Doing Excellent Small-Scale Research by Derek Layder
Author:Derek Layder [Layder, Derek]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Research, Reference
ISBN: 9781446290194
Google: sAg6AwAAQBAJ
Publisher: SAGE
Published: 2012-10-29T04:37:44+00:00
Questionnaire Survey Research into Social Domains
Many of the data sets discussed in the previous section have been generated by questionnaire surveys. There are several different ways in which quantitative data from questionnaire surveys can be used fruitfully in the context of the adaptive approach. One of these is to use a survey as the main method of data collection.
An example of this is Pruulmann-Vengerfeldtâs (2006) study of the development of information technology in Estonia which is based on three large-scale surveys conducted by the Universities of Tartu and Sodertorn in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The surveys had large samples (1,500 respondents), which were representative of the whole population and were randomly selected from 150 survey points. Estonia offers a unique case for investigating the information society. It is a small country of 1.4 million people but is one of the fastest-developing economies in the former Soviet bloc and is in the process of managing the transition from a totalitarian system to an open society.
Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt is sceptical about the extent to which the development of the information society can be measured simply in terms of the adoption of technology. Instead, the author suggests that more complex forms of measurement can be achieved by using the data from the surveys in conjunction with the analysis of social domains (Layder 1997).
The domain of psychobiography (the intermeshing of individual and social life) is reflected in survey data on individualsâ attitudes towards information technology in Estonia. For example, do individuals have positive or negative attitudes to the use of new machines and technology? Does access to computers and the internet makes life easier or more enjoyable? Generally, Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt found that Estonians are very technology-optimistic: they like technology-related changes and think of the internet as necessary for the betterment of the world.
According to Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt, the influence of situated activity (interaction) is related to survey data on the extent to which people with particular lifestyles (for example, âhome-centredâ as compared with âthrill and entertainment-orientedâ lifestyles) engage in computer-related activities (games, chat-rooms, creating web pages, music). It was possible to identify the lifestyle groups that are more likely to adopt information technology, with the more âtraditionalâ lifestyles being the least responsive in this respect.
The influence of âsocial settingsâ was measured âthrough computer adoption in the workplace, the availability and use of Open Internet Access points, and the availability and use of computers among friendship groupsâ (Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt 2006: 5). That Estonia has definitely moved towards an information society is indicated by the âhigh level use of instant messaging technologiesâ which suggests that computer-mediated communication has become an important setting for discussions. In the initial survey of 2003, instant messaging was of marginal importance and used by the youngest age group. By 2005 the use of instant messaging technology had reached one-third of the whole population and its use had spread through different groups.
The influence of âcontextual resourcesâ â the overall societal context in which we work and act (including the economic and legislative environment) â can be measured by
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