Research Methodology

May 8, 2011 at 5:54 pm (Welcome to my blog!)

Hi, 

After  identifying the research question and the research approach, this leads to choose a specific methodology for the research study. And, because facts are needed, more effective research methods and tools will be required such as traditional surveys (SPSS), interviews and observation.

Traditional surveys:

To ensure that the questionnaire is well formulated, a convenient test will be done in advance to volunteers in order to check on validity and reliability of the questions.

The survey will include close – ended questions (i.e. yes or no) and open-ended questions, where the participants are allowed to provide their own answer.

Interviews:

At least two semi-structured interviews, face to face, with open-ended questions will be made in order to gather much information as possible from the participants.

Observation:

Observation is another method of conducting an exploratory research. It can act as a way to check on the validity of the interview findings by observing the environment of the destination and the tourist attitudes towards that (positive or negative).

A walking tour through different locations will be a way to gain a further insight of the destination features.

Research Design:

The research design will be carried out in Estoril Coast, close to the main visitor attractions of the destination and located in Cascais and  Sintra.

Basically, the surveys will be focus on international adult tourists. Furthermore, the sample of the survey will be around 50 questionnaires or more depending on the availability and the speed of the process.

Although, two sets of interviews will take place with a length of 30 minutes to 1-hour interview. The main idea is to interview one of the representatives of “Junta do Turismo do Estoril” and “Turismo de Portugal”.

Thus, the observation research will be divided in periods of two hours in four different areas in Estoril Coast.

Reporting the findings:

Subsequently, the results of the research will be analyzed through the use of statistical software (SPSS). This software is an important tool that helps to analyse the data and consequently discovery additional insights.

For exploratory research such as interviews, a digital record will be used for the process of collecting data. On the other hand, observation research will provide notes that will require some interpretation.

In sum, the research will be followed by a report based on the findings, conclusions and further recommendations for actions in the future to improve Estoril Coast in a sustainable way.

The appendix will contain the draft of the interviews (already translated) and the draft of the observations sessions.

Problems/issues identified so far:

1. The distance (The tourism research approach is based in Estoril Coast, Portugal)
2. Language barriers
3. Lack of experience in terms of carrying out a research field
4. A public institution such as “Tourism of Portugal” or the “ Borough of Cascais” can eventually refuse to provide or give access to relevant information for the dissertation.
5. Is becoming increasingly difficult to motivate people to participate in a length survey.

Extra Resources:

-       Time to collect the data and to analyse

-       Travel Cost

-       Stationary

-       Computer software (SPSS)