Surveys / questionnaires

What does this type of research involve?

• Answering questions about a topic. 
• This can be done on paper or on a computer.

Example:

A person who has done a speech therapy program is asked to fill in a survey. The survey is asks:

• Did you like the therapy?
• Did the therapy help?

Interviews / focus groups

What does this type of research involve?

• Talking to a researcher about a topic. 
• It may be a one-on-one interview.
• It may be a group interview.

Example:

A parent of a child who find it hard to communicate is asked to do an interview. The interviewer asks:

• Can you access the services your child needs?
• Are you happy with the services your child gets?

Therapy testing

What does this type of research involve?

• Trying out therapy to see if it is helpful.
• different types of therapy can be tested. This includes:
  • one-on-one therapy
  • group therapy
  • therapy over the internet

Example:

A new therapy program has been created. People are invited to do the program to see how it can help them.

Research that looks at changes over time

What does this research involve?

• Seeing if there are changes over time. 
• This research can be done over many years.
• This is called longitudinal research.

Example:

A researcher may visit a person who has Parkinson's disease each year. They may want to see if there has been any changes to the way the person speaks.