Research methods

Research method

To gain my secondary information I used such sources as the Internet, books and midwifery journals. My secondary information will consist of the benefits of breast-feeding for the mother and baby, the benefits of bottle-feeding for the mother and baby as well as statistics on breast-feeding. All information that I have gained for my secondary data is all reliable, because it has come from recommended sites, books and journals that have been approved from the Government or from hospitals and doctors themselves.

There are many research methods used to gain information, but it is important to use the right one to ensure that you get the best results possible.

One method that is used is experiment; this is where you play an active part in an experiment over a period of time. The advantages of this are that it is a powerful research method and that it establishes a cause and an effect and it can be replicated easily. The disadvantages are that it can take a lot of time, it is difficult to find willing participants and there is a bigger risk of human error. I chose not to use this as my research method, because to do an experiment to would take anything from 2-6 months, which is time I do not have. It could also be classed as being intrusive watching a mother breast feed, which may be a big ethical problem, and because of that it will be hard to find willing participants.

Another method of research is direct observation; this is where you are in a setting and you observe what is going on and you do not partake init. There are many good advantages to direct observing, such as, it enables you to see and hear everything that is going on, it can be easy to record, and you do not have a physical effect on the observation. The disadvantages are it can be very time consuming, your presence may have a physiological effect on the people/person being observed and you do not get reliable information. It is hard to get valid results because it is hard to replicate and different people may interrupt things differently to yourself. I did not chose this method because it would be hard and time consuming to get people’s permission to observe them this may be due to ethical issues surrounding my chosen topic. People may feel it is wrong to observe a mother breast-feeding her baby.

Participant observation is another of the research methods used, this is where you...

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...tionnaires will be left on show at the entrance of the ward for people to pick up. A box will be left in the staff room where the finished questionnaires will be kept until I pick them up. Hopefully by handing out questionnaires and leaving them for people to take I will get a big response rate and it will be very generalised.

While conducting my research I will have to consider certain ethical issues, such as confidentiality. Every questionnaire will have a note highlighted on it explaining that every questionnaire that is filled in is kept completely confidential, hopefully by stating this fact it will reassure people to fill one in. I also have to be sensitive to people’s feelings and beliefs, and to ensure that I do not offend anyone. I will have to show that I understand that my topic area can be a sensitive topic for people to talk about or read about, I can do this by not forcing people to do my questionnaire if they feel it is not something they want to participate in. It is important that I stay non-judgemental, as this may affect people’s answers or may affect the participation

Bibliography

Aspects of reserach, S.D Smith, 2003, Pecan

How to!, K.T Haper, 2000, Lonsdale