Research Method Assignment custom essay

Introduction

In actuality, diverse research methods help to conduct studies effectively. At the same time, the choice of the research methods depends on the research design and goals of the study. In this regard, it is possible to distinguish quantitative and qualitative methods, which have their own advantages and disadvantages. In fact, researchers should choose the method that meets their research design and may be particularly effective to reach goals of the study. On the other hand, multiple methods can be applied to conduct the study in the specific area or to study the specific topic. In such a situation, researcher can use the combination of methods and analyze carefully results of the study to make accurate conclusions. In actuality, the current research focused on the study of the impact of the media on cultural norms and behavior of individuals. In terms of the current study three methods will be applied, including interview, questionnaire and observation, which are all methods of the qualitative analysis. The choice of qualitative methods of analysis naturally derives from the study design and nature of the study. Qualitative methods will be the most efficient in terms of the study of the impact of mass media on individuals, their cultural norms and behavior.

Interview

Interviews belong to the traditional group of qualitative methods which help to conduct the study effectively and reveal important issues relevant to the study. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that interviews can have different forms. Interviews can be conducted face to face, by phone, video chart, and other media. However, face to face interviews are particularly effective because they help to conduct interview and observe participants in the course of the interview. This is why interviews conducted in the course of the current study were conducted face to face. In fact, face to face interviews are particularly effective, when the study has to reveal issues that affect subjects of the study directly. Taking into consideration the topic of the current study, interviews were conducted face to face to find out the impact of mass media on subjects’ culture and behavior, their views and beliefs. The researcher could trace responses of subjects of the study and observe their reaction to questions posed in the course of the interview. In addition, the researcher could ask additional questions in the course of the interview to expand the understanding of a subjects’ response. For instance, subjects may face difficulties with adequate comprehension of the question and they may need some explanation to make the question clear for them. Similarly, the researcher may face difficulties with adequate understanding of a subject’s response. Therefore, the researcher may ask additional questions to precise the meaning of the response and what the subject actually wanted to say.

Interviews involved subjects of different race, culture, and gender. The diversity of subjects is very important to identify the impact of mass media on their cultural norms, behavior, views and beliefs. In fact, the selection of a homogeneous group of subjects, for instance males only, could limit the scope of the study because females could have responded in a different way in the course of interviews. Therefore, the research should involve possibly diverse group of subjects. However, still the study had certain limitations because subjects of the study were of the approximately the same age which varied from 20 to 22. Nevertheless, the diverse background of subjects helped to understand the essence of the impact of media on individuals.