Choosing Research Methods
Data collection for development workers
Development workers often need to carry out specific research in order to obtain answers to specific questions about projects and programmes. Choosing Research Methods discusses the various ways in which such research can be carried out and how to select the most appropriate method for particular circumstances. The advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of research methods are assessed, and guidance given on how to decide exactly what information is necessary and how to obtain it, given the resources of time, personnel, and money available. Illustrated with actual examples from the experience of Oxfam and other development agencies, the book is an attempt to demystify research and to explain how it can be effectively incorporated into the development project cycle, even in small-scale, low-cost development programmes. A companion volume to Social Survey Methods, this book considers the broader theoretical issues behind social research and explains and evaluates the different methods of collection in use.
Published: 1992
Pages: 126
eBook: 9780855986803
Paperback: 9780855981778
| * Forward; | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| * Introduction; | |||
| 1. Starting research: some basic issues; | |||
| * Identifying a research need; | |||
| * The level of participation; | |||
| * Expectations aroused by research; | |||
| * Constraints on conducting research; | |||
| * Government attitudes; | |||
| * Conflicts and emergencies; | |||
| * Cultural factors: gender relations and power structures; | |||
| * Resources; | |||
| 2. Strategic issues in planning and sound research; | |||
| * The unit of analysis; | |||
| * Questions of time; | |||
| * The research timetable; | |||
| * Continuous research or a snapshot?; | |||
| * Objectivity; subjectivity and the control of bias; | |||
| * Representative results; | |||
| * Some pitfalls to be avoided; | |||
| * Choosing the researchers; | |||
| * Local participation and experts; | |||
| * Training the field team; | |||
| * Styles of research; | |||
| 3. The range of research methods; | |||
| * Making the most of existing resources; | |||
| * Asking questions and interviewing; | |||
| * Group interviews; | |||
| * Oral testimonies oral histories and life-histories; | |||
| * Surveys; | |||
| * Sampling; | |||
| * The pros and cons of a survey; | |||
| * Participant observation; | |||
| * Rapid rural appraisal; | |||
| * The variety of RRA techniques; | |||
| * Collating and presenting RRA findings; | |||
| * Limitations of RRA; | |||
| * An example of RRA; | |||
| * Participatory Rural Appraisal; | |||
| 4. General issues affecting most research methods; | |||
| * The use of appropriate indicators; | |||
| * Validation; | |||
| * After research: some crucial questions; | |||
| * Bibliography; | |||
| * Appendix 1 Checking for questions; | |||
| * Appendix 2 Questionnaire design; | |||
| * Appendix 3 Some high-tech; high cost research methods; | |||
| * Appendix 4 Logical Framework Analysis; | |||
| * Appendix 5 Women and evaluation; | |||
| * Appendix 6 Action Research Programme: the methods and approach; | |||
| * Index |
Brian Pratt
Brian Pratt is one of the founding members of INTRAC and is the Executive Director. He has worked in many countries as a consultant and researcher for NGOs, and multi- and bilateral agencies. The primary focus of his publications and consultancies is on strategic policy issues for NGOs and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E).
Peter Loizos
Peter Loizos is a Visiting Research Fellow in the Crisis States Programme, Development Studies Institute, LSE, and Professor of Sociology in Intercollege, Nicosia.
Ethical Codes in Humanitarian Emergencies: From Practice to Research?
Black, Richard
Disasters, Vol. 27 (2003), Iss. 2 P.95
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7717.00222 [Citations: 41]Economic viability of the traditional farming system in the Ghouta, Oasis of Damascus, Syria
Alhamidi, Sameer K.
Håkansson, Bengt
Gustafsson, Mats
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, Vol. 18 (2003), Iss. 4 P.196
https://doi.org/10.1079/AJAA200351 [Citations: 3]Towards Decision-Making for the Assessment and Prioritization of Green Projects: An Integration between System Dynamics and Participatory Modeling
Olivar-Tost, Gerard
Valencia-Calvo, Johnny
Castrillón-Gómez, Julián Andrés
Sustainability, Vol. 12 (2020), Iss. 24 P.10689
https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410689 [Citations: 6]Patterns of mangrove forest disturbance and biomass removal due to small-scale harvesting in southwestern Madagascar
Scales, Ivan R.
Friess, Daniel A.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, Vol. 27 (2019), Iss. 5-6 P.609
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-019-09680-5 [Citations: 50]The composite approach: Research design in the context of war and armed conflict
Barakat, Sultan
Chard, Margaret
Jacoby, Tim
Lume, William
Third World Quarterly, Vol. 23 (2002), Iss. 5 P.991
https://doi.org/10.1080/0143659022000028530 [Citations: 50]A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ethics Board: Studying the Meaning of Farm Life for Farm Children
Cummins, Helene A.
