This social distance prevails because scientists are more oriented to the international audiences of other scientists for which they publish than to the needs of practitioners, policy makers, or the local public. Thus, as researchers, it is imperative to take steps to overcome this barrier. Publishing your study may be one initial step to make your research known to the global community. Other proactive measures can be taken to encourage the uptake of evidence-based interventions.
Furthermore, you can send the results of your study to local officials, policy-makers, and community leaders. There are relatively few published studies about eye care in developing countries, and Unite For Sight encourages all volunteers to consider developing a research study to contribute important knowledge to the eye care community on a global scale.
Pursuing a research project will be a challenging and rewarding experience, and this opportunity enables you to pursue an in-depth original study about a topic of interest. Well-conducted research is vital to the success of global heath endeavors. Not only does research form the foundation of program development and policies all over the world, but it can also be translated into effective global health programs. It is important for interviewees to decide whether they are comfortable about inviting the researcher into their home and whether they have a room or area where they can speak freely without disturbing other members of the household.
The interviewer which is not necessarily the researcher could adopt a formal or informal approach, either letting the interviewee speak freely about a particular issue or asking specific pre-determined questions. This will have been decided in advance and depend on the approach used by the researchers.
A semi-structured approach would enable the interviewee to speak relatively freely, at the same time allowing the researcher to ensure that certain issues were covered. When conducting the interview, the researcher might have a check list or a form to record answers.
This might even take the form of a questionnaire. Taking notes can interfere with the flow of the conversation, particularly in less structured interviews. Also, it is difficult to pay attention to the non-verbal aspects of communication and to remember everything that was said and the way it was said. Consequently, it can be helpful for the researchers to have some kind of additional record of the interview such as an audio or video recording. They should of course obtain permission before recording an interview.
Case studies usually involve the detailed study of a particular case a person or small group. Various methods of data collection and analysis are used but this typically includes observation and interviews and may involve consulting other people and personal or public records. The researchers may be interested in a particular phenomenon e. Case studies have a very narrow focus which results in detailed descriptive data which is unique to the case s studied.
Nevertheless, it can be useful in clinical settings and may even challenge existing theories and practices in other domains. Studies which involve observing people can be divided into two main categories, namely participant observation and non-participant observation. In participant observation studies, the researcher becomes or is already part of the group to be observed.
This involves fitting in, gaining the trust of members of the group and at the same time remaining sufficiently detached as to be able to carry out the observation. The observations made might be based on what people do, the explanations they give for what they do, the roles they have, relationships amongst them and features of the situation in which they find themselves. In non-participant observation studies, the researcher is not part of the group being studied.
The researcher decides in advance precisely what kind of behaviour is relevant to the study and can be realistically and ethically observed. The observation can be carried out in a few different ways. For example, it could be continuous over a set period of time e. Observation does not only include noting what happened or was said but also the fact that a specific behaviour did not occur at the time of observation.
Observational trials study health issues in large groups of people but in natural settings. Longitudinal approaches examine the behaviour of a group of people over a fairly lengthy period of time e. In some cases, the researchers might monitor people when they are middle-aged and then again after 15 years and so on.
The aim of such studies is usually to determine whether there is a link between one factor and another e. The group of people involved in this kind of study is known as a cohort and they share a certain characteristic or experience within a defined period. Within the cohort, there may be subgroups e. Align your chosen methodology with research questions, aims and objectives in other words, make sure your research questions and objectives can be answered through your chosen methodology.
The authenticity of your research depends upon the validity of the research data, the reliability of measures taken to amass the data, as well as the time taken to conduct the analysis, so it is essential to ensure that there is continuity throughout the research process. It is also important to choose a research method which is within the limits of what the researcher can do. Time, money, feasibility, ethics and availability to measure the phenomenon correctly are examples of issues constraining the research.
When confused, ask! Do not be afraid to lean on the expertise of your supervisor, departmental research specialists etc. They are all there to help you.
Methodology Research methodology can be understood as a way to systemically solve or answer the research problem. Research methods Research methods refers to the tools that one uses to do research. Social Research Methods by Nicholas S. Walliman ISBN: Greenwood ISBN: Interpretive Autoethnography by Norman K.
Denzin ISBN: Methods of Meta-Analysis by John E. Hunter; Frank L.
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