Methods of Research
Methods of Research
IN
METHODS OF RESEARCH
2023
MODULE 1
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order
to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Systematic
Controlled
Empirical
Analytical
Objective
Employs hypothesis
Employs quantitative and qualitative methods
Original work
Done by an expert
Patient and unhurried activity
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
Research in this age and time means searching for theory, for testing theory,
or for solving problem. It means a problem that exists and has been
identified and that the solution of the problem is necessary. It is also the
systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to
establish facts and reach new conclusions.
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
Interview
Work experience
Deductions from Theory
Relevant Literature
Problems may raise anywhere, there are so many problems around us,
some problems are easy to solve but problems in research require time and
intensive effort. The following sources are;
Interview
Work experience
After the selection of the theme or topic to write on, the researcher considers
the title of the research and what criterion measures exist for presenting a
good one.
6. What are the different considerations in writing a good title of the research?
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
1. What are the three parts of methods of research that involve in a research
proposal?
The categories of methods of research are qualitative methods are free- data.
These are the methods used in the following:
Usually researches with data from non- probability samples,
Researches that do not seek samples,
Researches that do not concern with interfering the characteristics of
the population,
Used for special kinds of researches or studies such as the following:
- Ethnographic
- Phenomenological
- Apprehensive inquiry
- Historical research
Quantitative methods of research refer to the methods that deal with:
Researches that are not free- data, using all types of sampling
techniques,
Researches that aim for generalization,
Usually use probability sampling,
Infer the characteristics of the population,
Concerned with descriptive methods and experimental methods.
5. What are different types of research that use the descriptive method?
The different types of research that use the descriptive methods involves,
description, recording, analysis, and interpretation of the present nature,
composition or processes of phenomena. The focus is on prevailing
conditions, or how a person, group, or thing behave or functions in the
present. It often involves some type of comparison or contrast. Below are
types of research that uses descriptive method:
Case study
Survey
Developmental studies
Follow-up studies
Documentary analysis
Trend analysis
Correlation studies
8. Why is it that an ex- post facto research is often types address as casual
comparative research?
Because both the effect(s) and the alleged cause(s) have already occurred,
and hence are studied in retrospect, causal-comparative research is also
referred to sometimes as ex post facto (from the Latin for “after the fact”)
research. The basic casual- comparative approach, therefore, is to begin with
a noted difference between two groups and to look for possible causes for, or
consequences of, this difference.
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
4. What is descriptive research and what are the different types of methods
under the descriptive method of research?
9. What are the reasons why some researchers choose the alternative methods
of research?
There are enough reasons and many inevitable forces which demand for
these alternative methods:
Research tend to forget that subjects in social research are human
beings who are asked to give their reaction, thoughts, and feelings to
the unnatural conditions provoked by the standardized methods the
researcher use,
Imported procedures, instruments, research designs and models may
yield finding which are not relevant to the people’s experiences and
which may also be beyond their resources.
10.What are the types research methods under alternative research methods?
Module 4
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
1. What is theory?
4. In most cases, where can you find reliable theories that will support your
present study?
The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory
of a research study. The theoretical framework introduces and describes the
theory which explains why the research problem under study exists.
However, a conceptual framework includes one or more formal theories (in
part or whole) as well as other concepts and empirical findings from the
literature. It is used to show relationships among these ideas and how they
relate to the research study.
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
1. What is the function of the theory in writing the research study or thesis?
3. What is/ are the function (s) of the review of related literature and studies in
writing the thesis?
Identify need for additional research (justifying your research) Identify the
relationship of works in context of its contribution to the topic and to other
works. Place your own research within the context of existing literature
making a case for why further study is needed. Conducting a literature
review establishes your familiarity with and understanding of current
research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. After
doing a literature review, you should know what research has already been
done and be able to identify what is unknown within your topic.
MODULE 5
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
A population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about. A
sample is the specific group that you will collect data from. The size of the
sample is always less than the total size of the population. All the people
who have the ID proofs is the population and a group of people who only
have voter id with them is the sample. All the students in the class are
population whereas the top 10 students in the class are the sample.
2. Why do we need a sample rather than a population?
4. What is the best sampling procedure to be used when we wish to give equal
opportunity of your population to be part of the sample size?
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from
in your research. For example, if you are researching the opinions of
students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students. In
statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics
of a population.
2. What is random sampling and what are the principles behind this sampling
technique?
Random number tables have been used in statistics for tasks such as selected
random samples. This was much more effective than manually selecting the
random samples (with dice, cards, etc.). Nowadays, tables of random
numbers have been replaced by computational random number generators. A
random number table is used to select a sample of the population randomly
and fairly.
To create a simple random sample using a random number table just follow
these steps.
Number each member of the population 1 to N.
Determine the population size and sample size.
Select a starting point on the random number table. ...
Choose a direction in which to read (up to down, left to right, or right
to left).
Using the lottery method is one of the oldest ways and is a mechanical
example of random sampling. In this method, the researcher gives each
member of the population a number. Researchers draw numbers from the
box randomly to choose samples.
How to perform simple random sampling:
Define the population
Decide on the sample size
Randomly select your sample
Collect data from your sample.
7. How will you determine the samples using stratified sampling technique?
MODULE 6
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
hat are data collection tools? The term "data collecting tools" refers to the
tools/devices used to gather data, such as a paper questionnaire or a system
for computer-assisted interviews. Tools used to gather data include case
studies, checklists, interviews, occasionally observation, surveys, and
questionnaires.
Data collection procedures are:
Identify issues and/or opportunities for collecting data;
Select issue(s) and/or opportunity(ies) and set goals;
Plan an approach and methods;
Collect data;
Analyze and interpret data; and
Act on results.
2. Under the clerical tools, what are the different instrument to be used?
4. What could be most effective instruments when you are conducting a survey
research?
Survey research may use a variety of data collection methods with the most
common being questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires may be self-
administered or administered by a professional, may be administered
individually or in a group, and typically include a series of items reflecting
the research aims. Questionnaires may include demographic questions in
addition to valid and reliable research instruments. It is helpful to the reader
when authors describe the contents of the survey questionnaire so that the
reader can interpret and evaluate the potential for errors of validity (e.g.,
items or instruments that do not measure what they are intended to measure)
and reliability (e.g., items or instruments that do not measure a construct
consistently). Helpful examples of articles that describe the survey
instruments exist in the literature. Questionnaires may be in paper form and
mailed to participants, delivered in an electronic format via email or an
Internet-based program such as SurveyMonkey, or a combination of both,
giving the participant the option to choose which method is preferred.
5. What are the different library or computer techniques that might be very
helpful in gathering data for your search.
Data Presentation could be both can be a deal maker or deal breaker based
on the delivery of the content in the context of visual depiction.
Data Presentation tools are powerful communication tools that can simplify
the data by making it easily understandable & readable at the same time
while attracting & keeping the interest of its readers and effectively
showcase large amounts of complex data in a simplified manner.
If the user can create an insightful presentation of the data in hand with the
same sets of facts and figures, then the results promise to be impressive.
There have been situations where the user has had a great amount of data
and vision for expansion but the presentation drowned his/her vision.
Data Presentation helps the clients or the audience to not spend time
grasping the concept and the future alternatives of the business and to
convince them to invest in the company & turn it profitable both for the
investors & the company.
Citations are not used simply to avoid plagiarism; they have other important
roles too. Referencing allows you to acknowledge the contribution of
other writers and researchers in your work. Any university assignments
that draw on the ideas, words or research of other writers must contain
citations.
Appendix app.
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1. What is the meaning of data and where can you find these data?
Textual Presentation
It is a vague and raw format of the data. The data is mentioned in the text
form, which is usually written in a paragraph. The textual presentation of
data is used when the data is not large and can be easily comprehended by
the reader just when he reads the paragraph.
Tabular Presentation
It is a table that helps to represent even a large amount of data in an
engaging, easy to read, and coordinated manner. The data is arranged in
rows and columns. This is one of the most popularly used forms of
presentation of data as data tables are simple to prepare and read.
Diagrammatic Presentation
It is a technique of presenting numeric data through pictograms, cartograms,
bar diagrams, and pie diagrams. It is the most attractive and appealing way
to represent statistical data. Diagrams help in visual comparison and they
have a bird's eye view.
MODULE 7
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
1. What is bibliography?
A bibliography is a list of works on a subject or by an author that were used
or consulted to write a research paper, book or article. It can also be referred
to as a list of works cited. It is usually found at the end of a book, article or
research paper. In addition, it is a list of books and other source material that
you have used in preparing a research paper. Sometimes these lists will
include works that you consulted but did not cite specifically in your
assignment.
The main purpose of a bibliography entry is to give credit to authors whose
work you've consulted in your research. It also makes it easy for a reader to
find out more about your topic by delving into the research that you used to
write your paper. A bibliographer’s work, particularly, the results of
analytical and historical studies resulting in descriptive details and
systematic listing and recording is of great value to scholars in the areas of
linguistics, literature, history, and other human studies. It also provides the
basis for textual criticism. But this kind of high levels of investigation and
intellectual pursuits is not warranted in the case of practical applications of
knowledge as in social sciences and in pure sciences.
3. What are the different rules in research to the writing of the bibliography?
There are some basic bibliography rules you'll follow across the board:
Start on a separate page. This will be after your endnotes, if
applicable.
Center the title at the top of the page.
Alphabetize the author's names.
Left-align the citations.
Use a hanging indent for any citations that go over one line.
5. When using the internet source, what particular format most researcher
follows?
APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the
title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no
author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to
change over time, add a retrieval date.
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
Quoting is when you use the exact words from a source. You will need to
put quotation marks around the words that are not your own and cite where
they came from. Basic Usage. In research writing, a student needs to use
quoted material carefully. Both quotation and ellipsis marks help the writer
to indicate clearly what specific information is borrowed and quoted directly
from outside resources.
3. When do we usually place the reference list in your essay or research report?
Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the
information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite
in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in
your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in
your text.
A direct quote (or direct quotation) is the exact words taken from an original
source and used in a second piece of writing. An indirect quote (or indirect
quotation) is the idea or fact taken from an outside source and used in a
second piece of writing.
EVALUATION: Chunk #3
Honesty plays a key role in the search for knowledge and in promoting
cooperation and trust among researchers. Few scientists or scholars dispute
the importance of honesty and most people understand what it means to
fabricate or falsify information pertaining to research.
3. What could be the main reason why a researcher should share his work?
Data sharing allows researchers to build upon the work of others rather than
repeat already existing research. Sharing data also enables researchers to
perform meta-analyses on the current research topic. Meta-analyses are
important for gathering larger trends over a wider regional or topic area.
A good researcher is not just born overnight. Be ready with your diligence
and patience. A time when the data seem to be not reliable, the methods do
not seem to work, and other irritating difficulties encountered in doing
research.
MODULE 8
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
1. What are the things that you need to write or include in the research
methodology?
Research Methodology is a systematic framework used to solve the research
problem by using the best and most feasible methods to conduct the research
while aligning with the aim and objectives of your research. The research
methodology includes answering the what, why, and how of your research.
What- What is your research method, what tools you will use to
collect and analyze the data, what would be your sample size, and so
on.
Why- Why you are choosing what you have planned to choose.
How- How do you intend to make use of the methods and tools to
solve your research problem and carry out the research.
2. What are the different devices that you may use to maximize the lucidity of
the presentation of data and findings?
Because research generates further research, the conclusions you draw from
your research are important. To test the validity of your conclusions, you
will have to review both the content of your paper and the way in which you
arrived at the content.
5. What are the things you need to consider in writing the summary of the
research report?
MODULE 9
EVALUATION: Chunk #1
Before you write a proposal, you should have a thorough and complete
review of literature related to your topic. If this process is done haphazardly,
it will be difficult for you to present a good proposal. While you are
surveying the literature, it is expected of you to be writing down notes on
cards with complete bibliography entries. The theory that you gather from a
related literature will assist you a great deal in writing a proposal.
EVALUATION: Chunk #2
3. What are the two types of abstract and how do they differ from each other?
Descriptive abstracts
A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in
the work. It makes no judgments about the work, nor does it
provide results or conclusions of the research. It does
incorporate key words found in the text and may include the
purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the
descriptive abstract describes the work being abstracted. Some
people consider it an outline of the work, rather than a
summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short—100
words or less. However
Informative abstracts
The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do
not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A
good informative abstract act as a surrogate for the work itself.
That is, the writer presents and explains all the main arguments
and the important results and evidence in the complete
article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the
information that can be found in a descriptive abstract (purpose,
methods, scope) but also includes the results and conclusions of
the research and the recommendations of the author. The length
varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is
rarely more than 10% of the length of the entire work. In the
case of a longer work, it may be much less.
EVALUATION: VII
The paper reviews recent attempts by Texas Legislators to pass laws that
would allow licensed gun carriers bring firearms onto college campuses.
Dozens of guns bills have been proposed in recent years, but in the most
recent session advocates got closer than ever to loosening gun restrictions.
4. Cite an example of a long abstract and try to compare it with a short abstract.