3. TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH

 DEFINITION: means the use of online and other digital technologies, such as online surveys, text messages and interactive voice response systems for research purposes. 




CHARACTERISTICS: 
  • Online recruitment can be quick and relatively cheap.
  • The internet can help to reach hard-to-reach, stigmatized and at-risk populations.
  • Audio-visual features can help to reach participants with poor literacy.
  • Digitally mediated surveys facilitate research of sensitive issues, such as sexual health, by offering privacy during data collection.
  • Digitally mediated data submission encourages honest disclosure, enhancing the internal validity of data collected online.

MAIN USES: 






ADVANTAGES:
*  Convenience and cost of online recruitment of study participants: It is feasible, acceptable and relatively cheap to recruit research participants online via search engines such as Yahoo or Google, dating websites or social networking websites such as Facebook. Consent, randomization and data collection can be fully automated online, which is convenient for participants as well as for researchers.

* Reaching ‘hard-to-reach’ populations: technology allows researchers to meet people and get data even if they are in a different place. 

*Privacy and validity of data: reporting bias is a challenge in studies of ‘sensitive’ topics such as sexual behavior, drug use or alcohol use. Participants may be more comfortable entering responses to sexual health questions online than being interviewed face to face.

DISADVANTAGES:
*Sampling: in online research is not possible to randomly sample from the whole population of interest. It can be hard to assess the representatives of online samples and, therefore, the generalization of results.

*Validity of data: Accurate data are vital for research. The potential anonymity of the online environment raises concerns about invalid data owing to, for example, multiple enrollment or deliberate falsification.

*Confidentiality: Young people frequently share digital devices and so unintentional breaches of confidentiality are a concern for digital research with young people. Researchers should inform study participants of the potential risks to confidentiality and any measures that can be taken to minimize those risks.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

13. PROJECTIVE RESEARCH

Image
  DEFINITION:    involves providing the respondent with a word or phrase and asking them to share the first word that comes to their mind. For example,  a researcher could share a list of brands with a group of respondents and each respondent is asked to share the first word that comes to mind . CHARACTERISTICS: MAIN USES: -      Allows respondents to project their subjective or true opinions and beliefs onto other people or even objects .  The respondent's real feelings are then inferred from what s/he says about others. -      Normally used during individual or small group interviews. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES: ✅       It can be used to test for a subject’s unconscious thoughts and feelings about an object or event. ✅       It is a powerful tool for understanding the unconscious processes in the human mind, as it allows us to see how people think about things that have not been consciously recognized. ✅      It  can help us understand the way that people experience their liv
Read more

2. MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

Image
  DEFINITION: m ixed methods research combines elements of quantitative research and qualitative research order to answer your research question. Mixed  methods can help you gain a more complete picture than a standalone quantitative or qualitative study, as it integrates benefits of both methods. Mixed methods research may be the right choice if your research process suggests that quantitative or qualitative data alone will not sufficiently answer your research question. CHARACTERISTICS: 1 .  The analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. 2. The collection of both open and closed-ended data (qualitative and quantitative data) in response to research question. 3. Persuasive and rigorous procedures for the qualitative and quantitative methods. 4.  The integration of these two data sources (by merging, connecting, embedding). 5. The use of specific mixed methods design that involves a concurrent or sequential integration. MAIN USES: ADVANTAGES: 1 . Mixed methods research offers
Read more