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CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY
2.1 This chapter describes in detail the research conducted in both Scotland and China and sets out the methodology adopted.
Research in China
Research components and methodology
2.2 Table 2.1 (below) summarises the main components of the research in China. All of the research in China was conducted in 7 specific regions of the country, namely, the 5 regions in which the Executive is currently focusing its activities - Beijing, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Shandong and Shanghai - and 2 'control' regions - Chengdu and Taiyuan.
Table 2.1: Research components and methodology - China
Research audience | Methodology |
|---|
Business people | 230 semi-structured interviews - 210 by telephone and 20 face to face (spread across the 7 regions) |
Provincial government officials with responsibility for business development | 14 face to face in depth interviews (2 in each region) |
Final year students attending top universities | 7 focus groups (one in each region), with 8 students attending each group |
University staff responsible for liaising with overseas universities and co-ordinating overseas study | 21 semi-structured telephone interviews (3 in each region) |
Staff at overseas study consulting agencies | 21 semi-structured telephone interviews (3 in each region) |
Tour operators/travel agents | 18 face to face in depth interviews (spread across the 7 regions) |
Members of the public/potential visitors to Scotland | 1,102 telephone interviews conducted across the 7 regions |
Audience details and recruitment
Business people
2.3 The business audience in China included senior management personnel from larger companies ( i.e. those with an annual revenue of 100 million RMB or more) representing the main business sectors in the target provinces. As far as possible, efforts were made to target companies which had an interest in expanding overseas in the near future. Fuller, sectoral details on the business sample are provided in Appendix 1.
Local government officials
2.4 The local government officials included representatives from the provincial government of each of the target provinces. All were the heads of their respective authority's department for overseas business development (or equivalent). All recruitment was undertaken by telephone.
Students
2.5 The students were recruited face to face on campus at the top universities in the seven provinces (A full listing of the universities is provided in Appendix 2). To ensure a range of views were represented, quotas were set on gender, degree type ( i.e. postgraduate or undergraduate) and degree subject.
University staff
2.6 The staff who participated in the research were all heads of international offices (or equivalent) at top universities in the target provinces (see Appendix 2 for a full listing of the institutions), and all had been in their current, or a similar, post for at least 3 years. All were recruited by telephone.
Staff at overseas study consulting agencies
2.7 All of the staff were recruited by telephone from consulting agencies in the 7 target provinces. All were senior managers or above and had worked in their current or a similar post for at least 3 years.
Travel agents/Tour operators
2.8 These respondents were recruited by telephone from the largest travel agents and tour operators across the target provinces. All were senior managers who had been in their current, or a similar post for at least 3 years.
General Public
2.9 The survey specifically targeted those members of the general public who may be classified as potential visitors to Scotland. These were defined as people who were aged 18 to 50 years, educated to senior high school level or above, had a middle income or above and had travelled abroad in the last 2 years or would consider doing so in the next 2 years.
Fieldwork
2.10 All fieldwork in China was carried out by Ipsos China and took place between 15 September and 7 November 2006.
Research in Scotland
Research components and methodology
2.11 The main components of the research in Scotland are summarised in Table 2.2 below.
Table 2.2: Research components and methodology - Scotland
Research audience | Methodology |
|---|
Chinese students studying in Scottish universities and colleges | 30 telephone in depth interviews |
University and college staff responsible for liaising with overseas universities and co-ordinating student exchanges/overseas study | 10 telephone in depth interviews |
Scottish general public | 1,036 face to face interviews |
Audience details and recruitment
Chinese students attending Scottish universities and colleges
2.12 The Chinese students were recruited using a variety of methods. In the first instance, Chinese student societies in Scottish colleges and universities were approached and asked to inform their constituents about the research and encourage any students interested in taking part to contact Ipsos MORI. Meanwhile, notices providing details about the research were posted in and around the international offices of several universities and colleges. Recruitment of students in the Glasgow areas was facilitated by the Chinese Community Development Project. Finally, 'snowballing' was used whereby recruits were invited to nominate other students who might be interested in taking part in the research.
2.13 At all times during recruitment, efforts were made to ensure that recruits represented a good cross section of the Chinese student population across Scotland. Thus, the final sample included students studying a wide range of disciplines and with varying lengths of residency in Scotland.
2.14 All students who took part in an interview were given a cheque for £20 as a 'thank you'.
Staff at universities and colleges
2.15 For the interviews with university and college staff, 10 institutions across Scotland (6 universities and 4 colleges) were randomly selected. The relevant member of staff at each institution was then identified, via the internet or a direct approach to the international office, and sent an advance letter about the research.
General public
2.16 The general public survey in Scotland comprised a module of questions on the TNS Omnibus. This is a representative quota survey of the adult population (aged 16+) across Scotland.
Fieldwork
2.17 The interviews with Chinese students and university and college staff were conducted by MORI Telephone Surveys between 2 and 27 October 2006.
2.18 The General public survey was conducted by TNS between 28 September and
7 October 2006. All interviews were conducted in home using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing ( CAPI).
Discussion guides and questionnaires
2.19 All questionnaires and discussion guides used in the research were designed by Ipsos MORI in close consultation with the Scottish Executive. The questionnaires and discussion guides for use in China were translated by Ipsos China and checked by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and by an external consultant.
2.20 Each audience was asked a core set of questions about their general knowledge and perceptions of Scotland, followed by a number of audience specific questions.
2.21 Copies of the topic guides and questionnaires for each audience are provided in Appendix 3.
Interpretation of the data
Qualitative data
2.22 Two of the key strengths of qualitative research are that it allows issues to be explored in detail and enables researchers to test the strength of people's opinions and the underlying rationale for people's attitudes and behaviours.
2.23 However, it needs to be remembered that qualitative research does not allow conclusions to be drawn about either the extent to which something is happening among the wider public (although one might surmise that particular opinions appear to be widespread) or percentages of people that have certain attitudes or opinions. Qualitative research is designed to be illustrative rather than providing statistically representative data.
Quantitative data
2.24 All survey results are subject to sampling variability which means that observed differences between sub-groups may not always be statistically significant i.e. they may have occurred by chance.
2.25 Where percentages do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding, the exclusion of "don't know" categories or multiple answers. Where "*" appears, this represents a percentage greater than zero but less than 0.5%. Where the base size is less than 30 the numbers of respondents ('Ns') rather than percentages is reported.
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