Method |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Surveys |
Mail |
- Can survey many people
- Not
time-consuming
- Relatively
inexpensive
- Everyone
gets the same instruement
- Objective
Interpretation
|
- Difficult
to get much detail
- Sometimes
difficult to get correct addresses
- May
be problems with interpreting questions
- Sometimes
a problem getting surveys completed and returned
|
Group-
Administered |
- Can survey many peopleNot
time-consumingRelatively
inexpensiveEveryone
gets the same instruement
- Objective
Interpretation
|
- Difficult
to get much detail
- May
be problems with interpreting questions
|
Telephone |
- Able
to ask for more detail when needed
- Everyone
gets the same instruement
|
- Sometimes difficult reaching people
- Lack of anonymity
|
| Interview |
- Researcher can know how people are interpreting
questionsAble to ask for more detail when needed
- Provides detailed data
|
- Time-consuming because of time, can limit
sample sizeSubjective interpretationCan be expensive
- Can be difficult to analyze
|
| Focus
Group |
- Researcher
can know how people are interpreting questions
- Able
to ask for more detail when needed
- Able
to interview multiple people at one time, thus
more cost effective than individual interviews
- Responses
from one person provide stimulous for other
people
|
- Group setting may inhibit some individuals
from providing informationSometimes hard to coordinate multiple schedules
- Responses from one person provide stimulous
for other people
|
| Observation |
- Objective interpretation
- Low burden for people providing data
|
- Time-consumingSome items are not observableCan be expensive
- Participant behavior may be affected by observer
presence
|
| Student
Records |
- Objective
interpretation
- Low
burden for people providing data
- Relatively
inexpensive
|
- May not correspond to exactly what researcher
wantsMay be incomplete or require additional interpretation
- May need special permission to use
|
| Collection
of Materials |
- Objective interpretationLow burden for people providing data
- Relatively inexpensive
|
- May not correspond to exactly what researcher
wants
- May be incomplete or require additional interpretation
|
|
Taken
from: Quinones, S. & Kirshstein, R. (1998). An
Educator's Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology
in Schools and Classrooms. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Education. |