Inquiry Design

When thinking about designing my inquiry I have first tried to relate aspects of inquiry to other areas of my professional life in order to gain further understanding.

When looking at the four main research methods explained in reader 6 and thinking about my workplace, my immediate thought was on the methods used by my company to gauge audience reaction to our shows. They use both qualitative and quantitative measures. An example of a quantitative measure used is the company producing short surveys for audience members to fill out once they have watched a show. The questions asked cover aspects such as personal enjoyment and chance of returning to watch another show. Audience members are asked to answer the questions by choosing from five options covering very good - very bad. The number of each answer to each question is then added up by management and used to decide the popularity and success of a show. In contrast a qualitative approach they use is encouraging cast members to talk directly to audience members on their reactions to a show and then the cast members feedback their comments to management.

Looking at the both methods used I can see positives and negative aspects in both. The surveys allow for a larger range of opinions to be gathered, examined and compared. However by speaking directly to clients they are able to gain more in depth answer and opinions. I think in this instance it is a good idea to use both qualitative and quantitative measures in order to gain a fuller perspective on the audience mood.

My initial thoughts on my inquiry are to use qualitative measures of interviews and focus groups in order to gain information however I will not rule out considering the positives that collecting quantitative data could bring to my process.