The Survey Method Of Choice For A Researcher - 829 Words

There are many situations that make conducting an interview the survey method of choice for a researcher. The interview can be completed face-to-face, either individually or as part of a focus group, or it can be completed by telephone. All of these methods allow a richer opportunity to gather information in a more open-ended fashion, allowing the interviewer to take note of body language, tone of voice, and other aesthetic aspects of the participant. Salant and Dillman (1994) recommend face-to-face interview surveys when respondents are unlikely to respond willingly or accurately in writing, when the questionnaire is complex, and when projects are well-funded and include professional, experienced interviewers. Face-to-face interviews are generally preferred over telephone interviews, since body language and other nuances can be more closely monitored. Ng and Coakes (2014) point out that not all the data collected will be numerical, and contextual and textual data can also be an alyzed. Brace (2004) also makes note that being in the same room allows the interviewer to use prompt cards and other visuals that would be inhibited over the phone. Focus groups, on the other hand, allow the advantage of a face-to-face meeting while making good use of time and cost by having several people in the room together. This setting helps weed out extreme views, creates a forum for discussion and argument in a controlled setting, and can stimulate opinions and ideas through a groupShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Stress And Mental Health872 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween stress and mental health, researchers Cahit Kaya, Timothy N. Tansey, and Macid Melekoglu administered a questionnaire based study to 235 college students in Turkey. The researchers distributed two surveys to the students. The first survey was a â€Å"five-item 7-point Likert-type scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) called Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).† This survey measures life satisfaction in general populations. The second survey was â€Å"a 10 item a 5-point Likert-typeRead MoreThe Role Of Body Image And Social Media Essay1352 Words   |  6 Pagesmedia use but does not factor in dietary choices. This gap in knowledge is connected to the strengths and weaknesses of the research methods predominantly used to deal with this problem. Researchers use content analyses to describe existing evidence. In this field of study, this method is useful for analyzing social media posts and content posted on the web. It does not, however, address why these patterns may exist and why this is important. Researchers use ethnographies (or netnographies) to studyRead MoreQuantitative And Qualitative Research Methods871 Words   |  4 PagesWith sociology, researchers can use a different range of research methods to acquire new data. The various forms of research methods include surveys, ethnomethodology, experiments and documentary research. A common distinction is often made in sociology between quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative methods intend to measure social phenomena by using mathematical methods and statistical analysis. On the other hand, qualitative methods mea n to collect rich, detailed data, allowingRead MorePrimary Sources Of Primary Research1231 Words   |  5 Pages1. Primary research, or research using primary sources, is first hand data and / or resources. In other words researchers are collecting data themselves. Primary sources are also examples of primary research; for example, when writing an essay on the Roman Empire, a diary or painting of that time is a primary source (also called the original source or original evidence) it has not been altered and is the closest real source information to the topic. Secondary research on the other hand involvesRead MoreSample Research Proposal on Methodology1010 Words   |  5 Pagesresearch method will be utilized. In this method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. Thus, this study will use the descriptive approach. This descriptive type of research utilizes observations in the study. To illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) guided the researcher when he stated: Descriptive method of researchRead MoreSampling Strategy Uses A Target Larger Sized Group770 Words   |  4 Pagesinstance, the McMahon Group employed both focus groups and mail surveys as strategies to determine a consensus. Together, the dual strategy produced considerable data for researchers. Flexible and inexpensive, focus groups enable researchers to generate small group ideas and expression responses (Hartman, 2004, p. 408; Cooper Schindler, 2014, p. 133). Additionally, focus groups encourage member discussions and allow researchers to observe real time verbal and nonverbal responses (Hartman, 2004Read MoreFactors to Be Considered for a Research988 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom you I will order the rest immediately! Thanks! Methodology