QUESTION 1

A local indigenous language newspaper has recently launched an online newspaper in your
community. They approach you as a researcher to conduct preliminary research on how their
audiences are responding to this new strategy. Using the following structure as a reference,
create a brief overview of how you would carry out this research, justifying all of your
choices:
i) Research questions (5 marks)
ii) Research Methodology (10 marks)
iii) Research Methods and Procedures (20 marks)
iv) Sampling and target population (10 marks)
v) Data Analysis (5 marks)
TOTAL [50 Marks]

i) Research Questions

The goal of this research is to provide an adequate grasping of indigenous language research
feedback on recently launched online newspaper in our community by unravelling the body
of knowledge on it, identifying the research gaps, losses and gains and proposing a new
research agenda. The specific research questions are :

i) What are the trajectory of research on indigenous language launched by online

newspaper?
ii) How can the press highlight pertinent issues and emerging themes in the
community through new media technologies
iii) How can we critique the methodological and empirical gains and losses of online
indigenous language newspaper

ii) Research Methodology

The structure and purpose of this research methodology is qualitative research paradigm.
It is evaluative since it appraises the implications of sensational online reporting to the
development of indigenous languages. Assessment research is defined by Powell (2006)
as a study that uses standard qualitative research methods for evaluative purposes. Studies
 on online indigenous-language newspaper novel research methods. This is attributed to
the fact they tend to take analytical approach that uses primary sources of information
such as media texts, personal diaries, eyewitness accounts and oral histories. A qualitative
approach often reveals the relevance of online indigenous-language newspaper within a
particular time frame to local residents. The structure of online newspaper and challenges
of accessing online newspaper. Due to an inclination towards qualitative research
paradigm, qualitative methods of textual analysis such as thematic analysis, content
analysis and critical discourse are predominantly used.

iii) Research Methods and Procedures

According to Cohen and Manion (1994:38) research methods is a range of approaches used to
gather research data, and in the subsequent stages of data analysis and interpretation so that
inferences based on the data are made. One can say research methods are techniques and
procedures used in the research process.

The researcher zeroed in on ethnographic research and used ethnographic research methods
such as observation to gather data about the trajectory of research on indigenous language
launched by online newspaper. Notably, ethnographic research falls under social and cultural
studies. The research study utilised interviews, observation and questionnaires, blogs to
capture the perspectives, thoughts and suggestions of community members in regards to how
the press highlight pertinent issues and emerging themes through online newspapers.
Ethnographic research in local community gravitate towards the critical cultural studies
approach. Ethnographic research using qualitative approach seeks answers to the following
questions: What are the trajectory of research on indigenous language launched by online
newspaper? How can the press highlight pertinent issues and emerging themes in the
community through new media technologies? Ethnographic research explains and extrapolate
critical analysis of the methodological and empirical gains and losses of online indigenous
language newspaper
Interviews were conducted with local members of the community including youths, adults,
man and also women of the society. Interviews were asked to comment on suggest a new
agenda of content on online indigenous language newspaper in the community in a context of
changing new communication technologies.

The case study approach was also used to research peculiar issues about the trajectory of
research on indigenous language launched by online newspaper.

iv) Sampling and target population

Chakrapani (2011) defined population as the aggregate of all elements that show some
common set of characteristics and comprise the universe for the purpose of the research. The
population parameters are typically numbers. Therefore target population is the collection of
elements or objects that possess the information sought by the researcher and about which
inference are to be made. The target population must be defined in terms of elements,
sampling unit, extent and time. The targeted population of the research study shall be Youths,
Men and Women of the community. The researcher was guided by Resident Committee
statistics to approach the targeted population. The researcher approached 15 Youths from the
community aged between 18-35 years, 10 women aged between 35-45 years and also 5 men
aged between 35-50 years.

A sample is a representative of the population which is meant to ensure that findings are
generalised from the research sample to the population at large. Cohen (2007) corroborates
that a sample refers to a subject or subjects of the parent population selected for purposes of
study. Random, volunteer and purposive sampling was used as relevant samples for the
study.

Random sampling enabled the researcher to select a small group of youths from the
population to represent the above mentioned population. That is to say all members of the
population were given a chance of being selected during the study. Notably, the population
was selected systematically targeting all key members of the population. That is to say the
population was given numbers from one to three. The researcher only took third member of
the population in order to have accurate information about the subject of the study. That is the
trajectory of research on indigenous language launched by online newspaper and how can the
press highlight pertinent issues and emerging themes in the community through new media
technologies.

Volunteer sampling was also appropriate for the study because some women in the
community forward to be selected as subjects of the study. Notably, volunteer sampling
helped to capture data in regards to how can the press highlight pertinent issues and emerging
themes in the community through new media technologies. Although some of the information
was purported to be biased, hence, the researcher managed to analyse and sample it.
Volunteer sampling is relevant because the process was not tedious and time consuming. That
is to say, the researcher also gathered the required response to questions such as how can the
press highlight pertinent issues and emerging themes in the community through new media
technologies.

Purposive sampling was used in the study as a sampling approach men in the community.
Men were selected using a purposive sampling approach. Purposive sampling approach was
used because some men represented the community to a larger extent. Men were not asked in
their individual capacity. Purposive sampling was the most appropriate for this bracket of
respondents because it focused on specific groups of respondents. The main intention was to
extract specific response of asked questions such as how can we critique the methodological
and empirical gains and losses of online indigenous language newspaper?

References

Powell, R.R. (2006). Evaluation research: An overview. Research Methods., 55(1), 102–120.

Cohen, L. and Manion, L. (1994). Research methods in education. London: Routledge.

Cohen L, Manion L, Morrison K. (2007). Research Methods in Education. London,
Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Chakrapani C .2011. Modern Marketing Research Step-by-Step. Available on

http://www.chuckchakrapani.com/stepbystep/. Accessed on 2 November 2020.