Me & Qualitative Research

Title: The use of television to raise awareness about date-rape drugs 1.       INTRODUCTION The South African Police Services (SAPS) received more sexual offenses reports in the period of 2017/2018 than they did in the previous period, and the highest reports come from Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal. This number is not a true reflection of the reality as many cases still go unreported for many reasons. Rape is an aggressive act and is not about sex (SAPS 2018, Rape Crisis 2018 & Sue et al 2013). The media has been trying to do their part by writing scenes about rape including scenes where drugs or substances have been used in the crime. The media is one of the greatest sources of information and education yet this does not necessarily mean only good information. This blog is therefore about researching the effects of television texts about date-rape drugs in the real world to see if this has positive or negative effects on society. 2.  ...

  REVIEWING RESEARCH REPORTS (a)    Title: Human Capital. 2008. Public service broadcasting now and in the future — audience attitudes. A report plus research appendix by Human Capital.   [O]. http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/pdf/now_future.pdf Accessed 2014/07/11 The title is focused. It gives the scope of the research as well as who the target population is. The abstract in the form of “key messages from the report”, is representative of the research project. It describes how the research was conducted as well as summarises the main points from the research. The introduction is comprehensive and it describes the aim of the study, the research design and who the commissioner of the research is.   The abstract and introduction are different as the introduction is an outline of what is going to be investigated and how while the abstracts presents a summary of key points from the research. The probl...

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES USED IN MEDIA RESEARCH Researching Media Institutions   When researching media institutions, the researcher can use either qualitative research designs, quantitative research designs or both methods. The type of research is influenced by the nature of the problem, funding, time etc. A qualitative approach is used to explore, describe and explain observations and experiences and it provides in-depth understanding about the observed. A quantitative approach on the other hand is more focused on quantifiable, empirical data (Altheider & Schneider 2013 & du Plooy 2009). As a researcher, always keep in mind the ethical requirements when conducting and reporting your research. Ensure that the research participants even if they are an entire institution, have given and signed off consent which also deals with issues of confidentiality. Maintain your integrity, be aware of bias and be ready to make or be confronted with ethical decisions along the way...

INTRODUCTION Do you remember your twelve-year-old self what you used do and how you used to think? You would agree with me that a lot has changed from back then but a lot has remained quite the same as well. The same can be said about the media institutions and the audience. In light of technological advancements, political, socio-cultural and economic factors, it is important to study or research media institutions domestically and internationally as well the media audience to see what changes have occurred, to what extent, the drivers or forces behind the changes and the effects of those changes in terms of both the media audience and media institutions. The continuities also need to be examined so as to understand why they have remained, how and how that affects the introduction of new media (Thussu 2006). There is also an economic value to research where research companies can sell their research to the media or other institutions. More research needs to be done domestically as...

Are you still trying to find your feet in the research world? Let’s see if the below books and articles can help. Happy reading. 1.       “ Qualitative Reaching ” by Jenifer Mason [ book ] The author dissects each method used in qualitative research and outlines qualities of good researches. For each outlined method, there is an ethics section for it, for example, if you wants to use interviewing to collect data, you have to consider “what you ask”…do not get too curious and personal and make people uncomfortable, you are not a cat- exam your curiosity (Mason 2002)! Researchers are encouraged to ask themselves difficult questions throughout the research about their motives, relevancy of the study, and ethics and morality (Mason 2002). The language used in the book is friendly and by writing in first person, Jenifer makes the book and its contents relatable. The book is useful as it breaks down the techniques and methods used in research and the e...