RESEARCH METHOD IN COMMUNICATIONS

SUMMER 2023
NGUYEN TRAN HUONG THAO

• Professional Communication
• Communications & Media Studies
• Senior Client Manager
• 10 & 5
• thaonth14@fe.edu.vn
CLASS MATERIALS

Syllabus Class Folder

(flm.fpt.edu.vn) (weekly updated)
 Assignments

Assessment Category Format Deadline Weight (%) Mark to Pass

Class Participation and
Indi Always-on 10 >5
Preparation
Any 2 weeks
Quiz Group of the 10 >5
semester

Group Research Proposal Group of 3 - 4 W2 20 >5

Group Research Paper Group of 3 – 4 W9 30 >5

Indi
Final Exam Multiple W11 30 >5
Choice
Chapter 1:

What is Research?
 Learning Objectives
1. What is Research?
2. What is the difference between scholarly and everyday research?
3. What role does cultural studies play in research?
4. What is the difference between diachronic and synchronic research?
5. What role do binary oppositions play in the way the mind works?
6. What are the two systems that shape our thinking and behavior
according to Daniel Kahneman?
How does qualitative research differ from quantitative research?
7. What are the five aspects of communication?
 CONTENTS

Media and
The research
RESEARCH? Communication
process?
Research
Methods?
 What is the research?

§ What is research?
Literally it means “to search for, to find” and comes from the Latin re (again) and
from cercier (to search). In French, the term chercher means “seek.” In the most
general sense, research means looking for information about something.
§ Scholarly Research Is Different From Everyday Research
Scholarly research is, generally speaking, more systematic, more objective, more
careful, and more concerned about correctness and truthfulness than everyday
research.
è Scholarly Research as something that people undertake in order to find out
things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge.
è “Systematic’ suggests that research is based on logical relationships and not
just beliefs (Ghauri and Grønhaug 2010)

§ Scholarly Research Is Different From Everyday Research
For example, a company
need to research:
“Researching consumer
behavior of iPad”
è Generally speaking, more systematic,
more objective, more careful, and more
concerned about correctness and
truthfulness than everyday research.
What is the research?
For example, when people decide to
buy an iPad, they generally try to get
some information about Apple and
models of the iPad they are thinking
of buying. They may look in:
• TOL channels
• Forums/tinhte
• friends who have that kind of iPad
 What is the research?

Scholarly Research Is Different From Everyday Research

 Cultural Studies and Research

Cultural studies?
A rather amorphous multidisciplinary field that investigates
everything from elite fiction to comics, television, films, music, and
everyday life.
è We would advocate the usefulness of a wide range of theoretical and
methodological approaches to the study of media, culture, and society,
yet we do not believe that any one theory or method is adequate to
engage the richness, complexity, variety, and novelty displayed in
contemporary constellations of rapidly proliferating cultural forms and
new media (Durham and Kellner, 2001)
 Diachronic and Synchronic Research

Diachronic and Synchronic Research?

In diachronic or historical studies, we focus on change over time, and in
synchronic or comparative studies, we study change over distance.
§ The A to B axis is comparative at a
given moment in time (for example,
the way people do things in Vietnam
and the way people do things in
some other country).
§ The X to Y axis is comparative
historically, between an earlier time
and a later time (for example, the
way we did things earlier and the
way we do things now).
 Diachronic and Synchronic Research

Diachronic and Synchronic Research?

In diachronic or historical studies, we focus on change over time, and in
synchronic or comparative studies, we study change over distance.
èAnother way of putting this is that facts don’t speak
for themselves; they have to be put into context and
their significance explained. That is where the
research report comes in, and the way the report is
written plays an important part in how others accept
the report.
èThe medium may not be the message, but the way
information is conveyed -that is, the quality of your
thinking and writing - has a significant impact on how
your research is received.
Binary oppositions?
 The Way the Human Mind Works

§ The human mind, de Saussure (1915/1966) argued, makes sense of the

world essentially by forming binary oppositions such as rich and poor,
happy and sad, healthy and ill, and tall and short.
è These oppositions establish relationships in various areas, and it is
through relationships that we find meaning.
 The Way the Human Mind Works

What role do binary

oppositions play in the
way the mind works?
 The Way the Human Mind Works

Thinking Fast and Slow (2011) of Daniel Kahneman:

System 1 (fast)
operates automatically and quickly, with little
or no effort and no sense of voluntary control
What are the two
System 2 (slow) systems that shape
allocates attention to the effortful mental our thinking and
activities that demand it, including complex behavior according to
computations. The operations of System 2 Daniel Kahneman?
are often associated with the subjective
experience of agency, choice, and
concentration.

