Research

9112INTI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

COM 3204: RESEARCH METHODS IN MASS COMMUNICATIONCOURSEWORK: SEPTEMBER 2011 SESSION

ASSIGNMENT 1

EVALUATION OF QUANTITATIVE/QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

Evaluating Research

Evaluation Summary

1. Purpose/Goals/Questions Marks/Comments

This study aims to provide

a theoretical framework for

a primary research that is

conducted on

undergraduates from

public relations majors and

public relations

practitioners. It also

analyzes if there are

similarities in the student

expectations and realities

of the practitioner of

gender’s role in Public

relations.

Strengths

This study is an exploratory study as

it explores the expectations of both

the students as well as practitioners in

the field of public relations. Research

questions were asked based on three

rubrics that are leadership style,

common gendered stereotypes and

aptitude for command (Geyer-

Semple, 2011, p. 5). The three rubrics

were researched by doing both

qualitative and quantitative type data

collection, a method called

triangulation, which provides a rich

amount of information (Hesse-Biber,

2010, p.3)

Weaknesses

The limited number of respondents

used for the exploratory research

however limited the findings and the

exploration of the topic issue (Geyer-

Semple, 2011, p. 15).

Additional CommentThe statement of purpose was not

clearly stated in the beginning of the

research paper, on whether it aims to

build a new theory or aims to help the

students understand the nature or the

public relations work.

References

Geyer-Semple, V. (2011). Classroom to Boardroom: The Role of Gender in Leadership Style, Stereotypes and Aptitude for Command in Public Relations. Public Relations Journal Vol. 5 , 1-17.

Hesse-Biber N.S. (2010). Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory With Practice.

NY: Guilford PressSentence1: "This study is an exploratory study as it explores the expectations of both the students as well as practitioners in the field of public relations"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: "Research questions were asked based on three rubrics that are leadership style, common gendered stereotypes and aptitude for command (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence3: "5)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_(number)"5)"....

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sup_01_5.html"5)"....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-8hQh6hdnI"5)"....

http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/fiveline.htm"5)"....Sentence4: "The three rubrics were researched by doing both qualitative and quantitative type data collection, a method called triangulation, which provides a rich amount of information (Hesse-Biber, 2010, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence5: "15)"

https://www.at15.com/"15)"....


http://www.gamesfree.com/"15)"....

http://15.com/"15)"....Sentence6: "3) ,Weaknesses The limited number of respondents used for the exploratory research however limited the findings and the exploration of the topic issue (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence7: ","No Plagiarism detected

Sentence8: ",Additional Comment,The statement of purpose was not clearly stated in the beginning of the research paper, on whether it aims to build a new theory or aims to help the students understand the nature or the public relations work"No Plagiarism detected

2. Research Philosophy Marks/CommentsJournal 3

This journal is both qualitative

and quantitative in nature, and

is a mixed research. It

comprises both the use of in-

depth interview which is

qualitative in nature and the

surveys, which are quantitative

in nature. The in-depth

interviews were conducted

through telephone, which were

recorded with the participants’

consent, whereas the survey

was done online (Geyer-

Semple, 2011).

Strengths

The advantages of qualitative

and quantitative can be obtained

through this study. In depth

interviews provide rich source of

information and more accurate

responses on sensitive issues

(Wimmer & Dominick, 2006,

p.135). Online surveys are

generally not expensive and are

easy to conduct as there is less or

no time spent on travelling.

Researcher can provide a

stronger evidence for the

conclusion of the study as it

involves the combination and

convergence of different

findings, a method known as

triangulation (Hesse-Biber, 2010,

p.3).

Weaknesses

It can be more time consuming

when it comes to analyzing the

data obtained in two different

ways, one interpreted in terms of

insights, the other interpreted in

terms of statistical evidences

(Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p.19). At

times, to handle researches that

use mixed methods, there may be

a need to have a research team to

carry out them (Onwuegbuzie,

2004, p. 21).

Additional comment

Using both quantitative and

qualitative methods to obtain

results may end up in a confusion

of which one would provide a

more justified result.

References

Geyer-Semple, V. (2011). Classroom to Boardroom: The Role of Gender in Leadership Style, Stereotypes and Aptitude for Command in Public Relations. Public Relations Journal Vol. 5 , 1-17.

Hesse-Biber N.S. (2010). Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory With Practice.

NY: Guilford Press

Onwuegbuzie A.J. & Johnson R.B. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), pp 14-26.

