MIT4101

MASTER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
(MIT 4101)
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ASSIGNMENT 3
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PROF DR. SELVANATHAN A/L ARPUTHAM
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PREPARED BY
[MirzaMahfuza]
[202009090055]
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SUBMISSION DATE
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10th December 2020

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This study source was downloaded by 100000828591314 from CourseHero.com on 06-29-2021 13:53:19 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/75817809/MIT4101-A3-khalil-q2q3docx/
2 MIT4101- ASSIGNMENT 3
Question 1 What distinguishes a strong from a weak literature review? (25 marks)
Answer of question 1
Question 2 “The problem definition stage is perhaps more critical in the research process than the problem
solution stage”. Discuss this statement? (25 marks)
Answer of question 2:
The most critical stage of the research process is identifying a problem and/or developing a research problem.
This stage can be considered the most difficult to understand. “A useful way to approach the research process
is to state the basic dilemma that prompts the research and then try to develop other questions by
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progressively breaking down the original questions into more specific ones” (Cooper, D. & Schindler, P., 2011).
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We are going to take a look at bullying in our school systems, and no child left behind act. Children are the
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future, and we as leaders, mentors, and parents need to take better action to ensure the safety and well-being
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of our children. I would like to know if there is enough being done to ensure a future for our children. Are
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parent’s doing enough, and do they have the knowledge about this epidemic? What laws are in place, and
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what is being done to enforce those laws? Are we educating our children on bullying, and how serious this is?
Most importantly, what can we individually do to stop this from happening? “
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A stunning (and probably stunned) 71% of teachers stay out of or ignore teasing and bullying of students,
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according to a recent study of elementary-school bullying and teasing by Educational Equity Concepts (EEC),
a national nonprofit organization that promotes bias-free learning” (Schroeder, 1999). I personally am appalled
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by this. Parents are expected to entrust teachers with their children’s welfare. Teachers must become more
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proactive, and get involved immediately. I believe there should be mandatory training that teachers must go
through, to learn how to handle these situations immediately, and have the knowledge to notice this is
happening before it gets out of hand. The independent variable is how much “bullying” is happening without the
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teacher’s knowledge, and the dependent variable would be once they are trained how much “bullying goes
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unnoticed. Let us know take a look at the No Child Left behind Act. There are many questions to be considered
when we think about this Act. Does this act work or not? Where does the nation stand with this Act? Does this
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Act work, or is there any benefit to this Act? Can we improve this Act? Does bullying lead to children being left
behind? Is the lack of federal funding hurting the No Child Left behind Act? In researching this question I found
an informative Public Finance Review of the act, and because the manner with which the funding for the “No
Child Left behind Act” (NCLB) is, it promotes school districts to support low standards for performance because
there is no funding for schools that have higher standards. “Because of the limited federal funding and the
severe penalties in NCLB when a school does not meet its state’s standards, states have a strong incentive to
keep their standards low. NCLB needs to be reformed so that it will encourage high standards” (William
Duncombe, 2008). Several states within the U.S. have sued the federal government because of the lack of
(inadequate) funding received. “Unequal funding within states and within districts, it rests on a fault
measurement capacity, the foundation for highly qualified teachers rests on qualities that ought to affect early
recruitment and preparation of teacher, but rarely do, parents and communities are almost shut out of the
reform process, and its labeling of poorly performing schools is a barrier to developing community support for
the schools” (Lewis, 2007). Has the diminishing funding for our school districts made it possible to not follow
the NCLB? It seems that the money is being hung over the heads of our schools to make sure they conform to
the government standards. In some cases schools report false information or fail in their teachings for fear of
losing the schools funding. It starts with parenting, and making sure that parents are educating themselves to
acknowledge these wrong doings. Our scholastic program is suffering because of money issues. If were not
educating ourselves, and educating others what does that leave us? It starts at the very bottom and goes all
the way up. These laws and acts were placed to benefit our children, the future of our country. It is not one
individual’s responsibility to adhere to these laws and acts, it is everyone’s responsibility to do so. Our
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government needs to ensure that our schools are not falsifying information to get their funding. Our parents
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need to make sure they are staying active within their children’s scholastic lives. Bullying needs to be stopped
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immediately, because no child should have to suffer that mental and physical abuse. Remember children are
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innocent, and their minds and way of thinking are determined by what they are taught is right. If we all practice
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what we preach we can make a drastic decrease in the problems with our children.
Because the problem definition stage is oriented that the focus for further research, or, in other word, the
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problem, be unambiguously identified and defined.

