Research methodology Essay

Methodology and methods atomic number 18 two terms which have been utilise interchangeably often by scholars. The practice is unfortunate because they argon not the same. The former refers to philosophy and the latter refers to skilful outgrowths applied to conduct search. The record book methodological analysis comprises two nouns method and ology, which retrieves a branch of noesis hence, methodology is a branch of enjoyledge that deals with the general principles or axioms of the propagation of new knowledge. It refers to the rationale and the philosophical assumptions that underlie all(prenominal) natural, social or human science exact, whether articulated or not. Simply put, methodology refers to how from each angiotensin converting enzyme of logic, reality, values and what counts as knowledge inform enquiry.On the other hand, methods argon the techniques and social occasions followed to conduct enquiry, and argon determined by the methodology (i.e. humble o ut, entropy appeal, selective information analysis and results reporting, as wellhead as theories, conceptual frame figure outs, taxonomies and models). Even the counsel and intent of the seek, and the actual question questions themselves, are shaped by the methodology (McGregor, 2010). In methodology we study the various steps that are by and large adopted by a interrogationer in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods/techniques but also methodology. (Kothari, 2004).The succeeding(a) are the systematic analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed in research which define methodology 1. Formulating the seek ProblemThe definition of research question is the most in-chief(postnominal) step when undertaking any research as they give cathexis to the research method applied (Yin, 2003). Sebastian et al, (2011) explains that it requires an open mind small -arm form the research question. At the same season the researcher is required to familiarise with potential research methods and build awareness of their requirements. A researcher must(prenominal)iness examine all available literature to get himself acquainted with the selected problem.2. books ReviewA literature review discusses published information in a finical subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a sure time period. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers. Literature reviews hand over you with a handy guide to a particular topic and evoke give you an overview or act as a stepping st unrivaled. They also provide a solid background for a research papers investigation. Depending on the situation, the literature review may rate the sources and advise the renderer on the most pertinent or pertinent (The Writing Center, 2010-2013). For purposes of literature review analysising an d indexing journals,conference proceedings, government reports, books etc must be tapped depending on the nature of the problem.3. Developing a Working surmiseHypothesis is a statement of the predicted relationship surrounded by two or more than variables. As a reseracher you do not know astir(predicate) a phenomenon but you do have a hunch(theory) to form the basis of definite assumption or guesses. You test these by collecting information that willing enable you to conclude if your hunch was right. The verification passage have one of the three ouytcomes, right, partially right and wrong. Without this process of verification, you crowd outnot conclude anything or so the hardiness of your assumptions. Hence hypotheses is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, assertion or an idea about a phenomenon, relationship or situation, the reality or truth of which you do not know. These hypotheses form the basis for enquiry (Slideshare, 2013).4. Preparing Rearch Design Research frame is the arranging of conditions for ingathering and analysis of information in a particular panache that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure (Slideshare, 2013). In order to develop a complete research concept it is valuable to understand the nature of the point from philosophical point of view. adversity to think through philosophical issues put up seriouly affect the quality of centering resesearch (Eaterby-Smith et al, 2008). The steps involved in research design according to (Umesh) are a) The hold still fors of obtaining the informationb) The availability and skills of the researcher and his staff (if any) c) Explanation of the expressive style in which selected means of obtaining information will be organized and the cerebrate leading to the selection. d) The time available for researche) The cost accompanimentor relating to research i.e. the finance available for the purpose5. Determining assay Design Sample design is a defini te plan determined before any information are actually collected for obtaining a standard from a given population. The sample design to be apply must be decided by the researcher taking into consideration the nature of the dubiousness and other related factors. According to Statistics and opportunity Dictionary, (2013) a sample design is made up of two elements 1. Sampling method. Sampling method refers to the rules and procedures by which some elements of the population are included in the sample.Some of the rough-cut sample methods used are simple random try out, stratified sampling and cluster sampling. 2. Estimator. The estimation process for calculating sample statistics is called the estimator. Different sampling methods may use different estimators. For example, the dominion for computing a mean score with a simple random sample is different from the formula for computing a mean score with a stratified sample. The silk hat sample design depends on survey objectives a nd on survey resources.6. information CollectionAccording to Basic Tools for Process Improvement, information Collection, (1998-2013) information collection is obtaining useful information on key quality characteristics produced by your process. Data Collection enables a team to formulate and test working assumptions about a process and develop information that will lead to the returns of the key quality characteristics of the product or service. In summary, entropy collection helps to establish a factual basis to making a decision. For one to collect info uniformly, you will need to develop a data collection plan.The data collection plan developed should answer the following question 1. Why do we want the data? What will we do with the data after we have collected them? You must decide on a purpose for collecting the data 2. Whither will we collect data? The location where data are collected must be place clearly. 