objective measurement and thorough analysis of data collected. It focuses on collecting numerical data through questionnaires, surveys or polls, and generalizing it across a wider population. The goal of Quantitative Research is to determine the relationship between an independent variable and the dependent or outcome variable of an experiment. The design of Quantitative Research may be descriptive in nature-where subjects are measured only once, or experimental-where subjects are measured before and after exposure to a given treatment under investigation. Quantitative Research deals in static data and focuses on numbers, logic, in-depth convergent reasoning to draw a relationship between any two subjects under research. All this is aimed at classifying and counting features and constructing statistical models that will help explain the observations made in the study. Features of Quantitative Research Several features make Quantitative Research distinguishable from other methods of research. First of all, data collection normally involves use of more structured research instruments than in other methods. Second, the results are normally based on larger population sizes taken to represent the whole population. Third, owing to the high repeatability the research findings can be replicated to other areas of study. Fourth, in Quantitative Research the researcher has a clearly defined question for which he or she seeks objective answers. Fifth, all aspects of the research study are properly designed before data is collected; the data collected is always in the form of numbers and other statistical variables. Sixth, results of these studies can be used to generalize findings or predict future studies. Lastly, researchers in quantitative studies use tools like questionnaires or other suitable equipment to collect numerical data. Quantitative Research Reporting When reporting the findings of a Quantitative Research it is important to keep several factors on mind. First of all, it is important to explain the data that has been collected and all the statistical analysis they have undergone as well as all the relevant results relating to the problem under investigation. Second, it is also important to explain unplanned events that took place in the process of data collection that led to actual results differing from expected results and how any missing data was compensated for. Third, it is important to choose a simple and sufficient statistical technique and give reasons for choosing it over other methods, in cases where computer software was used to analyze the data it is important to state so and give reasons why. Fourth, the assumptions used in the calculations and how they affect the final result must be stated. Fifth, in cases where inferential statistics is used it is important that you provide confidence intervals, sample sizes and descriptive statistics for each variable as well as the test statistic value, direction, degree of freedom and significance level. Sixth, it is important to stay away from inferring causality as much as possible especially in designs that are non-randomized. Seventh, the use of tables help provide exact values, use of figures to explain global effects and graphic representation of confidence intervals helps make the report more understandable. Finally, inclusion of a table of content and a list of figures makes it easy for readers to quickly locate anything they want in the report. Read More