Research

Methodology
MCT-500
LECTURE 6
(10-03-2016)
Dr. Ummul Baneen
 Revision
 What is Research Methodology? To do before Mid
 Why studying research methodology is important?  Structure Of A Research Paper /
Thesis
 How to start your research?
 Writing Tools
 Framing a research proposal • Research Design
 Research Overview Coversheet
 Literature Review  Assigned Tasks
 Structuring the literature review  Research overview coversheet
 Discussing and evaluating the literature review  03 Article critiques
 Literature Review
 Article critique
 Introduction
 Critical reading
> Complete Research Proposal
 Questions to ask when to evaluate academic text
 Effective note-taking from written text
 Submission Today
Task 4 – Introduction
Reminder:
For Mid-term Evaluation, you are required to submit a
complete camera-ready research proposal
Due Date: 21 March, 2016 (Week 8)
 Reminder - Task 5
Submission on 17-03-2016
• Abstract – answering all 5W’s and 1H
• Theoretical framework – which theoretical approach will be employed in

•
your research
Methodology - You should justify the methodology you intend to use – why it

• How you will gather the data and how you will use the data to answer your
is the most appropriate one in addressing your research question?

•
research question

•
Consider any weaknesses/limitations that may occur.

•
Which resources you think you might use? (-will detail the expenditure)
Significance of Research – contribution of your research to the subject

•
area.
Timeline – Try to be realistic with your timeframe and try to over estimate

•
the period for each task
References
 RESEARCH DESIGN
“A research design is the arrangement of conditions for
collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to
procedure*.”
combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in

*Research Methodology: Methods and Technique by C.R. Kothari

Types of Research
Research Design
 Descriptive vs. Analytical
• Descriptive:
• Attempts to determine, describe, or identify what is?
• Surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds.
• In which information is collected without changing the
environment* ori.hhs.gov
• Analytical:
• Attempts to establish why it is or how it came to be?
• Researcher has to use facts or information already available,
and analyse these to make a critical evaluation of the material.
• For e.g., in the previous example the research of why the
cancer rate is higher in Community A.
 Descriptive
A researcher wants to know why individuals in Community A have a higher rate of a
rare form of cancer when compared to those living in Community B. To find out the
reasons for the differences in cancer rates in these two communities, the investigator
surveyed residents about their lifestyle, noted the types of businesses that were
present in the community and searched medical records. The researcher found that
the headquarters for the Toxico Chemical Plant is located in Community A, there is a
higher rate of cigarette smoking in this community and residents tended to delay or
skip going to the doctor for an annual checkup. In Community B, the largest
employer was a department store and on average, residents did not smoke as much as
residents from Community A. However, like individuals from Community A,
Community B residents tended to delay or skip their annual checkup with their
doctor.
 Applied vs. Fundamental
• Applied research:
• Aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a
society or an industrial/business organisation.
• To discover a solution for some pressing practical problem.
• Fundamental (basic or pure) research:
• Mainly concerned with generalisations and with the
formulation of a theory.
• Finding information that has a broad base of applications and
thus, adds to the already existing organized body of scientific
knowledge.
• Examples: research related to some natural phenomenon or
relating to pure mathematics, gravitational waves etc
Applied Research Topic Examples smoking among youth or adults?
• Has U.S. policy contributed to terrorism? • How can obesity be prevented?
• How to abolish hate crime • What effect does fast food have on overall health?
• How can bullying be prevented? • How can social anxiety be overcome?
• How to reverse or manage global warming • How does social media change individual’s perception
• Is mercury poisoning affecting intellectual disorders? of society and themselves?
• Should vaccinations be avoided to prevent autism? • Does marriage prevent certain mental or physical
• What methods can be used to prevent criminals from illnesses?
acting again? • In what ways can depression be managed without
• What is causing increased poverty? medication?
• How can the achievement gap of students from • Do government enforced regulations help or
various socio-economic backgrounds be bridged in stigmatize those in “oppressed” groups (such as
education? affirmative action or Title IX in women’s sports)?
• How can cyber security be improved? • Is there a wage gap between men and women in the
• What types of additives are acceptable and healthy for Pakistan, and if so, why?
manufacturers to use in human food products? • Is multi-tasking helpful or hurtful?
• Is irradiation of beef healthy for consumers? • Are children of working mothers at any long term
• Is genetically modified food hurting health? disadvantage as opposed to children of stay at home
• How does immigration affect the economy? mothers?
• Is technology use for children helpful or harmful? • What are ways to improve school readiness for
• Is violence in the media and in video games damaging children?
children’s mental health? • Is technology creating a “dumbing down” of
• Are there ways to prevent juvenile offenders from individuals?
becoming lifelong criminals? • How does tobacco use in various forms affect
• How is the media affecting females’ body humans?
perceptions? • Does marijuana pose a greater or smaller health risk
• Would a change in welfare policy spur an increase in than tobacco, when smoked?
individuals seeking work? • Can marijuana cause the kind of impairment requiring
• What changes are necessary to create jobs? it to be regulated like alcohol?
• How does the consumption of oil in the United States
affect its economy?
• How would the legalization of some drugs affect
various groups within society?
• What type of anti-smoking campaigns can reduce
 Quantitative vs. Qualitative
• Quantitative research:
• Based on measurement of quantity or amount.
• Has several key concepts  elements, populations, sampling criteria, sampling
errors, randomisation etc
• Quantitative methods are good for comparing data or statistics systematically
and testing theories or make generalizations about an entire population.
• Qualitative research: common in behavioural sciences
• Concerned with qualitative phenomenon relating to or involving quality or kind.
–For example
• Motivation research – reasons for human behaviour (why people think or do certain things)
• Attitude or opinion research – how people feel or what they think about a particular subject
or institution
• Qualitative methods are best for when researchers want to make discoveries
about changing realities.
Quantitative research:
For example, to look at the efficiency of a particular nursing care on reducing the anxiety of elderly
men in hospital for joints problem, then your sample will obviously be made up of:
• men
• elderly men (you will have to determine and define what you mean by elderly in terms of age)
• men with joints problem