3. What type of data will we collect? In general, data can be classified into two major types attribute data and variables data 4. Who will collect the data? Those closest to the data, the process workers, should collect the data 5. How do we collect the right data? Collect data that shell describe the situation at hand.7. Data analysisEisenhardt, (1989) explains that analysis is an synergetic process started with the maturation and turn ination of an initial set of conjectural propositions ground on evidence from the first phase of data collection, during field work and the theoretical assumptions associated with the theoretical framework. According to Kothari, (2004) the term analysis refers to the computation of certain measures along with searching for patterns of relationships that exist among data-groups. Thus in the process of analysis, relationships or differences supporting or conflicting with original or new hypotheses should be subjected to statistical tests of significance to determine with what validity data can be s econom ic aid to indicate any conclusions.The process operations in data analysis are a. Editing it is a process of examining the collected crude(a) data to detect errors and ommsisions and to correct these where affirmable. b. Coding it refers to the process of assigning numerals or other symbols to answers so that solvents cab be put into a circumscribed number of categories or classes. c. Classification it is the process of arranging data in groups or classes on the basis of common characteristics. d. Tabulation it is to arrange data in some kind of neat and logical order.8. Hypothesis interrogatoryHypothesis testing refers to the formal procedures used by statisticians to accept or eradicate statistical hypotheses (What is Hypothesis Testing, 2013). Statisticians follow a formal process to determine whether to reject a null hypothesis, based on sample data (Statistics and Probability Dictionary, 2013). This process is called hypothesis testing. An hypothesis test consists of ca rdinal steps. a) spirt the hypotheses. This involves stating the null and alternative hypotheses. The hypotheses are stated in such(prenominal) a way that they are mutually exclusive.That is, if one is true, the other must be false and vice versa. b) Identify the test statistic. This involves specifying the statistics (e.g., a mean score, proportion) that will be used to assess the validity of the null hypothesis. c) Formulate a decision rule. A decision rule is a procedure that the researcher uses to decide whether to reject the null hypothesis. d) Test the null hypothesis. consumption the decision rule to evaluate the test statistic. If the statistic is consistent with the null hypothesis, you cannot reject the null hypothesis otherwise, reject the null hypothesis.9. InterpretationInterpretation refers to the assess of drawing inferences from the collected facts after an analytical and/or experimental study (Kothari, 2004). The task of variation has two major aspects viz., (i) the effort to establish persistence in research through linking the results of a given study with those of another, and (ii) the judicature of some explanatory concepts. Interpretation is considered a basic component of research process because of the following a) It is through interpretation that the researcher can well understand the summary principle that works beneath his findings.Through this he can link up his findings with those of other studies, having the same abstract principle, and thereby can predict about the concrete world of events. Fresh enquiries can test these predictions later on. This way the continuity in research can be maintained. b) Interpretation leads to the establishment of explanatory concepts that can serve as a guide for next research studies c) Researcher can collapse appreciate only through interpretation why his findings are what they are and can make others to understand the real significance of his research findings. d) The interpretation of t he findings of exploratory research study often results into hypotheses for experimental research and as suich interpretation is involved in the transition from exploratory to experimental research. 10. line WritingFeatures of bang-up report, (2013) defines a report as a forgather of informative makeup that describes a set of actions and analyses any results in response to a specific brief. A quick definition might be This is what I did and this is what it means. Kothari, (2004) outlines the following as different steps in physical composition a report a. Logical analysis of the subject matter thre are two ways in which to develop a subject (i) logically and (ii) chronologically. The logical development is made on the basis of mental connections and associations between the one thing and another by means of analysis. It contains existents from the simple possible to the most complex structures. Chronological development is based on a connection or sequence in time or occurrenc e, the directions for doing or making follow the chronological order. b. Preparation of the final outcome outlines are the framework upon which long written works are constructed.They are and aid to the logical organisation of the material and a reminder of the points to be evince in the report c. Preparation of the rough draft the researcher draw ups deck what he has done in the context of his study. He will write knock off the procedure adopted by him in collecting the material for his study along with limitations faced, the technique of analysis adopted, the broad findings and generalizations and the