This essay has given me an opportunity to explore a subject that has for a long time impacted on my work. The young people with whom I work travel to my sessions using public transport and due to the negative experience they often have they can arrive feeling agitated, angry, upset or confrontational. Because of this it effects my sessions and of course also impacts on the young people. The aim of my research therefore is to gain a better understanding of young peoples experiences of public transport and the impact that this has on them. Once I have this information I hope to not only be more informed about young peoples experiences of public transport but also to be able to use it to work with them to improve their experiences.
             For the purpose of my research I decided that the most effective way to gather my information would be through a questionnaire. Questionnaires are an inexpensive way to gather data from a potentially large number of respondents (however this assignment dictates a small sample group). My aim is to have a well-designed questionnaire that if used effectively would gather information on both the overall question as well as information on specific issues.
             Having previously used questionnaires I am aware that it is important to remember they should be viewed as a multi-stage process beginning with the definition of the aspects to be examined and ending with the interpretation of the results. Every step needs to be designed carefully because the final results are only as good as the weakest link in the questionnaire process. Due to this I spent a considerable amount of time think about the different stages of my research and how I could work to have the most effective research project. I broke it down into five clear stages:
             1. Defining the Objectives of the survey
             The importance of well-defined objectives can not be over emphasized. A questionnaire that is written without a clear goal and purpose is in...