You’ve defined your goals and created a research question, but how do you know which method will help you to answer it? Sometimes the answer is obvious, but if you’re not quite sure which method or combination of methods to choose, here are some questions to guide you:
- How much time do you have to conduct your research?
- Some approaches, like interviews, will take more time than others, like World Café or surveys.
- Do you have a way to incentivize participation?
- If not, you may find it difficult to attract a large number of respondents, making survey data less reliable.
- What population are you most concerned with?
- Specific populations (Indigenous Canadians) will require that you use specific approaches (Indigenous methods).
- Smaller communities (professors, government researchers, residents of a specific neighbourhood) are more suited some methods (focus groups, interviews).
- Do you need to generalize your findings across a much larger population?
- If so, use mixed methods and include surveys with numbered, scale or T/F questions, or simply use surveys.
- Do you have an idea of what your results might be (and just need numbers to back it up)?
- If so, you might be able to use surveys.
- If not, you want to use mixed methods, focus groups, interviews, or World Café.
- Are you interested in policy co-creation?
- If so, use indigenous methods or World café.
- Are you worried about difficult participants or the possibility of non-constructive complaining?
- If so, use appreciative inquiry.
- Are you interested in putting together best practices to guide future initiatives?
- If so, use World Café with appreciative inquiry.
Test your knowledge:
You have been asked to conduct research relating to understanding how the residents of a local municipality feel about a change in zoning laws that would create increased densification. You know that there is a strong and vocal group in this municipality that is against any development in the area. You also know that local small business owners are in favour of having potentially more customers. You need to design a public consultation research approach to hear from as many different types of residents as possible, but that also serves to try to get buy in for whatever the ultimate decision may be. Which methods would you use to assess public opinion on this issue.
Tip: There are a few different approaches you can take here – there is not a single correct answer. Think of the reasons why you are choosing a particular approach
Congratulations! You have reached the end of Chapter 3!