Drafting Methods Section
Now that you have decided what you will do for your field research, it is time to write the methods section to your revised research plan (this will also be the methods section for your final paper, so it is important that you write in past tense). As we have gone over in class, you will present your methods in as much detail as possible. The goal is for your research to be replicable--this means that another researcher can easily repeat the steps of your research (remember the details from the methodology sections of student papers that we deemed as more successful). You should be able to describe and justify every step of your research methodology. Explain what you did, what you asked, and why.
Remember, these steps are flexible. You will likely need to make adjustments based on what is necessary for your research area and methodology. With that said, these steps are a great jumping off point for writing an effective and detailed methodology section that is replicable and viable for your final project.
Here are some steps to follow:
1. What type of study (interview, survey, observation/focus group) did you conduct, and what was its purpose? {notice that this question along with the others is in past tense, and I want your response to be in past tense too- this will save you a load of time in the end because you will not have to go back and make everything past tense}
Start with: I conducted a _______________ in order to __________________.
2.Where/with whom was your study conducted? Why did you pick this group?
Start with: I studied/observed/surveyed ______ # of people (adults/students) in __________ because ____________.
3.How did you chose your participants?
Example: My participants were chosen based on their willingness to participate in my study and under the criteria that they had taken the FCAT Writes exam and Composition I at UCF. I chose this criteria because _______________.
4.What were you looking for in your study, or what types of questions did you ask your participants?
Start with: In my ___________ I asked questions regarding ____________. These questions were important because___________.
OR: I conducted a study that required my participants to ___________ because _____________.
5. Provide examples of your questions, and explain why these examples are important.
Start with: For example, I asked the question ______________ because ____________. Also, I asked ___________ because ____________.
6. If you asked additional questions or elaborated on any part of your study, insert the phrase in parenthesis: (See Appendix A for a list of all survey/interview/study questions).
7. What did you want to find out by conducting this study?
Start with: By conducting this study, I wanted to find out ____________________.
Example:
I conducted a survey in order to trace the factors that cause Composition students to experience writer's block when writing their papers for Composition class. I surveyed 60 Composition II students at UCF who experience writer's block because these students had written papers in Composition class and had experienced factors preventing them from writing. My participants were chosen based on the criteria that they had written papers for Composition class, and they claimed to experience writer's block on a frequent basis.
In my survey, I asked questions regarding the students' writing habits and fears about writing, in order to trace any similarities that may cause writer's block for these students in their composition classes. These questions were important because they allowed me to study both the circumstances from which these students were being blocked from writing, as well as the assignments that may have caused this anxiety. For example, I asked the question, "What are you worried about before you start writing your composition papers?" because I wanted to see the fears students had in relation to writing. I also asked, "what types of writing assignments do you find most stressful for you?" because I wanted to see if similar assignments caused students to experience writer's block within their composition courses (See Appendix A for a list of all survey questions). By conducting this survey, I wanted to explore the factors contributing to the writer's block experienced by composition students, in order to see if and how these stresses can be potentially addressed.
I conducted interviews in order to discover different ways musical genres interrelate. The interviews were done with four professors in the UCF Department of Music, three instrumentalist and one music theory. I surveyed these professors because they all have experience in multiple genres of music.
ReplyDeleteIn the four interviews I conducted, I asked the professors about how genres of music influence each other in different aspects, such as chords, melodies, or music theory. These questions were important because they provided evidence and examples of the copying that takes place in music. For example, I asked each professor “How has the evolution of jazz music intercorrelated with the formation of Rock’n’Roll?” because I have discovered little on the interrelation of jazz fusion and rock. In addition, I asked each professor to define the term “jazz vocabulary” so I could have different perspectives, and authenticate knowledge from my textual research. By conduction these interviews, I wanted to discover some examples of influence across musical genres.
I used textual analysis on various definitions of the term "sport", in order to come up with my own definition. I used various definitions from high-profile and widely-accepted online dictionaries, as well as one of the scholars from one of my articles I use throughout my research.
