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Research Methods in AD/PR

This article explores the use of qualitative research methods in communication studies, including the humanistic, historical, and critical approaches. Topics covered include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and participant observation. Examples of qualitative research and its characteristics are also discussed.

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Research Methods in AD/PR

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  1. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Research Methods in AD/PR COMM 420 Section 8 Tuesday / Thursday 3:35 pm -5:30 pm143 Stuckeman Nan Yu

  2. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Humanistic Approach • Rhetorical • How human communicate with each other and how to influence others through communications. • Historical • What happened in the past, historical events. • Critical • Making value judgments about communication events, speeches…etc.

  3. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Qualitative methods • Rhetorical-historical-critical research uses qualitative methods. • Focus group • In-depth interviews • Participant observation • ……

  4. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Video • Qualitative Research: Methods in Social Sciences • Distributed by INSIGHT MEDIA

  5. Qualitative research • Qualitative research “involves in-depth, case-oriented study of a relatively small number of cases, including the single case study. Qualitative research seeks detailed knowledge of specific cases, often with the goal of finding out ‘how’ things happen (or happened).” (Ragin, Nagel, & White, 2004, p.10)

  6. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Qualitative methods • “Researchers who use qualitative methods often try to interpret the meanings to be found in communication exchanges. They may look at individual examples of communication research, rather than searching for patterns that run across individuals” (Reinard, 2007, p15).

  7. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Example--qualitative research • Case of “Soda Fridge Pack” • Soda sales went down. Why? • Researchers followed families from supermarket and watching them how to load the soda in to refrigerators. • People buy several packs but only load a few into the refrigerator. • They found out the reason that the original cube-shape carton didn’t fit the refrigerator’s space. • “Fridge Pack” was then made and it worked!

  8. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Characteristics of qualitative research • Concern the questions of facts and value – “the world as it ought to be.” • Subjective view • Answers to research questions normally affected by the personal views of the researcher. • Focusing on specific communication events, especially events in the past.

  9. More examples ofqualitative research • http://www.pointforward.com/index.html

  10. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Scientific Approach • Scientific research uses quantitative methods. • Survey • Experiment • Testing relationship between variables. • Research data are in numbers. • Summarize trends, predict pattern. • Scientific research is to test theory.

  11. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Video • Quantitative Research: Methods in the Social Sciences • Distributed by INSIGHT MEDIA

  12. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Fundamental goal of scientific research • The purpose of basic communication research is to increase our knowledge about communication phenomena by testing, refining, elaborating theory. (Frey, Botan, & Kreps, 2000, p.32) • The basic aim of science is theory. (Kerlinger, 1986, p.8) • We do science to determine how theories should be modified to better describe and explain the process under investigation. (Hayes, 2005, p.4)

  13. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Functions of theory • Tell researchers what to study, what to observe. • Describe/explain relationship between variables. • Prediction • If X occurs, then Y follows. • If X changes, then Y changes, too.

  14. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY Characteristics of scientific research • Concern the questions of facts • Objective view • Answers to research questions only affect by the data collected. • Replicable • Focusing on current situations of communication behavior.

  15. 2007 Fall_COMM 420_Week 3(1) @ NY More examples of quantitative research • http://www.betaresearchny.com/html/news.htm

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