Use of Various Research Methods

                There are many different research methods available to use to aid in investigating various topics.  For example, a group of researchers could use experiments in a controlled environment to collect data on a particular subject or conduct individualized interviews to gather more in depth information about said subject.  Another tactic available to researchers is a poll of a target sample or a survey of some sorts.  This allows researchers to hit a wider sample of a demographic with the same material, even if that data isn’t quite as detailed as it would be if it were gathered through other methods.

                Experimentation on a group is often used for testing a particular situation on the group while also checking their results against a ‘control group’.  This control group wouldn’t be subjected to the conditions and would be in a generic set of opposing conditions.  This presents a set of data to the researchers that can be used as a reference point for the actual test subjects.  For example, one such experiment may be human trials of a new drug.  This drug has already passed various other tests and now needs to be tested on humans in a controlled set of conditions to determine if it is safe to distribute to the general population.  Participants are selected to fit the conditions the best and they may be split into several groups to test different conditions of the same experiment.  The ‘control group’ of this experiment may be given a placebo such as sugar pills.  This group wouldn’t be told that they don’t have the product and their mentality would be the same as those taking the drug.  This would allow the researchers to eliminate any psychosomatic (self-induced) effects of the drug.  This type of method is useful to test specific conditions of a situation.

                Another method of research is the use of a poll or a survey.  Polls are typically shorter than surveys and (in modern days) often take a very limited amount of time to complete and usually consist of clicking a button and pressing submit.  Surveys are more in depth and allow researchers to gather better data on a series of questions.  For my IMRaD paper on the factors that may influence cheating for ENGL 105-01, this is the method I used.  I typed up a survey that would analyze the various aspects of cheating in academics and the influence of grading on such inclinations and eventually culminated in the overall question of “Will the abolishment of grades result in the declination of cheating?”

                Since surveys are often biased and allow the test takers a certain amount of freedom to answer honestly (or dishonestly as the nature of human beings may be), interviews can help to fix the skewed data and to also gather even more in depth data on a subject.  These are often recorded to allow the interviewers the chance to review the tape and analyze it further.  These records also eliminate the need to write down the interviewee’s responses (which can often convey a sense of judgment to the interviewee).

                All of these methods are a valid way of collecting data, but each one is useful in its own way.  Experiments are useful for testing certain situations and gathering data from the reactions of the subjects.  Surveys are better used to gather the opinions of a large sample (from which the data can be analyzed and interpreted).  And interviews focus on the individual, focusing more on quality of the data rather than the quantity of it.