Practical Research II Nature and Inquiry of Research
Practical Research II Nature and Inquiry of Research
Research
re- “again”
Search – “to look for”
Research…
the process of looking for information once
again.
Ex.
1. What is the butterfly’s level of well being as it eats
nectar from a flower?
2. Is there an increase in test scores among students
when they attended a tutorial class?
Scientific Methods in Research
4. Hypotheses
- An educated guess or hypothesis is an attempt to
explain a phenomena.
- It should help you formulate a prediction.
- It must be testable for analysis and
interpretation.
Ex.
1. There is a significant increase of voters when
registration is duly advertised.
Scientific Methods in Research
5. Experiments
- The given hypothesis should assure testability
in a crafted condition for the accuracy and
reliability of results.
- The process of experimentation itself is a
proof of scientific procedures.
Scientific Methods in Research
6. Analyses
- For finding to be reliable, the data gathered
are subjected for analysis through statistical
methods.
- Statistical treatment to be employed depends
on the design of the study , type of data, and
given questions.
Scientific Methods in Research
7. Conclusion
- The process of making inferences involves
concrete data to rule out opinions.
- Must be objective and supported by
meticulous analysis of data.
- Avoid adding more to what is literally
available.
Scientific Methods in Research
8. Replication
- This means doing the same study once again to a
different set of participants to test the soundness of
the obtained result.
a. Establishment of reliability of findings. – previous data
that were proven will have a stronger belief factor.
b. Discovery of new knowledge. – Generates additional
information.
c. Ascertainment of the generalizability of results. –
Results can be applied to other groups of participants
Goals of Research
1. Description – defined, classified and categorized.
3. Understanding/Explanation – process of
analyzing information to find out the causes
behind the phenomena .
Importance of Research
1. Knowledge is established.
Construct
Age – Young or old
Height – small, average, tall
Weight – light, heavy
Attitude – good, bad
Pollution – land, air, water
Education – grade school, high school, college
Constructs and Variables in Research
(cont..)
Variables are constructs that can be understood differently
because of their differences in values.
1. Qualitative
2. Quantitative
3. Mixed Methods
Major Approaches in Research
1. Qualitative approach
- Aims to provide description of characteristic,
kind, and quality of a subject, while interpreting
and attempting to understand an event.
- Uses narrative descriptions from in-depth
interviews.
- Qualitative variables are the data that are
obtained in this approach.
- Mostly done in social sciences studies.
Major Approaches in Research
Examples:
- Living experiences of male convicts.
- Emotions of people who suffered from the
loss of a loved one.
- Perspective of a politician regarding morality.
Major Approaches in Research
Advantages:
1. It provides descriptions about the real
experience of the people in the situation being
studied.
2. The researcher can expound more on the
responses of the participants.
3. The participants can elaborate their answers
4. The researcher/s can have a rich explanation
about abstract factors such as customs and
traditions, family roles, and socioeconomic
status for greater understanding.
Major Approaches in Research
Disadvantages:
1. Due to the nature of qualitative research,
statistical procedure to measure kinds and
qualities are not encouraged because you are
going to deal with verbal rather than numerical.
2. Data are categorized into themes to generate
information.
3. Few and chosen samples are used to participate
in the study.
4. Subjective view leads to certain level of bias.
Major Approaches in Research
2. Quantitative approach
- Tests hypotheses and make predictions through
measured amounts and ultimately describes an
event by using numerical figures.
- Statistical analysis is therefore applied to
interpret the numbers obtained from the data.
- Objectivity is guaranteed.
Major Approaches in Research
Advantages:
1. It uses confirmatory scientific method
because it tests hypotheses.
2. By examining numbers taken from the data, a
certain level of bias is removed.
3. The generalizability of findings is high (can be
applied to larger populations).
Major Approaches in Research
Disadvantages:
1. The focus of the study is limited only to the
object under investigation.
2. The interpretation of results will be based
only on the findings derived from statistical
data.
3. Often, explanations and descriptions are
narrow.
Major Approaches in Research
3. Mixed method approach
- Involves collection and analysis of data using
both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- It is able to address the disadvantages of the
two approaches and provide better
understanding of the data.
Major Approaches in Research
Advantages:
1. This method can make the description easier
because it has both subjective and objective
data.
2. Beneficial to both qualitative and
quantitative studies because its findings will
increase the validity and reliability of the
variables under investigation.
Major Approaches in Research
Disadvantages:
1. Takes a lot of time for the study to be
completed.
2. Few guidelines in applying both methods
leads to discrepancies in findings which are
difficult to resolve.
Quantitative Approach: An overview
Quantitative methods center on objective
measurements and numerical analysis of data
collected through questionnaires or surveys
and generalizing the results across the groups
of people.