Based on the issues that are highlighted in the old chapter, the purpose of this survey is to look beyond what old research workers have done ; particularly in footings of the samples that will compare and contrast the use of Facebook between British and Malaysian. Other than that, this survey will look into the extent of differences in societal and or cultural values which may supply a new position in the selling field to aim different consumers more expeditiously and efficaciously.

To accomplish this purpose, a assorted methodological analysis of quantitative and qualitative will be used. Harmonizing to Leedy and Ormrod ( 2010 ) , study ( like this ) that looks into human behavior can supply a more complete image of a peculiar phenomenon with the usage of a assorted methodological analysis. The usage of assorted methods will seek to verify the cogency of information utilizing qualitative method that will be collected through quantitative method ( Blaxter, Hughes and Tight, 2001 ) .

There's a specialist from your university waiting to help you with that essay.
Tell us what you need to have done now!


order now

The research will be chiefly conducted with the usage of study that collects informations on the use of Facebook for both British and Malaysians. Using the triangulation method, observation will be conducted subsequently to bring forth richer findings and besides to verify the informations collected from study. The grounds for the usage of both methods will be farther discussed in this chapter subsequently.

As for trying, non-probability attack will be used because there is no warrant that each component of the population could be represented in this survey ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) . To heighten the samples rate, three different non-probability sampling techniques will be employed for this survey. During the informations aggregation procedure, codifications of moralss will be exercised.

Mixed – Methodology

As discussed in debut, assorted methodological analysis will be used because ‘it is impossible to analyze multiple, single worlds in any deepness by merely quantitative methodological analysis entirely ‘ ( Pickard, 2003:13 ) . The usage of this method to prove and revise generalisations could take pecking uncertainties about the truth of the feelings about the informations ( Silverman, 2001 ) . Roll uping both quantitative and qualitative informations proved to be advantageous to outdo understand a research job ( Creswell, 2003 ) .

Quantitative Approach

Quantitative survey involves placing the features of an ascertained phenomenon or detecting the possible correlativities among two or more phenomena ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) . This attack is particularly relevant for this survey because it looks into comparing and contrasting the use of Facebook between two different populations. This is besides what Leary ( 2008:109 ) called as descriptive research, which ‘describe the features or behaviors of a given population in a systematic and accurate manner ‘ .

Qualitative Approach

The usage of qualitative research method stresses on apprehension of the societal universe through an scrutiny of the reading of that universe by its participants ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . With a feature of being more open-ended, qualitative research looks more into the point of position of participants and focal points on words in the presentation analyses of society ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . Vaus ( 2002:5 ) farther clarified that qualitative attack provides a ‘rich information about existent life people and state of affairss and being more able to do sense of behavior and understand behavior within its wider context. ‘

Research Methods

Survey

Harmonizing to Leedy and Ormrod ( 2010:187 ) , a study research involves ‘acquiring information about one or more group of people by inquiring inquiries and tabling their replies ‘ . Survey is chosen as the chief method for this survey because of its suitableness for this survey that will non affect the full population ; or to what Pickard ( 2007:95 ) known as ‘census ‘ which uses merely representative samples through purposive sampling. While study is of course skewed towards quantitative descriptions, Pickard ( 2007 ) has suggested that study can includes both qualitative and quantitative elements.

The rightness to utilize study is supported by writers like Brewer and Hunter ( 2006 ) who explained the control over the procedure of informations that research worker could derive to acquire the sort of informations intended for the survey. Not merely that, it is a ‘system for roll uping information from or about people to depict, compare, or explicate their cognition, attitudes and behavior ‘ ( Fink, 2003:1 ) . Babbie ( 1990, cited in Creswell, 2003 ) supported that a study research helps to “ generalise from a sample to a population so that illations can be made about some characteristic, attitude or behavior of this population. ”

Survey method is chosen for several other grounds. Harmonizing to Bryman and Bell ( 2007 ) , study can be cheaper to administrator particularly for sample that is extremely dispersed in geographics. This is particularly true for this research that looks into two different countries- UK and Malaysia. With samples from two states, the usage of study can let quicker disposals excessively ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . There is besides the rapid turnaround in informations aggregation ( Creswell, 2003 ) . While there are still disadvantages for the usage of study method, the research worker hopes to make full the spaces of study by prosecuting in two different informations aggregation techniques ; discussed in the following subdivision.

