Page 54 - DLIS102_LIBRARY_AND_ITS_USERS

Unit 8: Techniques and Tools of Library Surveys

Self Assessment Notes

Multiple Choice Questions:
3. The technique that is primarily used to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons
and motivations for people’s attitudes, preferences or behaviour is called:
(a) Interviews (b) Questionnaires
(c) Written test (d) None of these.
4. Which one of the following is a advantage of personal interview?
(a) Good response rate (b) Time consuming
(c) Expensive (d) None of these.

8.4 Observation

Observation involves recording the behavioural patterns of people, objects and events in a systematic
manner. Observational methods may be:
• structured or unstructured
• disguised or undisguised
• natural or contrived
• personal
• mechanical
• non-participant
• participant, with the participant taking a number of different roles.

8.5 Case Study

The case study has been especially used in social science, psychology, anthropology and ecology.
This method of study is especially useful for trying to test theoretical models by using them in real
world situations. For example, if an anthropologist were to live amongst a remote tribe, whilst their
observations might produce no quantitative data, they are still useful to science.
Basically, a case study is an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping
statistical survey. It is a method used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily
researchable topic.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
5. Observation involves recording the behavioural patterns of people, objects and events in a
systematic manner.

6. Case study is especially useful for trying to test theoretical models by using them in real
world situations.
7. A case study is an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping
statistical survey.

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