Quantity and Quality in Media Research ?
§ The term quality comes from the
Latin word qualitas, which means
“Of what kind?” Quality, when it
comes to texts carried by one or
more of the media, involves matters
such as the text’s
properties, degree of excellence,
and distinguishing characteristics.
There is an element of evaluation
and judgment and taste connected
to the term quality.
SangVM.S1.C1.RMB301.SANGVM
Quantity and Quality in Media Research
§ Quantity is a different matter. The term quantity
comes from the Latin word quantitas meaning
“How great?” or, for our purposes, “How much?”
or “How many?” When we think of quantitative
research in the media and communication, we
think of numbers, magnitude, and measurement.
Of course, the problem that quantitative
researchers often face is that they count only
certain things, not everything, and it may be the
case that something that cannot be quantified is
of great importance in one’s research.
 Quantity and Quality in Media Research

Quantity and Quality in Media Research?

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Evaluates Counts, measures

Use concepts to explicate Processes data collected

Focuses on aesthetics in texts Focuses on incidences of X in texts

Theoretical Statistical

Interprets Describes, explains, and predicts

Leads to an evaluation Leads to a hypothesis or theory

Interpretation can be attacked Methodology can be attacked

 Quantity and Quality in Media Research

Subjects falling within the Qualitative Studies Division’s interests include, but are
not limited to, the following:
§ Popular Culture
§ Philosophy of Communication
§ Literary or Textual Analysis of Communications Context
§ Performance Studies of Mass Communicators
§ Mythic/Ideological Studies
§ Media Criticism
§ Empirical or Theoretical Work in Cultural Studies
§ Production/Organization Studies of Mass Media
§ …
 Media and Communication

Five aspects of communication:

1. Intrapersonal
This area covers things such as talking to ourselves, thinking about how we will respond to
situations we expect to arise, and writing in a journal or diary. We are communicating with
ourselves.
2. Interpersonal
The communication takes place between ourselves and a relatively small number of people.
This area includes conversations between two people and conversations with friends at
dinner parties. There is interaction among all parties involved.
3. Small group
In small-group communication, a person might be teaching a class or talking to a relatively
small group of people. The group is large enough that ordinary interpersonal communication
cannot take place.
 Media and Communication

Five aspects of communication:

4. Organizational
This area deals with how organizations communicate to members of the organization and to
other interested parties.
5. Mass media
We are dealing with radio, television, film/movies, and other media such as social media
platforms and streaming streaming services. The communication flows from a sender of
messages to a large number of receivers of messages. A great deal of the content of the
mass media takes the form of texts— narratives or stories found in radio programs,
television programs, films, songs, and music videos. (We also find narratives in personal
conversations and many other areas).
 Considering Research Topics

Here are some things to consider before undertaking a research project:

§ Is the problem important enough to bother with?
§ Is your hypothesis reasonable and testable?
§ Are there ethical problems involved in the research? (For example, will it violate
people’s privacy? If so, should it be done?)
§ Do you have the skills to do the research? For example, do you know enough about
statistics to be able to deal with your data (if they require statistical analysis, that is)?
 Considering Research Topics

Here are some things to consider before undertaking a research project:

§ Is the topic sufficiently narrow and focused so that you can do it in the time and with the
funds you have at your disposal?
§ Is your methodology the best one to deal with your hypothesis or subject being
investigated?
§ Does your college or university have library and computer resources that are adequate
for your research?
 Group discussion

Applications and Exercises:

Find an article in Harvard Business Review/ The New York Times/ Tia Sang/ or other
science journal based on a scholarly article that deals with social science research on
media. Analyze the article and answer the following questions:
1. What methodology was used in the research?
2. How important is the topic?
3. What conclusions were reached?
4. Are the conclusions supported by the data? Are the conclusions credible?
5. Can one generalize from the research?
6. Do the findings have any policy implications?
1. What methodology was used in the research?
2. How important is the topic?
3. What conclusions were reached?
4. Are the conclusions supported by the data? Are the
conclusions credible?
5. Can one generalize from the research?
6. Do the findings have any policy implications?
Chapter 1:

The Research Process

 Learning Objectives
1. What are the two “basic” search strategies?
2. What are some of the most important sources of information?
3. How does one read analytically? What tips are offered?
4. What are the most important points made in the article about social
media?
5. What is the difference between primary and secondary research
sources?
6. What steps should one take in analyzing the methodologies of research
articles?
7. Literature Review to Developing a Conceptual Model
 Two general search strategies

Two general search strategies?

