SECTION 3

: Rossa

: Mick

: Pete

: Oh there you are good, sorry Im a bit late there was a long queue so have you worked out
how to deal with this assignment then?

: Not yet, weve only been here a couple of minute our selves.

: Can you just remind me what the task is exactly?

: Well, there are two, no, three, parts to it : first weve got two right an esay about ways of
collecting data. Then . . .

: Whats the tittle of the essay exactly?

: Ive got it here: asess the two main methods of collecting data in social science research.

: And how much we do we need to write?

: Fifteen hundred words thats for essay. Than, for the second part of the assignment, weve to
choose one method of data collection and carry out a small spell study, making appropriate
use of them methods choosen to get her data from at least five subject.

: And then we have to write a report on the study?

: Thats right, of three to four thousand words.

: Did you get as for as discussing which form of data collection we should go for questionnaire
on interview, isnt it?

: Yaa i think we should use a questionnaire. Itll be so much less time comsuming than
organising interviews, I reckon. Once weve a greed on the wording of it, we only have to
send it out and wait for the responses.

: Yes I thinks it probably would be quicker. But what did the article he gave us last week say
about the quality of data from questionnaires?

: Im pretty sure it recommended questionnaires as a source of highly reliable data. As long

as you design the questionnaire properly in the first place, the data will be fine.

: No, Im sure it talked about drawbacks as well, didnt it?Something about the response rate
and the problems you get if its too low.

: Yaa, but we only need data from five subjects anyway.

: I suppose so. Another drawback I remember it mentioned was that questionnaire data tends
not to reveal anything unexpected. Because it is limited to the questions fixed in advance by
the researcher.

: Come on rosa. This is only a practice. Its not meant to be real research, it is?

: Well, Im not sure about that.

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: Maybe Id better go through the article again, just to be sure. Can you rember what it was
called?

: Sample surveys in social science research. I think, by mehta.

: M-E-H-T-A ?

: Yaa and he also recommended a more recent book, calles suvey research. By bell. I think
its in that series published by london university.

: And if we tried to use interviews that work, by wilson, publised in oxford in nineteen eighty
eight.

: Right. Ive got a tutorial now. Can we meet up again later this week? What about Friday
morning?

: Suits me. Eleven oclock?

: Fine

: Before friday. I think we should all look through the reading list.