ReplyDeleteThe online dictionaries that I used were Dictionary.com, the online Cambridge dictionary, and the online Oxford dictionary. I also used the definition that Michael G. Wagner used in his article, "On the Scientific Relevance of eSports ". I analyzed each definition, and then analyzed different aspects of e-Sports that fit into the definition of these various definitions. The reason I did this was to find any holes that I could address. I also needed to add parts to the definition, as a the definitions mentioned nothing about the culture of e-sports. This is where Wagner's "sport", comes into play, as he uses culture indirectly in his defintion.
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ReplyDeleteI conducted a survey in order to analyze the mental health effects of of social media. My study was conducted online. I posted the link to the survey on various social media platforms that young adults have access to. The participants included both genders with ages ranging from 16 to 22 years old. The only requirement for the participants is that they are active users of social media, meaning at least three hours spent on social media (non-consecutively) per day. I chose this requirement and age group, because these are the people whose mental health is most likely to be affected by social media.
ReplyDeleteMy participants were chosen based on their willingness to participate in the study and their active social media use. I chose this criteria because it was the best way to receive accurate results and data related to by study. In my survey, I used questions from the ‘CAGE test’ and ‘‘Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. I also questioned my participants about whether or not they have been victims or offenders of cyberbullying. I asked this because it will affect the analyzation of the data. By conducting this survey, I hope to find data that will allow me to analyze the effects that social media has on the mental health of young adults.
Here is my survey: (feel free to become a participant)
https://surveyplanet.com/56f9640c10f2ea0d1e228feb
I conducted an interview in order to gain some perspective into what a child goes through socially when suffering from a speech disorder. I interviewed a 10 year old girl in the 4th grade who has a severe problem pronouncing the “r” sound because I wanted to be able to include my own research of how a child deals with their speech impediment. I chose my participant because she fell within the age group of 6 to 12 that I was interested in researching because at that age children are beginning to really socialize in school and develop lasting friendships. In my study I was looking to gain an insight into how a child in elementary school with a communication disorder or impediment deals with their inability to speak properly and how it might affect their ability to socialize or participate in normal activities. I asked questions regarding how many friends she had and if she got along with children in her class. I also asked questions about how she was treated by her peers and teachers. These questions were important because I was able to see how she was perceived in school by not only her classmates but also her teachers. For example, I asked the question, “How many friends would you say you have and how many best friends?” I asked this question because I wanted to know if her classmates still wanted to interact with her and “hang out” despite her inability to speak properly. Also, I asked “Are you ever bullied (if so about what) or do you ever feel like you’re being left out?” I asked her this because I wanted to know if any of her classmates noticed her speech problem and used it to ridicule her and/or make her feel incompetent. By conducting this study, I wanted to find out how a child with a speech impediment in elementary school is treated by their peers and if their inability to pronounce words properly affects their social standing.
ReplyDeleteI also used textual analysis on multiple articles and previous studies I found on “overcoming communication disorders”, in order to develop a solid foundation on the topic of communication disorders and how they affect social life. Then I began to develop my own research on how one can overcome the affects of their speech problems to live a normal social life.
I conducted an interview in order to gather information on the perspectives and reactions from players, coaches, and the public view on concussions and its research within sports. I interviewed three current student athletes at collegiate and high school level, three current/retired coaches, and around ten random students around campus at the University of Central Florida. I wanted to gain perspectives from both the people that are currently involved within the sports communities as well as see how it looks from the outside looking in with random students. The participants were selected at randomness and willingness from the students on campus. To get information from current players and coaches I used my connections through friends and classmates that participate in these communities.
