Research Methodology

Chapter 10
Research Methods - Part III
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 List of Contents
 Survey Method  Literature Review Research
• Definition Method
• Techniques of Survey Methods • Definition
 Library Research Method • Features
• Steps  Focus Group Research Method
 Historical Research Method • Pros
• Definition • Cons
• Methods Of Data Collection • Data Collection Tools
• Sources  Methods For Analyzing Data
• Historical criticism • Quantitative Analysis Methods
 Evaluation Research Methods • Quantitative vs Qualitative Analysis
• Definition Methods
• Features
 6. Survey Research Method

 Survey research is the most popular mean of data collection in almost

every branch of social sciences.
 It finds its applications in election poll results (election surveys),
literacy rate, and population rate analysis.
 The survey research methods help the researchers understand the
actual ground reality of the event by analyzing the social views,
attitudes, behavior, and opinions of the people.
 The researchers use various techniques of survey research methods,
which are briefly discussed below.
 i. Direct Interviews

 An interview process involves direct communication between the

interviewer/researcher (who asks the question) and the
interviewee/respondent (who answers the questions).
 Interviews give better in-depth results than any other technique of
data collection as the researcher gets first-hand information about
the respondent’s mind through communication and observation of
his/her behavior.
 i. Direct Interviews…

 Interviews may be structured or unstructured, when the

researcher prepares the sequential list of the questions about
when and what questions to be asked in the interview, it is called
a structured interview.
 Whereas if the questions to be asked in the interview are not
pre-planned, and flexibility is provided to the interviewer to ask
questions according to the situation, then it is called the
unstructured interview.
 i. Direct Interviews…

 The responses to the questions in the case of structured interviews

are also specified to some extent, such questions are called close-
ended questions, while in the case of unstructured interviews, the
respondent is free to answer the questions according to his/her
desire, and these types of questions are called open-ended
questions.
 For instance, if you ask the respondent whether he/she likes the
coffee, then the answer would be either yes or no, i.e., a close-
ended question.
 i. Direct Interviews…

 However, if you ask the respondents about their hobbies, then

the respondent will answer it according to his/her will, hence it
is an open-ended question.
 An interview can be of the following types, depending upon the
number of interviewers and interviewees involved in the
interview.
 Example of Direct Interview

 One to One Interview: When only the interviewer and one

interviewee are present in the interview process.
 Individual to group Interview: When one interviewer
interviews a group of people.
 Group to Individual: It is also called group panel interview, in this
case, an individual is interviewed by a group of interviewers.
 Group to Group: When a group of interviewers, interviews a
group of interviewees.
 ii. Telephonic or Digital Surveys

 Telephonic surveys involve asking questions about the survey through

direct calls or messages.
 Digital surveys through ‘Google forms’ are also commonly used these
days.
 Telephone and digital surveys are easy to conduct, and they do not
consume much time.
 However, they have many limitations such as the results obtained
through them are not much reliable because in this method the
researcher does not have proper evidence of certain factors like
respondents’ age, gender, and qualifications, etc.
 iii. Questionnaires

 Questionnaires consist of a well-structured set of questions that are

distributed to the people to mark or write the answers.
 The questions can be open-ended or close-ended, depending upon
the type of survey.
 It is one of the most commonly used survey techniques as it is easy
to conduct, less time-consuming, and a cost-effective method to
collect research information.
 iii. Questionnaires…

 It is a better method than the interview for obtaining accurate

answers because, in this method, the proper assurance of
confidentiality is provided to the respondent, hence the
respondent is more likely to mark the accurate answer.
 Earlier, only paper-based questionnaires were used, but due to
the advancement of technology, digital questionnaires, which are
sent to people through emails or google forms, are also used
these days.
 7. Library Research Method

 Library research method is an integral component of

research projects in most academic settings.
 This method is charged with the responsibility to carefully
examine relevant information in order to determine
usefulness, reliability, and authority in regard to the research
projects in which they are involved.
 Below are the seven steps in Library Research method.
 1. Keyword Searches

 Search relevant keywords in catalogs, indexes, search engines, and

full-text resources.
 Useful both to narrow a search to the specific subject heading and
to find sources not captured under a relevant subject heading.
 To search a database effectively, start with a Keyword search, find
relevant records, and then find relevant Subject Headings.
 In search engines, include many keywords to narrow the search and
carefully evaluate what you find.
 2. Subject Searches
 Subject Headings (sometimes called Descriptors) are specific terms
or phrases used consistently by online or print indexes to describe
what a book or journal article is about.
 This is true of the library’s Catalog as well as many other
library databases.

