ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
MODULE 5:

DESIGNING AND
CONDUCTING
RESEARCH
INSTRUMENT
The main methods for
collecting data are:
1.INTERVIEWS UNSTRUCTURE
•can be referred to as 'depth' or 'in depth' interviews.
•They have very little structure at all.
•They involve the researcher wanting to know or find out more
about a specific topic without there being a structurw or a
preconceived plan or expectation as to how they will deal with
the topic
STRUCTURE
•The interviewee will ask the respondent the same question in
the same way. A tightly structured schedule is used.
•The questions may be phrased in order that a limited range of
responses may be geven -i.e. 'Do you rate our services as very
good,good or poor'.A researcher needs to consider wheter a
questionnaire or structured interview is more appropriate.
2.OBSERVATION- May take
palce in natural setting and
involve the researcher taking
lengthy and descriptive notes of
what is happening.
It is argued that there are limits
to the situations that can be
observed in their 'natural'
settings and that the presence of
the researcher my lead to
problems with validity.
Limitations with observation
include;
•Change in people's behavior when
they know they are being observed.
•The researcher may miss something
while they are watching and taking
notes
• The researcher may make
judgments,make value statement or
misunderstand what has been
observed
Strengths of observation
•can be used to assist in the desigm
of the rest of the research.
Observation- can sometimes obtain
more reliable information about
certain things- for example, how
people actually behave. It can also
serve as a technique for verfying or
nullifying informtion provided in face
encounters.
3.SURVEY-Survey is done
to present and explain the
actual experiences of a
certain population
THE THREE(3)CONDUCTING
SURVEY:

1.Email
2.Phone
3 Personal interview
The five(5) challenges and
limitations of the survey
1.APPROPRIATENESS OF THE
METHOD
2.ACCURACY OF WHAT TO OBSERVE
3.GENERALIZABILITY OF THE
FINDINGS
4.ADMINISTRACTIVE CONSTRAINTS
5.ETHICAL AND POLITICAL
DIFFICULTIES
4.EXPERIMENT;

•An experiment is a pricedure

undertaken scientifically and
systematically to make a
discovery and to test the
hypothesis. An experiment can
be performed in a laboratory or a
natural setting.