I decided to use questionnaire as my research tool
Because it is very cost effective. I designed the questions without incurring any cost. Besides, questionnaires are very practical in gathering data from any group of people. For instance, I chose multiple questions which made it very flexible for my audience to choose within the choices given. In addition, the questionnaire enabled me to obtain speedy results from my survey research. I was able to meet parents and kids at the stay and play sessions who answered the questions instantly. For these reason, I decided to go for a questionnaire as a research tool.
Description
My research topic aimed at finding out from parents the benefits they got from attending the stay and play sessions. The target audience for this research question was therefore parents and their kids. In choosing the audience, I asked the parents coming at the stay and play centers whether they came for the sessions. I only gave the parents who came for the sessions the questionnaire to answer. Not all were willing to help me answer the questions so I had to persuade them to do so. I also explained for them the importance of helping me gather the information.
Feelings
I was hopeful before the piloting that the questionnaire would really turn out to be the research tool I needed for this survey. Furthermore, I expected the ethical issues not to come up during the research because I had approval from the college to conduct the research (Creswell " Creswell, 2017). However, I had to adapt to the new challenges as they came up. I did not get discouraged but I took everything as a correction.
Evaluation
According to my evaluation, the piloting process was a success because most parents cooperated and assisted me to fill the questionnaire. The objectives of this questionnaire were achieved because the respondents answered the questions appropriately (Bell, 2014). Besides, I got all my questionnaires signed by the college research and publication officer. However, I faced a little bit of ethical issues that were not prepared for. First, gender consideration was an assumed issue in the making of the questionnaire. Many parents felt they needed to show their gender. Unfortunately, the space was not left for them to do so. Another challenge was based on the confidentiality. Most parents were given the questionnaires in pairs. It affected their responses because most of them preferred answering the questions with their children alone (Moon, 2013). Above all, I obtained a consent form from the college to ensure that my research topic was formal aimed at helping learners practice their research skills.
Analysis
I decided to use multiple-choice questions in order to come up with quantitative and qualitative responses from parents. The options for the questions I gave were all fixed to the targeted objective for the research. For example, I wanted to find out why parents go for stay and play sessions and whether they liked some of the activities they participated in. I also chose the multiple questions because they make clean data that is easy to analyze and come up with correct results (Bass, Fenwick " Sidebotham, 2017). For instance, in question four of my questionnaire, 70% of the 20 parents I gave the questionnaire rated the activities at the session at 4. According to my analysis, it is therefore worthy to conclude that the parents liked the activities at the session.
Piloting
I conducted the pilot in one of the stay and play session centers. I used a group of 5 parents and their kids to find out the adaptability of the questionnaire. Indeed, the pilot was a success for I was able to come up with better questions than before. It also instilled in me better approaches to use in making the parents answer the questions more willingly. Most parents worked well with a more friendly and persuasive approach (Moon, 2004). I also learnt that parents did not like the yes/no questions. They wanted more flexible options to choose from.
On the contrary, I encountered few ethical issues on the questionnaire.
According to Harriss " Atkinson (2015), lack of gender consideration on the questionnaire raises ethical concerns and the reliability of the responses. Most of the respondents for example, wanted to indicate there gender to help in more measurable data. Moreover, many respondents felt that the yes/no question was too direct and so many felt uneasy answering the question.
In order to solve the gender problem, I persuaded the participants just to answer the questionnaire. I also balanced the parents so that I piloted with two mothers and three fathers. Besides, I saw it as a future area to revise in designing the questionnaire. For the yes/no question, I convinced them it was designed that way so that we get a direct feedback from them as to whether they liked the activities or not.
Conclusion
The piloting period provided me with a good learning outcome. I found the mistakes I made in designing the questionnaire like using yes/no questions that the respondents did not like. I also learnt that gender balance is very important and should be considered in designing a good questionnaire.
Action plan
Revision of the Questionnaire
For this topic, questionnaire is the most appropriate research tool that I would use. As a result, I would consider revising the questionnaire to correct some of the issues I realized during the pilot period. For instance, I would insert a question asking the respondents to indicate their gender. I will also restructure the yes/no question so that I provide more options for the respondents to choose from.
Summary
Reflection on this topic has improved my knowledge adversely. I have learnt the mistakes made which is important in improving my research skills. The experienced got in the whole process is also verifiable especially after a retrospect of the research tool. Reflection report therefore, exposes our weaknesses and strengths after a learning experience.
References
Bass, J., Fenwick, J., " Sidebotham, M. (2017). Development of a model of holistic reflection to facilitate transformative learning in student midwives. Women and Birth, 30(3), 227-235.
Bell, J. (2014). Doing Your Research Project: A guide for first-time researchers. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Creswell, J. W., " Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Harriss, D. J., " Atkinson, G. (2015). Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2016 update. Int J Sports Med, 36(14), 1121-1124.
Moon, J. (2004). Using reflective learning to improve the impact of short courses and workshops. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 24(1), 4-11.
Moon, J. A. (2013). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Routledge.