ReplyDeleteIn my interviews I asked questions that dealt with their personal history of concussions and what their views were on in terms of the research/effectiveness of changes being dealt. I wanted to see if the people actually involved felt that enough was being done. A question that I asked all the participants was one regarding the future of sports as to if they feel comfortable with their children playing and if there are some sports in particular that they would be for/against. From doing these interviews I wanted to find out if the public opinion was that the research and changes are being effective and how they feel about what is being done. This would give insight for the future of youth and high school sports and their battle with concussions as well as what moves still need to be made.
I conducted a survey in order to get the general population’s opinions on how they feel the government deals with wealth and inequality in the United States and the factors that contribute to those feelings. This study was conducted online and was distributed on Facebook and through flyers handed out in classrooms. I tried to get the widest variety of people through reaching my Facebook friend group and also UCF Class Page groups because the more people I found the wider variety of people with different incomes answered my survey. There was some bias possibly due to the amount of younger, millennial people who took my survey, but this was noted. My participants were chosen basically through their willingness to participate. I advertised my study on Facebook by making the survey quick and simple to access through a link. In my survey I asked questions regarding their family’s incomes and then their opinions on various issues in the government such as if they believe there is income/wealth inequality, why there is or why not, how they feel towards the government, how they feel the wealth should be distributed, etc. These questions were important because a huge part of my inquiry question is analyzing how the wealth inequality is affecting America’s democracy and the public’s perception of this will have an effect on politics and government thus effecting how people vote and how America is run. For example, I asked the question, “what is your family’s income?” followed by, “do you think this is high, middle, or low”, and finally, “do you believe their salary justifies how hard they work?”, this series of questions really helped me to understand how people feel about the current system of wealth in the U.S. Also, I asked, “did you know that the top 1% owns _____ of the country’s wealth?”, follow by, “does this upset you? Scale 1-5 (1 not at all, 5 angers me) 1 2 3 4 5”, because I wanted to see if the public really knows how the wealth inequality is and how that makes them feel. By conducti ng this study, I wanted to find out the public’s general consensus towards the current system of wealth in America and also how much they really knew about it, and if certain facts anger them. I also wanted to find out if there is a difference of opinions based off of someone’s social class or amount of wealth their family has.
ReplyDeleteIn order to gain a better understanding of the satisfaction level of individuals in romantic relationships, a random sample of fifteen heterosexual couples was selected. Each member of the dyad was asked to complete two surveys. The first was the Bem Sex Role Inventory assessing his/her levels of masculinity and femininity. The results of this Sex Role Inventory are crucial in initially determining the gender stance each member of the relationship takes. The couple types range from traditional-traditional, traditional-egalitarian, and egalitarian-egalitarian. These couple determinations provide a better grasp on why one member might feel more/less secure in a relationship.
ReplyDeleteNext, the individual completed a relationship evaluation which included questions measuring several aspects their romantic relationship. An example of one of the questions I asked was, “On a scale of one to five, how much do you agree with the statement: I feel comfortable opening up and expressing my emotions to my significant other.” The results of the second evaluation were organized into separate categories testing: satisfaction, security, independence, emotional expression, physical attraction, and sexual activity. The results from both surveys were then juxtaposed and analyzed for any common trends.
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ReplyDeleteFor my study I conducted a textual analysis on 4 different counties and their cultures in order to better understand their associations with color . The four countries are China, Norway, Tanzania, and Japan. I chose each country for a different reason. China is considered the most traditional country and also has the largest population. Norway is rated the most advanced country in the world. Tanzania the most diverse while also being one of the poorest. Japan is one of the most homogenous countries globally. I analyzed a variety of sources on each country including case studies, articles, and books. Through my research I was able to understand each culture’s uses, meanings, and associations with color. After this I researched products that were introduced to these countries and what color they were presented in, their success and if changes were made. This new understanding helped correlate cultural color associations with the success and failure of foreign products introduced in these countries. Understanding this correlation could be key in unlocking success in the global market.
