LECTURE No.

3B

ELEMENTS OF RESEARCH:

1. Research Design
2. Research Approach
1. Research Design
1) Purpose Of The Study/Project Work
(The Research Design)
 ExploratoryStudy
 Explanatory Study

 Descriptive Study
 Hypotheses Testing
 Designing & Building
Electronic Device
Exploratory Study

 AnExploratory Study Is Undertaken

When Not Much Is Known About
The Situation At Hand.

 Or:No Information Is Available On

How Similar Problems Or Research
Issues Have Been Solved In The
Past.
 Exploratory study(2)
 Therefore,

– Extensive Preliminary Works Need

To Be Done To Gain Familiarity
With A Given Phenomenon

– To Understand What Is Occurring

Before Proceeding Further, Etc
 Example
 Interviewing Field Engineers To Explore
Variables (KPIs) that Influence
Network QoS Performance.

 Based On The Analysis Of Interview

Data,
– Formulate Concepts, Models,
Suggestions, Propositions, Theories;

Thatcan Help To Solve The

Research Problem.
 Explanatory Study
 It Is An Attempt To Connect Ideas To Understand
Causes, Effects, Meanings & Interpretations That
Researchers Give;
– E.g., What Is Going On Here? What Went Wrong?

 Does Not Occur Until There Is Enough

Understanding To Begin To Predict What
Will Come Next Time With Very High
Accuracy.
– It Explains Why A Phenomenon Is Going on
– It Can Be Used For Hypothesis Testing
 Descriptive Study
 A Descriptive Study Is Undertaken To
Be Able To Describe X’tics Of Variables
Of Interest In A Situation.

 Descriptive Learns About & Describes

The X’tics Of People (Individuals &
Groups), Equipment, Networks,
Technology, Industry, Market, Etc.
– Studies Are Undertaken To Collect
Data For Analysis
 Descriptive Study
 Descriptive Studies Are
Undertaken To:


– Understand The X’tics Of Participants

Follow Certain Common Practices.

– Evaluate/Examine The Performance

Of Telecom Networks, Operators, Etc.
 Examples
 Descriptive In Nature
 Description Of The Root Causes Of The
Poor Performance Of Mobile Network
Operators In Ghana, E.g.:

 Inadequate Network Capacity

 Insufficient Information Bandwidth
 Limited Data Speed
Lack of Human/Professional Capacity
 Etc.
 Examples
 DescribeThe Group….
(The Age, The Educational Level, Job
Status, Responsibilities, Etc)

 Describe The Organization/ Study

Setting:
– Describe The X’tics Of The
Organization Offering Telecom
Services In Ghana, Chad, Japan, Etc
Hypotheses Testing Study
 Usually Explains The Nature Of Certain
Relationships,
 E.g., “Vodafone Network Performs Better
Than MTN”
– Such Statement Must Be Tested To Establish The
Differences In The Performances Of The Two
Networks

• Zain Has Few Customers, But Glo Has

Fewer ,
• Done To Establish Customer-base Capabilities
Of 2 Networks
 Types of investigation

 CasualStudy: When A Researcher

Wants To Determine The Causes
Of One Or More Problems.

 Correlational
Study: When A
Researcher Wants To Determine
The Important Variables
Associated With The Problem
 Examples
 Casual study:
 Does Inadequate Network Capacity
Lead To Network Congestion?

 Correlational Study:

Is Network Congestion Related To

Network QoS?
Extent Of Researcher Interference

A Correlational Study Is
Conducted In The Natural
Environment Of An
Organization

– With Minimum Interference By

The Researcher With The
Normal Flow Of Work.
 An Example
 If
A Researcher Wants To Study The
Factors Influencing Network
optimization Algorithm
– In Order To Collect Relevant Data,
– Analyze Them
– To Come Up With:
Research Results

Research Findings

Research Conclusions

Research Recommendations
Extent Of Researcher Interference
A Cause & Effect Relationships:
 A Researcher Wants To Study The
Influence Of Lighting On Workers’
Performance, & Manipulates The
Lighting In The Work Situation.
– So The Researcher Interferences
With The Natural & Normal
Settings At The Work Place
 Study Setting
 CorrelationalStudies Are
Conducted In Non- contrived
Settings ( Natural)

A Cause & Effect Studies Are

Conducted In Contrived Lab
Settings (Artificial Settings).
 Field Studies
 This Is Where Various
Factors Are Examined In
Natural Settings,
–Daily Activities Go On As
Normal With Minimal
Researcher Interference
 FIELD EXPERIMENTS
 Here, Cause & Effect Relationships Are Studied
With Some Amount Of Researcher Interference,
– But Still In The Natural Settings Where Work
Continues In The Normal Fashion.

