Research Notes

Primary vs Secondary

• Primary = collect data yourself (interviews, surveys, observation).
• Secondary = use others’ data (books, reports, websites, social media).

Why research?

• Makes decisions evidence-based.
• Reduces bias from opinions, media, authority, ideology.

Methods vs Methodology

• Methods = tools (survey, interview, FGD, observation, analysis).
• Methodology = overall strategy and logic (qual, quant, mixed) + why these methods.

Qual vs Quant

• Qual: experiences and meanings (interviews/FGDs), themes.
• Quant: numbers and measures (surveys/stats), generalize.
• Mixed: combine depth + breadth.

Good research questions

• Be specific: who, where, what outcome, timeframe.
• Avoid vague words (“better”), leading or double questions.

Sampling

• Population = everyone of interest.
• Sample = part of it.