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References
1.Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2011). Business research methods (11th Ed.).
2. New York, NY McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Duncombe, W., Lukemeyer, A. & Yniger, J. (2008). The No Child.
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3. Lewis, A. (2007). Suggestions for Reform of the No Child Left Behind Act. The Education Digest
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Schroeder, K.
4. Studymode, (2015, 01). Stages of the Research Process StudyMode.com. Retrieved from
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https://www.studymode.com/essays/Stages-Of-The-Research-Process-67299124.html
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Question 3 identify and discuss the basic research issues? (25 marks)
Answer of question 3:
Designing a research project takes time, skill and knowledge. If you don’t go into the process with a clear goal
and methods, likely come out with skewed data or an inaccurate picture of what were trying to accomplish.
While it’s important to use proper methodology in the research process, it’s equally important to avoid making
critical mistakes that could produce inaccurate results. In this article, we’ll list 5 common errors in the research
process and tell you how to avoid making them, so you can get the best data possible.
Some errors are made simply by asking questions the wrong way.
1. Population Specification
Population specification errors occur when the researcher does not understand who they should survey. This
can be tricky because there are multiple people who might consume the product, but only one who purchases
it, or they may miss a segment looking to purchase in the future.
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Example: Packaged goods manufacturers often conduct surveys of housewives, because they are easier to
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contact, and it is assumed they decide what is to be purchased and also do the actual purchasing. In this
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situation there often is population specification error. The husband may purchase a significant share of the
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packaged goods, and have significant direct and indirect influence over what is bought. For this reason,
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excluding husbands from samples may yield results targeted to the wrong audience.
How to avoid this: Understand who purchases your product and why they buy it. It’s important to survey the
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one making the buying decision so you know how to better reach them.
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2. Sampling and Sample Frame Errors

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Survey sampling and sample frame errors occur when the wrong subpopulation is used to select a sample, or
because of variation in the number or representativeness of the sample that responds, but the resulting sample
is not representative of the population concern.
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Unfortunately, some element of sampling error is unavoidable, but sometimes, it can be predicted. For
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instance, in the 1936 presidential election between Roosevelt and Landon, the sample frame was from car
registrations and telephone directories. The researchers failed to realize that the majority of people that owned
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cars and telephones were Republicans, and wrongly predicted a Republican victory.
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Example: Suppose that we collected a random sample of 500 people from the general U.S. adult population to
gauge their entertainment preferences. Then, upon analysis, found it to be composed of 70% females. This
sample would not be representative of the general adult population and would influence the data. The
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entertainment preferences of females would hold more weight, preventing accurate extrapolation to the US
general adult population. Sampling error is affected by the homogeneity of the population being studied and
sampled from and by the size of the sample.
How to avoid this: While this cannot be completely avoided, you should have multiple people reviewing your
sample to account for an accurate representation of your target population. You can also increase the size of
your sample so you get more survey participants.
3. Selection
Selection error is the sampling error for a sample selected by a non-probability method. When respondents
choose to self-participate in a study and only those interested respond, you can end up with selection error
because there may already be an inherent bias. This can also occur when respondents who are not relevant to
the study participate, or when there’s a bias in the way participants are put into groups.
Example: Interviewers conducting a mall intercept study have a natural tendency to select those respondents
who are the most accessible and agreeable whenever there is latitude to do so. Such samples often comprise
friends and associates who bear some degree of resemblance in characteristics to those of the desired
population.
How to avoid this: Selection error can be controlled by going extra lengths to get participation. A typical
survey process includes initiating pre-survey contact requesting cooperation, actual surveying, and post-survey
follow-up. If a response is not received, a second survey request follows, and perhaps interviews using
alternate modes such as telephone or person-to-person.
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4. Non-responsive
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Nonresponse error can exist when an obtained sample differs from the original selected sample.
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This may occur because either the potential respondent was not contacted or they refused to respond. The key
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factor is the absence of data rather than inaccurate data.
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Example: In telephone surveys, some respondents are inaccessible because they are not at home for the
initial call or call-backs. Others have moved or are away from home for the period of the survey. Not-at-home
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respondents are typically younger with no small children, and have a much higher proportion of working wives
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than households with someone at home. People who have moved or are away for the survey period have a
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higher geographic mobility than the average of the population. Thus, most surveys can anticipate errors from
non-contact of respondents. Online surveys seek to avoid this error through e-mail distribution, thus eliminating
not-at-home respondents.
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How to avoid this: When collecting responses, ensure your original respondents are participating, and use
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follow-up surveys and alternates modes of reaching them if they don’t initially respond. You can also use
different channels to reach your audience like in person, web surveys, or SMS.
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5. Measurement
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Measurement error is generated by the measurement process itself, and represents the difference between the
information generated and the information wanted by the researcher. Generally, there is always some small
level of measurement error due to uncontrollable factors.
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Example: A retail store would like to assess customer feedback from at-the-counter purchases. The survey is
developed but fails to target those who purchase in the store. Instead, the results are skewed by customers
who bought items online.
How to avoid this: Double check all measurements for accuracy and ensure your observers and
measurement takes are well trained and understand the parameters of the experiment.
While not all of these errors can be completely avoidable, recognizing them is half the battle. Next time you’re
starting a research project, use this blog as a checklist to ensure you’re doing everything you can to avoid
these common mistakes.
Also, before you begin your next research project, read How to Define Your Research Question. This is vital to
any research project because you can’t begin creating surveys unless you understand the research problem.
References:
Qualtrics, (2020). Common errors in the research process. Retrieved from
https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/5-common-errors-in-the-research-process/
Question 4 List the different data collection instruments for qualitative research, and explain the usefulness and
disadvantages of each. (25 marks)
Answer of question 4
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MASTER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODS AND PROBLEM SOLVING

10th December 2020

problem, be unambiguously identified and defined.

2. Sampling and Sample Frame Errors

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