Data Collection Techniques

Questionnaire

Questionnaire will be used as the primary informations aggregation technique. The usage of questionnaire will “ garner information straight by inquiring people inquiries and utilizing the replies as informations for analysis. It is frequently used to garner information about attitudes, behaviors, activities, and responses to events, and normally consist of a list of written inquiries ” ( Wisker, 2009:122 ) .

Questionnaire provides many advantages such as leting quicker distribution of study every bit good as faster return of responses. Since the distribution of questionnaire are planned to be done through cyberspace ; links to the study provide convenient to respondents to finish the study when they want to and besides at the velocity that they want to travel. There is besides the absence of interviewer effects that eliminate the unwanted affects in respondents ‘ replies ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . Furthermore, Pickard ( 2007 ) pinpoints the namelessness and confidentiality that respondents bask with this technique.

However, the usage of questionnaire offers restriction to this research every bit good. The nature of questionnaire with low return rate can be debatable since the sample involves acquiring respondents from UK and Malaysia. To counter this job, the research worker hopes the usage of purposive sampling of immature grownups could increase the response rate and through snowballing, more targeted respondents can be reached since respondents are likely to direct questionnaire to their equals of similar age. Other restrictions of the questionnaire will be resolved and filled with the usage of interview technique ; discussed in the following subdivision.

Elementss of the Questionnaire

The questionnaire will hold both unfastened and close-ended inquiries although heavy accent is placed on close-ended inquiries. Harmonizing to Bryman and Bell ( 2007 ) , close-ended inquiries heighten the comparativeness of reply between types of respondents and doing it easier to demo relationship between variables and can be easy processed. Assorted types of close-ended inquiries will be engaged.

In multiple pick or checklist inquiries, ‘Other ‘ will be included to let respondents to reply in an open-ended mode if they could non happen reply from the list provided. Certain inquiries will take to filtrating to “ except a respondent from a peculiar inquiry sequence if those inquiries are irrelevant ” to respondents ( Oppenheim, 1992, cited in Pickard, 2007:187 ) .

Scales will besides be utilized in the questionnaire. It allows the rating of behavior, attitude or other phenomenon of involvement in a continuum manner ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) . In accessing people ‘s attitudes, a 5 point-scale for the continuum ‘Strongly Agree ‘ to ‘Strongly Disagree ‘ will be used and ‘Neutral ‘ will be added in between the continuum as the research worker believes that respondents can be impersonal in certain attitudes. The continuum ‘Very Likely ‘ to ‘Very Likely ‘ will be used in a 4 point-scale mode to entree respondents ‘ likeliness to move in certain manner.

Some of the inquiries asked have been adapted from old research by Ross et.al ( 2009 ) . Among these inquiries, which are largely general Facebook inquiries ; some have been edited to accommodate with the current research ‘s purposes as the old research focused on personality and motives.

While English linguistic communication is non the national linguistic communication for Malaysia, the questionnaire will still be conducted in English to make both UK and Malaysia sample. English linguistic communication is widely used in Malaysia as the 2nd linguistic communication and it is taught one time one entered primary school. Furthermore, English proficiency was a status of entryway to college and university in Malaysia.

Electronic Questionnaire

Harmonizing to Bryman and Bell ( 2007 ) electronic questionnaire can be administered by electronic mail or by Web and this research will use the disposal by Web ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . The questionnaire will be located on a Webpage which respondents can “ fill-in ” online and a database plan will hive away the informations being sent through ( Coomber, 1997, cited in Pickard, 2007 ) .

E-questionnaire are more economical in clip and cost and it is easier to carry on compared to the traditional 1s ( Burns and Burns, 2008 ) . More significantly, it is really appropriate for this research that needs samples from Malaysia and UK. Besides, as research worker programs to include filtering of inquiries, e-questionnaire can automatically jump inquiries harmonizing to respondents ‘ replies ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) , avoiding confusion and defeats. Besides, e-questionnaire has been used by old researches on societal web sites ( Subrahmanyam et.al, 2008 ; Cardon et.al, 2009 ; Cheung and Lee, 2010 ; Ross et.al, 2009 and Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe, 2007 ) .

Electronic questionnaire will be hosted with Google Documents, using its Spreadsheet map at www.spreadsheets.google.com. Google Documents provides a clean layout of the questionnaire and ease the procedure of informations analysis as information is automatically converted into a spreadsheets. Linkss to the questionnaire will be sent to respondents through Facebook ‘s private message and besides through electronic mails.