The researcher has several alternatives on how to gather the required data in order to conduct a thesis. One popular alternative is to us a self-administered questionnaire. There are many valid reasons to use this quantitative method. It is principally the most economical option and it is perceived by participants of a study to be more anonymous than other methods (Cooper and Schindler, 2006). Lastly, is also permits contact with participantsRead MoreSummary Of A Framework For Design By Creswell1536 Words   |  7 PagesSummary of ‘A Framework for Design’ by Creswell We now have many choices for research approaches. Author recommends that a general framework be adopted to provide guidance for all stages of research. Using still existing framework also allows researchers formulate ideas recognized by audiences who support proposals for research. This chapter introduces the reader to the three approaches to research quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. To understand them Creswell considers three frameworkRead MoreThe Scientific Method Of Scientific Methods1387 Words   |  6 PagesThe Scientific Method The scientific method has been used for centuries to create a structured and concrete way to study a question. When looking at it from a psychology stand point, the scientific method allows psychologists to formulate a way to study and make sense of human nature and support their â€Å"haunches and plausible sounding theories†(Myers, 2010). Within the scientific method a theory is formed by everyday observations. It predicts behaviors or possible outcomes. Next a hypothesis mustRead MoreHow Appropriate Were The Various Sampling Design Decisions?883 Words   |  4 PagesSchindler, 2014, p. 338). In this instance, the McMahon Group employed both focus groups and mail surveys as strategies to gather information and the dual approach produced relevant and valuable data for researchers. Flexible and inexpensive, focus groups consist of six to ten participants (Hartman, 2004, p. 408). Additionally, a moderator guides the discussion among its panel members that allows researchers to observe real-time verbal responses and nonverbal cues (Hartman, 2004, p. 402; Cooper Schindler

Conrad s Heart Of Darkness - 994 Words

The novel Heart of Darkness, written by Conrad, explores the Congo through Marlow’s story. Marlow discovers the horror behind imperialism through the invasion of Europeans into the Congo, inhabited by African natives. Conrad includes irony, imagery, and symbolism to criticize white imperialism and argue that Europeans cause destruction and native societies. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad reverses the traditional associations with Europeans and natives to argue that the success of a society depends on its level of morality, which is absent in imperialism. In Conrad’s novel, the level of morality of Europeans and natives are shown through the reverse relationship between Europeans and natives through their amount of restraint. During the boat ride to Kurtz, Marlow notices the native’s restraint towards man’s hardest temptation, hunger. Conrad shows that although the natives have starved compared to the well-fed Europeans, the native’s morality stops the m from giving into cannibalism: â€Å"Restraint†¦ No fear can stand up to hunger†¦ It takes a man all his inborn strength to fight hunger properly† (68). On the same boat ride, fat Europeans demonstrate no restraint compared to the natives because the Europeans do not hesitate to kill a native if survival must overrule their morals. The European yells to Marlow, â€Å"’Catch ‘im’†¦ Eat ‘im’† (66). The Europeans again show no restraint towards hunger when Kurtz’s â€Å"appetite for more ivory† (95) grows, even with the consequence of growingShow MoreRelatedConrad s Heart Of Darkness1138 Words   |  5 PagesThe modernity of Heart of Darkness is exposed/reflected through the growing belief/awareness of new anthropological and psychological theories with unprecedented insights into the human condition. Conrad shocks readers out of their complacency as he addresses his fascination with dark psychology through m odernist inclinations of the rendering of consciousness, the narrator s stream of consciousness and ambiguity. Heart of Darkness as a Modernist novel draws upon/gives prominence to the developmentRead MoreJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness957 Words   |  4 Pages Chinua Achebe’s controversial essay published in 1977 focuses on the racist views woven into Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. Achebe claims that Conrad uses many western stereotypes of Africa and subtly weaves them below the surface of his writing. However, due to the popularity of the novella and the skill of Conrad, his racist views go undetected. The most obvious indicator of Conrad’s racist views is the depictions of the people. They are described as â€Å"savage creatures,† yet Conrad’sRead MoreJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1488 Words   |  6 PagesJoseph Conrad’s s novel Heart of Darkness portrays an image of