various suggestions he wants to offer regarding the problem concerned. d. Rewriting and polishing the rough draft while rewriting and polishing, one should check the report for weaknesses in logical development or presentation.He should also see whether the material presented as it is presented , has unanimity and cohesion. In addition the researcher should give due attention to the fact that in his rough draft if he has been consistent or not. He should check the mechanics of writing-grammar, spelling and usage. e. Preparation of the final bibliography the bibliography , should contain all the works which the researcher has consulted. f. Writing the final draft while writing the final draft, the researcher must avoid abstract terminology and technical jargon. Illiustrations and examples based on common experiences must be incorporated in the final draft as they happen to be most in communicating the research findings to others.The format suggested below is the same as that used in most published papers as laid down in Guide to Writing Research Reports, (2013). 1) Title The designation should provide a single line definition of the study. In many cases, the title will mention the independent and dependent variables. Your title should be a brief, but accurate reflection of the content of the report 2) Abstract The abstract is a short summary of the report . It should contain a brief description of the rationale and of the method, results and discussion sections. It should be a comprehensive but concise summary of the whole report which will enable readers to decide if they inclination to read any further.A useful rule of thumb is to try to write four concise sentences describing (1) Why you did it, (2) What you did, (3) What results you found and (4) What you concluded. Write the abstract after you have written the rest of the report. 3) Introduction (Why you did it) The Introduction should present the reasoning behind the particular study which you are describing. This means that the reader, having read the entrance, should feel able to anticipate what your study will involve and should capture someone who is not an expert to understand why you did this study. For this reason the introduction will begin at a general background take and progress through to the specific reasons for and aims of the study. This will normally include a review of past work in the area and an explanation of the theoretical or practical reasons for doing the study. 4) Method (How you did it) In the method section, you describe the essentials of how you gather your data.This section must contain enough information for the reader to be able to repeat the study, but should exclude any irrelevant inside information. It explains about the (i) research participants, (ii) apparatus used, (iii) materials used, (iv) design and (v) procedure. 5) Results (What you found out) Begin this section with a description of how you treated your data. This means that you should describe what you got from all of the responses that were made by each participant to the scores that were analyzed. Follow the description of the treatment of the data with a clear, concise summary of the data using descriptive statistics. 6) news (What you think it means) This is the section in which you interpret the results of the study and discuss their meaning. It is a ll important(predicate) that your discussion relates to the issues increase in the introduction, since this presented the reasons for conducting the study and the results should provide more details about these issues.You should link the arguments made in this section with the issues and research hypotheses raised in your introduction section. In particular (i) How do your results compare with your research questions and/or predictions? (ii) How do your results compare with relevant published results? (iii) What are the implications for future research? 7) References Should contain all the works which the researcher has consulted. 8) Appendices You should include here all material that would have been obtrusive or damaging to the flux of the report itself, and not just use it as a bin to contain things you wished to say but could not fit into the main report. Therefore, the confine of the Appendices usually consist of raw data, statistical formulae and computations, lengthy proto cols, examples of stimuli and details of input signal preparation, etc Bibliography1. Basic Tools for Process Improvement, Data Collection. (1998-2013). Retrieved September 15th, 2013, from Balance Scorecard institute, strategy Management Group http//www.balancedscorecard.org/portals/0/pdf/datacoll.pdf 2. Eaterby-Smith. (2008). Management Research An Introduction. SAGE publishers Ltd. 3. Eisenhardt, K. (1989). construct Theories from Case Study Research. Academy of Management Review , 14 (4) 532-550. 4. Features of Good report. (2013). Retrieved September 15th, 2013, from University of Reading, Malaysia http//www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Essays/sta-featuresreports.aspx 5. Guide to Writing Research Reports. (2013). Retrieved September 15th, 2013, from University of Essex, UK http//www.essex.ac.uk/psychological science/department/A-Z_files/GUIDE%20TO%20WRITING%20RESEARCH%20REPORTS.pdf6. Kothari. (2004). Research methodology Methods and Techniques Second Edi tion. Jaipur,India New be on internationalist Publishers Limited. 7. McGregor, J. A. (2010). Paradigm, Methodology and Method Intellectual Integrity in Consumer Ccholarship. International Journal of Consumer Studies 34 . 8. Sebastian Reiter, G. S. (2011). Strategy for Delayed Research Method excerption Deciding Between Grounded Theory and phenomenology. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods Volume 9 . 9. Slideshare. (2013). Retrieved September 14th, 2013, from Slideshare.Inc http//www.slideshare.net/rao_sahab/hypothesis-12915876?from_search=1 10. Slideshare. (2013). Retrieved September 14th, 2013, from Slideshare.Inc http//www.slideshare.net/sagar_sambare/research-design-13174653?from_search=4 11. Statistics and Probability Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved September