BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY ARAPAI CAMPUS

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRIBUSINESS AND EXTENSION
RESEARCH METHODS & DISSEMINATION ~ DAP 1208
LOKONG ROMANO
BU/UP/2022/0504,
DAP1B
Assignment one
Research Definition
Research is a scientific approach to answering a research question, solving a research problem,
or generating new knowledge through a systematic and orderly collection, organization, and
analysis of data to make research findings useful in decision-making.
Characteristics of Research

 The research should focus on priority problems.

 The research should be systematic. It emphasizes that a researcher should employ a
structured procedure.
 The research should be logical. Without manipulating ideas logically, the scientific
researcher cannot make much progress in any investigation.
 The research should be reductive. This means that one researcher’s findings should be
made available to other researchers to prevent them from repeating the same research.
 The research should be replicable. This asserts that there should be scope to confirm
previous research findings in a new environment and different settings with a new
group of subjects or at a different point in time.
 The research should be generative. This is one of the valuable characteristics of research
because answering one question leads to generating many other new questions.
 The research should be action-oriented. In other words, it should be aimed at solving to
implement its findings.
 The research should follow an integrated multidisciplinary approach, i.e., research
approaches from more than one discipline are needed.
 The research should be participatory, involving all parties concerned at all stages of the
study.
 The research must be relatively simple, timely, and time-bound, employing a
comparatively simple design.
  The research must be as much cost-effective as possible.
 The research results should be presented in formats most useful for administrators,
decision-makers, business managers, or community members.
Purposes of research
there are three main purposes of research:
 Exploratory: Exploratory research is the first research to be conducted around a
problem that has not yet been clearly defined. Exploration research therefore aims to
gain a better understanding of the exact nature of the problem and not to provide a
conclusive answer to the problem itself. This enables us to conduct more in-depth
research later on.
 Descriptive: Descriptive research expands knowledge of a research problem or
phenomenon by describing it according to its characteristics and population. Descriptive
research focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘what’, but not on the ‘why’.
 Explanatory: Explanatory research, also referred to as casual research, is conducted to
determine how variables interact, i.e. to identify cause-and-effect relationships.
Explanatory research deals with the ‘why’ of research questions and is therefore often
based on experiments.
Uses of research

 It's a tool for building knowledge and facilitating learning.

 It's a means to understand issues and increase public awareness.
 It helps us succeed in business.
 It allows us to disprove lies and support truths.
 It is a means to find, gauge, and seize opportunities.
 It promotes a love of and confidence in reading, writing, analyzing, and sharing valuable
information.
 It provides nourishment and exercise for the mind.

Assignment Two
National research agenda
The National Research Agenda is a set of national priorities that are set by scientists
working in conjunction with corporations, civil society organizations, and interested
citizens. The agenda consolidates the questions that scientific research will be focused
on in the coming year. Organizes research topics and goals to identify opportunities for
high-impact research, to address system challenges and to promote progress toward
improved health outcomes; and. Provides examples of potential studies to fill research
gaps that will guide CYSHCN investigators and other stakeholders moving forward.
Steps of national research agenda
They involve three steps:
Step 1: Take stock of existing research, data, and policies on child labour, forced labour,
and human trafficking. The results are summarised in an annotated bibliography to
inform global and national evidence gaps.
Step 2: Identify research priorities by consulting policymakers, funding partners, and
local stakeholders. The focus is on key research questions, knowledge gaps, data needs,
funding priorities, and institutional constraints. The consultation will be coordinated and
mainstreamed in the Pathfinder Countries process.
Step 3: Develop the research agendas in workshops at the global and country-level.
The scope of research Agenda
Research Agenda means a roster of research questions that require shared data
elements and subject to periodic review and revision. Research questions may reflect
federal and state reporting requirements or may be discretionary. A research agenda
identifies research priorities which will lead to more successful research, outlining a
clear framework for making decisions about future research activities. Scope and
delimitations are two elements of a research paper or thesis. The scope of a study
explains the extent to which the research area will be explored in the work and specifies
the parameters within which the study will be operating.
Identification of key stakeholders in research
Stakeholders are people or organizations who have an interest in your research project,
or affect or are affected by its outcomes. Stakeholders include those who are both
supportive of your research, as well as those who may be less supportive or indeed
critical of it.
Literature review
Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic
elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review
containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations
section to end the paper.
The following provides a brief description of the content of each:
 Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the
central theme or organizational pattern.
 Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically,
thematically, or methodologically
 Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing
literature so far.

Setting priorities in research agenda

A research priority is a collective activity for deciding which uncertainties are most
worth trying to resolve through research; uncertainties considered may be problems to
be understood or solutions to be developed or tested; across broad or narrow areas.
Plans in research
 A research plan Is a framework that shows how you intend to approach your topic. The
plan can take many forms: a written outline, a narrative, a visual/concept map or
timeline. It’s a document that will change and develop as you conduct your research.
The objective of research agenda
A research agenda helps you orient yourself toward both short- and long-term goals; it
will guide your selection of classes, help you decide which academic conferences (and
within those, which specific divisions) to engage in, and steer you in recruiting mentors
and research collaborators.
The factors to consider before drawing a research agenda.

