research methods - primary

Question 1

advantages of questionnaires

Answer 1

• practical (cheap and quick)
• quantifiable data
• representative
• reliable (questions are pre-set)
• ethical (participant are not forced to answer)

Question 2

disadvantages of questionnaires

Answer 2

• low response rate
• low validity (participants can lie)
• unrepresentative (only certain groups will respond)
• interviewer can’t explain questions

Question 3

advantages of structured interviews

Answer 3

• practical (interviewers don’t need much training)
• representative
• quantifiable results
• reliable (set questions)

Question 4

disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 4

• lacks validity (participants give less in-depth answer or could lie)

Question 5

advantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 5

• rapport
• flexible and valid (in-depth answers)

Question 6

disadvantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 6

• impractical (requires well-trained interviewer)
• unrepresentative (small sample)
• unreliable

Question 7

advantages of participant observations

Answer 7

• validity (natural authentic setting)

Question 8

disadvantages of participant observations

Answer 8

• unreliable
• unrepresentative (small-scale)
• hawthorne effect
• practical issue (gaining trust from the group/leaving)

Question 9

advantages of participant observations

Answer 9

• valid (limits risk of ‘going native’)

Question 10

disadvantages of participant observations

Answer 10

• unreliable
• unrepresentative

Question 11

advantages of overt observations

Answer 11

• less ethical issues
• observer can openly take notes and ask questions
• more reliable than covert

Question 12

disadvantages of overt observations

Answer 12

• time consuming
• hawthorne effect

Question 13

advantages of covert observations

Answer 13

• valid (no hawthorne effect)
• in-depth data

Question 14

disadvantages of covert observations

Answer 14

• ethical issues (lack of consent)
• researcher must gain trust