Research Methods and Techniques for Urban Land Development and Management PDF

Research Methods and Techniques for Urban Land Development and Management Module Code: UIPM6023 Dr. Degu Bekele College of Urban Development and Engineering, ECSU October, 2024  I. Module Outline By...

Research Methods and Techniques for Urban Land Development and Management Module Code: UIPM6023 Dr. Degu Bekele College of Urban Development and Engineering, ECSU October, 2024  I. Module Outline By the End of the Module Participants will be able to:  Understand the basics of research;  Design smart research proposal. Undertake research on urban development & management issues independently and in a team;  Write and present the findings of the research in an attractive  and understandable manner to the audience;  Conduct a critical or analytical review of relevant literature  pertaining to their proposed research projects  Evaluate the methodology of other research reports 2  I. Module Outline … Cont’d Portions Topic to be Covered Portion 1 Introduction and Types of Research Portion 2 Data Collecting and Measuring Portion 3 Sample, Sampling Design and Sampling Distribution Portion 4 Variables & Scale of Measurements Portion 5 Research Proposal Development Portion 6 Research Ethics Portion 7 Referencing Styles Portion 8 Qualitative Research methods and Approaches to Data Analysis Portion 9 Quantitative Data Analysis (Descriptive Statistics) Portion 10 Quantitative Data Analysis (Inferential Statistics) Portion 11-14 Practical Sessions on the Application of SPSS 3  II. Assessment  Test 20%  Individual Assignment (Research Proposal Development ) 20%  Group Assignment (SPSS Practical Application) 20%  Final Examination 40% 4 IV. Grading System Corresponding Fixed Number Corresponding Letter Score Grades Grade [95,100] 4.00 A+ [90, 95) 4.00 A [85, 90) 3.75 A- [80, 85) 3.50 B+ [75, 80) 3.00 B [70, 75) 2.75 B- [58, 70) 2.50 C+ [50, 58) 2.00 C [40, 50) 1.00 D < 40 0.00 F V. Some References See from the Course Outline given to you 5  III. Module Policy  Attendance is mandatory  Expectation for Classroom Behavior  Contribute in class discussion  Meet assignment deadlines  Discipline  Punctuality  Cell phones must be switched off  Late submission is not acceptable  Missing Exam and Tests (medical case & emergency only)  Need to be supplemented by relevant documents 6 1. Introduction to Research Contents of the Session:  Meaning of Research  Objectives of Research  Motivation in Research  Significance of Research  Characteristics of Research  Research Paradigms  The Research Process  Units of Analysis  Types of Research 7 1. Introduction to Research Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Recognize concepts and essence of research Appreciate the objectives of research  Identify characteristics of research  Compare the research paradigms Familiarize with the research process Identify types of research based on different bases 8 1.1 Meaning of Research  Scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on specific topic (Kumar 2008, p.1) The systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem, …collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain conclusions either in the form of solution(s) towards the concerned problem or in certain generalizations for some theoretical formulation (Kothari 2004, p. 1-2) 9 1.1 Meaning of Research … Cont’d A careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)  The manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an art (Encyclopedia of Social Sciences)  Movement from the known to the unknown. It is actually a voyage of discovery 10 Why we conduct Research? 11  1.2 Objectives of Research  To move beyond guesswork and to test commonsense  To know what really is going on and for accurate answers  To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it  To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group  To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else  To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables 12  1.3 Motivation in Research What makes people to undertake research? The possible motives for doing research may be either one or more of the following:  To get a research degree along with its consequential benefits;  To face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems  To get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;  To be of service to society;  To get respectability.  Directives of government, employment conditions, curiosity about new things, desire to understand causal relationships, and the like may as well motivate people to perform research operations. 13  1.4 Significance of Research  “All progress is born of inquiry. Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to invention”  Increased amounts of research make progress possible.  Research promotes the development of logical habits of thinking & organization.  Research, as an aid to economic policy, has gained added importance, both for government and business.  Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system.  Through research we can devise alternative policies and can as well 14 examine the consequences of each of these alternatives.  