Unit 1 - Introduction to Research Methodology

 OBJECTIVES

• To Enable The Students To Know About The Information Needs Of Management 
• To Introduce The Concept Of Scientific Research And The Methods Of Conducting Scientific   Enquiry 
• To Introduce The Statistical Tools Of Data Analysis

Meaning Of Research

• Research in simple terms refers to search for knowledge. 
• It is a scientific and systematic search for information on a particular topic or issue. 
• Systematic investigation in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• Research is an original addition to the available knowledge, which contributes to its further advancement. 
• It is an attempt to pursue truth through the methods of study, observation, comparison and experiment. 

Objectives Of  Research methodology

• Develops better insight into a topic.
• Provides a systematic structure.
• Enhance the research quality.
• Inculcates logical and systematic thinking.
• Research method versus research methodology
• Research methods include all those techniques/methods that are adopted for conducting research. (Observation / Participant Observation, Surveys, Interviews etc.)
• Research methodology is the way in which research problems are solved systematically.

Applications of research

• Every profession uses research methods in varying amounts in many areas. 
• They use the methods and procedures developed by research methodologists in order to increase understanding in their own profession and to advance the professional knowledge base. 
• It is through the application of research methodology that they strengthen and advance their own profession. 
• You will find that its professional practice follows procedures and practices tested and developed by others over a long period of time. 
• It is in this testing process that you need research skills, the developments of which fall in the category of pure research. 
• As a matter of fact, the validity of your findings entirely depends upon the soundness of the research methods and procedures adopted by you. 

Importance Of Knowing How To Conduct Research

The importance of knowing how to conduct research are listed below: 

• The knowledge of research methodology provides training to new researchers and enables them to do research properly. 
• It helps them to develop disciplined thinking or a ‘bent of mind’ to objectively observe the field. The knowledge of doing research inculcates the ability to evaluate and utilize the research findings with confidence.
• The knowledge of research methodology equips the researcher with the tools that help him/her to make the observations objectively; and 
• The knowledge of methodology helps the research consumers to evaluate research and make rational decisions.

Qualities Of A Researcher

• Truthfulness - The truthfulness relates to the desire for accuracy of observation and precision of statement.
• A researcher must possess an alert mind. 
• Scientific enquiry is pre-eminently an intellectual effort. It requires the moral quality of courage, which reflects the courage of a steadfast endurance. 

Formulating the research problem

• A research problem refers to an unanswered question that a researcher might encounter in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation, which he/she would like to answer or find a solution to.
• Formulating a research problem is the first and most important step in the research process.
•  A research problem identifies your destination: it should tell you, your research supervisor and your readers what you intend to research.

• The main function of formulating a research problem is to decide what you want to find out about.
• It is extremely important to evaluate the research problem in the light of the financial resources at your disposal, the time available, and  your research supervisor’s expertise and knowledge in the field of study. 
• It is equally important to identify any gaps in your knowledge of relevant disciplines, such as statistics required for analysis. 
• Also, ask yourself whether you have sufficient knowledge about computers and software if you plan to use them.

TYPES OF RESEARCH

Fundamental or basic research:  Basic research is an investigation on basic principles and reasons for occurrence of a particular event or process or phenomenon. It is also called theoretical research. 

It is not concerned with solving any practical problems of immediate interest. 

It provides a systematic and deep insight into a problem and facilitates extraction of scientific and logical explanation and conclusion on it. 

It helps build new frontiers of knowledge. 

The outcomes of basic research form the basis for many applied research.

Basic research

Seeks generalization

Aims at basic processes

Attempts to explain why things happen

Tries to get all the facts

Reports in technical language of the topic

Examples of basic research might include:

• An investigation looking at whether stress levels influence how often students engage in academic cheating
• A study looking at how caffeine consumption impacts the brain
• A study assessing whether men or women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression
• A study looking at how attachment styles among children of divorced parents compare to those raised by married parents

Applied research

Applied research refers to scientific study and research that seeks to solve practical problems. This type of research plays an important role in solving everyday problems that often have an impact on life, work, health, and overall well-being. Applied research is used to find solutions to everyday problems, cure illness, and develop innovative technologies.

Applied research

Studies individual or specific cases without the objective to generalize

Aims at any variable which makes the desired difference

Tries to say how things can be changed

Tries to correct the facts which are problematic

Reports in common language

Examples of applied research

A few examples of applied research include:

• Investigating which treatment approach is the most effective for reducing anxiety
• Researching which strategies work best to motivate workers
• Studying different keyboard designs to determine which is the most efficient and ergonomic
• Analyzing what type of prompts will inspire people to volunteer their time to charities
• Investigating if background music in a work environment can contribute to greater productivity

Quantitative research

• It is numerical, non-descriptive, applies statistics or mathematics and uses numbers.
• It is an iterative process whereby evidence is evaluated.
• The results are often presented in tables and graphs.
• It is conclusive.
• It investigates the what, where and when of decision making.

Examples of quantitative research

• How does giving students access to laptop affect their studies? 
• Does attending preschools help students do better in school?
• The increasing number of startups and their success rates.
• The impact of violent video games in causing behavioral changes among teens.
• Online sources of information are slowly replacing newspapers.

Qualitative research

• It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses words.
• Its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the situation.
• Qualitative data cannot be graphed.
• It is exploratory.
• It investigates the why and how of decision making.

Examples of Qualitative Research

• What are the pros and cons of weight loss surgery?
• Mental stability and obesity.
• Aspects of the aging process.
• What is criminal psychology?
• What are different learning disabilities?

Mixed research

Mixed research- research that involves the mixing of quantitative and qualitative methods or paradigm characteristics. Nature of data is mixture of variables, words and images.

Example of Mixed Research

• To determine if the Faculty Development Program (FDP) impacts teaching style of faculty.  Research Questions 
• Quantitative – What effect did the FDP have on teachers’ approaches to teaching?
• Qualitative – (Central) – How did the teachers’ teaching strategies change in response to the FDP?
•  Sub - What steps did the teachers take to implement the change? 
• Mixed Method – How do the qualitative  findings explain (expand on) the quantitative results?

Exploratory Research

• Exploratory research is defined as a research used to investigate a problem which is not clearly defined. 
• It is conducted to have a better understanding of the existing problem, but will not provide conclusive results. 
• For such a research, a researcher starts with a general idea and uses this research as a medium to identify issues, that can be the focus for future research. 
• An important aspect here is that the researcher should be willing to change his/her direction subject to the revelation of new data or insight. 
• Such a research is usually carried out when the problem is at a preliminary stage. 
• It is often referred to as grounded theory approach or interpretive research as it used to answer questions like what, why and how.

For example: 

Consider a scenario where a juice bar owner feels that increasing the variety of juices will enable increase in customers, however he is not sure and needs more information. 

The owner intends to carry out an exploratory research to find out and hence decides to do an exploratory research to find out if expanding their juices selection will enable him to get more customers or if there is a better idea.

Types and methodologies of Exploratory research

While it may sound a little difficult to research something that has very little information about it, there are several methods which can help a researcher figure out the best research design, data collection methods and choice of subjects. 

• There are two ways in which research can be conducted namely primary and secondary..
• Under these two types, there are multiple methods which can used by a researcher. 
• The data gathered from these research can be qualitative or quantitative. 

Some of the most widely used research designs include the following:

• Primary research is information gathered directly from the subject.  
• It can be through a group of people or even an individual. 
• Such a research can be carried out directly by the researcher himself or can employ a third party to conduct it on their behalf. 
• Primary research is specifically carried out to explore a certain problem which requires an in-depth study.

Various types of primary research

Surveys/polls: Surveys/polls are used to gather information from a predefined group of respondents. It is one of the most important quantitative method. Various types of surveys  or polls can be used to explore opinions, trends, etc. With the advancement in technology, surveys can now be sent online and can be very easy to access.

Interviews: While you may get a lot of information from public sources, but sometimes an in person interview can give in-depth information on the subject being studied. Such a research is a qualitative research method. An interview with a subject matter expert can give you meaningful insights that a generalized public source won’t be able to provide. Interviews are carried out in person or on telephone which have open-ended questions to get meaningful information about the topic.

Focus groups: Focus group is yet another widely used method in exploratory research. In such a method a group of people is chosen and are allowed to express their insights on the topic that is being studied. Although, it is important to make sure that while choosing the individuals in a focus group they should have a common background and have comparable experiences.

Observations: Observation research can be qualitative observation or quantitative observation. Such a research is done to observe a person and draw the finding from their reaction to certain parameters. In such a research, there is no direct interaction with the subject.

Secondary research methods

Secondary research is gathering information from previously published primary research. In such a research you gather information from sources likes case studies, magazines, newspapers, books, etc.

Online research: In today’s world, this is one of the fastest way to gather information on any topic. A lot of data is readily available on the internet and the researcher can download it whenever he needs it. An important aspect to be noted for such a research is the genuineness and authenticity of the source websites that the researcher is gathering the information from.

Literature research: Literature research is one of the most inexpensive method used for discovering a hypothesis. There is tremendous amount of information available in libraries, online sources, or even commercial databases. Sources can include newspapers, magazines, books from library, documents from government agencies, specific topic related articles, literature, Annual reports, published statistics from research organisations and so on.

Case study research: Case study research can help a researcher with finding more information through carefully analyzing existing cases which have gone through a similar problem. Such analysis are very important and critical especially in today’s business world. The researcher just needs to make sure he analyses the case carefully in regards to all the variables present in the previous case against his own case. It is very commonly used by business organisations or social sciences sector or even in the health sector.

Exploratory research: Steps to conduct a research

Identify the problem: A researcher identifies the subject of research and the problem is addressed by carrying out multiple methods to answer the questions.

Create the hypothesis: When the researcher has found out that there are no prior studies and the problem is not precisely resolved, the researcher will create a hypothesis based on the questions obtained while identifying the problem.

Further research: Once the data has been obtained, the researcher will continue his study through descriptive investigation. Qualitative methods are used to further study the subject in detail and find out if the information is true or not.

Characteristics of Exploratory research

• They are not structured studies
• It is usually low cost, interactive and open ended.
• It will enable a researcher answer questions like what is the problem? What is the purpose of the study? And what topics could be studied?
• To carry out exploratory research, generally there is no prior research done or the existing ones do not answer the problem precisely enough.
• It is a time consuming research and it needs patience and has risks associated with it.
• The researcher will have to go through all the information available for the particular study he is doing.
• There are no set of rules to carry out the research per se, as they are flexible, broad and scattered.
• The research needs to have importance or value. If the problem is not important in the industry the research carried out is ineffective.
• The research should also have a few theories which can support its findings as that will make it easier for the researcher to assess it and move ahead in his study
• Such a research usually produces qualitative data, however in certain cases quantitative data can be generalized for a larger sample through use of surveys and experiments.

Advantages of Exploratory research

• The researcher has a lot of flexibility and can adapt to changes as the research progresses.
• It is usually low cost.
• It helps lay the foundation of a research, which can lead to further research.
• It enables the researcher understand at an early stage, if the topic is worth investing the time and resources  and if it is worth pursuing.
• It can assist other researchers to find out possible causes for the problem, which can be further studied in detail to find out, which of them is the most likely cause for the problem.

Disadvantages of Exploratory research

• Even though it can point you in the right direction towards what is the answer, it is usually inconclusive.
• The main disadvantage of exploratory research is that they provide qualitative data. Interpretation of such information can be judgmental and biased.
• Most of the times, exploratory research involves a smaller sample, hence the results cannot be accurately interpreted for a generalized population.
• Many a times, if the data is being collected through secondary research, then there is a chance of that data being old and is not updated

Importance of Exploratory research

Exploratory research is carried out when a topic needs to be understood in depth, especially if it hasn’t been done before. The goal of such a research is to explore the problem and around it and not actually derive a conclusion from it. Such kind of research will enable a researcher to  set a strong foundation for exploring his ideas, choosing the right research design and finding variables that actually are important for the analysis. Most importantly, such a research can help organisations or researchers save up a lot of time and resources, as it will enable the researcher to know if it worth pursuing.

Research  approaches

The two main types of research are qualitative research and quantitative research.

 Qualitative research is descriptive in nature, because it generally deals with non-numerical and unquantifiable things. A biologist studying symbiotic relationships in nature, for example, would use qualitative research, because the scientist would more often than not be describing behaviors of animals. There might some numerical data in that the researcher would document the number of observations; however, the observations themselves would be descriptive of what the animals do. Anecdotally, when students of mine are first learning about wave interactions, they have to do an experiment that asks them to qualitatively describe what happens when a wave trough meets a wave crest.

Quantitative research is much more numbers-driven. The emphasis is on the collection of numerical data. The conclusion then makes inferences based on that data. A biologist studying population numbers would use quantitative research. Using the same anecdotal lab of mine, students eventually change the frequency of waves to manipulate the wavelength. They can qualitatively describe what happens, but they are also taking quantitative numerical data about the wavelength, amplitude, and frequency of various waves.

Criteria of Good Research 

1. The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common concepts be used. 

2. The research procedure used should be described in sufficient detail to permit another researcher to repeat the research for further advancement, keeping the continuity of what has already been attained.

 3. The procedural design of the research should be carefully planned to yield results that are as objective as possible. 

4. The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws in procedural design and estimate their effects upon the findings.

5. The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to reveal its significance and the methods of analysis used should be appropriate. The validity and reliability of the data should be checked carefully. 

6. Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data of the research and limited to those for which the data provide an adequate basis. 

7. Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher is experienced, has a good reputation in research and is a person of integrity. 

Problems faced by researchers

• Lack of Scientific Training: The research methodology is not systematic. Many researchers undertake research work without having actual knowledge of the research methods. Even the guides do not have a thorough knowledge of the various methodologies. Before undertaking research projects, researchers should be well equipped with all the methodological aspects.
• Lack of communication with the supervisor: A university professor is a busy person. It is important to have guidance on a research project. Poor communication gets on the way of the progress of the research. It is important to communicate with the supervisor to clarify the doubts regarding the research topic, to know what the supervisor expects from you and to learn more about your research topic.
• Time management: Spending ample time in learning the skills and practical implementation consumes a lot of time. In such a scenario, taking out time for intense research and to draft a top-notch research paper becomes impossible.  
• Not having a definite deadline: Deadlines are stressful. But not having a deadline can be troublesome during the Ph.D. journey. Deadlines help you get closer to your goals. Many times, Universities fail to implement a due date to submit the research paper, leading to confusion and improper time management among the scholars.
• A quantity of literature: It can be difficult to deal with the quantity of literature that one might have accessed. The literature review is iterative. This involves managing the literature, accessing data that supports the framework of the research, identifying keywords and alternative keywords, as well as constantly looking for new sources.
• Implementing quality of writing within the literature review: A literature review has to go beyond being a series of references and citations. You need to interpret the literature and be able to position it within the context of your study. This requires careful and measured interpretation and writing in which you synthesize and bring together the materials that you have read.
• Insufficient data: Insufficiency of data is a potential problem. Most of the business establishments are of the opinion that researchers may misuse the data provided by them. This affects the purpose of research studies for which that particular data may be of utmost importance. 
• Lack of confidence: Lack of confidence is one of the most common problems among researchers. Researchers with low self-esteem feel less motivated thereby affecting the quality of the work.
• Concern that your focus is either still too broad or too narrow: This concern is inevitable. Be prepared to adapt your research as you look through the literature. This might require you to either increase its focus or narrow down so that the research is manageable. A broad focus for research might be narrowed down by adding an appropriate context or by looking for another variable within the research question or by focusing upon a theoretical viewpoint.
• Library management: Library management and functioning is not satisfactory in many Universities. A lot of time and energy is spent on tracing appropriate books, journals, reports etc. Also, many of the libraries are not able to get copies of new reports and other publications on time.

Techniques involved in defining a problem

As a student, you must have often read that defining a problem is the first step in a research process. But, have you ever wondered what is meant by defining a problem. Well, it simply means that the researcher has to lay down certain boundaries within which he/she has to study the problem with a pre-defined objective in mind.

Defining a problem is a herculean task, and this must be done intelligently to avoid confusions that arise in the research operation. Try to follow the below steps systematically to best define a problem:

1. State the problem in a general way.
2. Understand the nature of the problem.
3. Survey the available literature.
4. Go for discussions for developing ideas.
5. Rephrase the research problem into a working proposition.

FORMAT FOR RESEARCH

A suggested format

The following is a suggested outline for a research topic. The structure may well vary, depending on the topic, the treatment given, and the advice of an advisor as how to most effectively present the material and research findings.

1. Abstract (mandatory)
2. Introduction
3. Statement of problem
4. Significance of problem
5. Purpose of study
6. Assumptions and limitations
7. Review of preceding research and literature
8. Survey of pertinent information
9. Methodology and techniques employed
10. Sources of information, data
11. Analysis
12. Summary and conclusions
13. recommendations for further research
14. References
15. Appendices, if needed.