Within that group, you will need to determine your inclusion/exclusion criteria

• For example, exclusion based on marital status, native language speaker etc.

What will be samples for your case? Any inclusion/exclusion?

Which type of research is required?

• Exploring how children use video games (interviews mixed with observation of the
children)
• A study of the effects of crossed legs on blood pressure readings
 Conceptual vs. Empirical
• Conceptual research:
• Related to some abstract idea or theory.
• Generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new
concepts or to reinterpret existing ones.
• What causes disease? How can we describe the motions of the
planets? What are the building blocks of matter? – researcher
thinks about them to solve these problems, he does no
experiments but may make use of observations by others.
• Empirical/Experimental 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.
 Empirical
Aristotle taught that large cannonballs fell to earth faster than small ones,
and many generations the same theory was followed until Galileo proved
them wrong.
He performed original experiments not merely to destroy old theories
but to provide the basis for new theories.

• The researcher must first provide a working hypothesis or guess as to the

probable results.
• Then he works to get enough facts/data to prove or disprove his hypothesis.
• Next, he sets up experimental designs so as to bring forth the desired
information.
 Research Design
The way Research design is developed, is affected by
whether the research question is
• Explorative • Predictive
• Descriptive • Evaluative
• Explanatory • Historical
 Research Design
• Exploratory (or formulative) research – objective is to gather
preliminary information that will help define problems and suggest
hypotheses.
• Descriptive research – what is going on?
• Population census, collection of wide range of social
indicators and economic information such as household
expenditure patterns, employment and crime statistics etc
• ‘Is the level of social inequality increasing or declining?’, or
‘How much poverty is there in this community?’
• Good description provokes the ‘why’ questions of
explanatory research.
• Explanatory research – why is it going on?
• Focuses on why questions – why the crime rate is as high as it is?
Question Question Examples
type
Evaluative What was the outcome of • Has the new TB awareness
x? programmer produced a decline in
Has P been successful? reportable TB cases?
• Has the introduction of a new
refrigeration technology led to more
cost-effective production?
Predictive What will be the effect of • What effect will the introduction of a
x on y? new antibiotic have on population P?
Historical What led to y happening? • What caused the demise of socialism
What were the events that in Central Europe during the late
led up to y? eighties?
What caused y? • What led US to decide attack
Afghanistan?
 After Mid, you need to bring sections from
any research paper related to each type of
research design.

You will present (at least 3) it in front of the

class.