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Lesson

Listening Part 3: Choosing a research method

Two postgraduate students debate how to research online learning: sampling bias, question design and focus groups. Follow a fast academic discussion and note what they finally decide.

Listening Band 7+ · C1–C2 8 questions Sign in to save

Part 3 at Band 7+

The speakers use academic vocabulary (sample, bias, pilot, triangulate), interrupt each other and change their minds. The questions usually test final decisions and reasons, not the first suggestion.

Listen for the decision language

So we're agreed that… · Let's go with… · Fair enough, then we'll… · I'm not convinced… but OK.

Useful research vocabulary

TermMeaning
samplethe people you collect data from
sampling biaswhen your sample doesn't represent the whole group
pilot studya small trial run to find problems in your method
Likert scale"strongly agree … strongly disagree" questions
triangulationusing more than one method to check findings
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Listening

Researching online learning

Two postgraduate students, Aisha and Ben, are planning a study of how students experience online lectures.

Show the transcript (try the questions first)

Ben: So I was thinking we could post the questionnaire on the course forum. It's quick, and we'd probably get a hundred replies in a week.

Aisha: We'd get replies, but from whom? The students who use the forum are exactly the ones who are already comfortable online. The students who are struggling might never see it.

Ben: Hmm. So the sample would be biased towards the confident ones. Fair point. What's the alternative?

Aisha: We could ask lecturers to give us five minutes at the start of a live class, and hand out the questionnaire then. That way we reach everyone who attends.

Ben: But that misses the people who don't attend at all, and they might be the most interesting group.

Aisha: True. Then perhaps we do both: the class version for most people, and an email through the department to the whole year group, so we catch some of the non-attenders.

Ben: Let's go with that. Now, the questions themselves. I'd like mostly Likert-scale items. They're easy to analyse statistically.

Aisha: I agree they should be the core. But I think we need a couple of open questions at the end, otherwise we'll know how people feel but not why.

Ben: Two open questions, then. No more than that, or the analysis will take forever.

Aisha: And we should definitely run a pilot first. Last year my group discovered halfway through that one question was completely ambiguous.

Ben: Agreed. We could pilot it with ten students from our own seminar group. Now, I wasn't sure about the focus groups you mentioned.

Aisha: The idea was to check whether the questionnaire results match what people say in discussion. Triangulation, basically.

Ben: I'm not convinced we have time for several. But one focus group with six to eight people would be manageable, I suppose.

Aisha: One's fine. It's better than none. And I'm happy to run it, since I've done it before.

Ben: Great. Then I'll take charge of the statistical analysis.

Questions 1–3

Choose the correct answer, A, B or C.

  1. What is Aisha's objection to using only the course forum?

  2. How will the students distribute the questionnaire?

  3. Why does Aisha want some open questions?

Questions 4–8

Complete the notes. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. Main question type: scale items

  2. Number of open questions:

  3. Pilot study with students from their seminar group

  4. Purpose of focus group: (checking results with another method)

  5. Statistical analysis: done by

More listening practice

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