This document provides an overview of research techniques and information evaluation for a personal project workshop. It discusses questionnaires, interviews, and evaluating information sources. For questionnaires, it covers designing effective questions and types of questions. For interviews, it discusses benefits and best practices for conducting interviews. It also provides tips for evaluating information based on criteria like currency, authority, objectivity, accuracy, and coverage. The overall document serves as a useful guide for personal project research.

1. PP Workshop: Session 6
Research techniques & Info evaluation
1. Questionnaire
• Who are your target respondents
• What do you want to know
2. Interview
3. Information evaluation

2. Questionnaire
What is a questionnaire?
What are the purposes of using a
questionnaire?

3. Questionnaire
Advantages
− Cost effective
− easy to analyze
− uniform question presentation
can reduce bias

4. Questionnaire
Disadvantages
possibility of low response rates
•
difficult to probe responses
•
some respondents may find
•
questionnaire too difficult to handle.

5. Questionnaire Design

9. Questionnaire Design
• A short and meaningful title;
• Well-defined goals;
• Clear and concise instructions on how to complete the
questionnaire;
• Begin with easy / interesting questions;
• Place the most important items in the first half of the
questionnaire;
• Respondents often send back partially completed
questionnaires;
• KISS = Keep it short and simple.

10. Questionnaire design
• Use simple and direct language.
− use short sentences and basic vocabulary
• Provide incentives
− motivation for a properly completed
questionnaire.
• Make it convenient
− to complete
− to return
• Use a target group to run a trial for your questionnaire.

11. How to set questions
• Use multiple choice questions
• Avoid using the word “AND”
− e.g. Do you like the smell and the texture of
chocolate biscuit
− Do you like playing football and tennis.
•
Leave no ambiguity to respondents.
− There should be only one correct or
appropriate choice for the respondent to make.

12. How to set questions?

Avoid emotionally loaded or vaguely defined words,
e.g. most, least, majority.
− these adjectives mean different things to
different people.

Put similar questions into groups

Do not use unfamiliar words or abbreviations.
− Remember who your audience is and write
your questionnaire for them.

Do not ask the respondent to order or rank a series of
more than five items
− the complexity of the task makes the answers
less reliable.

13. Types of Interviews
Face to face
Telephone
Email
Samples from Youtube
A couple of our own examples!!!!!!!

14. Interviews
•
What information do you want to gather?
•
Select the right person
•
Use your contacts to contact the “right”
person
•
Tell them about the Personal Project
•
Be honest with the interviewee
•
Take visuals if you have them

15. Benefits of interviews

Intimacy of chatting to someone

Provides detail not found anywhere else

Credibility if you select an expert

Experience the first hand information

Could lead to other people, places etc

Builds contacts, networks, relationships........

16. Before the Interview
1. Listen
2. Read background information –
• Know who you are talking to
3. Carefully formulating your questions – 5Ws and H
4. Be alert - eat a snack beforehand
5. Take an appropriate notebook
6. Practice using your recording machine – ask first!!!
7. Trial run the interview with a friend
8. Make an appointment and do not be late!!!!!!

17. During the Interview
1. Explain briefly why you are interviewing this person – your
PP.
2. Don't be distracted or look bored - actively listen
3. Note only the important points
4. If the interviewee has an accent you find hard to understand
or has mannerisms you find distracting, relax and ask them
to repeat the information – be polite at all times
5. Be consistent and formal in your use of form of address eg
Miss Wong, MrsTrebilcock, Dr Faunce.

18. During the Interview
6. Ask questions if you don't understand
7. Listen carefully to information given toward the end of
the briefing as summary statements may be of particular
value
8. Clear up any questions raised by the interviewee
9. Thank the interviewee sincerely for their time and
availability.

19. After the Interview
1. Edit your notes, labelling main points, adding recall
clues.
2. Call with further questions to be answered if
needed.
3. Check the information against other sources and
resources
4. Record your reflection in your Process Journal –
your experience? your feelings? relate to AOI? You
goal? What you would do to improve technique?

20. Reporting on your Interview
In your Report you have to :
• refer to the interview in the body of your
essay
• use quotes from your interview
• a summary of the interview in the
Appendix
• acknowledge the interview in the “Works
Cited”
• Name, format, date.

21. Is all the information gathered
usable ?

22. Information Evaluation
Currency
Authority
Objectivity
Accuracy
Coverage

23. Where you should be now!

You have started reading the PP course in
Moodle

You have built a timeline to finish your
product.

You have begun your Process Journal.

24. Need help to do research?

25. Keeping your Process Journal
Your Supervisor will want to see your
Process Journal every meeting.
Your Process Journal is a practical notebook
~ plans, draft ideas, diagrams, sketches.
It doesn't have to be really neat.
Include photos in your Process Journal
to show 'work in progress'.

26. Keeping your Process Journal
See Appendix examples
► Decide on your format
► Date all your entries.
► Each time you work on your Personal Project spend 5—
10 minutes writing up what you have done.
► Write about the people you have consulted, the places
you have visited and the resources you have used.
► Highlight the ATL keywords used.

27. Keeping your Process Journal
Reflect honestly on how you think you are going
and how you are feeling about the process.
Mention the challenges you face and your
plans to overcome them.
Evaluate your progress ~ write about
the skills you have learnt.
Include any queries or problems you want
to discuss with your Supervisor.