4.5　Questionnaire

The second and supplementary research method is the questionnaire.The questionnaire format is considered as “valid and useful” as a quantitative method because it mainly emphasizes the quantity or the amount of the data gathered (Best and Khan 1989: 90).A research method should encompass the overall strategy that is followed in collecting and analysing data.The general classification inherent in a research method is governed by the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research.Quantitative research is “the collection and analysis of numerical data in order to explain,predict,and/or control phenomena of interest” (Gay 2006: 9).However,in the process of conducting practical quantitative research,researchers need to do much more than only use numerical data.They must state the hypotheses to be tested,specify the research procedures,anticipate the likely problems in data collection,and make sure there is an adequate number of participants and their surrogates in order to provide statistically meaningful and effective data.The result of quantitative research will generally be objective because researchers use “paper-and-pen”,or non-interactive instruments to conduct their investigation.Qualitative research,however,is “the collection,analysis,and interpretation of comprehensive narrative and visual (non-numerical) data in order to gain insights into a particular phenomenon of interest” (ibid.: 9).That said,in practising research,scholars tend to use both of these two methods in a combined way in order to arrive at a more objective and credible result.In this study,I use the corpus as the main research tool,alongside a questionnaire as a supplementary method,in order to strengthen the scientific approach of my study.(https://www.daowen.com)

As a supplementary research method to be used,the content of the questionnaire needs to be examined in detail in terms of its description,the intended respondents,and the collection and analysis of the results.The examination of these aspects demonstrates the validity of the questionnaire and,in turn,its capacity to evidence the accuracy of the chosen theory and the effectiveness of the recommended E-C subtitling strategies.