Journal of Academic Ethics, Vol. 4 (2007), Iss. 1-4 P.175
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-006-9015-3 [Citations: 4]A mixed qualitative‐quantitative‐ participatory methodology
Munyua, Hilda
Stilwell, Christine
Library Management, Vol. 31 (2010), Iss. 1/2 P.5
https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121011013359 [Citations: 15]Community development and research: Participatory learning and action ‐a development strategy in itself
Wetmore, Stephen B
Theron, Francois
Development Southern Africa, Vol. 15 (1998), Iss. 1 P.29
https://doi.org/10.1080/03768359808439994 [Citations: 13]Residents’ Perceptions and Outcomes of Community-Based Tourism in Andro Village of Manipur
Ursa, Thokchom
Arunkumar, Moirangthem Cha
Dera Natung Government College Research Journal, Vol. 8 (2023), Iss. 1 P.169
https://doi.org/10.56405/dngcrj.2023.08.01.12 [Citations: 1]The logical framework: An easy escape, a straitjacket, or a useful planning tool?
Dale, Reidar
Development in Practice, Vol. 13 (2003), Iss. 1 P.57
https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452022000037982 [Citations: 33]Disability & International Development
Cultural Challenges in Piloting Disability Surveys in Papua New Guinea
Thornton, Patricia
2009
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93840-0_8 [Citations: 0]Investigating the learning resource requirements of students at the Open University of Tanzania
McHarazo, Alli A.S.
Olden, Anthony
Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Vol. 31 (1999), Iss. 2 P.101
https://doi.org/10.1177/096100069903100205 [Citations: 5]Femme Fatales: Girl Gangsters and Violent Street Culture in Cape Town
Dziewanski, Dariusz
Feminist Criminology, Vol. 15 (2020), Iss. 4 P.438
https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085120914374 [Citations: 12]The cultural background of the sustainability of the traditional farming system in the Ghouta the oasis of Damascus, Syria
Alhamidi, Sameer K.
Gustafsson, Mats
Larsson, Hans
Hillbur, Per
Agriculture and Human Values, Vol. 20 (2003), Iss. 3 P.231
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026123929170 [Citations: 9]Decentralization, participation, devolution and infrastructure development in rural areas: A case study of district Bhakkar, Pakistan
Hussain, Mumtaz
Ismail, Muhammad
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, Vol. 6 (2021), Iss. 2 P.143
https://doi.org/10.1177/2057891119900674 [Citations: 2]The Impact of ORKÖY Activities on Sustainable Forest Management in İstanbul Province, Turkey
Daşdemir, İsmet
Köse, Murat
Small-scale Forestry, Vol. 20 (2021), Iss. 4 P.517
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-021-09479-4 [Citations: 2]Environment and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Managing an Emerging Crisis
The Impact of Industrial Clusters in Greening Manufacturing Industry Practices: The Case of the Old Ardbennie Industrial Cluster in Harare, Zimbabwe
Mbohwa, Charles
Rwakatiwana, Peter
2009
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9382-1_8 [Citations: 0]Crop ash filtrate influence on cooking time and sensory preferences for dried black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Tara, L Bergeson
Christopher, Opio
Peter, D MacMillan
African Journal of Food Science, Vol. 10 (2016), Iss. 8 P.132
https://doi.org/10.5897/AJFS2016.1456 [Citations: 6]I Ssues of Irrigation of Horticultural Crops by Smallholder Farmers in Kenya
Kulecho, I. K.
Weatherhead, K.
Irrigation and Drainage Systems, Vol. 20 (2006), Iss. 2-3 P.259
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-006-9006-y [Citations: 10]Problems and prospects for conservation and indigenous community development in rural Botswana
Sammy, Joy
Opio, Christopher
Development Southern Africa, Vol. 22 (2005), Iss. 1 P.67
https://doi.org/10.1080/03768350500044644 [Citations: 10]Guidelines for Conducting Rapid Participatory Appraisals of Community Health Needs in Developing Countries: Experience from Tulikup, Bali
Pepall, E.
James, R.W.
Earnest, J.
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 18 (2006), Iss. 3 P.42
https://doi.org/10.1177/10105395060180030801 [Citations: 10]Enterprise Characteristics and Constraints in Developing Countries
Satta, Tadeo Andrew
The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Vol. 4 (2003), Iss. 3 P.175
https://doi.org/10.5367/000000003101299546 [Citations: 17]Researchers and the rural poor: Asking questions in the Third World
Adams, William M.
Megaw, Charles C.
Journal of Geography in Higher Education, Vol. 21 (1997), Iss. 2 P.215
https://doi.org/10.1080/03098269708725426 [Citations: 10]You might also like:
