Assess how appropriate these methods are.
On their own, each research method used has its pros and cons; however, when these methods are combined, researchers are able to overcome these shortcomings. Choo et al (2000) administered questionnaires to participants during their first site visit, thus they were able to introduce the study to participants while also acquiring data for analysis. Questionnaires collect standardised data which allows researchers to quantify the data collected during research (Institute of Lifelong Learning, 2009). Questionnaires also help to examine frequencies and patterns; therefore, this method would have been beneficial to this study since these researchers needed to identify patterns in Web-based information seeking …show more content…
This application collected data on actual events; thus, it revealed information on users’ Web-based activities that were not identified using the questionnaire (Martzoukou, 2005). Bailey (1987) posits that research should include systematic observations “when the area of interest is in people’s actions and not people’s verbal expressions that describe those actions and especially when there are doubts about the validity of these descriptions” (as cited in Martzoukou, 2005, para. 11). WebTracker was used to record specific actions, identified as all URL calls and menu selections, which were date-time stamped and written into a log (Choo et al 2000). Therefore, this method would be fundamental to this research since it would have provided a realistic depiction of each user’s Web-based information seeking behavior. These researchers believed that participants’ Web-use behaviors were not influenced since WebTracker ran undetected on their computer (Choo et al, 2000). However, it is not known if this method had a reactive effect on participants’ Web-use since participants knew they were being monitored. Additionally, even though researchers attained data from participants’ actual Web-use, this method does not explain the actions of participants during information …show more content…
An interview is a qualitative research method that allows participants to explain, in their own words, their actions, influences and thoughts (Evalued, 2006). Participants had to recall and describe recent incidents of information seeking on the Web that lead to a particular action or decision, the strategies they utilise on the Web and their positive and negative perceptions of Web use (Choo et al, 2000). This research method enabled participants to explain how and why they used specific actions to acquire information from the Web; thus enabling researchers to clarify the incidents they observed. Therefore, this method would have been reliable for providing useful, in-depth information for analysis. It should however be noted that participants must be able to remember these events accurately to describe them, otherwise these incidents will be reported inaccurately and the research findings will be affected (Nepochatov, 2008). Additionally, the information collected using this method is susceptible to bias since only recent incidents are reported and fully analysed (Nepochatov,
On their own, each research method used has its pros and cons; however, when these methods are combined, researchers are able to overcome these shortcomings. Choo et al (2000) administered questionnaires to participants during their first site visit, thus they were able to introduce the study to participants while also acquiring data for analysis. Questionnaires collect standardised data which allows researchers to quantify the data collected during research (Institute of Lifelong Learning, 2009). Questionnaires also help to examine frequencies and patterns; therefore, this method would have been beneficial to this study since these researchers needed to identify patterns in Web-based information seeking …show more content…
This application collected data on actual events; thus, it revealed information on users’ Web-based activities that were not identified using the questionnaire (Martzoukou, 2005). Bailey (1987) posits that research should include systematic observations “when the area of interest is in people’s actions and not people’s verbal expressions that describe those actions and especially when there are doubts about the validity of these descriptions” (as cited in Martzoukou, 2005, para. 11). WebTracker was used to record specific actions, identified as all URL calls and menu selections, which were date-time stamped and written into a log (Choo et al 2000). Therefore, this method would be fundamental to this research since it would have provided a realistic depiction of each user’s Web-based information seeking behavior. These researchers believed that participants’ Web-use behaviors were not influenced since WebTracker ran undetected on their computer (Choo et al, 2000). However, it is not known if this method had a reactive effect on participants’ Web-use since participants knew they were being monitored. Additionally, even though researchers attained data from participants’ actual Web-use, this method does not explain the actions of participants during information …show more content…
An interview is a qualitative research method that allows participants to explain, in their own words, their actions, influences and thoughts (Evalued, 2006). Participants had to recall and describe recent incidents of information seeking on the Web that lead to a particular action or decision, the strategies they utilise on the Web and their positive and negative perceptions of Web use (Choo et al, 2000). This research method enabled participants to explain how and why they used specific actions to acquire information from the Web; thus enabling researchers to clarify the incidents they observed. Therefore, this method would have been reliable for providing useful, in-depth information for analysis. It should however be noted that participants must be able to remember these events accurately to describe them, otherwise these incidents will be reported inaccurately and the research findings will be affected (Nepochatov, 2008). Additionally, the information collected using this method is susceptible to bias since only recent incidents are reported and fully analysed (Nepochatov,