For my research on 'Critically Reflective Teaching Practice', I have used two methods for data collection i.e. detailed interviews and online qualitative questionnaires. Now while assigning pseudonyms (considering confidentiality and anonymity) I want to use two categories; one for interviewees and second for (questionnaire) respondents. There are 8 interviewees and 22 respondents total 30 in numbers. For interviewees, I am using Mr. A, Mr. B, Ms. C... Mr. F and for respondents 1, 2, 3...22. Is this the right way to assign names?
The purpose of separating interviewees from (questionnaire) respondents is that I have rich responses from the interviewees, while sampling I have selected 8 people for detailed interviews considering their education, age, experience and position they are serving in academia. While in the case of the questionnaire the respondents were random from the design field mainly depending on the dissemination of the online questionnaire through friends and peers.
Hello Anwer Ali
Just a thought; when I used numerals for anonymity for the participants in my research, I used a # sign before the numeral (#1, #2 etc.). I was wondering that if you were just using a numeral for the respondents, could it get misunderstood when you referred to them as just a number in the results or discussion (or were you using Mr 1 etc?)
Very best wishes with your research,
Mary
Hi Mary C R Wilson well I will use respondent 1 or participant 1 or yes as you said Mr. 1 etc. The issue is currently I have not seen any precedence where the participants of a research have been divided into more than one categories in a way that each category has different set of pseudonyms.
You already refer to a difference between Interviewees and Respondents, so why not use that to separate your numbering system: I-1 and I-2 versus R-1 and R-2, etc.
The pseudonyms are used to ensure the confidentiality, so as long as you use them, it is OK to assign the names in the ways you like. But as David Morgan suggested, the way of assigning names should help you to have better management and readers to have faster and easier to grasp your sample. In my research, I used different themes such as fruits, sports, etc. to name different respondents.
Cheers,
There is no set way for assigning names. You can provide a rationale, such as suggested by David Morgan, or determine your own process that is explained.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Geoscience
- Asia
- India