ReplyDeleteI conducted several interviews in order to obtain possible solutions to reduce the prevalent biases in the healthcare community. I interviewed 5 physicians of various medical specialties because doctors are the main health providers in the healthcare population and most research is focused on how their specific perceptions can affect a patient’s health. My participants were chosen based on their willingness to participate in my study and under the criteria that they all be medical doctors, including at least one primary care physician. I chose this criteria because primary care physicians have the most patient interaction out of all of the medical specialties and to see if there are differing opinions based on specialty.
ReplyDeleteIn my interviews I asked questions regarding the sources I analyzed, specifically what could be done to remedy the issues seen in each source. These questions were important because the point of this research is for the benefit of the patient, and with no clear possible solutions, this issue will continue to harm them. For example, I asked the question “What personally, as a physician, could you do to solve this issue?” to assess what kind of procedures each physician could apply to maximize patient care. Also, I asked “Would you say that proper communication is pivotal to assessing symptoms or that it’s less important than doing medical tests?” because the overall theme of each source displayed the importance of proper communication between patients and doctors and I wanted to know how much it effected the identification of various health conditions (See Appendix A for a list of all interview questions). By conducting these interviews, I wanted to explore potential solutions that would reduce preconceptions and prejudice, as well as discover procedures to improve patient-physician communication.
I conducted a survey in order to gather data on the reaction various people had to the gendered society we live in. My survey was posted online in order to reach participants of all gender identities, social backgrounds and sexualities. I wanted to have access to a diverse group of people in order to collect a broad range of data, so the link was open to any who wanted to participate, under the rule they first give their demographic information at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteIn my survey, I asked questions regarding individual observations of the impact of the gender binary. These questions where important in establishing a predominate opinion among certain groups. For example, I asked “Have you ever been harassed for your choices regarding gender expression?” to determine if cat-calling and other harmful behaviors are a shared experience among individuals. Also, I asked “Do you believe that the practice of "Gender Coding" contributed your decision to re-evaluate your gender identity?” to see whether non-binary individuals felt that society impacted their personal gender identity.
By conducting this survey, I wanted to find out what lasting effects strict gender rules had on a population in order to objectively evaluate whether or not coding is detrimental to society.
Here is a link to my survey for those who would like to participate! :) http://surveynuts.com/surveys/take?id=60589&c=632791533NPTN
I conducted a survey in order to determine the motivating factors influencing college major decision among nursing students. I studied 30 UCF nursing students because they fit the criteria of who I am studying. My participants were chosen based on their willingness to participate in my study and under the criteria that they were currently studying nursing as their major. In my survey, I asked questions regarding the importance level of certain motivating factors. These questions were important because they helped me determine which factors were of highest and lowest importance for nursing students in regards to choosing their academic major. For example, I asked the question, “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not important at all and 10 being very important, how important was the influence of family and friends when choosing your major?” I also asked, “Of all the motivating factors listed, which one singlehandedly had the greatest influence of your college major decision?” Both of these questions are examples of what was asked in my survey because they aim to discover not only the most important influencing factor, but also a scale of how important each factor is. By conducting this study, I wanted to analyze the importance of the factors leading to students choosing nursing as a major, in order to potentially help future nursing students with their decision.
ReplyDeleteI choose to conduct two textual analyses in order to determine to what extent programs are effectively helping emergency responders and personnel deal with the psychological aftermath when exposed to traumatic events. In my initial analysis, I analyzed four studies; two that claimed Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) was effective for participants, and two that claimed otherwise. The studies selected were done so because each study conducted research on different participants involved in different traumatic scenarios. For instance, Jenkins’ study conducted in 1996 dealt with EMS personnel who responded to a mass shooting in Kileen, Texas. While in Mitchell’s study conducted in 1999, firefighters who worked in a tornado damaged school in which nine children were killed were observed and studied. In my follow-up analysis, I attempted to analyze three more recent studies to show how programs have evolved and improved to be more effective in alleviation. I choose to vary the personnel studied so that it included a majority of emergency responders (EMS, firefighters, and police officers) because although each occupation may be different, they all suffer from exposure to traumatic events on a similar scale.
