Face-to-face and distance training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Face-to-face and distance training - Essay Example The paper tells that in the fields of social science it is recognised that two primary methods of research can prove to be most effective. The quantitative method is one in which research is formalised and structured, and numerically-based information is sought by the researcher, for primarily statistical analysis. Well-designed questionnaires, which use systems such as the Lickert scale to quantify responses to questions, are examples of quantitative methods of research. Reponses to questionnaires can then be grouped, organised and structured, assigned numerical values, analysed statistically, and statistical trends and conclusions can be drawn from data. Another method of research prevalent in the social science arena is qualitative. As implied by the term, this research is less reliant on numerical analysis. Communicated, recorded ideas and words from respondents are used by researchers to determine trends, and to draw conclusions. A less formal, though no less thoughtful, process is entered into to establish the responses, feelings, and responses of respondents, and the advantage of this research is that it relies on interaction between researcher and respondent. While non-quantified data results from interviews, for example, conclusions can still be drawn from meanings communicated by respondents, and the amount of data available to the researcher based on relatively more intimate interaction with the subject, can be most useful. 3.4Research design Weaknesses according to other researchers Boyd (2001) considers that two to ten participants in a research study are ample to reach valid conclusions and Creswell (1998, pp. 65 & 113) recommends â€Å"long interviews† with participants. Therefore some realistic assessment of participants’ attitudes, stemming from their personal experiences, is certainly possible from this sample. The concept of research design suggests that a framework and structure for the collection and analysis of data must be e stablished by the researcher (Bryman, 2008). Thus, an approach must be identified and developed and procedures adopted to undertake a particular study. According to the theory of research design, these approaches must emphasise the quality of the selected procedures to meet the definite research criteria (Kumar, 1996). Particularly in social science research, two research methods have proven to be of most use to researchers: the quantitative method and the qualitative method (Kvale, 1996). Quantitative research, as outlined above, serves more effectively to deal with the number-based data obtained from quantitative studies (Rudestam and Newton, 2007). In contrast, qualitative