4. GI Log

Stage 1: Analyse the GI questions

Before you begin your investigation, let’s examine the GI question ‘What makes some places in the neighbourhood special to its residents?’ carefully. We can better understand the focus of the GI question by first identifying the keywords and phrases in the question. Secondly, we can also generate some guiding questions to break down the task into smaller parts.

Keeping in mind the GI question, some guiding questions my group thought of using the 5W1H question frame to guide our investigation are:

b) Questionnaire Construction

Together with your group, brainstorm at least 3 questions for the questionnaire, covering both closed and open question types.

You can refer to the attached file below for a sample of a questionnaire.

Constructing questionnaires

• • Include a title and introduction

  • Ask for one piece of information at a time

  • Provide options for sensitive questions

  • Keep it short and simple

  • Use closed response questions

    • List answers

    • Rank questions

    • Use Likert scale

  • Use open response questions

c) Sampling

Sampling is a method used when deciding who to interview. For this GI, all the residents living in the neighbourhood where your group will be carrying out your investigation makes up the “population”. However, it is not possible for your group to interview every person in the population. A selection or also known as sampling method will thus need to be used.

Random sampling refers to collecting data at random intervals. Respondent selected based on a random number table and it can be carried out via:

• • Random number table (you can use this formula in excel to generate a random number table =INT(50*RAND())+1 in which 50 is the sample size and you can change the number to any other sample size).

  • Online random number generator

Advantages and Disadvantages:

• • Advantage - Each member of the population has an equal and known chance of being selected and avoids bias. This can be used for large population.

• Disadvantage -When there are very large populations, it is often difficult or impossible to identify every member of the population, so the pool of available subjects becomes biased.

Systematic sampling refers to collecting data at regular intervals. The respondent can be regularly numbered, for example every 10th person.

• • Its advantage over the random sampling technique is that it is more straight forward and simple.

  • The disadvantages are that it is more biased, as not all members or points have an equal chance of being selected and that it may therefore lead to over or under representation of a particular pattern

An interview is a face-to-face meeting between the person conducting the session (i.e., interviewer) and the other party who is responding to the questions posed (i.e., the interviewee or also referred to as respondent).

Using a set of pre-planned questions such as those in the class questionnaire, interviews are conducted to obtain first hand or primary data. For instance, the questionnaire could gather information on respondents’ profile (e.g., how long have they lived in the neighbourhood and what is their age group), find out where are the places that are special to the residents and understand their reasons why. As an interview is a face-to-face encounter, it allows the interviewer to ask questions to clarify the responses or to even pose more questions to follow up on interesting comments shared by the interviewee.

How do you conduct an interview?

It is necessary to prepare yourself mentally for approaching strangers to participate in an interview. Think through the following suggested steps and plan your script accordingly.

1. Identify the potential respondent according to the sampling method your group has decided on.

2. Introduce yourself:

• • Approach the potential respondent politely, beginning with ‘Excuse me Sir/Madam’

  • Introduce your name (as well as that of your partner if applicable), role (i.e., student) and school.

3. Provide information about your purpose:

• • State that you would like to conduct an interview with them for a school project.

  • Explain the purpose of the school project briefly.

4. Invite the respondent:

• • State the estimated duration of the interview.

  • Ask for his/her permission to proceed. If the person declines, thank him/her politely anyway.

5. Guidelines when conducting the interview:

• • Either you as the interviewer or your partner should jot down the responses on copies of the questionnaire prepared beforehand.

  • Remain cheerful and polite at all times and avoid passing comments or making funny faces about the response.

  • When unsure of the responses, you may ask more questions to clarify with the respondents.

6. Showing appreciation: Thank the respondent for his/her time after the interview is completed.

Processing photographs for data analysis and presentation - refer to 7. Photographs and Field sketch

Stage 3: Analyse Data

3.1 Interpret, analyse and represent data gathered

After conducting interviews with your class’s questionnaire and taking photographs of the neighbourhood, your group will have to start analysing the data collected.

Refer to the sample attached for the collation of your survey.

Questions to aid analysis:

1. From the responses from the class questionnaire,

• • Where are the places that are special to its residents in the neighbourhood? What type of places are they? Who goes there frequently? How are the places distributed?

  • How did the residents describe these places? What adjectives were used?

  • What were the residents’ stories/ memories about these places? How has the development over time affected the residents’ sense of familiarity and attachment?

  • What are the residents’ reasons why these places are special? Are the reasons more functional, emotional or historical?

2. From the annotated photographs taken,

• • What are the characteristics (e.g., natural, cultural, aesthetic design) of places that make some places special to its residents?