Chapter 1 -3: Introduction to Research PDF

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Based on the insights from the book entitled Business Research Methods in our Research class ...

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What is Research? • One can also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact, research is an art of scientific investigation. • Research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organising and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis • Research is, thus, an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. It is the persuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment. In short, the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solution to a problem is research. Types of research: • Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables; he can only report what has happened or what is happening. The methods of research utilized in descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds, including comparative and correlational methods. In analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze these to make a critical evaluation of the material. • Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business organisation. On the other hand, Fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalisations and with the formulation of a theory. “Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research.” • Qualitative vs Quantitative • Empirical vs Conceptual Two research approaches: • Quantitative- It involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion. • Qualitative- is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behaviour. Significance of research: “All progress is born of inquiry. Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to invention” is a famous Hudson Maxim in context of which the significance of research can well be understood.  

Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems of business and industry.

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Research is equally important for social scientists in studying social relationships and in

seeking answers to various social problems. Thus, research is the fountain of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and an important source of providing guidelines for solving different business, governmental and social problems. It is a sort of formal training which enables one to understand the new developments in one’s field in a better way. Research methods vs Research methodologies: • Research methods may be understood as all those methods/techniques that are used for conduction of research. 

Research methods can be put into three groups: methods that focuses on the collection of datamethods which are statistical techiques to analyze the data collectedthen, methods that measure the accuracy of the results obtained

• Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. • Research methodology has many dimensions and research methods do constitute a part of the research methodology.    

Researchers shouldn't just know the methods, but should also know the methodology. in research methodology, we do not only talk of the research methods but also consider the logic behind the methods we use and we explain why we are using a particular method and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others.

Research Process and its steps: • Research process consists of series of actions or steps necessary to effectively carry out research and the desired sequencing of these steps. 1. Formulating the research problem 2. Extensive literature survey- a brief summary of the research problem must be written down, find also books which would constitute your research. 3. Development of working hypothesis- Working hypothesis is tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences. Create it as it is a focal point of the research. It should be specific. 4. Preparing the research design- He will have to state the conceptual structure within which research would be conducted. Research design provides for the collection of relevant evidence with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money. 5. Determining sample design- The researcher must decide the way of selecting a sample or what is popularly known as the sample design. In other words, a sample design is a definite plan determined before any data are actually collected for obtaining a sample from a given

population. Thus, the plan to select 12 of a city’s 200 drugstores in a certain way constitutes a sample design. Kinds of sample design: -deliberate/purposive sampling (includes convenience, judgment) (namimili, more qualitative) -simple random sampling (everyone has an equal chance) (to get 300 out of 1000 people, you need to do a lottery) -systematic sampling (every 15th name on the list ganon) -stratified sampling -quota sampling -cluster sampling (Cluster sampling involves grouping the population and then selecting the groups or the clusters rather than individual elements for inclusion in the sample.) *Pwedeng maging mixed sampling pag nagcombine ka ng 2 or more sample designs *Mas better gumamit ng random sampling than convenience sampling. 6. Collecting the data- It can be done through the following: by observation, through personal interview, telephone interviews, by mailing of questionnaires. 7. Execution of the project- Occasional field checks should be made to ensure that the interviewers are doing their assigned job sincerely and efficiently. 8. Analysis of Data- requires a number of closely related operations (establishment of categories, tabulation, drawing statistical inferences) -shall be condensed into groups and tables for further analysis 9. Hypothesis testing- the researcher should test the hypothesis which he had formulated -do the facts support the hypothesis or contrary to the hypothesis? 10. Generalizations and interpretation- if the hypothesis is upheld several times, the researcher can arrive at generalizations which he would build a theory. -he may also explain the proposed theory based on other previous supporting theories. 10. Preparation of the report/thesis- through layout, you should create a report. i. Preliminary pages- acknowledgements and foreword ii. Main text- contains introduction, summary and findings, main report, and conclusion iii. End matter What is a good research? • clearly defined • sufficient detail • carefully planned • complete frankness • analysis of data is adequate to reveal its significance (valid and reliable data) • conclusions should be justified by the data It should be: systematic, logical, empirical and replicable. Tips for creating a good research: • know the research methodology well. • create a good interaction with the university department to consult your research findings • efforts shall be made • don't plagiarize

What is the problem? *Like a medical doctor, a researcher must examine all the symptoms (presented to him or observed by him) concerning a problem before he can diagnose correctly. • In a research problem, there is a situation which you want to obtain a solution. • a situation is considered a problem if it is: -a person/group of people has some difficulty in it -may objectives to be attained (kapag nasolve yung problem for example) -may alternative means to attain the objective (and medyo nakakalito for example) -may doubt si researcher sa mga given alternatives -given environment/status quo has been having that problem Tips on finding a good research problem: • subject that is not normally chosen (not too common to the point na mahirap nang makahanap ng solution) • giving a new light kumbaga • not a very controversial subject kasi mahirap • wag too narrow or too vague • the subject selected should be familiar and feasible para easier makahanap ng research materials • importance of the subject, cost of doing the project, time factor Techniques involved in defining a problem: • the problem should be stated in a general way. pag sa social researches, ang researcher ay gumagawa dapat ng field observation or preliminary survey or pilot survey. • understand how the problem origininated clearly. Also have a discussion of the similar problems • survey the available literature needed for the research... bago mo simulan idetermine yung research problem "Knowing what data are available often serves to narrow the problem itself as well as the technique that might be used.” • a researcher should discuss his problem with the people who have enough experience in that specific area/in similar scenarios regarding that problem. ginagawa yun para maenlighten yung researcher and masharpen yung attention niya • saka pwede mo na ma-rephrase yung research problem mo dahil gets mo na naman yung nature of the problem, na-discuss at nakahanap na naman na ng mga available literature to undergo specifically with the research. • next additional points, technical terms with special meanings should be defined when you define a research problem. • may clear assumption na kaagad na ginawa and may straightforward explanation kung bakit ayun yung napili mong problem • yung time na kakailanganin and yung scope ng research ay dapat naintindihan/napagdesisyunan na. • "Let us suppose that a research problem in a broad general way is as follows: “Why is productivity in Japan so much higher than in India”? In this form the question has a number of ambiguities such as: What sort of productivity is being referred to? With what industries the same is related? With what period of time the productivity

is being talked about? In view of all such ambiguities the given statement or the question is much too general to be amenable to analysis.” Research design  

arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data conceptual structure which research is conducted

Questions to be asked in order to create research design: (i) What is the study about? (ii) Why is the study being made? (iii) Where will the study be carried out? (iv) What type of data is required? (v) Where can the required data be found? (vi) What periods of time will the study include? (vii) What will be the sample design? (viii) What techniques of data collection will be used? (ix) How will the data be analysed? (x) In what style will the report be prepared? Features of Research design: 1. Plan that will specify the sources and types of relevant information of the research problem 2. Strategy that will be used to gather and analyze data 3. Talks about time and cost budgets that need to be estimated for the creation of the research It should at least contain: •clear statement of the research problem •procedures and techniques to be used for gathering information •population to be studied •and methods to be used in processing and analyzing data Research design is essential because it would make the overall research as an efficient work as possible. Katulad ng pagbuo ng bahay, kailangan ng blueprint. Sa isang research, kinakailangan ng blueprint or ng research design dahil iyon yung magsisilbing plano mo para maging matibay yung data collection and analysis. Features of a good design: It should be flexible, appropriate, efficient, economical It minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data Provides maximal information Provides an opportunity for considering many aspects of the problem Research design stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting the relevant data and the techniques to be used in their analysis, keeping in

view the objective of the research and the availability of staff, time and money. Considerations on creating research design:  

in exploratory research, the research design there should be flexible to permit the consideration of many different aspects of a phenomenon in descriptive research, the research design shall be accurate.

Research design- gives advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting relevant data -should be done with great care -kapag di maayos na research design, the research may bring misleading conclusions Important concepts regarding research design: 1.dependent and independent variablesone variable (the independent variable ) has an effect on another variable (the dependent variable

2. extraneous variable- are the independent variables that are not related to the purpose of the study but may affect the depend variable. any variables that you are not intentionally studying in your experiment or test.

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example: you want to know if online learning increases student understanding of statistics. One group uses an online knowledge base to study, the other group uses a traditional text. Extraneous variables could include prior knowledge of statistics; you would have to make sure that group A roughly matched group B with prior knowledge before starting the study. Other extraneous variables could include amount of support in the home, socio-economic income, or temperature of the testing room.

3. control- ito ay para maminimize ang influence ng extraneous variable and to restrain experimental condition. (to control extraneous variable, one can do random sampling) 4. confounding variablesThey can ruin an experiment and give you useless results. They can suggest there is correlation when in fact there isn’t. They can even introduce bias .

