aaa 3102 research methodology lecture 2 the research process & literature review
TRANSCRIPT
THE RESEARCH PROCESS Research is an extremely cyclic
process. It starts with identify the particular field, a problem, design, gathered and analyzed the data and ends with a solution to the problem
In scientific method, there is steps and orderly procedures in conducting research
Likewise, there are ethical issues that researchers have to observe in conducting research
TYPICAL RESEARCH PROCESS
Problem identification Discovery and selection
Conclusion
Literature review writing report
Research design Data analysis
Population and Data processingsampling
Data collection
STEPS IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH
Problem identification and selection Literature review Research design Population and sampling Data collection Data processing Data analysis Conclusion and writing report Sharing of research findings
The major steps in research need to be followed as listed – TERTIB
For example: - we cannot collect data if have not
identified the population of study- we cannot analyze the data if the
data have not been collected- we can still do the literature
review after data had been collected However, it is good to think about data
analyze at the beginning of research
Every step in the research process must be given equal emphasis
Researchers must have knowledge and skills for every step
As stated in the previous lecture, identifying and knowing the problem is the most important beginning in the research process
From research problem, comes research questions – the summary of problem stated in question form
Research questions provide research with the width, depth and boundary of the problem
Research questions will be used to formulate the specific objectives of the research
Example of a research problem:“At present, there are many children that are not taking care of their elderly parents”
Example of research questions to the research problem:1. Why children are not taking care of their parents nowadays?2. What kinds of children are neglecting their parents?3. What are factors that make the children refuse to take care of their parents?4. How to make the children take care of their parents?
Example of general objective of the research:- To find out the reasons why the present generations are not willing to take care of their elderly parents and to suggest the ways of making them realize of their obligation to take care of their elderly parents
Example of specific objectives of the research:1. To find out the reasons for the present generations not taking care of their elderly parents2. To identify the types of children that are neglecting their parents3. To list the factors that make the children refuse to take care of their parents4. To suggest the ways on how to the make the children take care of their parents
ETHICS IN RESEARCH Ethics refers to the a code of conduct or
expected social norm while conducting research (Sekaran, 2003)
Moral principles of right and wrong Research should be designed, reviewed
and undertaken to ensure integrity and quality
The confidentiality of information supplied by research subjects and the anonymity of respondents must be respected
Research staff and subjects must be informed fully about the purpose, methods and intended possible uses of the research, what their participation in the research entails and what risks if any, are involved
Research participants must participate in a voluntary way, free from any coercion
Harm to participants must be avoided The independence of the research must
be clear Confirming to the standards of conduct of
a given profession or group
Anonymity – cannot identify a given response with a particular respondent
Tell the shortcomings of your research Do not alter or change the data collected Write your report with honesty and
openness Protect the right and interest of those
involved in the research Know what is acceptable, the limits and
consequences of research
LITERATURE REVIEW (LR) Singleton, et. al (1988) noted that LR must
make clear the theoretical context of the problem under investigation and how it has been studied by others
The idea is to cite relevant literatures in the process of presenting the underlying theoretical and methodological rational for the research
Babbie (2004) stated LR is concerned with what others said about the topic, what theories address it and what they say, and what previous research exist
LR is a step and process in knowing what others have done about the topic, how they did it, what theory they had used, what are their findings, and who are involved
It is an ongoing process, from idea development, problem selection to writing of research report
It is a survey of recent, published scholarly articles, books and other publications or write-ups relevant to the research topic
THE IMPORTANCE OF LR Can know what has been done on the
research problem or topic Can identify the related theory that had
been used Can know the variables that had been
studied and how they were operationalized
Can help make research more focused Help to refine research problem and
question questions
Can help make research topic more exact
Enhance the understanding of the topic Help in building the research framework Help in refining research design Help in formulating valid research
hypotheses Help in development of questions for
research instrument Help in data analysis procedures
SOURCES OF LR
Scholarly journals published by professional associations, societies, universities, research institutions etc.
Scholarly texts book, yearbook series Scholarly conference papers, proceedings Dissertations, theses, academic project
reports Government, NGO and society reports Indexes and abstracts from data bases Periodicals such us magazines and
newspapers
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN LR Statement of problem, research questions,
objectives of the study and hypotheses Operational definition of variables and how
they were measured Respondents of the study, population and
sample size, unit of analysis and data collection method
Research findings, conclusion and suggestion for further research
Author(s), title of article or book, name of publication, year published, publisher and page number
As a guide look for:* up-to-date, new or recent materials – within the last 5 years* relevancy – the information is suitable and directly related to the research topic * comparative quality – is the material for scholarly work or meant for general public* make a note – the material is suitable for theory, method or variable of the research topic
WRITING AND CITATION STYLES OF LR
There are proper ways of quoting, citing and referring the works of others
This is to avoid plagiarism – the most serious crime in academic work
In social science, normally the APA format and style are adopted. Every researcher needs to follow and observe these format guidelines when writing research proposal, research report, seminar papers and journal articles