Africa that is dark and inhuman. Not only does he describe the actual, physical continent of Africa as â€Å"so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness†, (Conrad 154) as though the continent could neither breed nor support any true human life. Conrad lived th rough a time when European colonies were scattered all over the world. This phenomenon and the doctrine of colonialism bought into at hisRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s The Heart Of Darkness794 Words   |  4 Pagesblack people are a separate and lesser species. In Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness, the Congolese people were enslaved by Europeans. The Congolese people were subjected to animal-like treatment, such as put in chains and having an â€Å"iron collar† (Conrad I). Humans were used as an expendable workforce similar to the way a farmer uses an ox to till his field. When the people â€Å"sickened, became inefficient†, they went to a grove to die (Conrad). Another stereotype shown was that imperialism hurts the conquerorsRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1635 Words   |  7 PagesIn Heart of Darkness there are three things that analyze Conrad’s novel; figurative judgment, personalities of character and dialect. Conrad s novel has abundance of virtually imperceptible undertones. This novel is written to such exactitude and high detail that nearly each paragraph includes a vital half to play within the frame story. Conrad focus on making a story for instance concepts and themes, instead of simply an easy narrative. These concepts and themes are perpetually pitched at theRead MoreJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness925 Words   |  4 PagesIn the heart of darkness sails a ship with sailors, seamen, businessmen, and cannibals; savages as one would say. The businessmen conduct the seamen, the seamen order the sailors, and the sailors command the cannibals. On this diminutive yawl sailing deeper and deeper into the hazy, enigmatic heart of darkness lies a small caste system, with the managers above and the savages below. The story of Charlie Marlow on this ship is unveiled in Joseph Conrad s novella, Heart of Darkness, along with inklingsRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1693 Words   |  7 PagesThere square measure 3 main topics to debate once it involves analyzing Conrad’s Heart of Darkness - symbolic interpretations, character development and language. Heart of Darkness has Associate in Nursing abundance of virtually imperceptible undertones. This novelette is written to such exactitude and high detail that nearly each paragraph includes a vital half to play within the overall plot. The author, Conrad, concentrates on making a story for instance concepts and themes, instead of simplyRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1569 Words   |  7 Pagesmany, this idea of gendering something new and beautiful as female is second nature to us. Similar to my 12-year-old sel f’s new hockey stick, we often gender nature as feminine, because of its irrefutable beauty and power. While Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is set in a patriarchal society, the jungle that is recognized to have female qualities, enforces the main commanding force over the men in the Congo. Conrad’s two contrasting representations of women are shown through the influential CongoleseRead MoreJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness988 Words   |  4 Pagesthe late 1890’s, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness holds two different meanings. Heart of Darkness is both a metaphor for a psychological side of man, and an allusion to Africa. The title suggests both a physical and mental reference. During the time the novel takes place, Africa was called the dark continent. This was because little was known about Africa, and it was rather a mystery to Europeans. The main character in the novel, Marlow describes Africa as â€Å"a place of darkness† (Conrad 43) . He alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1729 Words   |  7 PagesIn Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad limits the amount and activity of his female characters, especially through the protagonist Marlow. Marlow merely reduces women into creatures of a different world and fails to see the importance of females. However, through this oppressive view on women, Conrad demonstrates Marlow’s ironic subjugation of women. Although in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, women simply serve as symbols while Marlow attempts to display himself as masculine, Conrad reveals the influence

El Dorado Free Essays