 The scope or coverage

 Identify stake holders
 Review of literature
 Setting priorities
 Plan.
When taking Uganda as a case study, the research agenda lies in areas such as,

 Education, it looks at developing the education system with a view of producing job
creators other than job seekers through development of new curriculum, giving
scholarship to students and promoting tertiary education.
Ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

 Health, Ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all people at all ages by
ending preventable deaths of new borne, un borne and children below age of 5.this is
through ;-building health centers in every sub county, vaccination and immunization
against deadly diseases and supplying medicinal drugs to health facilities.
 Agriculture, In this case, the government looks at ending hunger, achieve food security,
and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture through;-improvising
improved varieties and breeds to farmers, agrochemical provision, extending veterinary
services to local farmers as well, forecasting weather and opening up agro-based
industries to give market to farmers.
 Infrastructure, The government looks at; - build resilient infrastructure and promote
inclusive industrialization and foster innovations by rehabilitating and opening up good
quality roads open up financial centers like banks and encourage foreign investors in
industrialization. Also through rural electrification, central markets and ware houses.
 Information, On the side of information the government emphasizes on promoting
newspaper agencies, setting up of radio stations, opening of public televisions for
example NTV, UBC and others, also privatization of economy so as to attract foreign
investors.
 Security; the government agenda is based on recruiting able bodied men and women
who can provide security to the country, installation of CCTV cameras and check points
to emit those who come in the country with illicit items like guns.

Assignment three
STUDY DESIGNS APPROACH
TYPES OF STUDY DESIGNS APPROACH
STUDY DESIGNS; are the set of methodologies and procedures used to collect and
analyze data in study variable specified in particular research problem
Broadly there are two types of study designs i.e. descriptive and analytical studies
Descriptive studies;
Describes specific x-tics in population of interest ,the most common forms are report
and case series, in case of report we discuss our experiences with those to be discussed
with i.e. patients about symptoms, signs ,diagnosis and treatment
Incase series several patients with similar experiences are grouped
 Analytical studies;
 Observational and experimental
 Observational;
Are studies that we conduct without any intervention or experiments? Here we purely
observe the outcome. observational also has sub types like
 Cross sectional study; in this design its Transverse where we take specific sample at
specific time without any follow up, it allows us to calculate the frequency of risk
factor. The design also allows us to conduct if we want to know the prevalence of
migraine in population, conduct cross-sectional study whereby we take as ample
from the population and calculate the number of patients with migraine headaches.
 Cohort study; we conduct the study by comparing the two sample from the
population, one sample with the risk factor while the other without risk factor
 Case control study; we conduct this study by comparing the two groups, one with
the disease and one without the disease.
Experimental study ,in this one AL know as interventional studies can involve animals
and humans, where pre-clinical trials involve animals and clinical trials are experimented
in humans ‘it asses the safety of the drug, assess the efficacy of the drug(does it work)
RESEARCH APPROACH
Is the method of producing new knowledge or deepening your understanding or issue?
Main approaches of research
Quantitative research; Is the generally associated with testing objective theories by
examining the relationship among variables
Qualitative research; Is the approach usually associated with the social constructivist
which emphasizes the socially constructed nature of reality?
PARTICIPATORY APPROACH
 To some degree, researchers adopting an advocacy participatory approach feel that the
approaches to research described so far do not respond to the needs or situation of
people from marginalized vulnerable groups.
The process of research design
It’s the systematic structured approach to conduct research, this process is essential to
ensure that the study is valid, reliable and produces meaningful result the following are
the process of research designs
Consider your aims and approaches; determine the research questions and objectives
and identify the theoretical frame work and methodologies
Choose the type of research design; select the appropriate research design such us
experimental survey, case study
Identify your population and sampling methods; it determines target population and
sample size and choose sampling method such as random stratified or convenient
sampling
Choose your data collection method ;it decided on methods such
surveys ,interviews ,experiments and select appropriate instrument or tool for data
collection
Play your data collection procedures; develop a plan for data collection including the
time frame, location and personnel involved and ensures ethical consideration
Decide on data analysis strategies; select the appropriate data analysis, techniques
such statistical analysis, content analysis and plan how to interpret the results
Research design elements.
 Accurate purpose statements
 Techniques to be implemented collecting and analyzing results of research
 The methods applied for analyzing collected details
 Types of research and methodologies
 Probable objections to research
 Setting for the research study
 Have the time line
 Measurements of analysis,
Characteristics of research designs
 Neutrality,
When you set up your study you may have to make assumptions about the data you are
about to collect, the research should be free from bias
 Reliability
With regularly conducted research the researcher expects similar results every time you
will only be able to reach the desired results if your research is reliable
 Validity
There are multiple measuring tool available, the only correct measuring tools are those
which help the researcher in gauging results according to the objectives
 Generalization
The outcome of the design should apply to the population and not just restricted
sample, generalized method applies that your survey can be conducted on any part of
population with similar accuracy