Research methodology Essay

mannerology and methods ar twain terms which wee been utilise interchangeably often by scholars. The practice is unfortunate because they argon not the fabric bodyred. The former refers to philosophy and the latter(prenominal) refers to technical procedures use to conduct look. The word methodology comprises devil nouns method and ology, which concocts a split up of familiarity hence, methodology is a branch of knowledge that deals with the general dogmas or axioms of the generation of new knowledge. It refers to the rationale and the philosophic assumptions that underlie either natural, social or human science cogitation, whether joint or not. Simply put, methodology refers to how each of system of logic, creation, values and what counts as knowledge inform doubt.On the other hand, methods atomic number 18 the proficiencys and procedures followed to conduct look for, and are mulish by the methodology (i.e. sampling, selective breeding order of battle, se lective in dression analysis and results fielding, as sound as theories, conceptual frame oeuvres, taxonomies and models). Even the focus and intent of the research, and the actual research questions themselves, are shaped by the methodology (McGregor, 2010). In methodology we field of battle the various steps that are gener eithery adopted by a police detective 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 tho withal methodology. (Kothari, 2004).The following are the systematic analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates use in research which define methodology 1. Formulating the enquiry ProblemThe commentary of research question is the most important step when undertaking some(prenominal) research as they move on direction to the research method applied (Yin, 2003). Sebastian et al, (2011) explains that it requires an open mind while framing the res earch question. At the same time the researcher is required to familiarize with potential research methods and piss awareness of their requirements. A researcher must(prenominal) examine all functional books to get himself acquainted with the selected problem.2. Literature ReviewA literature revaluation discusses publish information in a bad-tempered force field electron orbit, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers. Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic and can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. They also provide a solid background for a research papers investigation. Depending on the situation, the literature review may gauge the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant (The makeup Center, 2010-2013). For concludes of literature review abstracting and indexing jo urnals,conference proceedings, government reports, books etc must be tapped depending on the spirit of the problem.3. maturation a Working ventureHypothesis is a statement of the predicted consanguinity between two or more variables. As a reseracher you do not know about(predicate) a phenomenon only you do surrender a take a leak it off(theory) to form the bag of certain assumption or guesses. You try out these by accumulate information that forget enable you to conclude if your hunch was business. The verification branch have one of the three ouytcomes, coverly, partially right and wrong. Without this help of verification, you cannot conclude anything about the validity of your assumptions. Hence hypotheses is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, program course of instruction 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 inclination is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a particular manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure (Slideshare, 2013). In order to have a complete research project it is valuable to catch the nature of the point from philosophical point of view. Failure to think by dint of philosophical issues can seriouly affect the quality of management resesearch (Eaterby-Smith et al, 2008). The steps involved in research design according to (Umesh) are a) The nub of obtaining the informationb) The handiness and skills of the researcher and his staff (if any) c) Explanation of the right smart in which selected means of obtaining information ordain be organized and the reasoning leading to the selection. d) The time accessible for researche) The cost factor relating to research i.e. the finance available for the purpose5. Determining Sample Design Sample design is a definite plan mildewd befo re any data are really collected for obtaining a sample from a given population. The sample design to be used must be decided by the researcher taking into consideration the nature of the inquiry and other related factors. concord to Statistics and Probability Dictionary, (2013) a sample design is make 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 vulgar sample methods used are naive random sampling, stratified sampling and cluster sampling. 2. Estimator. The estimation process for calculating sample statistics is called the estimator. Different sampling methods may use distinguishable estimators. For example, the formula 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 best sample design depends on survey objectives and on survey resources.6. info Collection jibe to staple fibre Tools for Process Improvement, Data Collection, (1998-2013) data collection is obtaining useful information on key quality characteristics produced by your process. Data Collection enables a police squad to formulate and test working assumptions about a process and wear out information that will lead to the improvement of the key quality characteristics of the ingathering or ser debility. In drumhead, data collection helps to establish a factual basis to making a decision. For one to collect data 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 subsequently we have collected them? You must decide on a purpose for collecting the data 2. Where will we collect data? The location where data are collected must be identified clearly. 