string(45) " of gold and riches that was doomed to fail\." El Dorado: The Legend and the Myth Your Name Here School Name Professor John Doe Whether it is just a place of legend that once existed and has disappeared into history or a myth fabricated by European explorers looking for riches, El Dorado has always been a source of mystery to historians and explorers from around the globe. In the search for their â€Å"El Dorado†, the European explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries would stop at nothing to obtain the untold wealth and notoriety that would come with a successful expedition. Along with the wealth that few found, European explorers were able to successfully rape, pillage and destroy an entire continents native population’s way of live in just a few decades. We will write a custom essay sample on El Dorado or any similar topic only for you Order Now El Dorado, whether is actually exists, or not, has contributed to mans madness in the search for wealth, conquest and paradise in the new world. El Dorado is defined as being a place of legend, a place thought to be found somewhere within the South American continent. It is a place that is believed to be rich in gold and precious stones (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1988). The term â€Å"El dorado† was originally derived from the Spanish â€Å"el dorado† which means â€Å"golden one. † Many legends surround this story and the origin of El Dorado. â€Å"The Gilded Man† (Bandelier, 1893) – el hombre dorado – which through the generations has been shortened to the current version of El Dorado, is the story of a South American Indian tribe that once lived and flourished in what is now the mountainous table lands of Bogota. Legend has it that this was the name of the chief of the Musica (Wikipedia, 2011) tribe in South America. The story states that the members of this chief’s tribe, during tribal ceremonies, would sprinkle his body with gold dust, which, after the ceremony, would be removed by the king diving into Lake Guatavita. In the years prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorers the Guatativa Indians had been defeated and subjugated in tribal warfare by a neighboring tribe around 1490-1500, and the new chief of this region had put an end to the ceremony of El Dorado. With the arrival of the Spaniards to this region of South America around 1525, the gilded man had already become a myth to the local native tribes. In the Cibao mountains of South America, in the year 1501, while panning for gold in a small stream, a native woman found a single gold nugget that was described as being as large as a â€Å"loaf of bread† or the size of a â€Å"suckling pig† (Bacci, 2007). The weight of this nugget was estimated at 16 kilograms or 35. 2 pounds. In today’s market, with today’s price of gold at $1,475. 00 per ounce, the weight of this single nugget would be worth approximately $662,000. 00. This nugget was so valuable in proving the mass of wealth available in the new world that it was placed on display for the colonists and guarded until it could be shown to the king and queen of Spain. While the native girl that originally found this great nugget was probably given nothing for her find, the two Spaniards in charge of the local expedition were rewarded with devotional objects, dishes and urns that were taken, or stolen, from temples and palaces from throughout the country. The total amount of this reward was measured to the â€Å"height that a man stands with his hand outstretched† (Bacci, 2007). In July of 1529, the new Governor of Venezuela, a German, Ambrosius Dalfinger became the first European to follow-up on and actually search for the origin of â€Å"the gilded man. † Dalfinger and approximately 300 men set forth on a campaign of conquest in search of two items – gold and slaves. His exploits of devastation and plunder would become an object of revulsion to even the Spaniards of his day. In 1530, in the Ambrosia valley, the local natives handed Dalfinger his second defeat in battle. With his forces severely depleted, he finally retreated back to Coro, Venezuela. With all of the effort that Dalfinger put forth to bring death and destruction to the tribal areas in his search for riches and conquest, he only found 70,000 pesos (approx. 6,000 dollars) worth of riches, of which 30,000 along with its escort, never made it out of the forests (Bandelier, 1893). In the 1530s, during the later days of the Dalfinger expedition, another Spaniard, Diego Ordaz and his crew also experienced failure (Winsor, 1886). However, Ordaz and his expeditionary crew did not fail for its inability to find riches; it failed because of internal strife that resulted in a mutiny. During this mutiny one of Ordaz’s lieutenants, Martinez, was also expelled from the expedition for misconduct. After his return to Porto Rico eight months later, he told a tale of becoming lost and wandering in the forest until being captured by natives that blind folded him and escorted him for a considerable distance to a great city called Manoa. He described the city, and taking a day and a night to traverse to reach the palace where he became the guest of the emperor Inga. Lieutenant Martinez according to the author was the first to apply the name El Dorado to the city of Manoa. This story though later proved to be fictional, is the one that would 60 years later be shown to Sir Walter Raleigh, on a manuscript, by the Governor of Trinidad. One of the more famous and historically documented stories