1.5 Characteristics of Research 1. Controlled:- In real life there are many factors that affect an outcome. The effects of other factors affecting the relationship should be minimized. 2. Rigorous:- the procedures followed to find answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified. 3. Systematic:- the procedure adopted to undertake an investigation follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazard way. Some procedures must follow others 15  1.5 Characteristics of Research... Cont’d 4. Valid and verifiable:- conclusion on the basis of findings is correct and can be verified by you and others. 5. Empirical:- Any conclusions drawn are based upon hard evidence gathered from information collected from real-life experiences or observations 6. Critical:- The process of investigation must be foolproof and free from drawbacks. 16  1.6 Research Paradigms There are two main paradigms that form the basis of research in the social sciences.  Positivist approach and  Naturalistic approach 17  I Positivism  Positivism in social research is associated with questionnaires, social surveys and experimental design  They thus end up producing quite different kinds of data; the one `hard', numerate and statistical, the other `soft', rich and taking the form of extracts of natural language.  There is a `real world' out there independent of people's perceptions of it: the social world is revealed to us, not constructed by us. 18  II Naturalism  Naturalism favors ethnography, unstructured interviews & other qualitative techniques.  Constructionists believe that people make their own reality and that there are no universal laws external to human interaction waiting to be discovered  Thus there is no sharp distinction between sociological knowledge and social reality.  The origins of social constructionism are deeply rooted in the history of the social science disciplines. 19 Comparing positivist/objectivist) and naturalist/interpretivist) approaches to research Positivist Naturalist The purpose of research is to Realities are multiple, constructed, and discover the truth. holistic. The purpose is to understand meaning from the perspectives of the participants. Knower and known (or observer Knower and known are interactive, and observed) must remain inseparable. separate to limit observer bias. Emphasis on control of Control of extraneous variables is rejected, extraneous variables. instead, they must be described and their possible influence accounted. Research participant are Participants are often asked for their taken on “objectified”-frequently referred the interpretation of the results. to as research subjects. Data is often quantified, even if Data is often non-numeric. The focus is on it is descriptive. rich description of the event(s) and context. Focus on generalization of Focus on unique aspects of the context, research findings generalization is downplayed. 20  1.5 Theory and Research  Two aspects of a single process (are inseparable) by which human knowledge is produced and continuously upgraded.  Theory is a set of systematically/logically interrelated propositions  that attempts to describe, explain, and predict events.  Theory guides research and research contributes in theory generation, verification and refutation  Theory-research cycle has two approaches: Inductive & deductive 21 A. Inductive Approach: It means moving from the specific to the general i.e. act of making an inference 1. Begins with empirical observation: namely the collection & analysis of data 2. Generalizations are then made on the basis of the observation, 3. Generalizations are logically fitted together to formulate a theory. 4. Sometimes referred as theory-building or theory-generation research 22  A. Inductive Approach … Cont’d 5. Methods associated with it are known by the generic term, qualitative research Example  This ice is cold. (Specific, based on a direct observation).  All ice is cold. (General, applicable to any ice)  3 + 5 = 8 and eight is an even number.  Therefore, an odd number added to another odd number will result in an even number. 23 24 Summary of Flow of Deductive and Inductive Approaches Deductive Approach Inductive Approach THEORY THEORY HYPOTHESIS HYPOTHESIS OBSERVATION PATTERN CONFIRMATION OBSERVATION Is our theory valid or not? General pattern and tentative hypothesis is developed as the foundation of a theory 25 1.6 The Research Process 1. Problem Identification 8. Reporting the Finding 2. Literature Review 3. Making the Research 7. Interpreting the Results Problem Precise 6. Analyzing the Data 4. Designing the Research & Clearly Define Terms and Concepts 5. Define the Population And Collecting Data 26  I. Problem/Topic Identification  Research problem is factual ignorance  Research problem is not equal to social problem  Research problems may  Come up as part of on-going work; one research project may easily lead to another,  Be suggested by reading the work of other researchers  Arise out of a certain awareness of specific trends  Can have three sources: 1) Own experience, 2) Scientific literature, and 3) Theories. 