ELE00133M – Research Methods Theory & Data Analysis

Task :

This part of the assignment assesses the theoretical foundations of research methodologies and design a comprehensive research proposal and apply relevant data collection techniques and analysis skills.

As part of the assignment, you will review the case study of York in the context of tourism and technologies to enhance visitors’ experience. You will need to make an assumption that you are a researcher working for the York City Council. Your role is to explore new technologies that can improve and enhance tourist interaction and engagement in York. You will need to address the following:

1. Review the overall tourist statistics data in the UK and York in particular for the past five years using information from the following official websites:
o https://www.visityork.org/members/research-statistics
o https://www.visitbritain.org/england-research-insights

o https://www.worldbank.org/en/home
o Any other website that you can access the open data for your report

Based on the data from the above websites, analyse the tourist profiles in York and review the status quo of the tourism environment in the UK. Comparing the data for the past five years, identify and discuss any changes you have observed in the visiting conditions in York due to Covid-19. Then identify key challenges that may need to be addressed in the future.

2. Discuss new emerging technologies that have the potential to address the identified challenges and enhance the experiences of tourists.
3. Based on your analysis, select a particular technology that would work on popular tourist sites in York. You will need to justify your choice of technology in the context of your chosen locations in York.
4. Design a research proposal on how to test and implement your chosen technology in a particular location in York.
● Discuss your research proposal by identifying research aims and objectives. Propose research hypotheses/questions as necessary.
● What methodologies would be suitable to address your research hypotheses/questions to achieve your aim and objectives? Discuss the pros and cons of each of these methodologies and then select the research methods and justify your selection.
● Discuss the structure of your selected methods, such as survey, interview, and focus group. Discuss the sample frame and sampling method. Estimate the required minimum sample. Discuss your data collection plan and validation process.
5. Discuss the methods of data analysis and give justifications for your selected analysis methods and how you test the reliability and validity of your collected data.
6. What are the ethical considerations or implications of the chosen research strategy for this research project? Design a consent form specific to your research strategy. The consent form should be attached as an appendix to your report.
7. Specify how you will capture, store and analyse the information gained from the data collection?

Reference style: Harvard Referencing Style