about the search for El Dorado is the expedition undertaken by the Spanish explorers Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro in 1541. Their expedition, while it did include the search for wealth, also had the task of searching for land suitable colonization by European immigrants. The immigrants faced many hardships, almost from the beginning. The party endured torrential rain, cold, earthquakes and even a volcano. This expedition was another of many launched by European explorers in search of gold and riches that was doomed to fail. You read "El Dorado" in category "Papers" What Pizarro did find was another item that was highly sought after by few explorers: cinnamon, a spice derived from the bark of a tree. By the time of this discovery Pizzaro’s company, which started out with 500 Spaniards, 100 mounted on horses, and close to 4,000 natives, had been reduced to a small portion of their original size. Many of the original party had died from disease, starvation, drowning and violent conflicts with many of the native tribes that they had encountered. The majority of the natives they had originally started with, because of the brutality of the masters, had quietly slipped away while in the jungles or during the night while the Spaniards slept. They were close to starvation, and the expedition’s horses, dogs and other domesticated animals they had started out with had already been eaten. The remaining expedition members were reduced to eating whatever they could find in the surrounding forest; this diet consisted of roots, leaves, grasses, frog, toads, snakes lizards and whatever scarce wildlife they could find. Pizarro decided it was time to cut his losses and return to the native kingdom of Quito. He then challenged his men to build a â€Å"brigantine,† a small two masted ship, to be used to navigate the many rivers and waterways for the return trip home. The task of this ship building was something his party was ill equipped for. For iron they had to use the shoes of their dead horses, to seal the crevices between the planks they used glue derived from the local trees and for rope material they used the clothing of the native helpers and their own shirts. After journeying for 16 months, Zarate, a historian on the expedition, wrote â€Å"The whole party from general to private, was almost entirely naked, as, from almost continual rain storms which they had been exposed and the other hardships of the journey, their clothes were all rotten and torn to rags, and they were reduced to covering themselves with the skins of beasts. Their swords were all without scabbards and almost destroyed with rust. † (Zahm, 1917). According to Bacci, (2007) the conquest of the new world and the speed in which it was explored and settled was a surprise to the entire world, to include the conquistadors. The exploration of the continent, subjugation of the local populace and the beginning of colonization by tens of thousands of Europeans took around 50 years to complete. Author M. B. Synge (2007) wrote of Sir Walter Raleigh, who was the next European explorer of any note and his attempt to try and locate El Dorado. Raleigh, an Englishman, had recently failed in an attempt to establish a colony on the North American continent, in what is now Virginia. With Raleigh looking to get back into the good graces of his queen, his thoughts were of gold and fame, he had heard the rumors of the Golden city of Manoa, what the Spanish referred to as El Dorado, a mythical city of golden temples filled with furniture and adornments of gold. In 1595, he left England with five ships bound for South America. Upon reaching the mouth of the Orinoco River, in what is now Guiana, he discovered that he could not effectively navigate the river with his deep-hulled ocean going ships. His only option was to hire a local guide, Ferdinand, and set out with one hundred of his men, rowing against the current in small boats. During this expedition, Raleigh described the way the natives along the river lived, (they were cannibals), the abundance of fruits on the Guiana shores and the terrible strain that he and his crew were under both physically and mentally as they strove to succeed in their quest. After weeks of battling scorching heat and unrelenting river currents, Raleigh decided it was time to turn back. He never did find the city of Manoa but instead returned to England, to his Queen, telling tales of a country unspoiled, yet to be torn apart by others in search of gold and yet to be conquered by the Christian faith. The Queen was not impressed. The tales of his expedition and further conquest into South America were received coldly by the Queen. In 1617, twenty-two years after his first attempt, Raleigh was again granted permission by the Queen to attempt a second expedition into Guiana. Over the centuries, the term El Dorado has come to represent many things: A legend of a lost city and the mythology of a place that probably never existed. But to the people of today, it has come to represent two things: A place where wealth can be rapidly obtained