Friday, June 3, 2011

Different Research Approaches Used in Leisure and Tourism Research ...

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | General

Besides the approach of different disciplines, there are about a dozen approaches which involve more than one discipline. In brief, these are the approaches that cut across disciplines:

- the theoretical approach, which is designed to draw a general conclusion about the subject being studied, and thereby contribute to the growing body of leisure research.

- the applied research approach, which is designed to apply theoretical knowledge that already exists to specific areas of concern, such as in the area of policy, planning, or management, which each have developed their own theories.

- the empirical research approach, which involves collecting and analyzing different types of data, including both quantitative and qualitative data, and both primary data collected by the researcher and secondary data obtained from other sources. Such research is designed to obtain data from the real everyday world, though commonly the data has a theoretical or non-empirical aspect to it as well, which helps to shape the type of data collected.

- the inductive approach, which involves gathering data from observation and describing it, analyzing that information, and explaining the results of that analysis.

- the deductive approach, which involves starting with a hypothesis about how something might be expected to act, making observations, and describing findings to test whether this hypothesis is correct or not. Then the researchers analyze these results to determine if they support the hypothesis. Usually this analysis involves creating a null hypothesis, trying to disprove that, and using probabilities at a certain level, such as the 95% level, to indicate whether the research hypothesis is supported as being probable at that level.

- the descriptive approach, which is used to describe as best the researchers can, what is, such as describing a pattern of behavior.

- the explanatory approach, which is used to suggest why something has occurred, commonly by showing that one thing was caused by another by using one of the scientific criteria for indicating that this causal relationship exists. These criteria are association based on a necessary correlation, time priority whereby one thing takes place before another, a nonspurious relationship whereby the relationship between two variables can?t be explained by a third, and rationale, whereby there is a reasonable explanation of why the two variables are related. For example, two things might repeatedly occur together, but there is no logical reason they are connected or cause each other, such as the occurrence of an increase of obesity in the United States at the same time that there is an increase in travel to South America.

- the positivist or outside approach, in which researchers gathers facts and observations about the way people behave and then explain this by drawing on theories and models.

- the interpretive or inside research approach, in which researchers try to look at the way the people being studied view their own behavior or situation.

- the experimental approach, in which the researcher creates an experimental condition that affects the environment or situation the research subject is in. Then, the researcher seeks to examine the effects of that condition on the subject, commonly by comparing the subjects in the experimental condition to those in a control group who haven?t been affected by that condition. For example, a researcher can select certain stimuli for a control group, such as seeing a photo or video or participating in a certain activity, and then compare the reactions of groups under the control condition with the others who were not subjected to it.

- the non-experimental approach, in which the researcher looks at any differences between individuals or groups of people which already exist, rather than trying to manipulate these different groups using an experimental method.

- the primary data approach involves collecting new information.

- the secondary data approach involves using existing data, such as when a researcher takes statistics collected by someone else and analyzes them to look for patterns or trends.

- the self-reported data approach involves people making reports about themselves, such as when a researcher asks people about what they have done in the past or about their attitudes and goals for the future.

- the observed data approach involves the researcher making observations of what people are actually doing, in contrast to having them self-report what they are doing.

- the qualitative research approach, in which a researcher collects information about a small number of people, using ?observation, informal, and in-depth interviewing, and participant observation.? This approach is called ethnographic fieldwork when it involves studying a group. While this approach was developed by anthropologists, it is commonly used by sociologists, too.

- the quantitative research approach, based on doing a statistical analysis from data collected from a large number of people, such as from surveys or questionnaires based on numerical ratings or rankings.

There is an overlap between these particular approaches and the different disciplines in the types of approaches used. For example, sociologists tend to use more of the statistical quantitative approaches and anthropologists more of the qualitative observational approaches. A researcher on leisure and tourism can draw on these various disciplines and approaches to decide on the best approach or combination of approaches to use for a particular study.

GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., is a nationally known writer, consultant, speaker, and seminar/workshop leader, specializing in recreation and leisure, business and work relationships and in professional and personal development. She has published over 50 books on diverse subjects. Her latest books include: THE VERY NEXT NEW THING, PLAYING THE LYING GAME, WANT IT, SEE IT, GET IT!; ENJOY! 101 LITTLE WAYS TO ADD MORE FUN TO YOUR WORK EVERYDAY; and A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR WORKING WITH HUMANS?MANAGING EMPLOYEES FROM HELL?and WORKING WITH BAD BOSSES. She is founder and director of Changemakers Publishing and Writing and Changemakers Productions, and has been a featured expert guest on hundreds of TV and radio programs, including Oprah and Good Morning America. She is the host of a weekly syndicated talk radio talk, CHANGEMAKERS, featuring interviews and commentary on various topics. Her Websites are at http://www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com/ and http://www.ginigrahamscott.com/. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California in Berkeley, a J.D. from the University of San Francisco Law School, and M.A.s in Anthropology; Mass Communications and Organizational/Consumer/Audience Behavior, and Popular Culture and Lifestyles from California State University, East Bay. She is getting an MS in Recreation and Tourism.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gini_Graham_Scott

Gini Graham Scott - EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: Approaches, Different, Leisure, Research, Tourism ?

Source: http://news-society.co.cc/different-research-approaches-used-in-leisure-and-tourism-research/

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