Research Methods

I will be using different research methods for my AS Media such as:

• Primary research

Primary research is research I will carry out myself. For example; interviews, questionnaires, surveys, textual analysis or even the internet. Advantages of using primary research are that the researcher can focus on both quantitative and qualitative issues, the researcher has control over how the information is collected and controls the search design to fit their needs. However, disadvantages of primary are that it may be very expensive carrying out research compared to secondary research as for things like questionnaires it will cost for all of the paper used and for any equipment needed for any other experiments.

• Secondary research

Secondary research is research that I use that someone else has carried out, so you're looking at existing research rather than primary research where you collect the research yourself. For example; search engine, websites, books, magazines or journals. Advantages of secondary research are things like the ease of access to many sources of secondary data and low cost. However, the disadvantages are that it may not be specific to researchers needs, the researcher may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of the study. 

• Qualitative research 

Qualitative research is research concerned with peoples ideas, opinions, thoughts and feelings. For example interviews, observation, sampling, and questionnaires. Qualitative research is strong for;portraying perspectives and conveying feelings and experiences, the ability to embrace both verbal and non-verbal behaviour, to penetrate fronts, discover meanings and reveal the subtlety and complexity of cases or issues. However, difficulties and weaknesses can be things such as; it can take time to negotiate access, assemble a sample, develop trust and rapport, and find out what is 'going on' or what people are thinking.

• Quantitative research

Quantitative research is identification of patterns and trends, for example; more woman than men read 'vibe'. Quantitative research can also be things like  surveys and customer questionnaires to help firms improve their products and services. It's about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so that you can produce facts and statistics to guide you. To get reliable statistical results, it's important to survey people in fairly large numbers and to make sure they are a representative sample of your target market. Quantitative research is a good method of research as it can tell you things like; what type of people are your best customers, how many people are interested in buying your product or service, and the needs of your target market. A disadvantage is that a large sample of the population must be studied; the larger the sample of people researched, the more statistically accurate the results will be.