Structured Observation

Interview

While interview can besides be structured and categorize into quantitative attack, the focal point of this survey will look into interview from the qualitative position which aims to be far less structured. Using what Fisher ( 2004 ) known as the semi-structured interview, a agenda will be used to remind research worker of the issues and subjects that need to be covered by the respondent. This agenda will deduce from the consequences of study conducted beforehand.

Filling in the spreads from questionnaire, this method let respondent to motivate the interviewer for accounts to any inquiries that may be confounding or ill-defined, interviewer can every bit good examine interviewees to lucubrate on reply that need farther elucidations that will heighten findings. In a semi-structure interview, interviewer is unfastened to inquire any other sort of inquiries that allows the aggregation of extra informations that may be outstanding to the survey excessively ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) .

Interviews play an of import function in this survey because through this method, single sentiments are discovered and such information obtained from interviews may be different from pure factual information obtained through questionnaire ( Pickard, 2007 ) . Although this research looks into the use of Facebook, observation technique may look to be rather a relevant technique to utilize. However, observation into participant ‘s Facebook history could ensue in prejudices and priceless informations.

First, due to the legion chances of Facebook scenes that protect its users ‘ privateness, observation may be limited to what the users are willing to portion with the research worker ; go forthing many valuable informations from being collected. Knowing the presence of an perceiver, users may act less of course than they normally do and this technique is really intrusive in people live as compared to interview. Furthermore, due to the nature of this survey, some if non most of the informations needed could non be obtained through observation such as the action of sing friend ‘s profiles and playing games on Facabook. Hence, interviews will be a more appropriate attack for this survey.

Triangulation

In triangulation, consequences that employed a method associated with one research scheme are cross checked against the consequences that used a method associated with other research scheme ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . By making so, prejudices that occurred in either one method could be neutralize or call off the prejudices of other methods ( Creswell, 2003 ) .

Consecutive Explanatory Strategy

This scheme stress on the aggregation analysis of quantitative informations foremost followed by the aggregation and analysis of qualitative informations ( Creswell, 2003 ) . With this scheme, quantitative are prioritized and both methods are integrated during the informations analysis procedure. The consequences from observation will be used to help in explicating and construing the findings from the questionnaire. Harmonizing to Morse ( 1991, cited in Creswell, 2003 ) , this scheme can be utile when unexpected consequences occurred in quantitative informations and the usage qualitative technique can assist to analyze the surprising consequences in more inside informations.

Pilot Testing

Pilot testing is indispensable for a questionnaire to ‘reveal confusing, severely written and other debatable inquiries ‘ ( Burns and Burns, 2008 ) . Hence, before the questionnaire is made available to samples, it will be pilot tested by research workers ‘ supervisor and familiarities. The questionnaire has been tested by 10 persons.

From the pilot trial, feedbacks have been taken into consideration. One examiner has expressed the demand to spread out the scope on the multiple pick replies and this has been implemented in the concluding questionnaire. Confusion in certain words has been changed excessively every bit good as grammar and vocabulary mistakes. After improvizing, the concluding questionnaire has been created as a new file in the hosted web page, Google Documents ( www.spreadsheets.google.com ) .

Sampling

Sampling is of import because as indicated by Pickard ( 2007 ) , it is non possible or practical to include the full research population in the survey. As for this research, it involves immense populations of two states: United kingdom and Malaysia. UK has a population of over 64 million while Malaysia reaches 27 million people in 2008 ( The World Bank, no day of the month ) . Even if the population is broken to cover merely immature grownups aged 18-25, to contract the study to merely include them is a mission impossible. Hence, sample- a subset of the population will be selected for this research ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . Leary ( 2008 ) has supported that research worker can larn about a population by analysing a comparatively little sample of persons.

The sample ‘s features that are required in this research are British and Malayan pupils in the age scope of 18-25 old ages old whom at the same are besides Facebook users. The ground to concentrate on college and university pupils is the usage of SNS in college ( and university ) is about cosmopolitan based on survey by Wiley and Sisson ( 2006, cited in Pempek et.al, 2009 ) . Martinez Aleman and Wartman ( 2009:1 ) have besides described that ‘the coevals of pupils go toing college and universities today was born into a universe in which engineering was a well-established and quickly escalating portion of mundane life. ‘

Non-Probability Sampling

With clip and cost limitations, this research will non be choosing sample indiscriminately but use the non-probability sampling technique. For this technique, there is no manner to either prognosis or warrant that each component of the population will be represented in the sample ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) . The context for this research is similar to what Leary ( 2008 ) has suggested that sometimes it is impossible, impractical or unneeded to obtain a chance sample.

