Non Participant Observation- I cannot see a way in which I could use this in my research.
Case Studies- I'm likely to use specific events as case studies to see Kennedy's handling of these. I might use other presidents as case studies to see how Kennedy compares. Overall, case studies will be very useful!
Newspapers- I could use Newspaper articles from the time (if I can get hold of them) to gage public opinion, or modern newspaper articles featuring Kennedy to see which events they see as his strong and weak points. Overall, these will be useful if I can find relevant articles
Websites- I might be able to gage public opinion from these. Otherwise, I will use these to start off routes of my research and if I’m looking to quickly clarify something, but history book would be a far better alternative
Questionnaires – unlikely I will use these as I’m not entirely sure how I would go about it,although they could be useful for gaining opinions.
Books- Will definitely use for both facts and different Historians interpretations.
Ethnography- won’t be used as it isn’t relevant
Participant Observation- wont be used as it is not relevant.
Content Analysis- this will be really really really important, not only in general for checking if sources used are valid, but particularly for interpreting Historical sources which I’ll get to use a lot of!
Journals- As I’m studying something historical, unless new evidence surfaces about something JFK related, I cant see how I would use them.
Focus Groups – These could be really useful for getting opinions on Kennedy and initial ideas for areas of further research; however I’d have to be really careful in up-scaling (?! I can’t spell!) the results of this.
Media Programmes- I will definitely use these as in many cases it will be less time consuming than reading the equivalent books, and similar interpretations and ideas can be gained. Also they will provide opportunities to watch primary footage which will be useful.
Leading Organisations- Potentially could use this if I contacted JFK presidential memorial museum.
Government Reports- I cant think of a way I might use these.
Insider Research- this isn’t relevant for my EPQ
Interviewing- this will be useful to gain information, particularly opinions of experts if I can find any. Interviewing by email will be far more practical than in person
Non Participant Observation- I cannot see a way in which I could use this in my research.
Advantages
- Gives access to natural settings.
-Good to observe small group or individual interaction
-Can observe ‘natural behaviour’
Disadvantages:
-Being observed may lead people to behave differently, thus invalidating the data obtained
- Time consuming
-Cost can be prohibitive
- Can be difficult to quantify and theorise results, eg data can become descriptive
- Researchers can influence results – researcher’s presence is automatically a source of bias
Case Studies- I'm likely to use specific events as case studies to see Kennedy's handling of these. I might use other presidents as case studies to see how Kennedy compares. Overall, case studies will be very useful!
Advantages:
-It can be used to more easily study a complex theme, by focussing on one example to obtain an initial understanding on a more basic applied level.
- They are good for obtaining finer details to directly illustrate a specific point
Disadvantages:
-Generalising trends and assuming patterns from one case study can be applied elsewhere should be done with caution as they may not always be valid.
-They can be very easily subject to bias (including the bias of choosing what to use as the case study itself!)
-Relevant case studies may be hard to find if you are looking into a particularly uncommon area
-Case studies can often lead you off on tangents, and you could find you have too many fine details on one small area which is not hugely important within the whole project.
- They are good for obtaining finer details to directly illustrate a specific point
Disadvantages:
-Generalising trends and assuming patterns from one case study can be applied elsewhere should be done with caution as they may not always be valid.
-They can be very easily subject to bias (including the bias of choosing what to use as the case study itself!)
-Relevant case studies may be hard to find if you are looking into a particularly uncommon area
-Case studies can often lead you off on tangents, and you could find you have too many fine details on one small area which is not hugely important within the whole project.
Newspapers- I could use Newspaper articles from the time (if I can get hold of them) to gage public opinion, or modern newspaper articles featuring Kennedy to see which events they see as his strong and weak points. Overall, these will be useful if I can find relevant articles
Advantages:
· Wide variety of newspapers easily available to the public
· Inexpensive
· Contain a lot of factual information on current issues
· Information in many forms e.g. writing, pictures, graphs, figures
· Include views of various groups e.g. public, government
Disadvantages:
· Some newspapers may be subjective
· Only useful for information on events that have happened recently
· May not be as in depth as needed for specialist subjects
Websites- I might be able to gage public opinion from these. Otherwise, I will use these to start off routes of my research and if I’m looking to quickly clarify something, but history book would be a far better alternative
Advantages
-Ease of access - extremely easy to use a browser to find relevant information quickly and effortlessly, as opposed to having to visit a library, and are available at all hours of the day
-Diversity of source material - you can view and download different types of information; powerpoints, images, videos, PDFs etc.
-Broad selection of views - if you are researching a controversial topic you can easily access many different views from a wide selection of people
-Nature of data - all the research gained from the internet takes up no space and is easily accessed and sorted for reference, therefore is helpful for blog support and evidence
-Dynamic - the websites are constantly changing and can be used as a reference for current events, they are easily updated provide up-to-date information
Disadvantages
-Websites open to editing - some websites e.g Wikipedia are open to the public to change, which may in some cases be a good thing, it can result in information being inaccurate and subjective therefore subject to bias
-Archiving - Due to the internet being huge and constantly changing, it may become hard to find old information for reference as archives are limited
-Costs - In some cases, access to specialised information may be charged and require membership/subscription
-Standards of accuracy - there are often websites that provide inaccurate information which means it will become hard to check accuracy of source material and whether opinions are subjective or
-Specificity - if you are researching something that requires specialist knowledge, there might not be a website for the specific information/ depth of information you require
Questionnaires – unlikely I will use these as I’m not entirely sure how I would go about it,although they could be useful for gaining opinions.
Advantages
-quick - large range of information can be gathered from a large number and cross-section of people
Disadvantages
-potentially illegitimate if return is low
-would need to be short and simple - complexity and length may deter people
-information can be interpreted in many ways - without a personal interface there is a chance of misunderstanding and therefore pointless results
Books- Will definitely use for both facts and different Historians interpretations.
Advantages
-Thorough and precise information contained within.
-Information is often brief and concise.
-Material is often preferable to internet content on the same matter as books are mostly written by professional experts on the matter being discussed and not just a biased, subjective account of an opinionated blogger, for example.
-Material is mostly interesting and will contain better thought out analogies and learning aids that will help the intake of all the new information into the memory.
-Permanent source of invariable information, which must therefore be more objective and less opinionated.
-Offer a reliable source of material used in the creation of the publication in, for example, the bibliography.
-Huge number of different publications available in libraries under the same categories so there is a lot of choice when choosing a book that will seem to be tailored to your needs.
Disadvantages
-Must, primarily be bought or manually found in a library or purchased as an e-book in comparison with webpages of information, which are essentially free.
-May take a while to find a book of sufficient complexity insofar as it will hold interest and not be in language that is too basic or equally too difficult to understand.
Ethnography- won’t be used as it isn’t relevant
-first hand experience gained, but you perception of events will influence you conclusions - could be a good or bad thing
-can be quite costly and potentially
dangerous
-may take a long time
Participant Observation- wont be used as it is not relevant.
Advantages
-First hand research – so the researcher can trust their findings
-Good for qualitative research – i.e. peoples views, beliefs etc…
--Cheap – all you need is a pen and a notepad
Good for researching crime or closed groups – normally, a researcher may not be allowed near these people, but someone acting as part of the group can become gradually accepted.
Disadvantages
-Time consuming – you may need to spend a lot of time with the group to collect all the info you need, interesting stuff doesn’t happen all the time, also time may be needed to become accepted into the group.
-Bias – if you are spending much time around a group of people, your view of them may become bias.
-Deceitful – if you are using covert participant observation, i.e. the group doesn’t know you are a researcher, is that moral?
Content Analysis- this will be really really really important, not only in general for checking if sources used are valid, but particularly for interpreting Historical sources which I’ll get to use a lot of!
Advantages
-It can be used to examine any piece of writing or recorded communication.
-It can be used for any topic.
-It can be useful for showing international differences in communication content.
-It can detect the existence of propaganda
-Shows the emotional state of someone
-Shows the intentions or focus of a person or group of people
-It looks directly at communication in texts
-You can conduct both quantitative and qualitative operations
-Can show cultural insights over time
-Can be used to interpret texts
-Insight to human thought and language use
Disadvantages
-It can be very time consuming
-For great interpretations, can cause errors
-Sometimes has no hard ground, just impacts implied in the text so just different opinions
-Can sometimes be oversimplified
-Sometimes does not take into account the context of the text
Journals- As I’m studying something historical, unless new evidence surfaces about something JFK related, I cant see how I would use them.
Advantages
-If it is published in a journal it must be reliable
-Uses investigations to provide new evidence which is published in the journal
-Experiments published in journals are carried out by a reliable person
-Presents new ideas
Disadvantages:
-The information published in a journal is usually newly discovered, so it can’t be verified against other sources
-Can be biased since scientists can publish their opinion and use experiments to back it up
-Sometimes difficult to get hold of
-Contain large quantities of information which are difficult to understand
Focus Groups – These could be really useful for getting opinions on Kennedy and initial ideas for areas of further research; however I’d have to be really careful in up-scaling (?! I can’t spell!) the results of this.
Advantages
-Good for getting opinions
- People can bounce ideas off each other
Disadvantages
-Discussion can become very one sided
- Must be wary that discussion does not become led by your own opinion
-Hard to get enough variety of people to show true trends in opinion
Media Programmes- I will definitely use these as in many cases it will be less time consuming than reading the equivalent books, and similar interpretations and ideas can be gained. Also they will provide opportunities to watch primary footage which will be useful.
Advantages
-Good for overviews
- Good for interpretations
-Exploring a topic visually can often make it easier to understand
Disadvantages
-Can often only show 1 side of an argument
Leading Organisations- Potentially could use this if I contacted JFK presidential memorial museum.
Advantages
-Information is reliable
Disadvantages
-Could be hard to get hold of, and response may take a long time
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