Ravalier PhD Theis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

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contexts, for example in the workplace or at home. Therefore within this approach, phenomena and processes can
be assessed in their natural settings, increasing the ecological validity of these approaches in particular when
contrasted with more traditional laboratory-based studies. Additionally, data can be collected on a daily basis, or
even several times a day, whereas other approaches such as surveys usually collect data at one point in time
(Poppelton, Briner & Kiefer, 2008). Furthermore, an advantage of all daily diary studies compared to others such as
surveys, interviews and focus groups is the reduction of retrospective bias (Reis & Gable, 2000). Participants are
often asked to complete daily diaries at the end of the day, for example the end of the work day or just prior to
going to bed. The task of the daily diary recorder is to chart particular events, thoughts or feelings throughout a
certain period of the preceding day, meaning that the time lapse between an event happening and being recorded
is often a matter of hours instead of days or weeks as in the case of survey recollections.
However, diary research techniques are not widely used as a method of data collection in psychological
research because they can be difficult for all involved - the participants as well as the researchers. Participants are
asked to make certain commitments such as maintaining a record of experiences, activities or feelings over an
extended period (Willig, 2008). This is a distinct disadvantage because it can mean that the diary itself will have
an effect on routines and experiences. Also Willig (2008) describes the diary as becoming a part of the individuals’
life for the time that it is being considered, but nevertheless has to be handed over to the researcher at the end of
the data collection phase. In turn, the researcher has the challenge of recruiting participants who are willing to
keep a diary and maintain the motivation of said individuals. Additionally, in general these methods suffer from
high drop-out and poor recruitment rates due to the extra demands that can be placed onto the individual. Finally,
there are ethical concerns such as those inherent when asking individuals to keep certain types of diary, such as