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For example, if you are researching whether lack of exercise leads to weight gain, lack of exercise is your independent variable and weight gain is your dependent variable. Confounding variables are any other variable that also has an effect on your dependent variable. pwedeng confounding variable is on how much people eat ba in the first place

5. research hypothesis- kapag ang isang prediction ay tinetested, then it is coined as research hypothesis. this is also a predictive statement that relates independent variableto a dependent variable. 

there should be at least one dependent and one independent variable in the research hypothesis.

6. experimental and non-experimental hypothesis-testing research- if the purpose of the research is to test the research hypothesis, then ito tinatawag na hypothesis-testing research. 

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experimental hypothesis-testing research- this is called like this if the variable is manipulated o Experimental research designs are based on a clear hypothesis, the purpose of the research is to confirm or refute the validity of the hypothesis. Experimental research designs have an independent variable, a dependent variable, and a control group. Most of the experiments are conducted in a laboratory in a controlled environment. o The experimenter determines two groups to perform an experiment: one group is called the experimental group and the other group is called a placebo group. The experimental group gets the treatment and the placebo does not get any treatment non-experimental hypothesis- kung di manipulated ang mga variable.. an example of non-experimental ay: one researcher will test the intelligence of the students based on how they perform on reading. di naman nababago yung conditions doon sa mismong tinetest which is yung intelligence o Non-experimental research designs are carried out in natural settings, it does not involve manipulation of the situation, event, circumstances or people. o Survey, case studies, correlational studies comparative studies and descriptive studies are some of the examples of non-experimental research design.

7. experimental and control groups- in the experimental hypothesis-testing research, when a group is exposed to usual conditions… then it is a control group. if the group is exposed to special conditions, it is a experimental group 8. treatments- 'yung different conditions which experimental and control groups are put. ex. the three variety of fertilizer ay called as treatments. 9. experiment- it examines the truth of a statistical hypothesis. 10. experimental units- are pre-determined plots/blocks where different treatments are used. it must be selected very carefully Different kinds of research designs:

1. research design in case of exploratory research studies 2. for descriptive and diagnostic research studies. 3. for hypothesis-testing research studies

1. for exploratory research- exploratory research is called as formulative research studies. its purpose is to formulate a problem for more precise investigation. it is a discovery of ideas and insights. to create research design for this type of study, it should be flexible for there would be many topics/aspects discussed. 

flexible to the point that it can provide opportunity for considering different aspects of the problem under that study

3 methods in the context of research design: a. survey of concerning literature- wherein you do many survey to literature sources which you gather information. hypothesis stated in the past literature sources may be reviewed and evaluated as a basis for new research. past hypothesis being researched can suggest a new hypothesis b. experience survey- interviewing people who have a practical experience with the problem to be studied. c. analysis of “insight-stimulating” example- where you find interesting examples/ideas based on the topic. kapag kulang yung sources or experiences within the certain topic, then the researcher might do analysis by drawing together diverse information into a unified interpretation 2. for descriptive research and diagnostic research studies  

descriptive research is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual. it is concerned with specific predictions with narration of facts. descriptive research is common in social researches in diagnostic research, you determine the frequency which something occurs.

-dapat rigid and not flexible ang research design for descriptive and diagnostic research. yung procedure shall be carefully planned it must focus attention on the following: (a) Formulating the objective of the study (what the study is about and why is it being made?) (b) Designing the methods of data collection (what techniques of gathering data will be adopted?) (c) Selecting the sample (how much material will be needed?) (d) Collecting the data (where can the required data be found and with what time period should the data be related?) (e) Processing and analysing the data. (f) Reporting the findings. more info here: 

specify the objectives with sufficient precision

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select methods already to obtain the information questions shall be well examined and not ambiguous pretest the data collection instruments before using in the study sample shall

!!!! The difference between research designs in respect of the above two types of research studies: pag exploratory research, dapat flexible ang overall research design wherein the design must provide opportunity for considering diff aspects of the problem). ang sampling design na gagamitin for exploratory ay non-probability sampling design which can be purposive or judgment sampling. walang pre-planned design for analysis (statistical design). unstructured yung instruments for collection of data. walang fixed decisions about sa operational procedures. ang descriptive/diagnostic research ay kabaliktaran ng c...