1. Going from the specific to the general
We have something rather specific in mind for our
project, and we search for material of a rather
general nature to give us a sense of context and
to collect material that might be helpful to us.
è If you are doing research on professional
wrestling in television, you might investigate
topics such as the history of wrestling, sports in
society, or media and sports.
2. Going from the general to the specific
We have some area we are interested in studying
and look around for information that will help us
narrow our subject down to a manageable size -
that is, information that will help us to focus.
è If you are interested in violence and television,
for example, you have to find a narrower focus,
such as the amount of violence on a selected
animated cartoon program or violence in
professional football, to deal with the subject
adequately.

è It is particularly important that as a student doing a research project you find narrow enough subjects to investigate,
because your time will be limited (and you probably will have no funds for assistance).
 Sources of Information
• Google Scholar, which lists articles and books on a wide range of
topics
• Google, the most widely used search engine
• Bing, Microsoft’s search engine
• Computer-based central catalogs
Sources of • Dictionaries (Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies)
Information • Statistical sources
• Science journal (Journal of Media Business, Media Asia, Asian
Journal of Communication, Mass Communication and Society, etc.)
Find and select • …
research
ideas/topics
 How to Read Analytically
§ Find the thesis statement
Once we’ve found some § Look for conclusions
scholarly articles and § Look at the methodology employed
books we think will be § Look for important theories and concepts
useful, we should read § Look for arguments made by the author.
them analytically - in an
effort to see their How to Read § Look at the sources used by the author
strengths and Analytically? § Look for contrasts and comparisons
weaknesses and to § Look at the examples offered
determine whether they § Look for threads
will be of use in
conducting our § Look for insights
research. § If data are used, look at how they are used
§ Consider the style of writing.
 How to Read Analytically
§ Find the thesis statement:
ü Look at the evidence offered to support that thesis and see whether you
think it is credible.
ü You should keep in mind that when you write a paper, you should have a
thesis that you are defending.

EX: Impact of consumer ethnocentrism, attitude toward country of brand

How to Read origin and perceived country image on the brand equity: a case study
Analytically? japanese cosmetics in vietnamses market

We propose the following hypotheses:

H1.1: Consumer ethnocentrism has a significant impact on attitude
towards country of brand origin in consumption.
H1.2: Consumer ethnocentrism has a significant impact on perceived
country image.
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look for conclusions:

After the authors state their objectives, they generally state their conclusions
and then explain how they reached their conclusions in the body of their
articles.
EX of Conclusions: Advanced thinking around social media may exist on an
How to Read organizational level, but on an individual level there exists a need to catch up,
Analytically? as the psychological dimensions of going online are significant and deserve
consideration. Inherent to the experience of using social media is the self-
selection of favorable material to represent the individual. This process is
cumulative, and effectively creates a socially-derived and socially-driven,
composite online image (‘social avatar’)….
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look at the methodology employed:

The approaches scholars make to their research are crucial.
ü How do authors support their arguments?
How to Read
ü What assumptions do they make?
Analytically?
ü Are the methods they use valid?
ü Could they have used other methodologies that would have been better?
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look at the methodology employed:

è According to Chaim Eyal’s analyzing bethodology in research
articles:
1. Identify the method or methods used in the research.
2. Determine the research question(s) or hypothesis(es).
How to Read
Analytically? 3. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
4. Consider the sample size: N = ?
5. Evaluate the sampling method that was used.
6. Ask yourself how the survey was conducted.
7. Make note of the major results and conclusions.
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look for important theories and concepts

The theories generally shape the research carried out to determine
something about the theory. I make a distinction between theories, such as
psychoanalytic theory, and concepts, which are elements in the theory.
How to Read
è Theory: Psychoanalytic theory
Analytically?
è Concept: Obsessive-compulsive disorder
è Behavior: Wash hands 200 times a day (or similar kinds of
behaviors)
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look for arguments made by the author:

ü The article presents the author’s discussions of some matter of interest,
generally backed by data that lead to some conclusion.
Ø We have already seen that some data are not accurate. It is also
How to Read possible that author’s logical argument has problems, which then would
Analytically? lead to conclusions that are not valid.
Ø You have to ask yourself why does the author (or the
authors) believe something or not believe something else?
Ø It’s a good idea to take a piece of paper, write down the thesis statement
and list the components of the article’s “argument”
and see whether they lead to the conclusion the author reaches.
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look at the sources used by the author (in References):

ü Are the sources credible?
ü Are they reliable?
ü Are they up-to-date? (not mean every source used must be contemporary)
How to Read
Analytically? ü Do they support the thesis being argued in the paper?
§ Look at the examples offered:
ü Are the examples relevant?
ü Are they interesting?
ü Do they support the author’s arguments?
 How to Read Analytically

§ Look for threads:

ü What role do these threads play in the article?
ü Do they help readers by reminding them what has been established?

