Research Methods: An Overview

Course Description

• Research is the main focus of study
• Includes Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches.

Course Outline

• Basic Concepts and Ethical Guidelines are introduced in Research
• Classification and Various types of Research
• Conceptualizing a Research Study, also identifying important sources
• Reviewing Relevant related Literature
• Understanding the main Research Methods
• Sampling Techniques and Strategies are studied
• Data Gathering tools and techniques
• Methods for Data Analysis
• Interpretation of Result and Discussion
• Writing Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendation

Final Requirements

• A Matrix of Research and a Journal Critique
• Writing Chapter 1 and 2 of a Research paper
• Literature Review based on assigned topic
• An Oral Presentation to conclude

Learning Objectives

• Defining research and differentiating its goals
• Explaining the characteristics and classifications of it
• Ethics in Research are discussed
• Guidance introduced to writing background of study, research questions, and review of related literature

What is Research?

• Gaining knowledge through scientific method of inquiry to enrich understanding in applied science and engineering (Almeida, Gaerlan and Manly, 2016).
• Systematic inquiry using disciplined methods to answer questions or solve problems, in order to develop, refine, and expand a body of knowledge (Polit and Beck, 2001).
• Critical and self-critical inquiry aimed at contributing towards expanding knowledge and wisdom (Coleman and Briggs,)

Research Goals

• Produce evidence-based best practices in management from research studies
• Establish credibility in a profession through the utilization of established body of knowledge
• Professionals showing accountability for every action through a rationale
• All must be accountable for their performance.
• Promote cost effectiveness; findings are shared to improve related entities

Purposes of Research

• Exploratory/Formulative research is conducted withthe goal to formulate more precise questions that a future research can answer in a more conclusive future study.
• Descriptive research presents details of a situation, social setting, or relationship and answers questions about who, what, when, and where.
• Explanatory research aims to explain why something occurs to build on exploratory and descriptive findings to identify reasons for something that occurs.

Classification of Research

• Quantitative Research is a type of empirical investigation expressed numerically that focuses on verifiable observation.
• Qualitative Research deals with understanding human behavior in natural settings, with data analysis being narrative and subjective.
• Mixed Method Research combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Types of Quantitative Research

• Survey research uses interviews, questionnaires, and sampling to understand behavior with precision.
• Correlational research tests relationships between two variables.
• Causal or comparative research involves comparing two or more groups without focusing on relationship.
• Experimental research is guided by hypothesis.

Experimental Research Breakdown

• Types of Experimental: Pre-test and Post-test, Control design, time series with experimental design, One-Shot case study, Post test
• Types of Non-Experimental: Action Studies, Comparative Studies, Developmental Studies, Evaluation Studies, Need assessment studies, Survey Studies

Types of Qualitative Research

• Phenomenology describes lived experiences by examining the uniqueness of individual situations.
• Ethnography describes cultural characteristics by gaining entrance to a culture, immersing oneself in it, and acquiring informants.
• Historical research describes events of the past to understand the present and anticipate potential future effects, using sources like libraries and archives.
  • Primary sources include records, histories, diaries, videos, and physical evidence.
  • Secondary sources are narratives heard from original sources or written abstracts.
• Case Study describes in-depth experiences of person, group, or institution. Data collection includes interviews with audio and video, field notes, journal and logs.

Mixed Research Design

• Mixed Method Research uses the qualitative paradigm for one phase and quantitative for another.
• Mixed Model Research mixes qualitative and quantitative approaches within a stage of study or across research process stages.

Purpose of Conducting Mixed Method Research

• Triangulation
• Complementarity
• Initiation
• Development
• Expansion

Ethical Guidelines in Research

• Non-maleficence: Minimize harm to participants
• Beneficence: Research must benefit human-subject
• Autonomy: Respect participants' values and decisions
• Justice: Treat all people equally
• Avoid deception and misrepresentation, focusing on truth
• Informed consent is essential to seek voluntary consent from all
• Maintain privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity of participants

Steps in Conceptualizing Research Topic

• Find your focus by identifying your interest inside your discipline and what articles raised questions in your mind
• Find gaps in literature by considering specific topic and comparing populations

Steps to Start Research

• Read, Detailed literature searches, attend seminars and conferences
• Subject should be discussed with peers and listened to with open mind
• Refining research topics should be done in conversation fellow researchers and stakeholders, assess what is most critical
• Consider what research sources are available

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Research

• Is this a good idea?
• Will anyone care?
• Can this be addressed with sound research method?
• Will this stimulate interest and be feasible with current resources?

Writing Research Title

• Check if the title describes the study
• Does it contain high specification level?
• Is it academically phrased and not verbose?
• Is it within 12 word substantive requirement of American Psychological Association?

Writing an Introduction

• What is the problem?
• Why is it a problem?
• How should it be solved?
• Why should it be solved?
• What is the purpose of the study?

Writing Background of the Study

• Literature of the area being researched
• Current surrounding information
• Previous studies on the issue
• Relevant history in the issue
• Background information on problem

Conceptualizing Research Study Breakdown

• General Topic into Distance Learning: Research Problem, what is lacking in students, a Purpose Statement about the issues and a specific research question

Statement of the Problem

• A problem statement is divided into major/minor components
• The main problem vocalizes specific questions the researcher aims to answer.
  • Main Problem can be in interrogative, and declarative forms
• Concise statement about the issues a researcher must address.

Key Characteristics of Problem Statement:

• Addresses gap in knowledge
• Contributes to existing research
• Leads to further research
• Can investigate and collect data
• Aligns with researcher interest, and resources
• Ethical Solution

Research Questions

• The main questions should cover students attitudes
• Sub questions should discuss student reasoning for attending
• It should cover student reasons for not attending
• Also actions the university can take to motivate students to attend online sessions

Hypothesis Formulation

• Hypothesis is a tentative statement about relations between variables, giving a specific, testable prediction of study in independent and dependent variables.

Types of Sources for Research

• Primary sources: original writings (periodicals, books, theses)
• Secondary sources: examine, critique, or report on primary data (periodicals, reference books)
• Tertiary sources: indexes, aids to researcher in primary/secondary documents
• Non Documentary sources : unpublished that include interviews, conversations with the field experts
• Online search: internet for research

How to decide if a source is reliable:

• Inquire where the research has been published
• Identify if new information is sound and trustwothy
• Disclose the purpose behind how funding was acquired

Steps to Deciding Research Interest

1. Choose the area if interest
2. Identify sub-problems
3. Conduct further research in the area

Example Areas of Interest

• Ergonomics/Human Factor Engineering
• Optimization Operations Research
• Quality Engineering
• Supply Chain Management
• Information System
• Production System

Writing Review of Related Literature

• Organized, related literature informs the audience of what is known with review of books, articles, internet
• There purpose is to determine what has been written regarding the issue
• Related means similar with dimension and problems

Key Literature Review Steps

1. Search Preliminary Sources
2. Use Secondary Sources
3. Read Primary Sources
4. Synthesize the Literature
5. Recommend Further Research
6. Seek Support or Grounded Theory

Literature and Studies

• Related concepts clarify variables
• Sufficient review = important concept and variables being explained in study
• Related Studies = objectively based previous data

Documentation Style

• Document credits those that have laid foundation in the work
• Stealing ideas is plagiarism and a breach of ethics
• APA is common citation used
• Documentation gives credit to source

Paraphrasing

• Restate authors ideas in your own words, crediting the source (de Belen, 2015)
• Express ideas differently with simplied language, helping understanding and units

Paraphrasing Techniques

• Replace words with synonyms, but make sure mean the same and are not abstract
• Scientific writing benefits from this

Conceptual Framework

• This depicts/organizes ideas with design relationships
• Tool to make conceptual distinctions
• Visual that explains the concepts or variables and relation among components

Conceptual Framework Options

• Flowchart
• Tree Diagram
• Shape Based Diagram
• Triangles
• Concentric Circles
• Overlapping Circles
• Mind maps and system

Steps for CF

• Choose Topic
• Review lit
• Isolate variables
• Framework

Theoretical Framework

• Consists of definitions and concepts with sources and literature
• Must review literature and be well versed in data.
• Dependent on ease of application

Research Method and Design

• Research Method means philosophical, conceptual perspective
• Approach is the framework to design

Meaning and Function of Research Design

• Strategy in investigations to obtain answers to questions
• Complete scheme of the research

Procedure Of Research

• Identify population, whole or sample size
• Method selection, samples, ethics
• Questionnaire creation
• Interview

Research Design in Quantitative Methods

• Cross sectional Studies discover prevalence
• Before and After measures attitude change
• Longitudinal changes over time

Reference Period of Research

• Retrospective checks past, prospective checks likely event, retro prospects checks for future bases

Nature of Investigation

• Design checks for casual intervention
• Non compares with no changes
• Semi combines methods

Research Design in Qualitative Method:

• Case study: dominate but prevalent
• Ground theory: Q analysis in science
• Phenomenology and Ethnography

Research Types by Purpose

• Basic or Pure Research increases welfare of human/animal
• Applied Research focuses on society modern problem through action

Concept of Sampling

• A smaller group to understand the bigger (Kumar 2011)

Probability Sampling

• Equal choice in selection and independance

Steps in a Simple Random Sample

1. Define the target number
2. Identify existing framework
3. Unique number
4. Target sizing
5. Select Elements

Probability Sampling Explained

• A target separated into exclusive segments that combine simple random for each level

Systematic Sampling Explained

• Random selection with desired rate

CLUSTER SAMPLING Explained

• This has naturally randomly picked units, also can be grouped by location for districts for school

NON PROBABILITY SAMPLING type

• AVAILABILITY sampling from target
• PURPOSIVE with selected fitting elements
• QUOTA in exclusive population.

Other Sampling Techniques

• The phone numbers as units and digit selecting
• Units are web traffic with elements and names
• And addresses and location

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUE to data collection

• Quantitative and Qualitative

Data Collection

• Primary Sources is First
• Secondary sources is data already collected
• Observation is method

First Method

• Purposeful as defined Kumar 2011, way

Method Two

• An Interview for different categories

Third Measure

• Questionaires using list for answering

Guidelines for creating Tool

• Be simple

Validation

• By testing and experts

Third data measure

• Secondary data is government.

Preliminaries for Format

Thesis Chapters 1 & 2