 Example: Cause & Effect Of Network

Operation & Maintenance Training After A
Week, A Month, 3 Months ……

 Cause & Effect Of Installing Network

Optimization Software In MTN Nwk.
 Lab Experiments
 Here,The Researcher Explores
Cause & Effect Relationships Not
Only Exercising A High Degree Of
Control But Also In An Artificially
Created Settings.

Example: Students’ Samples At

Digital Electronic Labs.
Unit Of Analysis / Population To
Be Studies
 Individuals As A Unit Of Analysis
 Groups As A Unit Of Analysis

 Organization As A Unit Of Analysis

 Industry As A Unit Of Analysis

 Equipment As A Unit Of Analysis

 Network As A Unit Of Analysis

 Technology AS A Unit Of Analysis

 Country As A Unit Of Analysis

 Time Horizon
 Cross-sectional Studies ( One
Shot)

AStudy Can Be Done In Which

Data Are Gathered Just Once,
– Over A Period Of Days Or
– Weeks Or Months.
 Time horizon (2)
 Longitudinal Studies:
– When The Researcher Would Like To Study
People Or Phenomena At More Than One Point In
Time In Order To Answer The Researcher
Questions.

 Example:
– Evaluation Of Equipment / Network
Performance Before & After
Expansion/Rehabilitation Works
– Study of A Family
– Study of A Crime Case
Designing & Building Electronic Device
1. State Your Design Concept
2. Develop A Block Diagram
3. Describe Your Block Diagram
4. Design A Circuit Diagram With Theoretical Design
Specifications
5. Describe Your Cct Diagram & Discuss Your Initial Design
Specifications
6. Simulate Your Cct Diagram To Obtain Practical Design
Specifications
7. Analyze Your Simulation Results In Relation To The
Theoretical Values / Parameters
8. Build / Construct Your Device With Your Simulated
Parameters
9. Test Your Device
10. Analyze Your Test Results In The Next Chapter
 2. Research Approach
 Research Approach/Strategy is:
 A Plan of action that gives direction to conduct research
systematically & efficiently.
 It is a plan & procedure that consist of steps of broad
assumptions to detailed methods of data collection, analysis, &
interpretation.
 It is a vital part of any scientific study regardless of the research
area.
 It is based on the nature of the research problem being addressed.
 There are 3 Basic But Vital Research Approaches:
 Quantitative
 Qualitative,
 Mixed Methods.

 The Quantitative Research Approach Is Utilized For:

 Collecting & Analyzing Statistical Data (Numerical/Figures),
 Testing objective theories by examining the relationship among
variables.
 These variables, in turn, can be measured, typically on
instruments,
 So that numbered data can be analyzed using statistical
procedures.
 It is framed using numbers & closed-ended questions such as in
hypotheses.

 .
 The qualitative research approach is used for:
 Gathering & Analyzing Non-statistical Data (Textual
Information)

 Exploring & understanding the meaning of

individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human
problem.

 It is outlined using words and open-ended questions

such as interviews
 The Mixed Methods Research Approach Is Used For:

 Collecting Both Quantitative & Qualitative Data,

 Integrating The Two Forms Of Data, And Using Distinct Designs That
May Involve Philosophical Assumptions Theoretical Frameworks.

 The Core Assumption Of This Form Of Inquiry Is That:

 The Combination Of Qualitative & Quantitative Approaches Provides

A More Complete Understanding Of A Research Problem Than Either
Approach Alone.

 It Incorporates Elements Of Both Qualitative And Quantitative

Approaches.
 END OF
LECTURE No.
3B