Research Methodology BBRC4103

7/21/2019 Research Methodology BBRC4103

1/9

BBRC 4103 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY1

1.0 Introduction.

Research in common language can be referred to as a search for knowledge. It can also

be defined as a scientific and systematic search for applicable information on a specific topic. In

fact, research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advanced Learners ictionary of !urrent

"nglish #$%&'( state the meaning of research as a careful investigation or inquiry especially

through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. Redman and )ory #$%'*( define

research as a systematized effort to gain new knowledge.+ome people consider research as a

movement, a movement from the known to the unknown. It is actually a ourney of discovery.

-e all possess the vital instinct of curiosity for, when the unknown confronts us, we wonder and

our curiosity makes us probe and attain full and fuller understanding of the unknown. This

curiosity is the mother of all knowledge and the method, which man employs for obtaining the

knowledge of whatever the unknown, can be termed as research.

According to -ikipedia in its etymology, the word research is derived from the )iddle

french recherche, which means to go about seeking, the term itself being derived from

the /ld 0rench term recerchier a compound word from re1 2 cerchier, or sercher,

meaning 3search3. The earliest recorded use of the term was in $&44.

Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense.

According to !lifford -oody #$%56( as taken from Ann Arbor #$%'4( research comprises

defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions7 collecting,

organi8ing and evaluating data7 making deductions and reaching conclusions7 and at last

carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. .

+lesinger and ). +tephenson #$%*9( in the "ncyclopedia of +ocial +ciences define research as

the manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend,

correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the

practice of an art.

Research is, thus, an original contribution to the e:isting stock of knowledge making for

its advancement. It is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and

e:periment. In short, the search for knowledge through obective and systematic method of

finding solution to a problem is research. The systematic approach concerning generali8ation and


2/9


3/9


abstract ideas or theory, empirical research relies on e:perience or observation alone often

without due regard for system and theory, and among others types of research. -hen conducting

a research, one may need to understand a few terms which is crucially important in conducting

research such as concepts, theory, hypothesis and variables.

The standard te:tbook definition of the concept is an abstraction based on

characteristics of perceived reality. 1 LeRoy and !orbet #'99?(. In another conte:t, concept

could also be define as a label we put on a phenomenon that enables us to link separate

observations and to make generali8ation 1 a name we give to observations and events.

A theory is a well1established principle that has been developed to e:plain some aspect of

the natural world. A theory arises from repeated observation and testing and incorporates facts,

laws, predictions, and tested hypotheses that are widely accepted.

A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you e:pect to happen in your

study. 0or e:ample, an e:periment designed to look at the relationship between study habits and

test an:iety might have a hypothesis that states, -e predict that students with better study habits

will suffer less test an:iety. @nless your study is e:ploratory in nature, your hypothesis should

always e:plain what you e:pect to happen during the course of your e:periment or research.

ariables can be defined as any aspect of a theory that can vary or change as part of the

interaction within the theory. In other words, variables are anything can effect or change the

results of a study. "very study has variables as these are needed in order to understand

differences. There should be three categories of variables in every e:periment< dependent,

independent, and controlled. ependent 11 is what will be measured7 it3s what the investigator

thinks will be affected during the e:periment. Independent 11 is what is varied during the

e:periment7 it is what the investigator thinks will affect the dependent variable. !ontrolled 11 the

variables held constant. +ince the investigator wants to study the effect of one particular

independent variable, the possibility that other factors are affecting the outcome must be

eliminated.

Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning

problems of business and industry. /perations research and market research, along with

motivational research, are considered crucial and their results assist, in more than one way, in


4/9


taking business decisions. )arket research is the investigation of the structure and development

of a market for the purpose of formulating efficient policies for purchasing, production and sales.

/perations research refers to the application of mathematical, logical and analytical techni>ues

to the solution of business problems of cost minimi8ation or of profit ma:imi8ation or what can

be termed as optimi8ation problems. )otivational research of determining why people behave as

they do is mainly concerned with market characteristics.

In other words, it is concerned with the determination of motivations underlying the

consumer market behavior. All these are of great help to people in business and industry who are

responsible for taking business decisions. Research with regard to demand and market factors

has great utility in business. Biven knowledge of future demand, it is generally not difficult for a

firm, or for an industry to adust its supply schedule within the limits of its proected capacity.)arket analysis has become an integral tool of business policy these days. Cusiness budgeting,

which ultimately results in a proected profit and loss account, is based mainly on sales estimates

which in turn depend on business research. /nce sales forecasting is done, efficient production

and investment programs can be set up around which are grouped the purchasing and financing

plans. Research, thus, replaces intuitive business decisions by more logical and scientific

decisions.

2.0 An analysis on a qualitative research approach used in a research study.


5/9


Dualitative research is a method of in>uiry employed in many different academic

disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further conte:ts.

Dualitative researchers aim to gather an in1depth understanding of human behavior and the

reasons that govern such behavior. The >ualitative method investigate the why and the how of

decision making, not ust what, when and when. Eence, smaller but focused samples are more

often used than large sample.

Dualitative Research is primarily e:ploratory research. It is used to gain an

understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the

problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential >uantitative research. Dualitative

Research is also used to uncover trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the

problem. Dualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi1structured

techni>ues. The sample si8e is typically small, and respondents are selected to fulfill a given

>uota.

Dualitative research methods are interpretative and aim to provide a depth of

understanding. Dualitative methods are based on words, perceptions, feelings etc. rather than

numbers and they include e:periments, interviews, focus groups, and >uestionnaires with open1

ended >uestions.

Dualitative approach to research is concerned with subective assessment of attitudes,

opinions and behavior. Research in such a situation is a function of researchers insights and

impressions. +uch an approach to research generates results either in non1>uantitative form or in

the form which are not subected to rigorous >uantitative analysis. Benerally, the techni>ues of

focus group interviews, proective techni>ues and depth interviews are used. All these are

e:plained at length in chapters that follow.

)onette et al #'99&( credited >ualitative methods with the acknowledgement of

abstraction and generali8ation, and =olonsky and -aller #'99&( categori8e vision, images, forms

and structures in various media, as well as spoken and printed word and recorded sound into

>ualitative data collection methods.

The ways of participating and observing can vary widely from setting to setting.

=articipant observation is a strategy of refle:ive learning, not a single method of observing.


6/9


In participant observation researchers typically become members of a culture, group, or setting,

and adopt roles to conform to that setting. In doing so, the aim is for the researcher to gain a

closer insight into the culture3s practices, motivations and emotions. It is argued that the

researchers3 ability to understand the e:periences of the culture may be inhibited if they observe

without participating.

According to -illiam #'99&( >ualitative data collection methods emerged after it has

become known that traditional >uantitative data collection methods were unable to e:press

human feelings and emotions.

It is noted that Fqualitative methods are often regarded as providing rich data about real

life people and situations and being more able to make sense of behavior and to understand

behavior within its wider context. !owever, qualitative research is often criticized for lacking the

ability to be more generalize, being too reliant on the sub"ective interpretations of researchers

and being incapable of replication by subsequent researchersG #aus, '99'(.

The most popular >ualitative research methods include interviews, case studies,

observation, focus groups and >uestionnaires with open ended1>uestions. +ome distinctive

>ualitative methods are the use of focus groups and key informant interviews. The focus group

techni>ue involves a moderator facilitating a small group discussion between selected

individuals on a particular topic. This is a particularly popular method in market research and

testing new initiatives with users or workers.

/ne traditional and speciali8ed form of >ualitative research is called cognitive testing

or pilot testing which is used in the development of >uantitative survey items. +urvey items are

piloted on study participants to test the reliability and validity of the items.

3.0 An analysis on advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative research

approach.


7/9


Dualitative researchers have been critici8ed for overusing interviews and focus groups at

the e:pense of other methods such as ethnography, observation, documentary analysis, case

studies, and conversational analysis. Dualitative research has numerous advantages when

properly conducted but it also has its own flaws.

