RESEARCH

Communication Studies
Module 1
 WHAT IS RESEARCH?

• A detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new)

information or reach a (new) understanding.
• Research is important because:
• It is a tool for building knowledge.
• It is a means to understand various issues.
• It is a way to prove lies and support truths.
• It promotes reading, writing, analysing and sharing valuable
information.
• It provides nourishment and exercise for the mind.
 TYPES OF RESEARCH

1. Quantitative Research- uses measurable data to

formulate facts and uncover patterns in research.
2. Qualitative Research- used to gain an
understanding of underlying reasons, opinions,
and motivations.
 THE RESEARCH PROCESS [IA]

1. Your IA shows how well you can apply the skills you have learnt in all 3 Modules of the course.

2. Choosing a Topic: brainstorm for topic ideas. Be sure to choose a subject area that is of genuine

interest to you.

3. Select a topic for which you can find a manageable amount of information. It must be locally or

regionally based topic.

4. Be original. Stand out by selecting an interesting and off-the-beaten-path topic.

5. Choose a primary source to collect data. You will have to create this method.

6. Locate a secondary source that will provide further information to support the primary source.
 GATHERING INFORMATION

• Primary Sources
o An original, first-hand or eye-witness account offering an inside view.
o It contains new information (i.e. new at the time it was created) that
has not been interpreted, evaluated, paraphrased or condensed.
o Such sources are usually are usually created during or very close to the
time of the events they report on.
o The author of a primary source typically provides direct impressions
of events he or she is reporting on.
 TYPES OF PRIMARY SOURCES

❑Qualitative
• based on information findings taken from observation, interviewing
and from tracing patterns of behaviour.
• In this type of research, samples tend to be smaller and the duration
of the research is often longer than in the case of quantitative
research.
❑Quantitative –
• requires a large sample
• requires the use of surveys to feed the statistical analysis
 SECONDARY SOURCES:

o A secondary source provides ‘second-hand’

information that has been digested, analysed,
reworded or interpreted.
o Secondary sources are often written well after the
events they report on, and can put past information
into its historical context.
 YOUR SECONDARY SOURCES MUST BE RELIABLE & VALID

• Your research should contain credible information.

• Secondary sources are essential in order to interpret primary data.
• Scholarly work by experts usually contain credible information.

https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/embracing-innovation-an
d-change-to-thrive/
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/cutting-through-environmental-issue
s-technology-as-a-double-edged-sword/
 VALIDITY

o Is the research investigation providing answers to

the research questions for which it was
undertaken?
o If so, is it providing these answers using
appropriate methods and procedures?

Validity is the ability of an instrument to measure

what it is designed to measure.
 RELIABILITY

o If a research tool is consistent

and stable hence predictable and
accurate.

The degree of accuracy or

precision of your sources.

Refer to Communication Studies- Preparing

Students for CAPE: Edlin Rochford, Module
1.
 OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS:

• Bias – where the researcher influences the

outcome of the experiment to portray a
certain outcome.
• Authority – accepting ideas as valid
because an accepted individual/group
asserts that ideas are true.
• (See pages 144-146)
 POPULATION SAMPLING

o A sample is a subset of people,

items, or events from a larger
population that you collect and
analyse to make inferences.
o To represent the population well,
a sample should be randomly
collected and adequately large.
 EXAMPLES OF THEMES:

⮚ Free Tertiary Education: A Blessing or a Curse?

⮚ Tradition: Bring Back De Ole Time Days
⮚ West Indian Mothers: the Backbone of the Family
⮚ Violence in Schools: Causes and Solutions
⮚ Going Green: Making-Environmentally Friendly
Choices
⮚ Social Media Addiction
 USEFUL LINKS:

• http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/resea
rchprocess.html#topic
• http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/sdsu/topics.ht
m
• http://www.slideshare.net/arisbx/primary-secondar
y-sources-14970608
 ACTIVITY

1. Chapter 9, activities 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5

2. Page 154, Qu. 4. Find reliable and valid research
articles for the following topics.