ReplyDeleteIn conducting my analyses, I attempted to seek out information that pertained as to why or why not the debriefing programs were successful in helping emergency responders cope with symptoms or feelings of PTSD, anxiety, depression, or other possible psychological morbidities associated with exposure to traumatic situations. Additionally, I aimed to learn of the most effective intervention programs, and what steps should be taken to better the well-being of those who participate in such programs.
I conducted a survey in order to understand the scope of collegiate relationships and the effect technology has on them. I surveyed 100 college students at UCF and a few other universities who have been in serious romantic relationships. My participants were chosen based on the criteria that they had been in a romantic relationship before and they have a cellular phone and access to social media.
ReplyDeleteIn my survey, I asked the participants questions regarding the student’s social media and texting habits and how it effects their relationships in order to trace any similarities that may benefit or detract from collegiate romantic relationships. These questions were important because they helped me actually understand the correlation between texting and social media and relationship happiness. For example, I asked the question, “Have you ever found yourself constantly in contact with your current or former romantic partner?” because I wanted to see if there is a correlation between text messaging and attachment issues. I also asked, “Do you notice that you constantly are checking the status of your current or past romantic partner’s social media profiles?” because I wanted to see if social media leads to jealousy in collegiate relationships (See Appendix A for a list of all survey questions). Through this survey, I wanted to discover the extent of the effects of technology on modern relationships, and to see if it benefits or detracts from relationship satisfaction.
I conducted a survey to find out the effects parental divorce has on the children. I surveyed 100 people who were children of divorce because I want to know how their parents’ divorce effected them. I chose my participants on their willingness to participate and whether their parents were divorced.
ReplyDeleteIn my survey, I asked questions regarding their parents’ divorce, such as their age at the time of their parents’ divorce and how it affected their emotions and personal life. I also asked questions like if their parents’ divorce affected their spiritual beliefs and their views on marriage. These were important questions because they help me find the effects the divorce had on them and whether or not the effects vary based on their age at the time of their divorce. In conducting I found out how a person’s age, gender, and other factors influence how they were effected by their parents’ divorce.
I conducted a survey in order to gauge the public's opinion of Bitcoin and what their beliefs are about the digital currency. I surveyed 100 UCF students in order to gauge the opinions of a sample which is likely more probable to know about the currency given that they will all be millennials. I figured that this is the way to go given that my survey will be more or less useless if the participant has never heard of Bitcoin.
ReplyDeleteMy survey started out by asking a few demographical questions and then procedes to ask participants if they have ever heard of or know about Bitcoin. This was a deadend question if the participants answer no as all the following questions will not be able to be answered without a prior knowledge of the currency. The following questions were all opinion based and ranks participants opinions on a scale of how strong or weak their opinion is regarding the specific question. Through this survey I hoped to find out whether there is a common concensus on peoples opinion of Bitcoin or various seperate opinions.
I conducted a survey in order to collect data about the knowledge of the deep web around different age groups. These groups were further divided into majors and gender, to see if this affected in any way the results. The participants were chosen randomly in order to make the results as broad as possible.
ReplyDeleteIn my survey, I asked questions about the participants’ knowledge about the deep web. There were questions such as “What is the deep web?” and “what is the most recent event about the deep web that you have heard, if any?” These are some general questions that can help to determine the knowledge in our society about it. Then questions about their personal opinion about whether or not we should teach our society about what goes on in the other side of the internet proceeded. By conducting this survey, I gathered data that supports my main question about what we think about educating our society about the deep web and what impacts it may bring.
I conducted a survey in order to collect information on what people think about increasing global warming and how much fossil fuels are used vs renewable energy sources. I surveyed 10 adults with an online survey because I wanted to see what common people think about global warming and how serious it its, also to see if people have knowledge about renewable resources. I conducted a survey in order to collect information on what people think about increasing global warming and how much fossil fuels are used vs renewable energy sources. I surveyed 10 adults with an online survey because I wanted to see what common people think about global warming and how serious it its, also to see if people have knowledge about renewable resources.My participants were chosen based on their willingness to participate in my study, I chose this because many people don't want to take the time to finish the survey.
