Transcript Social Research Methods, 4 th edition

Type Bryman
Alan
author names here
Social Research Methods
Chapter 28: E-research: Internet
research methods
Slides authored by Tom Owens
Using the Internet for social research
– Web sites and pages as objects of
analysis;
– As a means of data collection.
Page 654
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
The Internet as object of analysis
• Find websites relating to your research questions
• Refine the keywords used to improve search results
• Internet use is expanding constantly, so new
research approaches are continuously emerging
• Content on websites is subject to change, or even to
disappearing altogether, so referencing requires
great care.
Page 665
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Referring to websites
Tips and skills
Page 656
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Main methods used for data collection
– Online ethnography;
– Qualitative research using online focus
groups;
– Qualitative research using online personal
interviews;
– Online social surveys.
Page 658
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Using the Internet to collect data has
advantages……
– It saves time and money
– It can reach larger numbers of people
– It does not matter where people are if they
have an Internet connection
– Data can be collected quickly
Page 658
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
…and disadvantages
– The Internet is not accessible to everyone
– Not everyone is expert in computer use
– Invitations to participate in research may
be treated as ‘spam’
– There is a loss of personal touch / lack of
rapport
– Participants can be worried about
confidentiality because of worry about
computer fraud and hackers
Page 658
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Crucial distinctions in Internet
methods of data collection
1. Web-based
Or Communication-based
(data collected through web pages; or data collected by email etc)
2. Synchronous communication
Or Asynchronous communication
(occurs in real time, like on-line chatting; or there is a delay
between question and response, like with e-mail)
Page 658
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Online ethnography
• ‘Cyberspace’ as a new site of research
• Participation, observation and interviews with
members of an online community
• Markham (1998)
– synchronous online interviews in chat rooms and multiuser domains
– participants challenged distinction between life online
and ‘real life’ - online experiences are real too!
Pages 659-661
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Qualitative research using online focus groups
• Synchronous focus groups
– contributions seen and responded to immediately
– using conferencing software
– which participants must have installed
• Asynchronous focus groups
– use of email distribution lists
– useful if participants are in different time zones
– easier for people with less advanced computer skills
Page 663
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Advantages of online interviews over
face-to-face interviews
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Cheaper
Access to more dispersed population
Participants have time to give considered replies
No travel time / costs
No need for audio-recording and transcription
Helpful for sensitive issues
Appeals to shy people
More egalitarian
Pages 668, 689
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Disadvantages of online interviews over
face-to-face interviews
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Digital divide: unequal access to online facilities
Difficult to establish rapport
Questions can be ignored
Greater risk of attrition and non-response
Less spontaneity of responses
Risk of identity deception
Cannot read non-verbal cues
Pages 668, 669
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
E-mail surveys
 ‘Embedded’ surveys have their questions appearing as
part of the e-mail message; ‘attached’ surveys have
separate questionnaires available for down-loading.
 Embedded questionnaires are easier to complete and
return to the researcher;
 Attached questionnaires can be made more attractive in
appearance, can be better organized and use more
question types;
 But, ‘embedded’ tends to have a higher rate of response
(although the response pattern may not vary
between the two types).
Pages 670, 671
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Web surveys
• Web surveys work by inviting respondents to a website
link.
• They can be made to appear much more attractive than
other types of survey, in appearance and design.
• Respondents’ answers can be automatically programmed
to download into a database, eliminating the coding
chore.
• The researcher needs to be skilled in the use of HTML or
else use one of the many software questionnaire design
packages available
• Surveymonkey is an example of this kind of software.
Page 671
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Combining a paper survey
with a web survey
• Denscombe (2006) compared paper and web-based
modes of administration of questionnaires given to
students at an east Midlands school. The results from
each mode were very similar.
• There is a growing tendency to offer respondents an
online opportunity, partly as a mechanism to boost the
number of respondents.
Pages 672, 673
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Sampling issues
• Not everyone has Internet access
• Those who do may not be able to handle
questionnaires online, in e-mail or web formats
• Many people have more than one e-mail address
• Many people use more than one Internet Service
Provider (ISP)
• A household may have one computer but several
users
• Internet-users are a biased sample of the
population
• Few sampling frames exist of the general online
population
Pages 673, 674
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Advantages of online surveys compared
to postal questionnaire surveys
1. Low cost
2. Faster response
3. Attractive formats
4. Mixed administration
5. Unrestricted reach
6. Fewer unanswered questions
7. Better response to open questions
8. Better data accuracy, especially in web surveys
Tips and skills
Pages 676, 677
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Disadvantages of online surveys compared
to postal questionnaire surveys
1. Low response rate
2. Restricted to online populations
3. Requires motivation
4. Confidentiality and anonymity issues
5. Multiple replies.
Tips and skills
Pages 676, 677
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Ethical considerations in Internet research
• The Association of Internet Researchers
recommends thinking through this issue early
on in the research.
• Different types of Internet message present
varying concerns for anonymity, confidentiality,
informed consent.
Pages 679, 680
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition