CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presented the methodology that was employed in the study. The chapter describes the
research design, the sampling techniques used to get the target population, data collection
procedure and the data collection methods. This section specifies the framework used in carrying
out the entire study to achieve the identified objectives.

3.2 Research design

Accoding to Bloomfield, and Fisher, (2019) a research design refers to the overall strategy that is
chooses to integrate in a logical way different components of the study while ensuring the effective
way of addressing the research problem, it’s a blueprint for the collection, measurement, and
analysis of data. The current study adopted a descriptive research design. The descriptive research
design is preferred because it can effectively analyses issues and non-quantified topics. Moreover,
this design can observe a phenomenon from a completely natural environment in unchanged
natural status. And lastly it has am ability to integrate quantitative and qualitative methods of data
collection (Siedlecki, 2020).

It can define the concept, by creating a profile of a group of problems, people, through the
collection of data and tabulation of the frequencies on research variables or their interaction
(Atmowardoyo, 2018). The choice of the descriptive survey research design was be based on the
fact that in the study, the research was based in the state of affairs already existing in the field and
no variable may be manipulated.

3.3 3.3. Study Area/site

The area of study is an area selected as an object of study, this specifies the area that the study
covered. The study site was be the Ministry of Justice, Constitution Rehabilitation and Religious
Affairs Puntland Somalia. This ministry is preferred because it a government ministry depicting
an inequality in income distribution thus the income inequality therefor e the study is meant to
ascertain the reasons as to why there in or no income inequality in the ministry.
3.4 Target Population.

The target population is the group of individuals or organization intends to conduct research in and
draw conclusions from. In cost-effectiveness analysis, characteristics of the target population and
any subgroups should be described clearly. Target population is the population which the
researcher wants to generalize the results of the study (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). The current
study comprised of 171 workers in management and employees of the Ministry of Justice,
Constitution Rehabilitation and Religious Affairs Puntland Somalia. Thus, targeted population for
this study were be individuals who are in top management, middle management and operational
level who age 18 years and above.

Table 3.1 Target Population

Category Target population Percentage (%)

Top Management 16 9.4
Middle Management 26 15.2
Operational level 90 52.9
Total 171 100

Source: Ministry of Justice Puntland State (2021)

3.4.1 Sample of the Study

The study used a stratified sampling technique in coming up with the study’s sample. This owes
to the fact that to ensure representation, of management and operational level of Ministry of
Justice, Constitution Rehabilitation and Religious Affairs Puntland Somalia, giving rise to a
heterogeneous population. According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), when population
members vary (heterogeneous), it is advantageous to sample each subpopulation (stratum)
independently by dividing members of the population into homogeneous subgroups before
sampling. This ensures that each subgroup is selected for the study. The study used a single
proportion method based on simple random sampling for sample size determination as it estimates
with a high level of precision (Schoemann, Boulton, & Short, 2017).

Moreover, Taro Yamane formula of (1967) was employed in establishing the sample of the
population. Following formula the sample was calculated form the target population as follows;
 N=Total Population size

While e = error margin (0.05)

Thus = 120 respondents

Table 3.2 sample population

Category Target population Sample size

Top Management 42 29
Middle Management 45 32
Operational level 45 32
Total 171 120
Sources: Researcher’s computation (2021)
3.5 Data Collection

3.5.1 Instrument of Data Collection

Since the data collected were primary data, questionnaires were used to collect the data.
Questionnaires was preferred for this study because it accords the respondent’s total independence
to respond to the questions without prejudice (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2008). The questionnaire
were semi-structured with closed ended questions. Questions were quantified through the use of a
five-point Likert scale in measuring the respondent’s opinion. The scale ranges from strongly
Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5), to enable the researcher to generate quantitative data that were
used in analyzing the nature of the relationship between determinants of inequality and salary
inequality.

3.5.1.1. Validity of Research Instrument

Validity refers to the accuracy of the research instrument to measure the intended answer. The
validity of the study used construct validity based on themes and concepts in the empirical
knowledge and theoretical literature. Construct validity were measured by expert opinions and
discussion with the supervisor.
3.5.1.2 Reliability of the Research Instrument

Reliability can be defined as a measure of the internal consistency of the research instruments. It
measures the level of correlation between statements measuring the same variable (O'Connor,
2018). The research instrument may be pilot tested before actual data collection to ensure that it
meets the reliability requirement before being adopted for data collection. A total of 36
questionnaires were used for piloting to represent 10% of the sample size. Cronbach’s Alpha was
calculated using the sprit half method to determine reliability. A value greater than 0.7was
considered reliable (Adel, Akbar, & Ehsan, 2019).

3.5.2 Data Collection Procedure

The researcher administered the instruments to the respondents in person. The questionnaires were
administered through the drop and pick method. Data was collected within a period of two weeks
which allowed the respondent to have enough time to fill the questionnaire.

3.6 Data Analysis and Presentation

Data analysis means to organize, provide structure, and elicit meaning. Analysis of qualitative data
is an active and interactive process (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2013). A descriptive statistic was
used for data analysis. This was done using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard
deviation. Findings were presented using tables and charts.

Before the collected data was processed, data preparation was done on the completed
questionnaires by editing, coding, entering, and cleaning the data. This helped in checking for
completion and accuracy of the responses. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and
multiple regression analysis with the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
version 14.0.

3.7 Ethical Considerations

To ensure ethical considerations are adhered to, authorization letters from all the relevant
authorities was requested which is a letter from Puntland state University. Moreover, researchers
seek informal consent from the respondents, and only those willing was allowed to participate in
the study otherwise the research is voluntary. The researcher ensured that privacy was adhered to
and no victimization.