3. Look for recent, scholarly books and articles.

 Within catalogs and databases, sort by the most recent date and
look for books from scholarly presses and articles from scholarly
journals.
 The more recent the source, the more up-to-date the references
and citations.
 4. Citation Searches in Scholarly Sources

 Track down references, footnotes, endnotes, citations, etc. within

relevant readings.
 Search for specific books or journals in the library’s Catalog.
 This technique helps you become part of the scholarly conversation
on a particular topic.
 5. Searches Through Published Bibliographies

 including sets of footnotes in relevant subject documents.

 Published bibliographies on particular subjects (Shakespeare,
alcoholism, etc.) often list sources missed through other kinds of
searches.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY is a subject heading in the Catalog, so a Guided
Search with BIBLIOGRAPHY as a Subject and your topic as a
keyword will help you find these.
 6. Searches Through People Sources
 Searches through people sources(whether by verbal contact, e-
mail, etc.).
 People are often more willing to help than you might think.
 The people to start with are often professors with relevant
knowledge or librarians.
7. Systematic browsing, especially of full-text sources
arranged in predictable subject groupings.
 Libraries organize books by subject, with similar books shelved
together.
 Browsing the stacks is a good way to find similar books; however, in
large libraries, some books are not in the main stacks, so use the
catalog as well.
 8. Historical Research Method

 Historical method in education has been in use in the past to a

greater extent than any other method of research, during the
development of educational research.
 Historical method of research is also called the documentary
research as it makes use of historical documents and other records.
 It relates to the historical technique of research where historical
records, documents and relics are made use of in dealing with
problems on hand recounting some aspects of past life and critical
research for truth is made in the light of past events.
 Collection Of Data In Historical Research Method

 As compared to other method, collection of data in this method is

difficult.
 Historical data has to e inclusive. It will create a lot of confusion.
 So, researcher has to be on guard against it.
 He has to propose a number of headings into which the data may be
classified.
 The efforts of the historian in the collection of data are seriously
handicapped because of many difficulties.
 Collection Of Data In Historical Research Method…
1.He has not lived at the time and is thus removed from the events
that he investigates.
2.The recorded experiences are available in their exaggerated form
and are full of superfluous details.
3.The recorded experiences may be written form and outdated point
of view and do not suit present day requirements.
4.The records which have been destroyed cannot be created over
again. The available records are incomplete and otherwise defective in
several ways.
5.The historical data are not comparable to the materials of the
physical sciences. They have to be reconstructed in many cases from
unverifiable source.
 Sources of History

 Good has classified 2 sources of history, i.e., documents and remains

of relics.
 In documents we do not see events ourselves but in remains the
event is before us.
 The following is the list of documents:
1. Legislative acts such as laws etc.
2. Court decisions.
3. Reports of committee.
4. Proceedings of officers like NCERT.
5. Reports of commissions like Kothari Commission.
6. Newspapers and periodicals.
7. Autobiographies, letters, novels etc.
 Primary and Secondary Sources

Historical sources are of 2 kinds:

a. Primary Sources

 Primary sources are the original sources; the first witness to a

fact.
 Primary sources have been kept unconsciously or consciously.
 Tools, weapons, clothing, building, painting, coins etc, are the
examples of primary sources unconsciously kept.
 Autobiographies, letters, diaries etc, are consciously kept for
information.
 b. Secondary Source

 Secondary sources are the reports of the persons who

reported the testimony of an actual witness.
 The writer of the secondary source was not on the scene of
the event.
 Secondary sources are not trusted completely, but they
serve some useful purpose.
 Historical criticism
 The historians does not often use the methods of direct observation
since he gets much of his data from the reports of those who
witnessed or participated in these events, the data is subject to
historical criticism.
 It consists of 2 parts as under
i. External Criticism
 Through external criticism, the historian checks the validity of the
document and determine whether it is admissible as an evidence. For
this purpose, he asks many questions.
1. Why was the document produced? 2. When was the document
produced? 3. Who was the author of the document? 4. Is the language
authors?
 ii. Internal Criticism