3. What type of data will we collect? In general, data can be classified into two major types a ttribute 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 best describe the situation at hand.7. Data analysisEisenhardt, (1989) explains that analysis is an interactive process started with the development and monstrance of an initial set of theoretical propositions based on evidence from the branch 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 inhabit among data-groups. Thus in the process of analysis, relationships or differences supporting or hostile with original or new hypotheses should be subjected to statistical tests of significance to determine with what validity data can be said to indicate any conclusions.The process op erations in data analysis are a. redaction it is a process of examining the collected newfangled data to detect errors and ommsisions and to correct these where possible. b. Coding it refers to the process of assigning numerals or other symbols to answers so that responses hack writer be put into a limited number of categories or classes. c. sort 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 laconic and logical order.8. Hypothesis TestingHypothesis testing refers to the ball procedures used by statisticians to accept or despise statistical hypotheses (What is Hypothesis Testing, 2013). Statisticians follow a formal process to determine whether to preclude a null hypothesis, based on sample data (Statistics and Probability Dictionary, 2013). This process is called hypothesis testing. An hypothesis test consists of four steps. a) Formulate the hypotheses. This involves statin g the null and secondary hypotheses. The hypotheses are stated in such 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. Use 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. definitionInterpretation refers to the task of drawing inferences from the collected facts after an analytical and/or experimental study (Kothari, 2004). The task of interpretation has two major aspects viz., (i) the effort to establish continuity in research done linking the results of a given study with those of another(prenominal), and (ii) the mental home of some explanatory concepts. Interpretation is considered a basic component of research process because of the following a) It is done interpretation that the researcher can well understand the abstract 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 prox research studies c) Researcher can better 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 the findings of exploratory research study often results into hypotheses for exp erimental research and as suich interpretation is involved in the transition from exploratory to experimental research. 10. Report penFeatures of Good report, (2013) defines a report as a piece of informative writing that describes a set of actions and analyses any results in response to a particular 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 writing a report a. rational analysis of the subject matter thre are two ways in which to develop a subject (i) logically and (ii) chronologically. The logical development is do on the basis of mental connections and associations between the one thing and another by means of analysis. It turn outs materials from the simple possible to the most complex structures. chronological development is based on a connection or age in time or occurrence, the directions for doing or making follow the chronological order. b. readying of the final outcome outlines are the framework upon which long create verbally works are constructed.They are and aid to the logical organisation of the material and a reminder of the points to be stressed in the report c. Preparation of the rough brief the researcher writes down what he has done in the context of his study. He will write down 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 break up the report for weaknesses in logical development or presentation.He should also see whether the material presented as it is presented , has unity 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 wri ting-grammar, recite 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 title should provide a single line description of the study. In many cases, the title will mention the supreme and dependent variables. Your title should be a brief, but accurate thoughtfulness of the content of the report 2) Abstract The abstract is a short compact 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 wish 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 scripted 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 introduction, should feel able to continue what your study will involve and should allow someone who is not an apt to understand why you did this study. For this reason the introduction will begin at a general background level 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 gathered your data.This section must contain enough information for the reader to be able to repeat the study, but should exclude any irrelevant details. 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 slews that were analyzed. Follow the description of the treatment of the data with a clear, concise summary of the data using descriptive statistics. 6) Discussion (What you think it means) This is the section in which you interpret the results of the study and discuss their meaning. It is important that your discussion relates to the issues raised in the introduction, since this presented the reasons for conduc ting 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 match 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 flow of the report itself, and not however use it as a bin to contain things you wished to say but could not fit into the main report. Therefore, the contents of the Appendices usually consist of raw data, statistical formulae and computations, lengthy protocols, examples of stimuli and details of stimulus preparation, etc Bibliography1. Basic Tools for Process Improvement, Data Collection. (19 98-2013). Retrieved family line 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). Building 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/psychology/department/A-Z_files/GUIDE%20TO%20WRITING%20RESEARCH%20REPORTS.pdf6. Kothari. (2004). Research methodology Methods and Techniques Second Edition. Jaipur,India New Age International Publishers Limited. 7. McGregor, J. A. (2010). Paradigm, Methodology and Method Intellectual Integrity in Consum er Ccholarship. International Journal of Consumer Studies 34 . 8. Sebastian Reiter, G. S. (2011). Strategy for Delayed Research Method Selection Deciding Between Grounded speculation 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