Wimmer R.D. & Dominick J.R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning

Sentence1: "The advantages of qualitative and quantitative can be obtained through this study"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: "In depth interviews provide rich source of information and more accurate responses on sensitive issues (Wimmer & Dominick, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence3: "Online surveys are generally not expensive and are easy to conduct as there is less or no time spent on travelling"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence4: "135)"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence5: "Researcher can provide a stronger evidence for the conclusion of the study as it involves the combination and convergence of different findings, a method known as triangulation (Hesse-Biber, 2010, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence7: "Weaknesses,,It can be more time consuming when it comes to analyzing the data obtained in two different ways, one interpreted in terms of insights, the other interpreted in terms of statistical evidences (Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence9: "At times, to handle researches that use mixed methods, there may be a need to have a research team to carry out them (Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence11: "Additional comment,,Using both quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain results may end up in a confusion of which one would provide a more justified result"No Plagiarism detected


3. Conceptual/Theoretical Frame Marks/Comments

This study uses literature

grounded in organizational

Strengths

Grounded theories are used in this

partly qualitative study to build a

communication theory,

feminist perspectives and

gender theory on the public

relations industry to

achieve the aims of the

research. The theories are

used to explain the three

rubrics that relate

eventually with the

grounded theories.

theoretical framework rather than to

test the existing theory (Liu A. &

Fellows R., 2008, p.112). The

leadership style, common gendered

stereotypes and one’s aptitude for

command explain the grounded

theories used to show the similarities

of the expectations of both students

and practitioners in the field. The

conceptualizations can lead to a new

theoretical direction to understand

the collected data (Rogers & Willig,

2008, p.241).

Weaknesses

The studies using grounded theory

most of the time move around a

particular object or a phenomenon,

and the methods generate a kind of

map of the object in study but may

not enter the map (Charmaz, 2006,

p.25).

Additional CommentIn the end of the research, the

theoretical framework that is said to

be provided by the three grounded

theories remains unclear, as attention

shifted to the result of the research.

References

Charmaz K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative

Analysis. London: SAGE Publications.

Liu A. & Fellows R. (2008). Research Methods for Construction.UK: Blackwell Publishing

Rogers W.S. & Willig C. (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology.

London: SAGE Publications.

Sentence1: "Grounded theories are used in this partly qualitative study to build a theoretical framework rather than to test the existing theory (Liu A"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: ", 2008, p"

http://www.cites.org/common/quotas/2008/ExportQuotas2008.pdf", 2008, p"....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454629", 2008, p"....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4iHzctdAeY", 2008, p"....

http://www.djei.ie/employment/chemicalspolicy/clpregulation1272.pdf", 2008, p"....Sentence3: "& Fellows R"

http://www.southernsurg.org/sffel_r.html"& Fellows R"....

http://www.aei.org/scholar/71"& Fellows R"....

http://www.peterdale.co.uk/publications.shtml"& Fellows R"....

http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/71/1/173.full.pdf"& Fellows R"....Sentence4: "The conceptualizations can lead to a new theoretical direction to understand the collected data (Rogers & Willig, 2008, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence5: "The leadership style, common gendered stereotypes and one’s aptitude for command explain the grounded theories used to show the similarities of the expectations of both students and practitioners in the field"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence6: "241)"

http://241-usa.com/"241)"....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/241"241)"....

http://www.internetslang.com/241-meaning-definition.asp"241)"....

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/241.html"241)"....Sentence7: "25)"


http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/reference/a/top_25_uls.htm"25)"....

http://www.news25.us/"25)"....

http://www.webcov.com/tst/content/online-pharmacy-online-asthalin-buy-buy-asthalin-no-rx-proventil-h-inhaler"25)"....Sentence8: "Weaknesses,,The studies using grounded theory most of the time move around a particular object or a phenomenon, and the methods generate a kind of map of the object in study but may not enter the map (Charmaz, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence9: "Additional Comment,In the end of the research, the theoretical framework that is said to be provided by the three grounded theories remains unclear, as attention shifted to the result of the research,"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence10: "112)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_(band)"112)"....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_(emergency_telephone_number)"112)"....

http://www.snopes.com/science/mobile.asp"112)"....

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/112/index_en.htm"112)"....

4. Research Design/Model Marks/CommentsJournal 3 Strengths

For the in-depth interview, there

were twelve participants, of

whom three are males and

remaining nine are females.

They consisted of sophomores

to senior level students, with

senior level students comprising

the majority (Geyer-Semple,

2011). The in-depth interviews

were conducted through the

telephone.

For the survey, there were 41

respondents, where only 40 of

them completed the survey.65%

of them are women, while 35%

of them are men (Geyer-

Semple, 2011). Both

interviewees and respondents

for both methods come from the

same Public Relations

background. Respondents for

the surveys were public

relations practitioners.