How to Read ü Do they have some other function?

Analytically? § Look for insights:
ü An insight is valuable because it helps explain things; to some degree, we
can say that the quality of the insights provided in an article affects our
estimation of the research’s value.
ü Can you apply the insights you’ve found in articles to your proposed
research?
 Doing a Literature Review
Literature Review?
§ A literature review is a particular kind of library search.
§ A literature review summarizes the major findings of scholars and researchers who have
conducted research in the area you are interested in investigating.
§ It offers a sense of context for your readers so that they can see how your research fits
into the scheme of things.
§ It shows readers where you got your information and lets them assess how current it is
and how reliable it might be.
è To do a literature search, you comb through the materials available in the library, in
databases, and on the Internet for articles, research reports, journals, and books on
your subject, and you offer a summary of what has been done in the particular area you
are investigating.
 Doing a Literature Review

The significance of your research and what you find out will inevitably be judged in
relation to other people’s research and their findings. You therefore need to show
you understand your field and its key theories, concepts and ideas, as well as the
major issues and debates about your topic (Denyer and Tranfield, 2009).
Critically
è Critical literature review:
reviewing the
literature? ü You are establishing what research has been published in your chosen area
and, if possible, identifying any other research that might currently be in
progress.
ü Will enhance your subject knowledge and help you to clarify your research
question(s) further.
The literature
review process
(Figure 3.1, P. 72)
 Doing a Literature Review

• Applied research

§ Deductive approach
(Identify theories & use ü Help refine research Q & Obj.
1. The purposes of data to test) ü Find future research ideas
literature review
ü Help avoid repeating others’ work
• Basic research ü Help gain insights into research interests
ü Guide your research approach
§ Inductive approach
(Explore data & develop
theories; Relate your
theories to literature)
 Using systematic review
1. Formulate review
questions
2. Locate & generate list
of potential readings
3. Select & evaluate using
inclusion & exclusion
4. Analyse & synthesize
relevant research
5. Report results à
Theoretical model for
research
 Conducting a Literature Review

Literature
review:
A comprehensive
examination of
available
information that is
related to your
research topic
 Conducting your literature search

Search: “Recruitment AND interviewing AND skills”

 Doing a Literature Review

§ Previewing: which is looking around the text before you start reading in order to
establish precisely its purpose and how it may inform your literature search
§ Annotating: that is, conducting a dialogue with yourself, the author and the
issues and ideas at stake
2. Adopting
§ Summarising: the best way to determine that you’ve really got the point is to be
critical
able to state it in your own words.
perspective in
your reading § Comparing and contrasting: ask yourself how your thinking has been altered
by this reading or how has it affected your response to the issues and themes in
your research?
§ Review questions (Wallace & Ray, 2011): 1. Why reading this? 2. Purposes of
the author? 3. How relevant to your research? 4. How convincing? 5. How to use
the reading?
 Doing a Literature Review

§ Relevant & representative references

3. The content § Most significant theories of experts
of the critical § Relationships between research findings
review
§ Key points & trends incl. omissions & biases
§ Logical relationship to your research

§ Critique of rhetoric: Effective use of argument language

§ Critique of tradition: Question conventional wisdom
4. Critical approach
§ Critique of authority: Question dominant view
§ Critique of objectivity: Recognise something not value free
 Doing a Literature Review

5. The § A single chapter;

structures § A series of chapters (for example in a larger research project);
of the critical § Occurring throughout the project report as you tackle various issues (for
review example where your research project is conducted inductively).

