Pilot survey
It turns out I did this earlier on in an earlier task. I sent out some questions to my friends, I did it to try and get some answers to give my thoughts more focussed direction and maybe uncover something new that I had not thought of. I also did a small survey on survey monkey as a more official approach.
From the research I have done, surveys are best for collecting quantitive data I believe, which is great for getting statistical evidence. Surveys are also good for gathering large amounts of data which I suppose is good because you reach a wider variety of people. Quantitive research also tends to be very structured which is good but makes it difficult to branch off into another area and explore participants answers further if you so feel your inquiry may shift slightly. I have read contrasting opinions online about quantative research, one saying this method is less bias than qualitative research but then another said they thought it could be bias. I think that if the questions you ask are of the yes and no kind or one word answers then that has less potential to be bias, however if the answer requires more text, that is where the problem could lie because the answer could be left down to your interpretation, so that you do have to be mindful of. That would be the qualitative data from the survey. I find there are more effective ways to gather this kind of data (see my interview below).
The biggest issue I found with both pilot surveys, was actually getting people to fill them out. The one I sent to my friends on Facebook had a cover message but still didn't encourage all of them to fill it out. So if I have difficulty getting my friends to fill it out what chance do I have with a wider group of strangers? I would practically have to beg, I practically begged my friends ha ha.
Below is a good link which gives great advice towards questionnaires, I found it really useful.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/questionnaires.html
Pilot Interview
I really loved this method, I interviewed my friend Elisabeth De Groote, ( I got verbal consent) anyway, we sat in my lounge with a hot chocolate and she really opened up. Liz and I trained together but then went our separate ways when we ventured out into the professional world. Liz started out as a contemporary dancer and then moved into musical theatre on the ships. She has stopped dancing now, has opened her own dance school and started her family.
So back to the interview. Some of my questions received one word answers but then I could prompt her to explain a little further which was fantastic. She felt really comfortable and she enjoyed being interviewed. This is classed as more qualitative research, which rather being based on statistics it is based on words, thoughts, feelings and actions it gives you so much more freedom to explore. I find you get more in depth answers which I think will result in better data. This method really enables the person you are interviewing to get more personal with their feelings, my friend got a little emotional at one point (she didn't cry, she just said 'oooo I feel a bit emotional') so I wasn't breaching my ethical responsibilities by probing too deeply just in case you were wondering and concerned for her wellbeing. She is fine and enjoyed the experience and would love to participate in the real thing.
The only trouble with this I feel is the fact of analysing the data, it will be a long long process. Reading over and over to code the answers in order to help find specific themes. I do think it is worth it though. The thing to be mindful of is not 'cherry picking the answers' to come to the conclusion that you want to come to. It does have more potential for a bias result I think, so it is important to remain neutral at all times.
Focus group
I had some of my friends over at the weekend and quite naturally we ended up in a 'focus group' without me even prompting it. I was discussing what I had been doing with regards to life in general then started to talk about the BAPP and my inquiry. The group contained four people including myself. Two musicians, me and a nurse (sounds like a good title for a book, ha ha). Anyway, I was saying how I felt a little lost after dancing and the musicians said that they felt similar and felt the only option they had waste go into teaching or admin, they didn't know where else to go. My friend said "it is hard enough o find one passion let alone two " meaning music and dance is our passion and we were so lucky to have found a job that we were passionate about. Some people don't even find one passion in life let alone get to do it for a job, so how can anything else replace this hole in your life? So then we moved on to my nurse friend and asked "are you passionate about nursing" her answer was no. She said she likes it and likes helping people get better but she is not passionate about it. So then we asked, so what are you passionate about, she um'd and ahhh'd a little before replying, "dancing and singing", however she never really got the opportunity to do it because her parents pushed he into a more stable career. My musician friend said that her parents were the same and that's why she has an admin background, because her mum pushed her towards a 'proper job' she didn't set into singing until later on. So that was a very brief version of what was discussed, but it just shows how really good ideas were brought up from every single participant. We really challenged each other's thinking and it just transpired into a really productive discussion. It is almost like a group interview, as long as everyone is comfortable in each others company from my experience this is a great tool. I think the key is to keep the group small and intimate because people don't have to fight to talk therefore are more likely to input to the discussion and contribute things they may not disclose in a big group.
Observation
I haven't done one of these because I don't think it is applicable to my inquiry. It would be great to observe some one making the transition and seeing how they deal with it and the process, but that is not possible because I don't have that sort of time. Also I think it would be intrusive to the person being observed I feel, it would stir up a whole load of ethical issues. Best left alone seeing as I'm a novice at this.
Conclusion
I am a people person so I love speaking to people and hearing about them. My topic needs lots of exploration and I just don't think I will get the depth I would like within the answers from a survey, I think, when the results come in I won't be satisfied with the answer because I will want to know why? What made you feel like that and so on. If I were to put all that in the survey and expected people to write all that information down, it is just too much to ask I think. This is why I think interviews are the way forward for me, I can get much more in-depth information in a 40 minute interview than I would with a survey. I understand that I can probably only realistically interview a small number, where as a questionnaire I could potentially have a lot more participants,however I can explore more with the interview and get better quality information I believe.The only thing I'm worrying about is the analysing the data because it isn't that straight forward and even when I have the data and sort it into specific themes, what do I do with it then? I will keep researching, I hope it will all come clear.
