METHOD OF RESEARCH

1. Differentiate qualitative and quantitative research approaches based on methods and sampling.

Many times those that undertake a research project often find they are not aware of the
differences between Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research methods. Many mistakenly
think the two terms can be used interchangeably.

When collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics,
while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. Both are important for gaining different
kinds of knowledge.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain an understanding of

underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to
develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Qualitative Research is also used to
uncover trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem. Qualitative data
collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods
include focus groups (group discussions), individual interviews, and participation/observations. The
sample size is typically small, and respondents are selected to fulfil a given quota.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or
data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions,
behaviors, and other defined variables – and generalize results from a larger sample population.
Quantitative Research uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research.
Quantitative data collection methods are much more structured than Qualitative data collection
methods. Quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys – online surveys,
paper surveys, mobile surveys and kiosk surveys, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews,
longitudinal studies, website interceptors, online polls, and systematic observations.

2. Is plagiarism common on researches? How can you identify the research work to be reliable?
Discuss how to avoid it.

In recent years, research has become a growing industry. There is fierce competition among
more than 7.1 million researchers in the world to have their research published in over 25,000
journals. Researchers are under pressure to get their work published in good journals. When this
pressure is coupled with a lack of time, lack of research skills and ease of obtaining information and
articles from the internet, the rate of plagiarism increases.

In 2010, the Nature Publishing Group reported an alarmingly increasing level of plagiarism.
Twenty-three percent of submitted articles are rejected because of plagiarism.12 The prevalence of
plagiarism varies from one community to another with reported rates from 11 to 19% in medical
institutions.13, 14 These rates increase where the concepts of intellectual property and copyrights
are not well understood and are not strictly respected.
 eight elements to look for in a research report to determine its trustworthiness according to
ANNA—MALIN SANDSTORM.

1. Why was the study undertaken?

Whether the aim of the research was to generate income, lobby for a policy change, evaluate
the impact of a programme or develop a new theoretical framework, this will influence the research
questions, data collection and analysis, and the presentation of the results. In order to make best
use of the findings and place them in context for your use, it is advisable to bear the aim of the study
in mind.

2. Who conducted the study?

A myriad of organisations in the field offer intelligence that feed into the decisions in our daily
work. It is therefore important to look at who has conducted the research, and if the organisation or
individual in question has the expertise required for conducting research on the topic. Additionally,
assessing if the organisation has an interest in a specific research outcome is a good practice. If so,
the research should be transparent in demonstrating how the different stages of the study were
conducted to guarantee its objectivity.

3. International higher education research should be transparent in demonstrating how the

different stages of a study were conducted to guarantee its objectivity.

Who funded the research?

It is of equal importance to check if a third party has sponsored or funded the study as this could
further affect the objectivity of the study. If for example a student recruitment fair organiser
sponsors a study on the efficiency of different recruitment methods, you should be critical of the
results, particularly if student fairs emerge as the most efficient recruitment method.

4. How was the data collected?

In the social sciences, structured interviews and self-completion questionnaires are perhaps the
two most common ways of collecting quantitative data. How the individuals in the sample, ie those
approached to be surveyed, have been identified is crucial in determining the representativeness of
the results. There are two main types of samples, namely probability and non-probability samples. A
probability sample is a sample in which every individual in the population has the same chance of
being included. It is also a prerequisite for being able to generalise the findings to the population
(see below).

To illustrate the difference, let us say you survey first-year students by asking student clubs to
share the survey on social media. Since this non-probability snowball sample has a greater likelihood
of reaching students active in such clubs, the results won’t be representative or generalisable.

5. Is the sample size and response rate sufficient?

The bigger the sample size the higher the likelihood that the results are precise. After a sample
size of around 1000, gains in precision become less pronounced. Often, however, due to limited
time and money approaching such a large sample might not be feasible. The homogeneity of the
population further affects the desired sample size; a more heterogeneous population requires a
larger sample to include the different sub-groups of the population to a satisfactory degree. The
response rate is a complementary measure to the sample size, showing how many of the suitable
individuals in the sample have provided a usable response. In web surveys, response rates tend to
be lower than in other types of surveys.

6. Does the research make use of secondary data?

Data can be collected either through primary or secondary sources, ie it can be collected for the
purposes of the study or existing data can be utilised. If existing data sets collected by another
organisation or researcher is used, reflecting on how credible the data source is, and how usable it is
for the study in question, is important. Here, using common sense (and Google if necessary) takes
you a long way.

7. Does the research measure what it claims to measure?

A commonly used term in statistics to convey the trustworthiness of research is ‘validity’.

Validity refers to the extent to which a notion, conclusion or measurement is well founded and
corresponds to reality. In other words, does it measure what it intends to measure? As an example,
a study intends to investigate gender discrimination of faculty and in so doing, looks at the number
of cases of discrimination brought forward by female faculty. Yet, as the study does not look at the
reason for these discrimination complaints – whether it was indeed gender or ethnicity, religion, age
or sexual orientation – the conclusion cannot be drawn that gender discrimination has increased.

8. Can the findings be generalised to my situation, institution or country?

When conducting research there is often a tendency to seek to generalise the findings. Two key
criteria have to be met for this to be possible. First, results are applicable only to the population of
the study. In other words, if a study analyses student satisfaction among students in the UK, the
findings cannot be generalised to campuses in, for example, France. Second, data must be collected
via a probability sample, ie every unit of analysis, here every student in the UK, has the same chance
of being included in the sample.

Oftentimes reports lack many of the essential aspects of their data collection and analysis. Since
time and money are, perhaps, the biggest influencers of research quality, and no one possesses
infinite amounts of either, when undertaking research a balance often has to be struck between
(cost-) effectiveness and quality. Transparently and clearly accounting for how the research has
been conducted is central for the reader to evaluate the trustworthiness of the report in their
hands.