Finding my 'outcropping'

The readings this week got me thinking about all of the surveys that I have filled out in my life and the level of planning that went into them compared to the amount of thought that I put into filling them out (generally very little).  This makes me a bit sad for researchers out there who follow all of these guidelines and spend time piloting them and fussing about wording of their surveys, only to have them hastily filled out or ignored all together. 

I was also interested in the idea of the ‘halo effect’ and can say that I have definitely been guilty of this in my own survey responses. The method of crafting surveys that “trick” respondents into being truthful by having them respond as if they were someone else seems flawed to me, however, as some respondents would actually respond as someone else would instead of themselves – defeating the purpose of the trick. 

In terms of my own research proposal, the Luker chapter was more relevant this week. I am researching museums fundraising in rural Canadian museums, therefore my ‘outcropping’ for my sample is easier to find as it is already fairly defined. My interviews will be with museum staff from rural museums in Canada. I still have work to do, however, in narrowing my sample and deciding which museums to focus on since there are a lot of them out there!