Among the advantages or strengths of >ualitative research, as according to +troep and

Hohnson #'9$9(,are conclusive and better for costly investment. The >ualitative research can lead

to a very conclusive finding as it is carried out in the manner of focusing a small group of people

or individual throughout the proect. It can uncover more about peoples e:perience on why

things may be the way they are and the data is based on the participants own categories of

meaning. As >ualitative research focuses on small groups, it can be less e:pensive because it

measures degree and fre>uency of behaviors than >uantitative research which may re>uire large

groups of participants or e:pensive measurement tools.

/ther than that, >ualitative research also has the ability to be more fle:ible in terms of the

research framework and direction as it can be >uickly revised as new information emerges. The

researchers that using this specific type of research have only need to adust their framework and

continue the research as they see fit and they do not re>uired or need to start the whole research

from the beginning.

A central issue in >ualitative research is trustworthiness which is also known as

credibility and or dependability 1 Lincoln and Buba #$%6&(. As the research is focus on people in

general, the outcome of the data obtain throughout the research conduct is >uestionable as there

is no way to audit or member check on the said data. It may bring the results to be more easily

influenced by the researchers personal biases and idiosyncrasies, and it also might have lower

credibility with some administrators and commissioners of the research.

Dualitative research methods collect the data about what the selected group of

participants feel or think, or how they behave. The researchers can3t necessarily use this data to

make assumptions beyond this specific group of participants. The knowledge that may be

produced as the outcome of the research might not generali8e to other people or other settings

i.e., findings might be uni>ue to the relatively few people included in the research study, and thus

making it difficult to make >uantitative predictions.


8/9


4.0 Summary.

Dualitative research is a systematic way of gathering data, a harnessing of curiosity. This

kind or research as any other type there is provides scientific information and theories for the

e:planation of the nature and the properties of the world. It makes practical applications possible.

A broad definition has been made by the scholars but every one of them points out that research

is a way for knowledge advancement.

Dualitative research often categori8es data into patterns as the primary basis for

organi8ing and reporting results. The data that is obtained is streamlined to a definite theme or

pattern. This is further worked on and alternative research hypothesis is generated which finally

provides the basis of the research statement.

"ven though that >ualitative research has been critici8ed for its flaws, it is not a research

method that conveniently allows for the collection of statistical data. Eowever this is only a

disadvantage if the research itself re>uires statistical data. Adopting a mi:ed methods approach is

one way of overcoming this problem.

.0 !eference


9/9


Hohn -. !reswell, '9$*, Research esign, +age =ublications

L.. Redman and A..E. )ory, The Romance of Research, $%'*.

LeRoy and !orbet, '99?, Research )ethods in =olitical +cience.

)ichael Hay =olonsky, avid +. -aller, esigning and )anaging a Research =roect< A

Cusiness +tudent3s Buide, '99&, +age =ublications

www.wikipedia.comresearch 1 retrieved on $&th /ctober '9$5.

)onette, R, +ullivan, TH, eHong, !R, '99&, Applied +ocial Research. A Tool for the Euman

+ervices, ?th edition.

=rofessor avid de aus, Analy8ing +ocial +cience ata, '99' , +age =ublications

The "ncyclopedia of +ocial +ciences, ol. IJ, )ac)illan, $%*9.

The Advanced Learners ictionary of !urrent "nglish, /:ford, $%&'.

ander +troep, +.- K Hohnson, .., '9$9, Research )ethods for "veryday Life< Clending

Dualitative and Duantitative Approaches, Hohn -iley K +ons

-illiam , FMour research proectG, 'nd edition, '99&, +age =ublications

-oody, !lifford, $6651$%56< The amount of time devoted to recitation and study in the

elementary schools of )ichigan #Ann Arbor < +chool of "ducation, @niversity of

)ichigan, N$%'4O(

Mvonna +. Lincoln, "gon B. Buba #$%6&(, aturalistic In>uiry, $%6&, +age =ublications

Research Methodology BBRC4103

Documents

Transcript of Research Methodology BBRC4103