Activity 1:
How have different research methods been used in this article to find out about loneliness in older
adults?
In your answer you should consider the:
suitability of research methods referred to in the article
reliability and validity of the research methods
In the article they used a poll which is a similar to a survey. The disadvantages of this is that the
participants had options of what their answer could be. This type of quantitative data means that people
are not open to express their answer fully. The options may not have had the right answer for them and
then they may have felt to use a different answer. This is not an accurate representation of how lonely
the population is and therefore decreases the validity of the study. This research could therefore be seen
as unsuitable as they may not feel the answers fit what they want to say. An online survey for the elderly
could be seen as unsuitable as the elderly may find it difficult to understand how to use this. The
questions is also open to interpretation which means that they may not fully understand the questions.
Each person has a different interpretation of what loneliness is and loneliness feels different to each
person so someone could be visited daily and still feel lonely compared to someone who gets visited
weekly and doesn’t feel lonely. Also, the source of the Article is the Guardian newspaper which means
that all of the information may not be factual, and it is not for a scientific purpose.
The advantages of the survey are that it is less costly than sending a printed questionnaire for example.
This means it is the easiest research method for the researcher. It is also an easy research method for the
participants as they don’t have to post it back like they would a questionnaire, so it is a lot easier to
submit back. Surveys can produce qualitative and quantitative data and allows for both open and closed
questions. Also, the researcher isn’t present during the poll which means the participants are less likely to
give more socially desirable answers which would therefore decrease the validity of the research. This
would effect the quality of the research as the participants may not necessarily answer with their
true answer.The anonymity also allows for more honest answers from the participants. An online poll
also allows for easy data gathering and gives a clear percentage of the answers opposed to other
research methods such as open questioned interviews where the question and answer can be
interpreted. This increases the reliability of the data as it means the participants are likely to give the
same answers again as they have the same choices. This means the data collected would more than likely
be very similar.
The research methods used may be seen as unsuitable when collecting this type of data as the
participants are over the age of 50 and would therefore be less knowledgeable about the internet. This
means an online survey could be difficult for them to use or understand as it is done online, and they may
not even bother to do the survey which would in turn decrease the validity of the data. On the other
hand, the research method used could be seen as suitable for this age category as they may struggle to
do other research methods such as interviews as this can last a long time and they may lose
concentration and therefore decrease the validity of the data. The research may also be seen as suitable
as they may be able to get some help when answering the stions online.
The data collected was from the guardian which can be seen as unreliable source as it is a newspaper
and therefore the information may not be factual. This decreases the reliability of the data as it is not
from a reliable source and not for a scientific purpose. This means they may change the data for a
desirable purpose which in turn decreases the validity of the research.
How have different research methods been used in this article to find out about loneliness in older
adults?
In your answer you should consider the:
suitability of research methods referred to in the article
reliability and validity of the research methods
In the article they used a poll which is a similar to a survey. The disadvantages of this is that the
participants had options of what their answer could be. This type of quantitative data means that people
are not open to express their answer fully. The options may not have had the right answer for them and
then they may have felt to use a different answer. This is not an accurate representation of how lonely
the population is and therefore decreases the validity of the study. This research could therefore be seen
as unsuitable as they may not feel the answers fit what they want to say. An online survey for the elderly
could be seen as unsuitable as the elderly may find it difficult to understand how to use this. The
questions is also open to interpretation which means that they may not fully understand the questions.
Each person has a different interpretation of what loneliness is and loneliness feels different to each
person so someone could be visited daily and still feel lonely compared to someone who gets visited
weekly and doesn’t feel lonely. Also, the source of the Article is the Guardian newspaper which means
that all of the information may not be factual, and it is not for a scientific purpose.
The advantages of the survey are that it is less costly than sending a printed questionnaire for example.
This means it is the easiest research method for the researcher. It is also an easy research method for the
participants as they don’t have to post it back like they would a questionnaire, so it is a lot easier to
submit back. Surveys can produce qualitative and quantitative data and allows for both open and closed
questions. Also, the researcher isn’t present during the poll which means the participants are less likely to
give more socially desirable answers which would therefore decrease the validity of the research. This
would effect the quality of the research as the participants may not necessarily answer with their
true answer.The anonymity also allows for more honest answers from the participants. An online poll
also allows for easy data gathering and gives a clear percentage of the answers opposed to other
research methods such as open questioned interviews where the question and answer can be
interpreted. This increases the reliability of the data as it means the participants are likely to give the
same answers again as they have the same choices. This means the data collected would more than likely
be very similar.
The research methods used may be seen as unsuitable when collecting this type of data as the
participants are over the age of 50 and would therefore be less knowledgeable about the internet. This
means an online survey could be difficult for them to use or understand as it is done online, and they may
not even bother to do the survey which would in turn decrease the validity of the data. On the other
hand, the research method used could be seen as suitable for this age category as they may struggle to
do other research methods such as interviews as this can last a long time and they may lose
concentration and therefore decrease the validity of the data. The research may also be seen as suitable
as they may be able to get some help when answering the stions online.
The data collected was from the guardian which can be seen as unreliable source as it is a newspaper
and therefore the information may not be factual. This decreases the reliability of the data as it is not
from a reliable source and not for a scientific purpose. This means they may change the data for a
desirable purpose which in turn decreases the validity of the research.