ReplyDeleteIn my survey, I asked questions about what percentages of fossil fuel vs renewable energy sources people commonly think of. This important because it shows if people know about rising global warming and how high the percentage of fossil fuels is. For example I asked the question, "what percent of fossil fuels does the U.S.A use between renewable and fossil fuels Between 1-100% of fossil fuels?" It show shows what percentage of fossil fuels common people think we are using. By conducting this study, I wanted to find out if people have knowledge about global warming, renewable energy sources, and fossil fuels.
I conducted a survey in order to understand how classical music affects the memory of collegiate athletes. I observed and interviewed 14 collegiate student athletes in a controlled and consistent setting for about 10 minutes at a time. I used 14 specifically to have a solid number of individuals and a mix of personalities. My participants were chosen at random picked from the existing pool of student athletes here at UCF. In my experiment I asked these individuals questions regarding short term and long-term memory. This included remembering images, words, and sequences of numbers. Each subject was tested in a silent environment and in a musically enhanced environment. I would test the long-term memory by asking the participants to remember a series of words that had no correlation to each other and then also remember a picture of an object without me saying what it is. After that I would test their short-term memory by reciting a series of numbers and prompting them to record the numbers in exact order after I concluded speaking them. After conducting this experiment I noticed that there was a higher percentage of observable focus under the influence of music and the majority of the subjects turned out to respond better In this environment producing better results.
ReplyDeleteI conducted interviews to understand why professional athletes are able to recovery from injury faster than amateurs and non athletes. I interviewed medical professionals and asked questions about the role of mental factors in recovery from a physical injury; specifically, I was trying to find what mental factors contribute to professional athletes being able to recover at a faster pace than the average person.
ReplyDeleteThe interviews were conducted both in person and via email and included questions regarding the effect your mind can have on recovery time from injury, and what specific practices/habits seem to be the most beneficial. For example, I asked “To what extent can a patient’s mindset effect recovery time from a physical injury?” This question was important because it provided a starting point for the discussion, and gave me insight into each of my interviewee’s personal beliefs on the subject of the mind’s role in recovery. Further into the interview I moved towards more specific questions such as “To what extent does the level of athlete (i.e. professional, amateur, or non-athlete) effect recovery time? What, in your observations, contributes to the difference in recovery time?” My goal in conducting these interviews was to obtain a better understanding of what factors can stimulate recovery through the insight of medical professionals’ observations in their field.
I conducted textual analysis on various research regarding Hollywood’s influence on our political views. I found scholarly articles regarding my research topic and analyzed the results.
ReplyDeleteThe articles I used to conduct my research were “Hollywood Liberalism” ,”Hollywood Left and Right”, “How Hollywood has influenced politics”. Each article had a different take on the research but I have concluded that Hollywood has a major influence on our views on politics.
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ReplyDeleteI conducted my study through surveys to figure out if the stigma around depression actually holds back young people from seeking help for their mental illness. I surveyed about 100 from on campus and from people in my high school graduating class trough Facebook because they are ideally at about the age range for which I am analyzing. I also included on the survey a section for age so I could weed out anyone outside of my age range. One of the questions I included asked people to define depression so I could also weed out anyone who considered depression to just be something like immense sadness.
ReplyDeleteI included a few questions that partnered off of each other well for example there is a question in the survey which is rather direct asking if participant believe there is a stigma. Later on in the survey I ask participants to briefly explain why there is a stigma or what they believe it is. I did this so I could properly determine what the stigma is. I also ask if participant (who suffer from depression) are doing anything as far as talking to someone or helping them cop with what they are dealing with.
By conducting this study I aim to discover if there really still is a major stigma around depression and if that is causing people to not active try to get help.