Explain what type of unobtrusive data collection a personal letter is, and describe an example of when letters have been used in research scenarios

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The letter is a private archival method of data collection, in which one person tries to communicate something to another person. Letters are geared toward a dual audience: the writer and the recipient. The topic of the letter, the social roles, and personal relationships of both writer and recipient must be considered. One famous example of letters as a source of research data is Thomas and Znaniecki's The Polish Peasant that used correspondence among recent Polish immigrants in America and their friends and relatives remaining in Poland. They collected both sent and received letters to uncover the social values and cultural strains associated with the transition from Poland to America. One risk of letters as data is that it is often difficult to obtain both sides of the correspondence.