27  I. Problem/Topic Identification … Cont’d Research topic is influenced by: o Interest of the researcher o Current debate in the academic world o Funding o Power of research subjects 28  II. Literature Review  Literature is reviewed in order to:  Check if the problem is addressed by previous researches  Insight how previous researches addressed similar issue  What they left unanalyzed  Identify theoretical and conceptual framework  Refine the research problem  Use publications < 10 years old unless it is timeless theoretical  publications 29 III. Refining the Research Problem Identification of the general and specific objectives of the research; Five Ws that help to refine the research:  What is your research?  Why do you want to do the research?  Who will be your participant?  Where are you going to conduct your research?  When are you going to conduct your research? 30  IV Working out the Research Design  Decide which research design and method to use based on the objective of the study on the basis of :-  Reliability  Validity  Representativeness  Customizing to the particular needs and research condition 31  V. Data Collection Unforeseen practical difficulties may crop up Example. It might be difficult to contact respondents, The municipality might not cooperate with you  Don’t frustrate, but be creative Example.  If you fail to interview the mayor look for the letters, minutes, interviews he gave, etc. 32  VI. Analyzing Data  The process of bringing raw data into order.  The process of conceptualizing i.e. reducing the bulky raw data into workable, ordered bits of information.  Raw data will be summarized into:  Numeric (quantitative) description or  Non-numeric (qualitative) description Examples include  30% of the land is privately owned (statistical)  According to the research, holding the land market information by the brokers is one of the reasons for land speculation (qualitative) 33  VII. Interpreting the Results  The researchers troubles are not yet over  Relate the findings of the study with the research objectives  E.g. Suppose the purpose of the research is to identify loopholes in urban land management. After thorough analysis of the land management the study should have to list those loopholes.  Many studies fail to address their objectives 34  VIII. Reporting the Research Findings  Final stage in terms of an individual research  However, it can be the beginning of a new research  Publish in book, journal article or thesis  Oral presentation  Not all researches neatly follow all steps  Some experienced researchers might combine different stages or  reverse the order 35 1.7 Units of Analysis  Are the units of observations  Are those things under examination in order to create summary descriptions of all such units and to explain differences among them  One research can have multiple units of Analysis Example: If a research describes the housing condition, mean household income, the unemployment rate, then the units of analysis are houses, families and individual residents.  Common Units of Analysis in Social Research A. Individuals: human beings in terms of their membership in social groupings like income of the family, Education level, … B. Groups: small gangs, different segments of society, families, … C. Organizations: Church, colleges, army divisions, academic departments, supper markets, … D. Social interactions: Telephone calls, kisses, dancing, arguments, e- mail exchanges, chat room discussions, friendship choices, court cases, divorces, traffic accidents, … E. Social Artifacts: books, poems, paintings, automobiles, buildings, songs, pottery, …  1.8 Types of Research Types of research can be looked at from three different perspectives:  Applications of the findings of the research study;  Objectives of the study;  Mode of enquiry used in conducting the study. A. Types of Research: Application Perspective Two broad categories from the perspective of its application: I. Pure Research II. Applied Research. I.Pure/Basic/Fundamental Research Involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses that are intellectually challenging to the researcher but may not have practical application at the present time or in the future.  Concerned with the development, examination, verification and refinement of research methods, procedures, techniques and tools that form the body of research methodology. I. Pure/Basic/Fundamental Research:  Concerned with increasing knowledge of how societies work (The approach leads to knowledge - for knowledge sake)  Purely academic  Means of discovery/invension  Extensive in nature  Carried in laboratory or some other sterile environment, sometimes with animals  It is not of immediate commercial purpose I. Pure/Basic/Fundamental Research … Cont’d  May later result in further result of an applied nature  It may have implications for social policy,  Mainly concerned with generalizations and with the formulation of a theory.  II. Applied Research  For direct application of its findings;  Improving a product of a process-testing theoretical concepts in actual problem situations  Intensive in nature  To do something better or in an efficient manner;  Information gathered can be used to guide policy formulation, program, project or action; and for the enhancement of understanding of a phenomenon. 