Skip to main content
Sign In |
  Help (new window)
ROHS Raven 

Chiz Web

Go Search
Home
ROHS Main Site
AP English Lit
Media Literacy
ELA 11
Submitting Papers
Presentations
Art & Music
Books
Travels
Green
ChizBlog
Contact Me
  
Chiz Web > Basics > Field Research  

Web Part Page Title Bar image
Surveys, Interviews, and Studies
Field Research

 
Field Research is also called investigation from primary sources.  That is, we conduct research that has never been done before; it's original.  Books, magazines, internet sources, are all secondary sources: we read ideas and information that someone else has researched for us. 
 
Field research is a powerful tool if it is done well.  Whatever happens, all research should be reliable and valid.
 
Reliability -- Is the research repeatable? Would it achieve the same results?
 
Validity -- Does the research really measure what you say it does? 
 

 Interviews

 

Types:  Personal, Telephone, Online, Letters

Subject of Interview:

  • Professional/expert in area of interview
  • Fairly chosen, objective (unless bias is part of topic)
  • Research subject’s background/bio (save embarrassment)
  • Schedule time courteously

Questions:

  • Prepared ahead of time
  • Shared ahead of time with subject is a courtesy
  • Worth the time for interview: no questions which you can look up on your own!
  • Follow-up and clarification questions are good!

Recording:

  • Ask permission for audio or visual recording
  • Write quotations wherever possible; paraphrasing and summaries are dangerous

Follow-up & Reporting:

  • Thank you letter or card
  • Report in quotations
  • Do not change context or intent of comments

 Surveys

 

Sample Size:

  • Survey a number reasonable for the results you wish. (The total number is different is you only want sophomore boys vs. wanting all high school students.)
  • Diversity should match results you need.
  • Sampling should be random. 

Questions:

  • Objective questions (yes/no, multiple choice, numbered range, etc.)
  • Simply-worded questions
  • Fair, unbiased questions (no loaded language, connotations)
    • Don’t omit important questions
    • Don’t omit necessary choices or unfairly limit choices

Results:

  • Quantifiable by percentages
  • Sub-divide by types of respondents (age, ethnicity, profession, religion, etc.) where important

Reporting:

  • Label all results by question fully and clearly
  • Choose graph types which accurately reflect results
  • If in a paper, label as “Figure 1,” etc. and then refer to in prose in parentheses: (See Figure 1).

 Experiments & Studies

 

To follow shortly . . . .