RESEARCH METHODS

Research Methods in Political Science



Research Methods in Political Science

Introduction

There are various research methods that can be used by the researchers during the research process. Surveys and questionnaires are the methods of gaining opinions and views from the people. If the surveys and questionnaires come with the textual material regarding the topic, it may change the opinions of the people. This paper evaluates the adequacy of a research approach to assessing the impact of textual material about climate change on opinions about that topic.

The Research Design

The research design which was assigned is a survey questionnaire. The survey also included textual materials regarding the chosen topic i.e. climate change. The main purpose of a survey is to collect and gather information. Survey is a means of gathering information and gaining an insight in a specific situation or problem. There are a few different types of surveys, such as conducting telephonic interviews, asking face-to-face questions, emailing the surveys or conducting random interviews with people walking along the road. The list does not end here. There are many more ways in which a survey can be conducted.

In this case, the survey was very long. The people get tired of filling long surveys. They tend to get distracted and hurriedly fill out the survey to get rid of it. This means that the researcher cannot attain authentic opinions of the people regarding the topic. Another weakness of this survey is that the options provided are too many. The maximum options which should be given must not be more than four. This makes the people confused as to which option to pick. The survey provided seven options for a question. This easily could have been limited to five.

The strengths of this survey is that it provides certain statements instead of mere questions. This allows the people to immediately fill the question instead of thinking for a long time about the question. This saves time of the individual as well as the researcher. The questions at the end of the survey regarding the demographics of the person like their gender, age and education is also a good. The way the survey has ensured the participants regarding their security of their privacy is a good method to make the participants comfortable in filling out the survey.

If a professional research is being conducted, the participants will participate in it without hesitation because the research professionals guarantee the privacy of the information of the participant. This guarantee is known as an 'Informed Consent' which is a crucial part of a professional research. This is a form that the participant needs to sign before participating in the survey. It is a document that describes the purpose of the survey. This form explains what the participant is expected of and explains all the risks that are involved with completing the survey and maintaining confidentiality.

Research Methods

A research methodology involves a number of tactics and designs to mold the study according to the selected ...