43  II. Applied Research … Cont’d Example:  To guide practical urban problem solving & management exercise:  Solid waste management in the CBD of Addis Ababa.  Improving drainage infrastructure problem in Hawassa City.  Need assessment studies, social impact assessments and  All researches conducted before formulation of a policy. 44 B. Types of Research: Objectives Perspective  From the perspective of its objectives, broadly a research endeavor can be classified as I. Descriptive II. Correlational III. Explanatory IV. Exploratory. I. Descriptive  A research study classified as a descriptive study attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information about, say, the living conditions of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue. I. Descriptive … Cont’d  For example to describe  Types of service provided by an organization  Administrative structure of an organization  Living conditions of aboriginal people in the outback  Needs of a community  What it means to go through a divorce  How a child feels living in a house with domestic violence  The attitudes of employees towards management.  The main purpose of such studies is to describe what is prevalent with respect to the issue/problem under study.  II. Correlational Study  The main emphasis in a correlational study is to discover or establish the existence of a relationship/association/interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation.  II. Correlational Study … Cont’d Example  What is the impact of an advertising campaign on the sale of a product?  What is the relationship between stressful living and the incidence of heart attack?  What is the relationship between fertility and mortality?  What is the relationship between technology and unemployment?  What is the effect of a health service on the control of a disease, or the home environment on educational achievement?  III. Explanatory Research  Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between two aspects of a situation or phenomenon. Example  Why stressful living results in heart attacks;  Why a decline in mortality is followed by a fertility decline  How the home environment affects children’s level of academic achievement.  IV. Exploratory Research  This is when a study is undertaken with the objective either to explore an area where little or none is known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study.  When a study is carried out to determine its feasibility it is also called a feasibility study or a pilot study. Exploratory studies are also conducted to develop, refine and/or test measurement tools and procedures.  IV. Exploratory Research … Cont’d  Exploratory research can come in two big forms: either a new topic or a new angle (from new ways of looking at things, either from a theoretical perspective or a new way of measuring something). Example  How to increase flavors of spaghetti?  A new way to managing informal activities C. Types of Research: Mode of Enquiry Perspective  This is typology of research based on the process the researcher adopts to find answers to research questions. Broadly, there are two approaches to enquiry: 1. Structured/Quantitative Approach; 2. Unstructured /Qualitative Approach  I. Structured Approach  Everything that forms the research process (objectives, design, sample, and the questions that you plan to ask of respondents) is predetermined  More appropriate to determine the extent of a problem, issue or phenomenon  II. Unstructured Approach  Allows flexibility in all these aspects of the process  Predominantly used to explore its nature, in other words, variation/ diversity per se in a phenomenon, issue, problem or attitude towards an issue  Structured or Unstructured?  Both approaches have their place in research.  Both have their strengths and weaknesses.  Neither one is markedly superior to the other in all respects  One should not ‘lock’ him/her self solely into a structured or unstructured approach.  In many studies you need to combine both qualitative & quantitative approaches.  Structured or Unstructured? … Cont’d  For example, suppose you want to find out the types of service available to victims of domestic violence in a city and the extent of their utilization.  Types of service are the qualitative aspect of the study as finding out about them entails description of the services.  The extent of utilization of the services is the quantitative aspect as it involves estimating the number of people who use the services & calculating other indicators that reflect the extent of utilization.  Are these Types of Research Mutually Exclusive?  The classification of the types of a study on the basis of these perspectives is not mutually exclusive:  That is, a research study classified from the viewpoint of ‘application’ can also be classified from the perspectives of ‘objectives’ and ‘enquiry mode’ employed.  Are these Types of Research Mutually... ?  For example, a research project may be classified as pure or applied research (from the perspective of application), as descriptive, correlational, explanatory or exploratory (from the perspective of objectives) and as qualitative or quantitative (from the perspective of the enquiry mode employed). Thank You! 60