CARIBBEAN STUDIES RESEARCH METHODS

Define Research

the step by step process of gathering information

Types of Research

Qualitative
Quantitative

Reason for Research

to generate new knowledge

To solve a problem
To be able to predict an event or outcome
To test a theory

Quantitative:

usually takes the form of statistical or numerical

information. It can also be expressed in the form
of a rate. It is believed that the analysis of
statistical data can indicate both cause and
correlation.

Advantages:

study easily replicable

Method saves time
It is cost effective
It collects standard data
Validity is enhanced by the use of large samples
Data is more objective

Disadvantages:

no indication about the respondents personal state

Unrepresentative samples can lead to inaccurate
and invalid data
Generalization may not apply to all people in all
circumstances

There are four (4) types of Quatitative Research:

(1)

Surveys

(2)
(3)
(4)

Questionnaire
Structured interviews
Official statistics

Social Surveys:

usually large-scale research projects that collect

standardized data from a large cross-section of the
population. E.g. Government census.

There are three (3) types of surveys:

(1) Descriptive

(2) Attitude

(3) Explanatory -

questions are close-ended and allow the

researcher to make correlations about
social phenomena.
asks mainly close-ended questions that attempt
to find out peoples feelings or opinions: e.g. a
party, political figure or brand of food.
seeks answers that require more than a simple yes
or no response. They are given the opportunity to
clarify their feelings in greater depth.

Advantages of Surveys
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Valid due to data collected from a large cross-section of the population

Data can be used to make generalizations
Statistical technique can be used to analyze data, thus time-saving
An unbiased representative sample saves the researcher the time of having
to find all individuals with relevant information.

Disadvantages of Surveys
(1)

Invalid data if sample not representative

Questionnaire

A number of pre-set questions that can contain

Open-ended and close-ended or a combination of
both type of questions.

Steps to constructing a questionnaire:

(1)
(2)

Operationalize key terms and concepts therefore breaking up terms

into sub-concepts.
Formulate questions based on each sub-topic.

Advantages of Questionnaires
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

Easy to administer
They can reach a large number of people even if they are geographically
dispersed
It saves time
It is not costly
Data can be easily tabulated, measured and analysed

Disadvantages of Questionnaires
(1)

What is gained in reliability may be lost in terms of validity

e.g. - The wording may intentionally or not, mislead the respondent
- Researcher bias
- Respondents may lie or treat the issues lightly
- Respondents may forget

(2)

Postal questionnaires have a low rate of return and may be filled out by
someone other than the intended respondent.

Official Statistics

Secondary source of data. The researcher

relies upon other people to collect data.

Advantages
(1)

Saves time as it is a readily available source of data.

(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

Conclusions drawn are objective because of lack of interaction.

Generalizations can be made.
Researcher can understand the nature of social change by comparing
statistics from different times.
Statistics could be used to gain a deeper understanding of human
relationships.

Disadvantages
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Producers may be biased in collecting the data.

The validity of some official reports (e.g crime) could be inaccurate
because trivial crimes may not be reported.
Technological developments make it appear that more crimes are taking
place, therefore comparisons from past to present would be inaccurate.
Due to the fact that it is secondary data, there is a low level of reliability.