Planning & Evaluating Research
This page is useful for anyone planning a piece of research but also specifically for students taking the OCR AS methods exam.
When planning research you need to think about the following aspects:
What am I trying to find out?
In the exam you will be asked to fulfil certain criteria in your research design – make sure you have carefully read the item which gives you all the necessary data
Are there any issues with operationalisation of concepts? (eg – how will you measure “effectiveness”?)
What kind of data do I need to collect?
- Qualitative/quantitative
- Primary/secondary
Who do I need to gather data from?
- How will I operationalise this group? (eg if you are asked to gather data on “young people”)
- How will I gain access? – is there a “gatekeeper” I need to apply to?
How will I draw my sample?
- Representative/non-representative
- Sample size
- Random/non-random
- How easy will it be to draw my sample? (can I find the relevant people?)
Which method will I use?
- Does it produce the data required?
Which method would you choose?
Evaluating Research
When evaluating research ideas you need to ask yourself the following questions:
- How well does the method fit the question?
- Are there any other methods you could have used to address the question?
- Having read through the method do you have any questions about:
- Sampling