Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Coming back to the data collection itself,
pilot studies are essential
. It is always
a false economy to ignore the need for pilots. Pilots involve several stages:
●
Try the procedure on yourself. Answer the questions as honestly and objec-
tively as possible, putting yourself in the respondent's shoes.
●
Get people with good knowledge of the system and of research methods to
validate the procedure. This should include both reviewing the methods and
actively trying them out.
●
Try the procedure out on a population that is as close to your study population
as possible. Clearly when the actual population of respondents is small, it is
not possible to do a large-scale pilot, or you will use up valuable respondents
(ideally, pilots should not be carried out with the same people who will
respond to the main survey). But you can either use a few people judiciously,
or try the pilot in a different location. Ask the respondents to criticise the pro-
cedure as well as attempting to answer your questions. It can be useful to start
with focus group discussions to scope out the questions, and then pilot the
draft questionnaire with individuals.
●
The number of people or group sessions you need in the pilot phase should be
enough that by the end of the piloting period methodological issues are no
longer being raised. For example, people are answering questions consistently.
Generally this doesn't take long if you are responsive to criticisms.
Piloting is often useful in itself as a way of gaining a deeper understanding of the
system, and will almost certainly lead to revision of the approaches being used. It is
also a good opportunity for training research assistants.
The next golden rule is
don't impose on the respondents
. Minimise the length
of time that they will have to spend helping you, and keep the procedures short and
simple. Arrive at times which are convenient for them, and be aware of sensitivities
about particular issues. This is not just courtesy; the results will also be better if
respondents feel positive about their participation. On this theme, it is also worth-
while finding out whether other studies have been done in the same area, in which
case there may be problems with respondent fatigue. People will be much less keen
to answer your questions if someone else has interviewed them recently, so try to
avoid duplication as much as possible.
Finally,
consider how the data will be analysed before you start
. Clarify your
research questions, theoretical framework or hypotheses. It can help to do some
mock analyses, either of imaginary data or of data from the pilot, to ensure that
the results that are obtained will actually provide answers to the questions you are
asking.
There are many complementary ways in which data can be collected. It is likely
that all will be used to a greater or lesser extent in any particular piece of research
on the sustainability of wildlife use. Rather than giving detailed explanations on
how to do each method, we explain their underlying philosophy, strengths and