ü Avoid uncritical listing of previous research

ü Use thematic comparison & contrast
ü Thematic structures
ü Checklist
ü Example
 Doing a Literature Review

§ Start at a more general level before narrowing down to your specific research
question(s) and objectives;
§ Provide a brief overview of key ideas and themes;
5. The § Summarise, compare and contrast the research of the key authors;
structures § Narrow down to highlight previous research work most relevant to your own
of the critical research;
review § Provide a detailed account of the findings of this research and show how they
are related;
§ Highlight those aspects where your own research will provide fresh insights;
§ Lead the reader into subsequent sections of your project report, which explore
these issues.
 Doing a Literature Review
Literature review structures:

e.g. Customer-based
brand equity: a
literature review; ….
 Primary and Secondary Research Sources

§ Primary research § Secondary research

involves firsthand uses research performed by others to come
observation and study to some conclusion about a topic or make
by a researcher. some kinds of an argument.
Ø For example, you Ø This kind of research is essentially a form of
survey a group of editing, in which quotations (and sometimes
people on some topic summaries, paraphrases, and syntheses of
and then see what the the material) from various scholars are
data reveal. collected to produce an essay or article that
makes its argument.
Ø We do the actual
research. Ø We use the research that others have done.
 Primary and Secondary Research Sources

§ Primary research is the study § Secondary research

of a subject through firsthand is the examination of studies that
observation and investigation, other researchers have made of a
such as analyzing a literary or subject.
historical text, conducting a
§ Examples of secondary research
survey, or carrying out a
are books and articles about
laboratory experiment.
political issues, historical events,
§ Primary sources include scientific debates, or literary
statistical data, historical works .
documents, and works of
literature and art.
 Using Journals for Research in Media and Communication
§ American Anthropologist
§ American Behavioral Scientist
§ American Educational Research
Journal
§ American Journal of Psychology
§ American Journalism
§ American Political Science Review
§ Canadian Journal of Communication
§ Central States Speech Journal
Communication
§ Communication Education
§ …
§ Communication Quarterly
§ Communication Research
§ Communications and the Law
§ Critical Studies in Mass Communication
§ Human Communications Research
§ Inter Media
§ Journal of Advertising
§ Journal of Applied Communication Research
§ Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
§ Journal of Communication
§ …
 Literature Review to Developing a
Conceptual Model
Components of a Conceptual Model (Theory model):
§ A variable is an observable item that is used as a measured on a
questionnaire
§ A construct is an unobservable concept that is measured by a group of
related variables
§ Relationships are associations between two or more variables
§ Independent variables are variables or constructs that predict or explain
the outcome of interest
§ Dependent variables are variables or constructs that researchers seek to
explain
 Literature Review to Developing a
Conceptual Model
§ Positive relationship: An
association between two
variables in which they increase
or decrease together
§ Negative relationship: An
association between two
variables in which one increases
while they other decreases.
§ Conceptualization
Development of a model that
shows variables and
hypothesized or proposed
relationships between variables.
Exhibit 3.8 A Model of New Technology Adoption
 Literature Review to Developing a
Conceptual Model
§ Null hypothesis: A statistical hypothesis that is tested for possible rejection
under the assumption that it is true.
§ Alternative hypothesis: The hypothesis contrary to the null hypothesis, it
usually suggests that two variables are related.
§ Parameter: The true value of a variable.
§ Sample statistic: The value of a variable that is estimated from a sample.
 Group discussion 1

Applications and Exercises:

§ Using the library and the Internet’s access to scholarly journals, find
articles that deal with the following topics:
1. The relation between modernism and postmodernism
2. Suicide rates in various countries
3. Time users spent on different media platforms in Vietnam in 2022
4. Advertising expenditures in the United States, France, Germany, Japan,
China, and Vietnam
5. The feminism significance of Netflix movies
 Group discussion 2

Applications and Exercise:

Apply Chaim Eyal’s list of questions and other things you’ve learned from this book
to ask about research to an article (Reading 4 & 5) that uses survey research:
1. Identify the method or methods used in the research.
2. Determine the research question(s) or hypothesis(es).
3. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
4. Consider the sample size: N = ?
5. Evaluate the sampling method that was used.
6. Ask yourself how the survey was conducted.
7. Make note of the major results and conclusions
 Assignment | Group Research Proposal

Details of task:
• Develop a proposal for research on a topic of your choice. The research
you propose to undertake should be related to Communication and
Media studies.
Word limit: 2,500 words
Weighing: 20 (%)
Deadline: 11:59PM, 19 May 2023
File name: [Research Proposal_MC1801_Group Name]
Submission HERE
How to write a Research Proposal

Video link HERE

 For next class

• Finalise your group members

• Please bring your prepared proposal to class as hard-copy for
review and feedback
• Only reviewed and signed proposal can be submitted and start to
proceed