| HBC201: Research Methods for the Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Looking after people with dementia can be a demanding task for the primary caregivers in the families. In a recent study, researchers examined family support for primary caregivers of people with dementia via semi-structured interviews in Singapore.
Analyze the given study and critique the research methodology is adopted. Apply relevant concepts and information from course materials, the given article, and additional research to answer the following questions.
- Examine at least TWO advantages of using semi-structured interviews, as opposed to survey, in the context of this study. Moreover, examine at least TWO disadvantages of using semi-structured interviews, as opposed to survey, in the context of this study.
- Propose a survey study to investigate family support for primary caregivers of people with dementia in Singapore. Specifically
* Propose a sampling strategy to recruit participants for the study. Describe the advantage and disadvantages of the sampling strategy of your choice in the given context.
* Discuss how you will administer the survey to your participants. Describe the advantage and disadvantages of the survey administration method of your choice in the given context. - Describe THREE criteria that are commonly used to evaluate the rigor of a
qualitative study. For each of the criteria that you select, discuss what the researchers did to evaluate the rigor of the given qualitative study.
Research Participation
Experience in research studies and experiments forms an essential component of many introductory research methods courses. Undergraduates often gain their first rudimentary experience of what social science research involves by acting as participants in experiments or as respondents of surveys. Such research participation experiences enable students to gain a better understanding of a research study from the perspective of a participant, as well as acquire some research experience.
This helps students to gain a greater understanding and insight into what is entailed in designing a social science research study, which would help them to design and conduct their own experiments and surveys. Furthermore, they can acquire a broader understanding of how social science research develops and advances.