Diary studies

Diary studies is a research method that collects qualitative information by having participants record entries about their everyday lives in a log, diary or journal about the activity or experience being studied. This collection of data uses a longitudinal technique, meaning participants are studied over a period of time. This research tool, although not being able to provide results as detailed as a true field study, can still offer a vast amount of contextual information without the costs of a true field study.[1][2] Diary studies are also known as experience sampling or ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology.

Traditionally diary studies involved participants keeping a written diary of events. However the emergence of smartphones now enables participants to diary with photos, videos and text using a variety of online or offline apps and tools. Since the diary studies are recorded sequentially over time, it can be used to investigate time-based phenomena, temporal dynamics, and fluctuating phenomena such as moods.[3]

Diary studies can also be employed together with other research techniques within a mixed method framework and is particularly useful in obtaining rich subjective data.[4] For instance, experience sampling method (ESM) combines it with questionnaires to gather data and examine people's experiences in daily life.[5]

  1. ^ Sullivan, Brian K. (August 9, 2012). "5 methods to collect data with diary studies". Big Design. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Flaherty, Kim (June 5, 2016). "Diary Studies: Understanding Long-Term User Behavior and Experiences". Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Wildemuth, Barbara (2016). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science, 2nd Edition. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 230. ISBN 9781440839047.
  4. ^ Tavakoli, Hossein (2012). A Dictionary of Research Methodology and Statistics in Applied Linguistics. Rahnama Press. p. 163. ISBN 9789643675080.
  5. ^ Allen, Mike (2017-01-15). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781483381459.