Upon calculating the troubles of acquiring responses from two different set of samples- British and Malayan ; the research worker hopes to maximise the figure of responses by prosecuting in three different non-probability sampling techniques that may overlapped with each other. These techniques will be discussed further in the subdivisions below.

Purposive Sampling

In purposive sampling, the research worker reaches for anyone that is accessible or whoever found to be appropriate for the research ( Fisher, 2004 ) . In other words, research workers will utilize their judgement to make up one’s mind who to include in the sample ( Leary, 2008 ) . It is utile for this research to analyse, differentiate and possibly to prove premises about common characteristics and differences between groups ( Flick, 2002, cited in Pickard, 2007 ) .

This technique is appropriate due to the nature of the sample required for this research. First, on a broader position, Facebook users are required. As it gets narrower, British and Malaysians are required, followed by those aged 18-25 and eventually those who are still analyzing.

Purposive sampling is particularly of import to acquire sample of British due to the really limited entree and contacts to British people that the research worker had. By accessing Facebook, the first standards can automatically be fulfilled. As those 18-25 old ages old are most likely enrolled in college and university and at the same clip, pupils are one of the standards for the sample ; researcher could easy make them by sing universities or colleges ‘ Facebook pages. Upon sing their profile and corroborating that they are possible samples, private message can be send to persons to explicate the research worker ‘s purposes and if they are willing to take part, they can snap on the links to make the questionnaire.

Other than that, purposive sampling is used in local online forum. ‘The Student Room ‘ ( TSR ) ( www.thestudentroom.co.uk ) is chosen to purposively cod respondents who are British that fit into other standards ( pupil, Facebook user and aged 18-25 ) for this research every bit good. TSR is a UK ‘s free pupil treatment forum with over 470,000 members and more than 25 million stations ( The Student Room, no day of the month ) .

The forum provides a particular subdivision that allows researcher to post for aid and acquire respondents from forum-viewers. In the interim, the research worker would besides inquire for aid by puting up a signature to promote engagement in the research. With this signature, any station by the research worker in the forum would be seen by others and hence, increasing the response rates.

Convenience Sampling

Besides known as inadvertent sampling, this technique takes people that are readily available for trying ( Leedy and Ormrod, 2010 ) . The research worker will pull sample from her ain circle of societal webs. This technique will be used chiefly to obtain samples from Malaysia. Through the research worker ‘s Facebook page, sample that fits into the standard of this research will be chosen.

Not merely that, the research worker will spread out the Malayan sample by seeking aid from her lector in a old instruction establishment in Malaysia. The lector has agreed to send on the online questionnaire by electronic mail to his pupils.

Since the research worker intends to carry on a triangulation over the consequences gained from questionnaire, convenience sampling will be used excessively to carry on the observation. In order to make this, the research worker will explicate her purpose to carry on an observation at the ulterior phase of the research in the terminal of the online questionnaire. Respondents that are interested or willing to take part can so go forth their electronic mail reference where the research worker can reach them.

Snowball Sampling

For this technique, the research worker makes initial contact with a little group of people who are relevant to this research before uses these people to set up contact with others ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . Through purposive and convenience samplings, the research worker will derive the first group of sample needed for this survey. As people are prompt to volunteer to take part in the questionnaire, they are encouraged to send on the nexus to their equals as good. Apart from acquiring greater responses and salvaging clip and cost, this technique aims to maximise information output ( Pickard, 2007 ) .

Ethical motives in Research

It is important that moralss are practiced as this research involves human topic. Ethical motives is the ‘application of moral rules and/or ethical criterions that guide our behavior in human relationships ‘ ( Burns and Burns, 2008 ) .

Ethical motives are considered when directing invitation to take part in the research through Facebook private message and electronic mail. Not merely that, as the research worker intends to make snowball sampling, it is of import that a clear account of the research reaches these 2nd group of samples and so on.

To make this, the first page of the online questionnaire will demo a covering missive that explains the intent of the research and the questionnaire. Respondents will be informed about the intent of the research, the confidence to stay anon. and the confidentiality of the informations collected that will be used merely for the exclusive intent of this research before snaping ‘Next ‘ to the questionnaire.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *