Collecting the data

I've been a bit lax in following the last stages of the pathway, so I thought I had better get some thoughts down before they fade away. 

What challenges do you face and what successes do you have?

Challenges:

• Some of the experiences I am asking people to recount are in some cases from over 2 years ago.
• The return rate for the questionnaire has been around 50% of all possible participants - partly this is due to it being a busy time of year for staff.

Successes:

• I have received a good number of responses, with an excellent level of detail
• Responses have yielded insights into how to improve the processes in question

What unexpected experiences do you have?

The use of an online questionnaire has left me feeling somewhat disembodied - most of the methods described in our reading concerned face-to-face methods. However they have been very effective, and in keeping with the idea that online learning should be anytime, anywhere...

How does your experience of data collection reflect, or conflict with, the principles and theories encountered in your reading?

I realise from reading through Newby (2010, pp.332-3) that I didn't pilot the questionnaire as rigorously as I should have done.  My testing was limited to sending the link to one participant who I asked about trialling it beforehand. Fortunately I had made significant revisions to my questions early on in the project that kept the research on track.

References:

• Newby, P. (2010). Research Methods for Education. Pearson Education Limited.