Research Methodology Quiz

Research Fundamentals

• Research is a systematic investigation to discover, interpret, and revise knowledge. It often uses the scientific method.
• Science organizes knowledge into testable explanations and predictions. This can lead to innovative, sometimes controversial ideas.
• The scientific method involves systematic processes for testing and modifying hypotheses, including observation, measurement, and experimentation.
• Research challenges existing ideas and replaces them with improved concepts, sometimes facing resistance from established systems or beliefs.
• Research aims to uncover new findings, interpret phenomena, or revise incomplete knowledge.
• Computer science research focuses on computing systems, exploring areas like algorithms, design methodologies, testing methods, and knowledge representation.

Research Process

• Research starts with a specific, focused research question, clear, neutral, and defining the scope of inquiry.
• The feasibility, personal interest, and alignment with available resources (time and finances) must be considered for a research question.
• Goals are the expected outcome of research, not the direct answer to the research question.
• Planning involves the methods and procedures, resources, timeline and milestones of a project.
• Developing relevant hypotheses involves informed predictions of outcomes.
• Data collection and analysis are key; research is nonlinear, and unexpected results are common.
• The thesis statement summarizes the research’s findings and interpretations. Success is often rare in the initial hypothesis testing.
• Contributions contextualize novel findings within existing literature.

Research Process: Phases and Steps

• The research process has three phases and eight steps.
• Phase 1: Deciding the Research Topic focuses on formulating the research problem.
  • The student must identify what they want to investigate and ensure they have sufficient resources (time, funds, and relevant knowledge or skills) in place before beginning research.
• Phase 2: Planning the Study. The study requires a clear plan for the research design (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.) The design should also be valid, workable, and manageable, considering its strengths and weaknesses.
• Phase 3: Conducting and Presenting Findings
  • Data is collected using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, observations, and using secondary data sources.
  • Data collection must adhere to ethical standards.
  • Data is then analyzed and displayed according to its type (e.g., descriptive, quantitative, qualitative).
• A research proposal provides a detailed description of the research project, its importance, how it will be done, and predicted outcomes. It includes components like a title, the project's abstract, introduction and background, a summary of relevant literature, the project's aims, objectives, methodology, a schedule, budget, and potential appendices.
• Methods and analysis of data must comply with ethical considerations and reflect an appropriate style for the form of research (qualitative or quantitative).

Literature Review

• A literature review provides a theoretical background for a research study.
• It clarifies the research problem, guides research methodology, widens knowledge of the topic, and contextualizes findings within existing knowledge.
• Start with a broad interest area and narrow it down; focus on known and unknown aspects of the field and existing research gaps, considering areas of conflict and relevant theories.
• Critically analyze the literature, ensuring the theoretical frame and methods are well-defined.

Formulating a Research Problem

• Formulating a research problem is crucial.
• It guides the entire research process, affecting methodology, sample selection, instruments, and analysis methods.
• The problem should be accurately defined and aligned with required procedures.
• The research problem can be a question, assumption, or assertion to be investigated.
• Considerations when selecting a topic may include, but are not limited to, interest in the topic, its magnitude for the research, the feasibility of measurement methods, relevant expertise of the researcher(s), relevance of the topic to existing knowledge, availability of data, and ethical issues.
• This process involves specific steps like identifying an interest area, breaking it into manageable sub-areas, selecting a sub-area, generating research questions, formulating objectives, assessing feasibility, and checking for clarity.

Variables

• A variable is something whose value changes.
• Variables are concepts that can be measured.
• Concepts are mental representations that can't be directly measured - variables, using indicators/criteria, represent concepts.
• Variables can be categorized based on their relationships to each other (e.g., independent, dependent, extraneous, intervening.)
• Variables can be classified as quantitative (numerical or numerical data) or qualitative (non-numerical data.)
• Other classifications of variables include active (manipulated) vs attribute (not manipulated), and continuous vs. discrete depending on the range of values considered.

Hypotheses

• A hypothesis is a tentative statement about relationships between variables, whose validity is uncertain.
• Hypotheses clarify, focus, and bring specificity to a research problem
• They guide researchers in deciding what data to collect, and what to exclude.
• Hypotheses are commonly formulated in a testable format that predicts specific relationships.
• Functions of hypotheses include providing a focus for the research, suggesting what data should be collected and which methods should be used, encouraging objective investigation, and contributing to the knowledge in the field.
• Testing a hypothesis involves three phases: constructing the hypothesis itself, gathering evidence, and analyzing evidence to determine the hypothesis's validity.

Reliability and Validity

• Validity addresses whether the research measures what it intends to measure and whether the research methods are appropriate for answering the questions asked.
• Reliability refers to the consistency, stability, and accuracy of the research instrument.
• Reliability is measured by multiple means, like the split-half method, test-retest, and parallel forms methods for quantitative studies. Qualitative studies have alternative criteria to ensure reliability.
• A good hypothesis must be simple, clear, one-dimensional, and testable. It should relate to and contribute to existing knowledge and be operational.

Sampling

• A sample is a subset of a population used for research.
• Sampling is important for practical and resource constraints - sampling is often a more efficient option than studying the entire population.
• Sampling must reflect the diversity of the population being studied.
• Sampling methods include simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified random sampling, and cluster sampling for probability sampling; and convenience, quota, judgment, and snowball sampling for non-probability sampling.