After external criticism, the historian tries to find out the accuracy or
worth of the document. Following questions come to his mind:
1. Was the writer competent, unbiased, honest and actually
acquainted with the fact?
2. Was he subject to fear, pressure or vanity?
3. Is the witness in agreement with other competent witness?
 Internal criticism can be of positive nature or negative nature.
 When we attempt to seek the true and real meaning of the text, it is
called positive criticism.
 When we attempt to seek every possible reason for disbelieving the
statement, it is called negative criticism.
 9. Evaluation Research Methods

Evaluation research comprises of planning, conducting and analyzing the

results which include the use of data collection techniques and applying
statistical methods.
Some of the evaluation methods which are quite popular are input
measurement, output or performance measurement, impact or outcomes
assessment, quality assessment, process evaluation, benchmarking,
standards, cost analysis, organizational effectiveness, program evaluation
methods, and LIS-centered methods.
Evaluation research is more about information-processing and feedback
functions of evaluation.
 10. Literature Review Research Method
 Literature research methodology is to read through, analyze and sort
literatures in order to identify the essential attribute of materials.
 Its significant difference from other methodologies is that it does not
directly deal with the object under study, but to indirectly access to
information from a variety of literatures, which is generally referred to as
"non-contact method."
 Literature materials are the crystallization of wisdom, are the ocean of
knowledge, have important values for the development of human
society, history, culture and research scholars.
 Literature Review Research Method…

 Education researches shall fully share information, conduct

literature researches to grasp sources of relevant researches and
scientific developments.
 To understand what our predecessors have achieved, and the
progress made by other researchers.
 However, in the ocean of knowledge of such a vast amount of
information, we should choose representative literatures.
 11. Focus Group Research Method

 The opposite of quantitative research which involves numerical-

based data, this data collection method focuses more on
qualitative research.
 It falls under the primary category for data based on the feelings
and opinions of the respondents.
 This research involves asking open-ended questions to a group of
individuals usually ranging from 6-10 people, to provide feedback.
 Pros And Cons of Focus Group Research Method

Pros
 Information obtained is usually very detailed.
 Cost-effective when compared to one-on-one interviews.
 It reflects speed and efficiency in the supply of results.
Cons
 Lacking depth in covering the nitty-gritty of a subject matter.
 Bias might still be evident.
 Requires interviewer training
 The researcher has very little control over the outcome.
 A few vocal voices can drown out the rest.
 Difficulty in assembling an all-inclusive group.
 What are the best Data Collection Tools for Focus
Groups?

 A focus group is a data collection method that is tightly facilitated

and structured around a set of questions.
 The purpose of the meeting is to extract from the participants'
detailed responses to these questions.
 The best tools for tackling Focus groups are:
 Tools For Tackling Focus groups
Two-Way

 One group watches another group answer the questions posed by the
moderator.
 After listening to what the other group has to offer, the group that
listens are able to facilitate more discussion and could potentially draw
different conclusions.
Dueling-Moderator

 There are two moderators who play the devil’s advocate.

 The main positive of the dueling-moderator focus group is to facilitate
new ideas by introducing new ways of thinking and varying viewpoints.
 Methods for
Analyzing Data
 Methods for Analyzing Data

 Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you
collect and how you prepare it for analysis.
 Data can often be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively.
 For example, survey responses could be analyzed qualitatively by
studying the meanings of responses or quantitatively by studying
the frequencies of responses.
 Qualitative Analysis Methods
 Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and
experiences.
 You can use it to interpret data that was collected:
 From open-ended survey and interview questions, literature reviews,
case studies, and other sources that use text rather than numbers.
 Using non-probability sampling methods.
 Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the
researcher’s judgement, so you have to reflect carefully on your
choices and assumptions.
 Quantitative Analysis Methods

 Quantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand

frequencies, averages and correlations (in descriptive studies) or cause-
and-effect relationships (in experiments).
 You can use quantitative analysis to interpret data that was collected
either:
 During an experiment.
 Using probability sampling methods.
 Because the data is collected and analyzed in a statistically valid way, the
results of quantitative analysis can be easily standardized and shared
among researchers.