Learning diary entry 3

What are the best forms of research?
For my project I have found a way to incorporate both quantitative and qualitative research. I have found that both types of research are as important as each other but very different and the data that I have collected from both, again is extremely diverse. I am very fond of the idea of using focus groups as a key source of information. My plan is to ask a group of students at Chickenshed to discuss the subjectivity of fundraising. I intend on reading open statements and documenting the response of the students by using a Dictaphone, which I shall then type up and record. Some of the open-ended statements I used were;

‘Fundraising events are a poor way to gain funds’

‘Fundraising helps create awareness to the cause’

I found this trial exercise very beneficial for my project, as it conveyed the positives as well as negatives to focus group discussions. The research ran over and hour, which was past the scheduled 30 minutes and the issues, became repetitive. However I did gain an in-depth understanding to the student’s perspective of fundraising.
This was a great exercise as it has helped me to know how to modify and conduct a more effective focus group in the future for my research.