The main research method used for this study is the quantitative method because research was based on confirming existing theory. Considering this, the quantitative method utilised for collecting data is in the form of survey research. A survey research is commonplace among management and information systems researchers (Pinsonneault and Kraemer, 1993). It can be employed in various types of studies including explanatory and exploratory studies (Rea and Parker, 2014). A survey is a quantitative tool for collecting standardised data from a population with the intention of understanding or confirming some aspects of the studied population (Pinsonneault and Kraemer, 1993). Based on this, the quantitative method used was achieved through the use of a survey questionnaire.
Subsequently, surveys are often useful when obtaining information from a large sample of the population (Rea and Parker, 2014). It is also a data collection technique that is cost- effective, easier to administer and relatively easier for making generalisations (Glasow, 2005). In addition, Rea and Parker (2014) stated that surveys mostly gather three kinds of information including descriptive, attitudinal and behavioural information. Vroman et al. (2015) also suggested that surveys are useful for examining trends within a population as well as identifying features and frequency of attitude and practices in order to determine the relationship between involved constructs. Since this study intends to identify and understand the motivations and processes of adopting tablet devices from older adults’ perspective, this method was confirmed suitable. However, it should be noted that surveys do not provide exact measures but only gives estimates for the true population (Glasow, 2005). According to a study conducted by Pinsonneault and Kraemer (1993), it is suggested that using survey
might lead to biases due to the nature of the responses received or the lack of responses from the respondents.
For the purpose of this study, the survey research was developed using Surveymonkey.com to create the questionnaire. The questionnaire contained mainly close-ended questions and was divided into five sections. The first section addressed the demographic aspects of the respondents while the second section was for those who use tablet devices. The third assessed those who do not use tablet devices and had no intention of using the devices and the fourth section assessed those who currently do not use tablet devices but had the intention of purchasing and using one. Finally, the fifth section was created to address hypotheses one to eight and the scale used for this purpose is a seven-point Likert-type scale. In addition, the measurement items of each construct were adapted from previous studies with some modification to suit the context of this research.
Furthermore, Golafshani (2003) suggested that reliability and validity are essential tools associated with quantitative methods. In accordance with this, Collins (2003) suggested that to achieve a reliable and valid result, it is important to carry out a content validity and a pilot test before embarking on the main study. The process of content validity and pilot testing usually increases the likelihood of achieving a successful main study (Thabane et al., 2010). Based on this argument, the distribution of the questionnaire was carried out in three phases namely pretesting or content validity phase, pilot testing phase and the final version phase. The first two phases helped in modifying the questionnaire for the final phase. Detailed information regarding each of these phases can be viewed in chapters 4 and 5.
3.8.1 Accessing and selecting the survey participants
One of the important aspects in a research process is selecting the relevant participants that will be involved in the study (Saunders et al., 2009). As mentioned in section 3.8, this study undertook a pilot study and a main study. Thus, the following provides details on how the data selection for each phase was carried out:
For the pilot study, the first step taken in the data selection process is to determine an adequate sample size. Hence, following the guideline of Dillman et al. (2014), the sample size targeted for the pilot study is 200 participants. Furthermore, the main reason for the pilot study is to identify whether there is an age-related digital divide between young and older adults in terms of tablet adoption and use. Therefore, participants that will be used for the pilot study will include those aged 18 years and over. Consequently, given that a small sample size is targeted for the pilot study, snowball sampling was considered as a suitable and cost-effective means for collecting data. Furthermore, because the sample for the pilot study will include those aged 18 and over, snowball sample was also viewed as an effective way for ensuring sample representativeness. Moreover, including the younger adults in the pilot study will ensure that the right knowledge was gained, which in turn will inform the main study.
Following the collection of relevant data, structural equation modelling was used to study the conceptual relationship between the constructs by comparing the empirical data with the FTDA framework provided in figure 17.
Main study:
As mentioned in section 1.2, the primary focus of this study is on a specific group of population, which is the older population. Thus, it is important to identify strategies that will ensure that the older population is represented. Furthermore, as mentioned in section 3.5, the site selected for collecting data for the research is the Hertfordshire County in UK. However, Hertfordshire County has a population that comprises of all age groups with the older population representing only 35% of the County’s population (ONS, 2017c). Therefore, considering this information, the following strategies were employed to ensure the collection of a representative sample.
Firstly, an adequate sample size was required in order to ensure the feasibility of this research (Saunders et al., 2009). Drawing from the guidelines provided by Comrey and Lee (2013), the sample size targeted for this study is a sample of 1,000 participants. Considering
pursued. To achieve this, ONS data was used to identify towns in Hertfordshire that had high number of older adults and these towns were the main targets during the distribution of the survey fliers. Furthermore, in each town visited, road signs (see figure 20 for example) indicating the presence of older people was also used to identify the streets in which the survey fliers were distributed. The reason for this approach was to increase the likelihood of reaching the relevant participants.
Figure 20: Road sign indicating the presence of older people.
Source: Alexander (2015)
Figure 20, was provided to give an example of the road signs used to identify areas with high number of older adults. Following this identification, majority of the survey fliers were then randomly distributed in the houses found on the identified streets.
Furthermore, as with the pilot study, following the collection of relevant data, structural equation modelling was used to study the conceptual relationship between the constructs by comparing the empirical data with the FTDA framework provided in figure 17.