In-depth interviews provided a

great platform to explore

patterns and themes usually

found in the public relations

experiences since the students

study the public relations for

personal reasons (Geyer-Semple,

2011, p. 5). The survey method

was used to help provide the

researcher with the common

characteristics found within the

public relations culture (Geyer-

Semple, 2011, p. 5)

Weaknesses

In-depth interviews may

sometimes face problems in

generalizing since questions are

usually non-standardized and

interviewees may give a slightly

different version of a question


p.136). On the other hand, there

is no way to ensure that the

person recruited for the survey is

the one who actually completes

it.

References

Geyer-Semple, V. (2011). Classroom to Boardroom: The Role of Gender in Leadership Style,

Stereotypes and Aptitude for Command in Public Relations. Public Relations Journal Vol.

5 , 1-17.

Wimmer R.D. & Dominick J.R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (8th ed.). Boston:

Cengage Learning.

Sentence1: "In-depth interviews provided a great platform to explore patterns and themes usually found in the public relations experiences since the students study the public relations for personal reasons (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence3: "The survey method was used to help provide the researcher with the common characteristics found within the public relations culture (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence4: "5),Weaknesses In-depth interviews may sometimes face problems in generalizing since questions are usually non-standardized and interviewees may give a slightly different version of a question ,(Wimmer & Dominick, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence6: "On the other hand, there is no way to ensure that the person recruited for the survey is the one who actually completes it"No Plagiarism detected


5. Sampling Procedure Marks/CommentsJournal 3

The telephone interview that

was recorded was transcribed,

whereas the survey results were

analyzed by ranking the three

rubrics of the study and rating

them, while analyzing answers

for open and closed- ended

questions.

Strengths

Data that was collected would be

rich with information taken

directly from the interviewees


p.135). Open ended questions

give a certain level of freedom to

answer questions that may

provide in-depth answers. Closed

ended questions requires the

respondent to select from a list

provided by the researcher,

which brings bout uniformity and

easier to quantify (Wimmer &

Dominick, 2006, p.182).

Weaknesses

There are chances for the

researcher to be bias while

interpreting the data given by the

interviewees (Onwuegbuzie,

2004, p. 20). At times, open

ended questions may be difficult

to interpret because the

respondent may not clearly

understand a question.

References

Onwuegbuzie A.J. & Johnson R.B. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), pp 14-26.

Wimmer R.D. & Dominick J.R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Sentence1: "Data that was collected would be rich with information taken directly from the interviewees (Wimmer & Dominick, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: "Open ended questions give a certain level of freedom to answer questions that may provide in-depth answers"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence3: "182)"

http://www.blink182.com/"182)"....

http://www.netlingo.com/word/182.php"182)"....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_182"182)"....

http://www.182online.com/"182)"....Sentence4: "Closed ended questions requires the respondent to select from a list provided by the researcher, which brings bout uniformity and easier to quantify (Wimmer & Dominick, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence5: ",Weaknesses There are chances for the researcher to be bias while interpreting the data given by the interviewees (Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence6: "20)"


http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/html/topics/urlencoding.htm"20)"....

http://www.sillybull.com/"20)"....

http://www.20q.net/"20)"....Sentence7: ","No Plagiarism detected

Sentence8: "135)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/135"135)"....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/135_film"135)"....

http://www.orland135.org/"135)"....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/135"135)"....Sentence9: "At times, open ended questions may be difficult to interpret because the respondent may not clearly understand a question"No Plagiarism detected

6. Data Collection Methods Marks/CommentsJournal 3

The students were chosen for the

interviews through data available

Strengths

Interviewees were chosen from

one particular field to ensure

on the PRSSA website. Potential

participants were contacted

through e-mails and told to pass

the requests to fellow students who

are also studying Public relations

for more participants. For the

survey method, a survey was

created online through the website

( SurveyMonkey.com) , was

posted on popular public relations

websites and also e-mailed directly

to 145 public relations

practitioners through contacts in

public relations agencies (Geyer-

Semple, 2011, p. 10).

The online surveys’ results would

help investigate whether student

perceptions of the public relations

industry coincided with the

practitioners’ perspectives of

gender’s influence in the industry.

answers provided by

interviewees would relate to

the public relations industry,

and for the wealth of

information it would provide


p.135).

Weaknesses

The online surveys as well as

interview participants were

limited, thus limiting the scope

of the exploratory study as well

(Geyer-Semple, 2011, p. 15).

Additional Comment

The online surveys could have

reached more respondents so

that the issue could be studied

on a much larger sample and

could be generalized.

