Summary of Key terms

Primary methods:

Primary research mostly involves collecting new original information or data that has not been collected before by anyone else. When collecting Primary research, it should tie in under your Secondary research which is already available on the net. There are many different ways of gathering Primary research such as Surveys, with Surveys you are collecting valuable data, it gives you a percentage at the end to evaluate your data and it is easy to collect as the service is free. Observation allows you to see what the person is doing so you can have a better understanding of your research and it also gives you a first hand on their behaviour to have more of an analysis to compare your data and research. With an experiment, you are able to get a natural reaction which would be more accurate and it links with observation so you could get an unexpected result. And lastly, theories give you a basic level of understanding your ideas which can also give you a better understanding of coming to a conclusion on your research.

Secondary methods:

Secondary research includes gathering existing data that has already been produced by Professionals or experts of the net. It can includes things like statistics and theories based of someone else. The con of collecting secondary research is that it can back up the primary research you’ve gathered by yourself and it is also reliable. A con of Secondary research is that some research may not be based in your country which could give you an inaccurate data in your research and also since the research is written by Professionals and experts who have spent time conducting the research, it may be hard to understand and comprehend. You can collect Secondary research through things like Google Scholar, academic reports and newspapers.

Qualitative:

Qualitative research is used to gain an understanding of fundamental reasons, opinions and motivations. It delivers a great perception into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypothesis for potential quantitative research. It is related to personal responses, opinions, tastes, beliefs, thoughts and feelings. Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include focus groups individual interviews, and observations.  For example with qualitative research, you include things such as quotes in your research in order to gain a better understanding of your analysis and conclusion.

Quantitative:

Quantitative Research is used to measure the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into statistics. It is used to measure attitudes, opinions, behaviours, and other defined variables and simplify results from a larger sample population. The purpose of quantitative research is to find numbers/figures, percentages, charts, graphs and measurement for your research. By using quantitative information, it makes your study sound more interesting as you are presenting actual statistics and data.

Sample:

A sample is a small amount of something that demonstrates what the whole is like. Sample research is very important, because it determines if your research method (Survey, experiment or observation) is produced accurately. The purpose of a sample in research is to draw conclusions about population from samples, it enables us to determine a population characteristics by observing a portion of the sample.

Open questions:

An open question is more likely to obtain a long answer. The characteristics of an open question are that they ask the respondent to think and reflect, they will give you opinions and feelings and they hand control of the conversation to the respondent. If something is an open question people have different opinions about it and nobody can say which opinion is incorrect. An advantage of an open question is that it is designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the subject's own knowledge or feelings.

Closed questions:

A closed question can either be answered with a single word or a short phrase (yes or no). The characteristics of a closed question are that they give you facts, they are easy and quick to answer and they keep control of the conversation with the questioner. An advantage of a closed question is that the answers of different respondents are easier to compare and the response choices can clarify question meaning for respondents.