Online methods in geography educational research

Geography Education Research in Serbia: a Teacher’s Perspective

“…Given the growth and impact of the Internet in recent years Madge & O'connor (2004) the ability to utilise online research methods is both timely and of utmost significance to geographers in higher education. Their use, however, must be carefully considered.…”

“…Their use, however, must be carefully considered. So Madge & O'connor (2004) cites Denscombe (2003) "A decision on whether it is appropriate to use "e-research" should be based on an. …evaluation of the respective advantages and disadvantages in relation to the specific topic that is to be investigated", Smith (1997) "The new technology offers a spate of problems layered over the old", Imken (1999) "Caution should be stressed in an attempt to avoid the "cyberbole" and overdrawn opposition between "real" and virtual techniques" and Illingworth (2001)" we should avoid the use of the Internet as an "easy option" and `…encourage a more developed focus on the justification, applicability and benefits of Internet research to a particular project.…”

“…The type of data yielded is quantitative and with a web-based questionnaire data can be loaded automatically into a spreadsheet or database increasing the speed and accuracy of data collection. Numerous examples of web-based questionnaires and electronic surveys according to Madge & O'connor (2004) exist in the literature (Coomber, 1997;Schaefer, Dillman, 1998;Hampton, Wellman, 1999;Litvin & Kar, 2001;Madge, O'Connor, 2002). More recent references compare online and onsite surveys (McDonald, Adam, 2003;Riva, Teruzzi, Anolli, 2003).…”

“…Indeed, transitions are crucial events affecting the students' identity and personal geographies telling stories about multiple inclusions/exclusions with respect to class, gender, intellectual and "peer" performance (see Bauer, 2010). Web -based questionnaires and email surveys can provide according to Madge & O'connor (2004), fast and cheap alternatives to postal, face -to -face and telephone surveys. Web-based questionnaires are designed as web pages and located on a researcher.…”

Views, Values and Perceptions in Geographical Fieldwork in Singapore Schools

“…The main advantage of computer-based questionnaires is that the data can be collected and stored with minimum intervention, thus reducing the risk of transposition errors. This type of computer-based questionnaire had been used previously, but mounting questionnaires on the internet offers a further advantage in that data can be loaded automatically into a spreadsheet or database, increasing the speed and accuracy of data collection (Madge & O'Connor, 2004). In order to participate in the study, respondents needed access to a computer linked to the Internet as the questions were posted online for them to answer.…”