Today’s Lesson: Methodology

and It’s content

Jason S.
Jason S. Brozo
Brozo
 Objectives

 Discuss what is methodology and

its content
 Enumerate and identify its parts
 Apply the knowledge by performing
the Science Investigatory Research
(SIR)
 Research Methodology

 simply refers to the practical “how” of a

research study and how a researcher
systematically designs a study to ensure
valid and reliable results that address the
research aims, objectives and research
questions.
 Research Methodology

 How the researcher went about

deciding:
- What type of data to collect (e.g.,
qualitative or quantitative data)
- Who to collect it from (i.e., the sampling
strategy)
 Research Methodology

 How the researcher went about

deciding:
- How to collect it (i.e., the data collection
method)
- How to analyse it (i.e., the data analysis
methods)
 01
Materials and Methods
Materials and Methods
State the materials needed on
your research briefly. State the
quality and quantity of every
materials you have
Materials and Methods

You can also include the

methods on how will your
Investigatory Research starts
and end
Types of Data
 Types of Data

Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods

are different types of methodological
approaches, distinguished by their focus on
words, numbers or both. This is a bit of an
oversimplification, but its a good starting point
for understanding.
 Types of Data

Qualitative research refers to research which

focuses on collecting and analyzing words
(written or spoken) and textual or visual data,
whereas quantitative research focuses on
measurement and testing using numerical data
 Types of Data

mixed-method methodology attempts to

combine the best of both qualitative and
quantitative methodologies to integrate
perspectives and create a rich picture.
 03
Sampling Strategy
 Sampling Strategy

sampling is about deciding who (or where)

you’re going to collect your data from. There
are many different sampling methods you can
choose from, but the two overarching categories
are probability sampling and non-probability
sampling.
 Sampling Strategy

Probability sampling involves using a

completely random sample from the group of
people you’re interested in. This is comparable
to throwing the names all potential participants
into a hat, shaking it up, and picking out the
“winners”.
 Sampling Strategy

By using a completely random sample, you’ll

minimize the risk of selection bias and the
results of your study will be more generalizable
to the entire population.
 Sampling Strategy

Non-probability sampling, on the other hand,

doesn’t use a random sample. For example, it
might involve using a convenience sample,
which means you’d only interview or survey
people that you have access to (perhaps your
friends, family or work colleagues), rather than
a truly random sample.
 04
Data Collection
Methods
 Data Collection Methods

data collection methods simply refers to the way

in which you go about collecting the data for
your study.
 Data Collection Methods

Some of the most common data collection

methods include:
● Interviews (which can be unstructured, semi-
structured or structured)
● Focus groups and group interviews
● Surveys (online or physical surveys)
 Data Collection Methods

● Observations (watching and recording

activities)
● Biophysical measurements (e.g., blood
pressure, heart rate, etc.)
● Documents and records (e.g., financial
reports, court records, etc.)
 Data Collection Methods

● The choice of which data collection method

to use depends on your overall research aims
and research questions, as well as
practicalities and resource constraints.
 05
Data Analysis methods
 Data Collection Methods

● Data analysis methods refer to the methods

and techniques that you’ll use to make sense
of your data. These can be grouped according
to whether the research is qualitative (words-
based) or quantitative (numbers-based).
 Data Collection Methods

Popular data analysis methods in qualitative

research include:
● Qualitative content analysis
● Thematic analysis
● Discourse analysis
 Data Collection Methods

Popular data analysis methods in qualitative

research include:
● Narrative analysis
● Interpretative phenomenological analysis
(IPA)
● Visual analysis (of photographs, videos, art,
etc.)
 Data Collection Methods

Qualitative data analysis all begins with data

coding, after which an analysis method is
applied. In some cases, more than one analysis
method is used, depending on the research aims
and research questions.
 Data Collection Methods

Moving on to the quantitative side of things,

popular data analysis methods in this type of
research include:
● Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, medians,
modes)
● Inferential statistics (e.g. correlation,
regression, structural equation modelling)
 Data Collection Methods

Again, the choice of which data collection

method to use depends on your overall research
aims and objectives, as well as practicalities and
resource constraints.
How do I choose a
research Method?
 Choosing Methodology

● The starting point for developing your

research methodology is to take a step back
and look at the big picture of your research,
before you make methodology decisions.
The first question you need to ask yourself is
whether your research is exploratory or
confirmatory in nature.
 Choosing Methodology

● If your research aims and objectives are

primarily exploratory in nature, your
research will likely be qualitative and
therefore you might consider qualitative data
collection methods (e.g. interviews) and
analysis methods (e.g. qualitative content
analysis).
 Choosing Methodology
● Conversely, if your research aims and objective
are looking to measure or test something (i.e.
they’re confirmatory), then your research will
quite likely be quantitative in nature, and you
might consider quantitative data collection
methods (e.g. surveys) and analyses (e.g.
statistical analysis).
 Choosing Methodology
● Designing your research and working out your
methodology is a large topic, which we cover
extensively on the blog. For now, however, the
key takeaway is that you should always start
with your research aims, objectives and research
questions (the golden thread). Every
methodological choice you make needs align
with those three components.
 References
● GradCoach: What is Research Method: A Plain-
Language Explanation & Definition (With
Examples) By Derek Jansen (MBA) and Kerryn
Warren (PhD) June 2020, (Last update: April
2023)
● https://gradcoach.com/what-is-research-method
ology/