ABSTRACT
In Chapter 4 we discussed ways of generating data by recording first hand experience, either by directly manipulating a setting and observing what happens, or by motivated observation of social interaction in a ‘natural’ setting. In this chapter we turn our attention to the ways in which other people’s accounts, rather than the direct observations of the researcher, can be used as the main source of information. We have made a distinction between these two modes of data collection for pedagogic reasons. Researchers often employ complexes of methods so, in practice, it is often difficult to maintain the distinction. As we have already seen, an ethnographic approach to research can involve the use of informants from whom details of local practices are obtained. Discussion with participants can inform the development of an understanding of how they make sense of the world. Questionnaires and interviews can also be incorporated into experimental designs, for example to gauge changes in attitude associated with a particular intervention. It is thus possible that, in both reading and doing research, you will encounter data produced from a combination of both observational sources and personal accounts, questionnaires and interviews.
