Reading Journal
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| Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page | Driscoll, Dana. Introduction to Primary Research: Observations, Surveys …wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/driscoll–introduction-to-primary-research.pdf. |
| Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words | In Driscoll’s article, she discusses how to use observations, surveys, and interviews as methods for primary research. After developing research questions and forming a hypothesis, one can choose to use one of the three data collection methods. In the observation method, Driscoll talks about two approaches to this: participant observation and unobtrusive observation. Then she goes on to explain surveys and interviews and how to choose between them. Surveys are recommended if one wants to learn about a general trend in people’s opinions, behaviors, or experiences. The survey should be short and focused so the participant can fill it out in 5 to ten minutes. Interviews are recommended if one wants to learn specific, detailed information from a few specific people about their opinions. These interviews should be conducted in a quiet area. The article goes into detail about how writing good questions and choosing the right person is the key to one’s primary research. This means only one, clear question should be asked at a time, and one should avoid leading questions which cause participants to respond in a specific way. After collecting the data and writing the essay, one should include a works cited page. Since the data is collected by you, there is not a need to cite an external source, unless one used an interview. Then, that can be cited as “personal communication.” |
| Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.
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Participant observation- “a common method within ethnographic research in sociology and anthropology where a researcher may interact with participants and become part of their community.”
Unobtrusive observation- “a method where one does not interact with participants but rather simply record their behavior.” |
| How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?
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This reading connected with a project I had to do back in high school. In my Anatomy and Physiology class, we were required to conduct either interviews or surveys for a class project. This would be the first time I ever did primary research involving people other than myself. It was extremely interesting, and reading this article showed me that I have a lot to improve. Reading this will help with my upcoming interview for my MP project for this class. |
| Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. | What research method would you prefer to use and why? |