Research Diary 1

In every subject study, we need different type of information to guide and support the report, also with proper judgement, analysis, evaluation, investigation. In the current society, the media and culture combined has the big influence to the people’s life and society. We can’t just study an issue in a particular way, it would just gather one side of information and could not be a comprehensive useful report. We can’t study by text only, film, photography, emotion even fashion can be part of the research.

There are two types of research : Quantitative research & Qualitative research. 

Let’s begin with Quantitative research.

Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by using pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon. Qualitative research is based on a fixed-form questionnaire, using a large number of samples to obtain the data. The strengths of Quantitative research is that could provide samples of individuals, communities, or organizations can be selected to ensure that the results will be representative of the population studied. It can be administered and evaluated quickly. There is no need to spend time at the organization prior to administering the survey, and the

responses can be tabulated within a short timeframe. 

But the weakness is many important characteristics of people and communities including both rich and poor, for example, identities, perceptions, and beliefs that cannot be meaningfully reduced to numbers or adequately understood without reference to the local context in which people live. We can’t be specific to a particular person, or to listen to their thought.

On the other hand, Qualitative research is designed to reveal a target audience’s range of behavior and the perceptions that drive it with reference to specific topics or issues. It uses in-depth studies of small groups of people to guide and support the construction of hypotheses. The results of qualitative research are descriptive rather than predictive. The major drawbacks associated with qualitative cultural analysis are the process is time-consuming, and

some particular, important issues could be overlooked. Which mean it only could apply on some specific object or particular people.

From my research, i am interested in how the new media taking over traditional media, with this huge amount of target audience, Quantitative research could be my major way, but few particular interviews might be needed to extend my research further. 

Cheng Siu Chun Adrian

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