Task 6A: Review of Reader 6 and a trial run!

Task 6A was to review reader 6 which contains a number of different tools which we can use when carrying out our inquiry, Module 2 is all about the preparation and planning for our Module 3 inquiry, this way we can see which tools work for us and provide the outcomes that we need and which don't.
By using our SIG groups we can test out through trial and error before we are released on the general public to try and research our inquiry.

The reader suggests how research can be carried out in a qualitative (what people have said) or a quantitative method (statistics) (Punch, 1998) It is important to work out what works for you and the line of inquiry you have,
'different questions require different methods to answer them' (Punch 1998, p. 19)
My inquiry for example is researching into peoples personal experiences so a qualitative approach would be better for me.

I would like to use the 'triangulation' approach to research when it comes to doing my inquiry, this is the name given to using several tools to examine the same topic. You can therefore compare the data you have received and draw even more conclusions from it.

The types of tools you can use to collect research are;

• Interview
• Survey
• Focus Group
• Pilot Observation
• Literature - (reading other practitioners work)

After reading through Reader 6 about each type of tool I have decided I am going to use the Interview with a bit of focus group thrown in! I find that with focus groups people can bounce off of each others ideas and create either a debate or unity. However with Interviews you tend to get more in depth ideas of that one persons. This i think will help me to gain more focused answers but I would be quite interested to see the additional topics which may arise from a focus group.

With my original inquiry questions (which I have sinced slightly changed) I practiced the on a few close friends from a corporate event agency I am part of, it was great as it sparked emotions of the people I was talking to, they drew from each others experiences in order to answer my questions and I really liked the way it opened up other avenues for me to explore.