and a fool’s errand, out of reach and unobtainable. In 1848, Edgar Allan Poe wrote his poem El Dorado (Poe, 1849). He writes of a gallant knight’s quest to find El Dorado. I found the last two stanzas to be the most meaningful. And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow — â€Å"Shadow,† said he, â€Å"Where can it be — This land of El Dorado? † â€Å"Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly rides,† The shade replied — â€Å"If you seek for El Dorado. â€Å" As the knight lie dying, he see’s a spirit, probably a hallucination, that tells him El Dorado, will be over the next mountain and down into the next valley. It will always be over the mountain and into the next valley. It is a mythical place that is unobtainable; you will never find El Dorado. Heart of Darkness (Conrad, 1893), is another fictional tale of another group of explorers searching for riches in a land that has yet to be conquered. This time the story does not take place in South America, but in Africa. In his novel, Conrad tells a story of an ill-fated expedition into the unexplored territories of the African continent. It is basically the same tale of the trials and trouble that faced explorers three centuries earlier in South America. They went into unknown lands seeking riches and fame only to be faced with their own reality and deaths. The author tells a story of men that are bored with the ordinary life and seek adventure where they have no business being. He talks about the riches found and lost, along with other illegitimate profits that men can gain at the cost of another’s way of life. Marlow, one of the characters in Conrad’s story, says something that I believe to be a statement that shows the state of mind of the explorers and people of this era. Marlow said â€Å"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves; it is not a pretty thing when you look into it to much†. This story continues to show that the European and North American explorers of the 19th century have changed very little from their predecessors of the 15th thru the 18th centuries. They continue to go, usually where they do not belong, at great cost of life and property, and usually very little profit. Although these explorers have opened many doors for civilization, they have also, in their greed, destroyed another’s way of life during their search for glory. The Oak Island Treasure News, BlogSpot on the internet operated by Keith Ranville (2010) has another spin on the legend of El Dorado. Ranville who is thought of as a modern day treasure hunter and researcher from Vancouver, British Columbia, has many credits for deciphering ancient symbols and artifacts that has led him to several historical finds. What I found most interesting about Ranville was his own theory of what really happened to El Dorado. Ranville’s theory about the lost city of gold, is that the native populations of the Incan Empire believed that they had, in their greed, been cursed by their gods and that the European explorers had been sent to destroy anyone that possessed gold of the gods. In their fear, the natives, directed by their holy men or shamans, stripped their cities of gold and returned it to the rivers and mines were it had been found. My belief is that El Dorado, whether it ever actually existed, or not, it has open many doors for modern civilization to exist. With out the explorers of the past 500 years, we would never have reached the levels of modernization that we currently have. While much good has come from all of this exploration, much unnecessary death and destruction of many people and their way of life were just brushed aside and destroyed. Many of the great tribes of both the North and South American continents have been lost forever. Those that still exist are just remnants of their ancestors, living on mostly government mandated lands and their ancient way of life forever gone. I feel that mankind has lost much more han it has gained in his search for wealth, conquest and paradise in the new world – as in his search for El Dorado. Bacci, L. B. (2007). El Dorado in the marshes. Massachusetts: Polity Press. Bandelier, A. F. (1893). The gilded man. New York: D. Appleton and Company. Conrad, J. (1893). Heart of darkness. New York: Columbia University Press. Poe, E. A. (1849). El Dorado: Poetry and tales. New York: Literary Classics of the United States. Ranville, K. (March 11, 2010). Oak Island treasure News. Retrieved March 26, 2011 from http://oakislandtreasurenewsarchives. logspot. com/2010/03/inca-treasure-thesis Synge, M. B. (2007). Explorers in South America, A book of discovery. North Carolina: Yesterday’s Classics. Webster’s new world dictionary. (3rd ed. ). (1988). New York: Simon and Schuster. W. Winsor, J. (1886). Narrative and critical history of America: Spanish explorations in America. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. Wikipedia. ( November 2011). Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/El_Dorado Zahm, J. A. (1917). The quest for el Dorado. New York: D. Appleton and Company. How to cite El Dorado, Papers