Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction To Research Methodology
Introduction To Research Methodology
INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
S.Kirubadevi,
Assistant Professor.
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. MEANING OF RESEARCH
2. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
3. CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH
4. CRITERIA OF A GOOD RESEARCH
5. QUALITIES OF GOOD RESEARCH
6. RESEARCH MOTIVATIONS
7. TYPES OF RESEARCH
8. PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH
9. RESEARCH APPROACHES
10. RESEARCH PROCESS
11. LITERATURE REVIEW
12. HYPOTHESIS
13. CRITERIA OF GOOD RESEARCH
14. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY RESEARCHERS
2
1.1 MEANING OF RESEARCH
Research in general refers to….
• A search for knowledge. A scientific and systematic search for
relevant information on a specific topic. Research is an art of scientific
investigation.
• Research is a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search
for new facts in any branch of knowledge.
• “Redman and Mory” define research as a “systematized effort to gain
new knowledge.”
• Research is a movement, a movement from the known to the unknown.
A voyage of discovery.
3
MEANING continued...
• “Clifford Woody” defines research as “a comprises defining and
redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested
solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making
deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing
the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating
hypothesis”.
• The main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been
discovered as yet.
6
1.4 CRITERIA OF A GOOD RESEARCH
• Conclusions justified.
• Systematic
• Logical
• Empirical
• Replicable
• Creative
8
1.6 RESEARCH MOTIVATIONS
9
1.7 TYPES OF RESEARCH
Types of
Research
10
1. Descriptive Vs Analytical research.
Descriptive research:
•Includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds.
•The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists
at present.
•The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher has no control over the
variables; he can only report what has happened or what is happening.
•Researchers discover causes even when they cannot control the variables.
•The methods of research utilized in descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds,
including comparative and correlational methods.
Analytical research:
•The researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze these to
make a critical evaluation of the material.
11
2. Applied vs. Fundamental.
Applied research:
•Aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business
organization.
•The central aim of applied research is to discover a solution for some pressing practical problem.
•Example for Applied research.
•Research aimed at certain conclusions (say, a solution) facing a concrete social or business problem.
•Research to identify social, economic or political trends that may affect a particular institution or the
copy research or the marketing research or evaluation research.
Fundamental research:
•is mainly concerned with generalizations and with the formulation of a theory.
•Fundamental research is directed towards finding information that has a broad base of applications
•Examples of fundamental research:
•Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure mathematics.
•Research carried on with a view to make generalizations about human behavior.
Qualitative research:
•is concerned with qualitative phenomenon.
•Phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind.
•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 fulfill a given quota.
13
4. Conceptual vs. Empirical:
Conceptual research:
•is that related to some abstract idea(s) or theory.
•It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret
existing ones.
Empirical research:
•relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regard for system and theory.
•It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified by
observation or experiment.
•We can also call it as experimental type of research.
•In such a research it is necessary to get at facts firsthand, at their source, and actively to go
about doing certain things to stimulate the production of desired information.
•In such a research, the researcher must first provide himself with a working hypothesis or
guess as to the probable results.
•He then works to get enough facts (data) to prove or disprove his hypothesis.
•He then sets up experimental designs which he thinks will manipulate the persons or the
materials concerned so as to bring forth the desired information.
•Evidence gathered through experiments or empirical studies is today considered to be the
most powerful support possible for a given hypothesis.
14
5. Some other types of research
• Historical Research: It is the study of past records and other information sources,
with a view to find the origin and development of a phenomenon and to discover
the trends in the past, in order to understand the present and to anticipate the
future.
15
1.8 PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH
• Not similar to science
• Uncontrollable variables
• Human tendencies
• Time and money
• Lack of computerization
• Lack of scientific training in the methodology of research
• Insufficient interaction between university research departments and
business establishments
• Lack of confidence on the part of business units to give information
• Lack of code of conduct
• Difficulty of adequate and timely secretarial assistance
• Poor library management and functioning
• Difficulty of timely availability of published data.
• Ignorance
• Research for the sake of research-limited practical utility though they may
use high sounding business jargon.
16
9. RESEARCH APPROACHES
Inferential
approach
Quantitative Experimental
Approach approach
Research
Approaches
Qualitative Simulation
Approach approach
17
1. Quantitative approach
• Quantitative approach involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to
rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion.
• The purpose of inferential approach to research is to form a data base from which to infer
characteristics or relationships of population.
• This usually means survey research where a sample of population is studied (questioned or
observed) to determine its characteristics, and it is then inferred that the population has the same
characteristics.
• Experimental approach is characterized by much greater control over the research environment and
in this case some variables are manipulated to observe their effect on other variables.
• Simulation approach involves the construction of an artificial environment within which relevant
information and data can be generated.
• This permits an observation of the dynamic behavior of a system (or its sub-system) under controlled
conditions.
18
2. Qualitative approach
• Qualitative approach to research is concerned with subjective assessment
of attitudes, opinions and behavior.
19
1.10 RESEARCH PROCESS
• Research process consists of series of actions or steps necessary
to effectively carry out research and the desired sequencing of
these steps.
20
21
(1) Formulating the research problem
22
a) What is a Research problem?
•The term ‘problem’ means a question or issue to be examined.
•Research Problem refers to some difficulty/need which a researcher experiences in the
context of either theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the
same.
23
d) Identification/selection of the research problem.
•This step involves identification of a few problems and selection of one out of them, after evaluating the
alternatives against certain selection criteria.
e) Sources of problems.
•Reading
•Academic Experience
•Daily Experience
•Exposure to Field Situations
•Consultations
•Brainstorming
•Research
•Intuition
f) Criteria of Selection
•The selection of one appropriate researchable problem out of the identified problems requires evaluation
of those alternatives against certain criteria. They are:
•Internal / Personal criteria – Researcher’s Interest, Researcher’s Competence, Researcher’s own
Resource: finance and time.
•External Criteria or Factors – Research-ability of the problem, Importance and Urgency, Novelty of the
Problem, Feasibility, Facilities, Usefulness and Social Relevance, Research Personnel.
24
g) Definition/formulation of the research problem.
•Formulation is the process of refining the research ideas into research questions and objectives.
•Formulation means translating and transforming the selected research problem/topic/idea into a
scientifically researchable question. It is concerned with specifying exactly what the research problem is.
•Problem definition or Problem statement is a clear, precise and succinct statement of the question or
issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution.
•There are two ways of stating a problem:
• Posting question / questions
• Making declarative statement / statements
a) Purpose of review
• To gain a background knowledge of the research topic.
• To identify the concepts relating to it, potential relationships between them and to
formulate researchable hypothesis.
• To identify appropriate methodology, research design, methods of measuring
concepts and techniques of analysis.
• To identify data sources used by other researchers.
• To learn how others structured their reports.
c) Sources of literature
•Books and Journals
•Electronic Databases
o Bibliographic Databases
o Abstract Databases
o Full-Text Databases
•Govt. and Industry Reports
•Internet
•Research Dissertations / Thesis
• Source Cards can be coded by a simple system in order to relate them to the corresponding note
cards.
• Marking a combination of letters and a number on the right hand top corner that begins with ‘C’. For
example; C1, C2 etc.
OR
• Marking the letter ‘B’ or ‘J’ or ‘R’ (B=Books, J=Journal, R=Report) on the left hand top corner.
• The recording of bibliographic information should be made in proper bibliographic format.
• The format for citing a book is: Author’s name, (year), Title of the book, Place of publication,
Publisher’s name.
• For Example; Koontz Harold (1980), Management, New Delhi, McGraw-Hill International.
•
• The format for citing a journal article is: Author’s name, (year), Title of the article, Journal name,
Volume (number), pages.
• For Example; Sheth J.N (1973), A Model of Industrial Buying Behavior, Journal of Marketing, 37(4), 50-
56.
• For Example; If you are referring the major influencing factors in the Sheth’s model of
Industrial Buying Behavior, it can be written as, Sheth (1973, p-50) has suggested that,
there are a number of influencing factors ……..
• According to Sheth (1973) model of industrial buying behavior, there are a number of
influencing factors……..
• In some models of industrial buying behavior, there are a number of influencing factors
(Sheth, 1973).
• In some models of industrial buying behavior, there are a number of influencing factors1.
• Sheth J.N (1973), A Model of Industrial Buying Behavior, Journal of Marketing, 37(4),
50-
56.
b. Variables
•Anything that can vary can be considered as a variable.
•A variable is anything that can take on differing or varying values.
o For example; Age, Production units, Absenteeism, Sex, Motivation, Income,
Height,
Weight etc.
•Note: The values can differ at various times for the same object or person (or) at the same
time for different objects or persons.
•A variable is a characteristic that takes on two or more values whereas; an attribute is a
specific value on a variable (qualitative).
o For example;
o The variable SEX/GENDER has 2 attributes - Male and Female.
o The variable AGREEMENT has 5 attributes – Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral,
Disagree, and Strongly Disagree.
Rajasekar Ramalingam - Research
32
Methodology
c. Types of variables
•Objectivity - It should not include value judgments, relative terms or any moral
preaching.
•Discussions with colleagues and experts about the problem, its origin
and objectives in seeking a solution.
•Continuity of research.
Casual Hypothesis
•Causal Hypothesis state that the existence of or change in one variable
causes or leads to an effect on another variable. The first variable is called the
independent variable and the latter is the dependant variable.
Alternate Hypothesis
•It is the hypothesis that describes the researcher’s prediction that, there exist
a relationship between two variables or it is the opposite of null hypothesis. It
is represented as HA or H1.