References



5 , 1-17.

Wimmer R.D. & Dominick J.R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Sentence1: "Interviewees were chosen from one particular field to ensure answers provided by interviewees would relate to the public relations industry, and for the wealth of information it would provide (Wimmer & Dominick, 2006, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: ",Weaknesses The online surveys as well as interview participants were limited,

thus limiting the scope of the exploratory study as well (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence4: "Additional Comment,,The online surveys could have reached more respondents so that the issue could be studied on a much larger sample and could be generalized"No Plagiarism detected



7. Data Analysis/Interpretation Marks/Comments

This study had grounded

theories to create another

theoretical framework for

the primary research used

to collect data, and uses

deductive approach in

analyzing the data

obtained. Results were

analyzed for each rubric in

the study.

Strengths

This study uses a more deductive

approach in analyzing the data

because it used the grounded

theories to form the rubrics, and then

testing the rubrics using surveys and

interviews to see if the rubrics were

true. Deductive approach used to

analyze the data can be quicker to

complete and time schedules easier

predicted (Collins, 2010, p.44).

Weaknesses

The final stage in deductive

approach is generalization. The

sample size has to be ensured

sufficient so that the information

taken from the sample can be made

into inferences to generalize to a

bigger population (Collins, 2010,

p.42). In this study, however, the

sample size is limited that it caused

to limit the findings as well.

References

Collins H. (2010). Creative Research: The Theory and Practice of Research for the Creative Industries. Switzerland: AVA Publishing.

Sentence1: "This study uses a more deductive approach in analyzing the data because it used the grounded theories to form the rubrics, and then testing the rubrics using surveys and interviews to see if the rubrics were true"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: ",Weaknesses The final stage in deductive approach is generalization"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence3: "The sample size has to be ensured sufficient so that the information taken from the sample can be made into inferences to generalize to a bigger population (Collins, 2010, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence5: "Deductive approach used to analyze the data can be quicker to complete and time schedules easier predicted (Collins, 2010, p"No Plagiarism detected


Sentence7: "In this study, however, the sample size is limited that it caused to limit the findings as well"No Plagiarism detected


8. Applications/Recommendations Marks/Comments

This study recommends

that the awareness of the

breadth and scope of the

public relations discipline

should be made at the

undergraduate level so

that men will be more

aware of the opportunities

one can practice in this

Strengths

The research made proper

recommendations on how to better

address the issues of gender imbalance

in the public relations field and to

increase awareness among the male

students about the opportunities in this

field. Besides that, the study had used

the analysis of the results to recommend

to the educators that they should teach

field. Besides, it also

recommends for the

educators to teach critical

thinking skills, which

help build leadership

characteristics (Geyer-

Semple, 2011, p. 14). For

future research, this study

recommends

administering in-depth

interviews to practitioners

also as it might unveil

clearer patterns between

student expectations and

realities (Geyer-Semple,

2011, p. 15).

more than technical skills for public

relations (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p. 14).

Weaknesses

The research provided more

recommendations than possible

applications of this study to other parts

of society or the public relations

profession. It only suggested how

further researches can improve on

expanding the scope of the study.

Additional Comment

The research should include more on

applications of the study.

References



5 , 1-17.

Sentence1: "The research made proper recommendations on how to better address the issues of gender imbalance in the public relations field and to increase awareness among the male students about the opportunities in this field"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence2: "Besides that, the study had used the analysis of the results to recommend to the educators that they should teach more than technical skills for public relations (Geyer-Semple, 2011, p"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence3: "14)"


http://www.playnow3dgames.com/index.php?game=mobsdown"14)"....

http://www.14news.com/

"14)"....

http://www.gamegarage.co.uk/"14)"....Sentence4: "Weaknesses,,The research provided more recommendations than possible applications of this study to other parts of society or the public relations profession"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence5: "It only suggested how further researches can improve on expanding the scope of the study"No Plagiarism detected

Sentence6: ",Additional Comment The research should include more on applications of the study"No Plagiarism detected


Each cell in the matrix can be assessed dichotomously (yes/no) or with multiple levels (good, uncertain, poor, or even a Likert scale). A written description of each component is included in the evaluation summary that follows the cells below.

Appropriate(vs.inappropriate)

Clear (vs.opaqueandvague)

Comprehensive(vs. holistic andnarrow)

Credible (vs.notbelievable)

Significant(vs. trivial)

Purpose/Goals/QuestionsResearch PhilosophyConceptual/Theoretical FrameResearch Design/ModelSampling ProcedureData Collection MethodsData Analysis/InterpretationApplications/Recommendations

Documents

Research