Research Methods (Sta630)

SPRING 2024
RESEARCH METHODS (STA630)
ASSIGNMENT NO. 1
Due date: 29th April 2024 Total marks: 10
Topic: Important characteristics of scientific methods
Objective of the Assignment:
To familiarize the students with the important characteristics of scientific methods.
Learning Outcome:
After attempting this activity, students will be able to comprehend and apply the characteristics
of scientific methods in real-time scenarios. They will also be able to answer questions in their
exams related to characteristics of scientific methods.
Scenario:
Zarah, a team lead of the marketing department at a renowned social media company, arranges a
brainstorming session with her social media team. The discussion focuses on generating
innovative ideas to enhance user satisfaction with the mobile app.
The team suggested conducting an online survey to gather valuable feedback directly
from users. They designed a comprehensive survey containing close-ended questions that
covered topics such as app usage patterns, useful features, user preference, ease of use, and
suggestions for improvement. Additionally, open-ended questions were also included in the
survey to capture qualitative insights.
Excited about the potential feedback, Zarah and her team actively monitor user responses
from the survey. They are confident that this information will be instrumental in upgrading and
improving the mobile app.
REQUIREMENTS:
Which five important characteristics of the scientific method, as outlined in your research
methodology course, are addressed in the provided scenario, and which ones are either not met
or not discussed? Justify your answer as well.
Characteristic Met (✔) / Not Met (❌) with justification

Empirical Met (✔) / Not Met (❌): ✔
Justification: The scenario involves collecting
data through an online survey to gather
feedback directly from users of the mobile app.
This data collection process is empirical
because it relies on observation and
experimentation, aligning with the empirical
characteristic of the scientific method.
Verifiable Met (✔) / Not Met (❌): ✔
Justification: The survey responses collected
from users can be verified by reviewing the
survey results. Other researchers or team
members can also replicate the survey process
to confirm the consistency and accuracy of the
findings, meeting the verifiable characteristic
of the scientific method.
Cumulative Met (✔) / Not Met (❌): ✔
Justification: The scenario involves
accumulating feedback and insights from users
through the online survey. This accumulated
data can be used over time to inform decision-
making processes, identify trends, and guide
future improvements to the mobile app,
aligning with the cumulative characteristic of
the scientific method.
Deterministic Met (✔) / Not Met (❌): ❌
Justification: The scenario does not explicitly
involve testing hypotheses or predicting
outcomes based on deterministic relationships
between variables. While the survey aims to
gather feedback and insights from users, it does
not involve testing specific cause-and-effect
relationships or deterministic principles, thus
not meeting the deterministic characteristic of
the scientific method.
Statistical Generalization Met (✔) / Not Met (❌): ❌
Justification: The scenario does not mention
the use of statistical analysis or generalization
techniques to draw conclusions beyond the
surveyed population. While the survey collects
data from users, it does not mention statistical
analysis methods or the application of findings
to broader populations, thus not meeting the
statistical generalization characteristic of the
scientific method.
In summary:
Characteristics Met: Empirical, Verifiable and Cumulative
Characteristics Not Met: Deterministic, Statistical Generalization
Note: The solution should be provided in the following table. Failure to provide the answer as
suggested will result in a deduction of marks
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
• Students are advised to study the whole text carefully.
• Try not to include any irrelevant material in the solution.
• Try to come up with precise and original answers.
• Any act of plagiarism like copy paste from internet will result in ZERO marks.
• Assignments reaching after the due date would not be considered.
• Make sure to upload the solution file before the due date on VULMS.
• Any submission made via email after the due date will not be accepted.
FORMATTING GUIDELINES:
• Use the font style “Times New Roman” or “Arial” and font size “12”.
• It is advised to compose your document in MS-Word format.
• Use black font color only.
RULES FOR MARKING:
Please note that your assignment will not be graded or graded as Zero (0), if:
• It is submitted after the due date.
• The file you uploaded does not open or is corrupt.
• It is in any format other than MS-Word or Open Office; e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, PDF etc.
• It is cheated or copied from other students, internet, books, journals etc.

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SPRING 2024

RESEARCH METHODS (STA630)

Due date: 29th April 2024 Total marks: 10

Topic: Important characteristics of scientific methods

Objective of the Assignment:

To familiarize the students with the important characteristics of scientific methods.

Characteristic Met (✔) / Not Met (❌) with justification

Characteristics Met: Empirical, Verifiable and Cumulative

Characteristics Not Met: Deterministic, Statistical Generalization

• Students are advised to study the whole text carefully.

• Try not to include any irrelevant material in the solution.

• Try to come up with precise and original answers.

• Assignments reaching after the due date would not be considered.

• It is advised to compose your document in MS-Word format.

• Use black font color only.

RULES FOR MARKING:

• It is submitted after the due date.

• The file you uploaded does not open or is corrupt.

• It is cheated or copied from other students, internet, books, journals etc.

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