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What Is Research

The document provides an overview of research methods and methodology, highlighting their roles in conducting research. It outlines the purpose of research, including exploration, description, causal explanation, and prediction, while also discussing the characteristics and categories of research. Additionally, it compares qualitative and quantitative research designs, detailing their strengths and limitations.

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7 views30 pages

What Is Research

The document provides an overview of research methods and methodology, highlighting their roles in conducting research. It outlines the purpose of research, including exploration, description, causal explanation, and prediction, while also discussing the characteristics and categories of research. Additionally, it compares qualitative and quantitative research designs, detailing their strengths and limitations.

Uploaded by

letmeunveilmyself
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INTRODUCTION

TO RESEARCH
METHODS
Understanding the
fundamentals of research
Prepared by:

Department of Agricultural Economics


CBDEM, USM, Kabacan Cotabato
RESEARCH METHODS VERSUS
METHODOLOGY
• Research Methods
• Research methods are the methods by which you conduct
research into a subject or a topic.
• Research methods involve conduct of experiments, tests,
surveys, etc.
• Research methods help us collect samples, data and find a
solution to a problem.
• All those methods which are used by the researcher during the
course of studying his research problem.
RESEARCH METHODS VERSUS
METHODOLOGY
Research Methodology
• Research methodology explains the methods by which you may proceed
with your research.
• Research methodology involves the learning of the various techniques
that can be used in the conduct of research and in the conduct of tests,
experiment, surveys, and critical studies.
• The procedures by which researchers go about their work of describing,
explaining, and predicting phenomena which aims to give the work plan
of research
What is research?

• An original contribution to the existing stock of


knowledge
• A pursuit of truth with the help of study,
observation, comparison, and experiment
• An intellectual activity responsible for
correcting mistakes and removing existing
misconceptions.

• A process in looking for solution of a given


problem.
What is research?

• Systematic method consisting of


enunciating the problem,
formulating a hypothesis, collecting
data, analyzing the data, and
reaching certain conclusions either
in the forms of solution (s) towards
the concerned problem or in
generalizations for some theoretical
formulation
What is Thesis?

• A thesis is a technical report or scientific paper


that describes original research results that
contain data that have been collected, analyzed,
interpreted, and presented in organized form.
University of Southern Mindanao Proposed Research,
Development and Extension Agenda (2022-2031)

• Quality Learning, Skills Development, and Literacy


• Social Development, and Strong Institutions.
• Preservation of Culture
• Environmental Protection, Conservation and Risk Reduction
• Food Security and Poverty Reduction
• Good Health and Well-being
• Innovations in Science, Engineering, and Technology
• Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Management
Department of Agricultural Economics Research
Agenda
• Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency
• Agricultural Policy and Economic Development
• Market, Agricultural Marketing and Supply chain
• Climate Change, Economics of Natural Resources and
Environmental Conservation and Protection
• Impact Assessment and Evaluation of Agricultural project
• Food and Nutrition Economics
• Economic Learning, Skills Development and Literacy (to
be included)
CRITERIA FOR RESEARCH
a) Philosophy/ies - Is being undertaken within a
framework of set of philosophies. Philosophies
means approaches, e.g. qualitative, quantitative,
and the academic discipline in which you have been
trained.
b) Validity & Reliability - Uses procedures, methods
and techniques that have been tested for their
validity and reliability. Validity – correct procedures
have been applied to find answers to a question;
Reliability – the quality of a measurement procedure
that provides repeatability and accuracy.
c) Unbiased and objective - Designed to be unbiased
and objective.
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

1. Exploration
• It is the finding out about some previously
unexamined phenomenon. It is particularly useful
when researchers lack a clear idea of the problems
they will meet during the study.
Through exploration, researchers:
• Develop concepts more clearly.
• Formulate research hypothesis.
• Establish priorities.
• Improve the final research design.
• Develop operational definitions.
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
2. Description
• Refers to the data-based information-gathering
activities
• Situation and events are described through studies.
• Descriptive studies try to discover answers to the
questions who, what, when, where, and sometimes
how

• Example:
• What are the characteristics of the people who are
involved in city crime? Are they young? Middle aged?
Poor?
• Who are the potential buyers of the new product?
Men or women? Urban people or rural people?
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
3. Causal Explanation
• Goes beyond description and attempts to
establish cause-and-effect relationship between
variables. It explains the phenomenon that
describes study observed, casual studies.
• Example:
• Why are people involved in crime? Can we
explain this because of the present crisis in the
job market? Or for lack of parental care?
• Will buyers be motivated to purchase the new
product in a new container? Can attractive
advertisements motivate them?
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
4. Prediction
• Seeks to answer when and in what situations
that event will occur, if it can be provided
plausible explanation for the vent in question.
• It predicts when the event will occur.
Characteristics of Research
• Controlled - Minimizes the effects of other factors affecting
the relationship.
• Valid and Verifiable - This concept implies that whatever you
conclude based on your findings is correct and can be verified
by you and others.
• Rigorous - Ensures that the procedures followed to find
answers to questions are relevant, appropriate, and justified.
• Empirical - Conclusions are based upon hard evidence
gathered from information collected from real life experience
or observations.
• Systematic - The procedure is adopted to undertake an
investigation follow a certain logical sequence.
• Critical - The process of investigation must be foolproof and
free from drawbacks
CATEGORY 1: APPLICATION
OF RESEARCH STUDY
• Pure/Basic Research
• involves developing and testing theories and
hypotheses that are intellectually challenging to
the researcher
• An investigation on basic principles and reasons
for occurrence of a particular event or process
or phenomenon.
• It provides a systematic and deep insight into a
problem and facilitates extraction of scientific
and logical explanation and conclusion on it
• It is not concerned with solving any practical
problems of immediate interest
CATEGORY 1: APPLICATION
OF RESEARCH STUDY
• Applied Research
• In this research, one solves certain problems employing
well known and accepted theories and principles.

• It is concerned with actual life research such as research


on increasing efficiency of a machine, increasing gain
factor of production of a material, pollution control,
preparing vaccination for a disease, etc.

• Done to solve specific, practical questions; for policy


formulation, administration and understanding of a
phenomenon
CATEGORY 2: FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF
OBJECTIVES
• Descriptive - attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem,
phenomenon, service, or program, or provides information about, say,
living condition of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue.
• Correlational - attempts to discover or establish the existence of a
relationship/ interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation.
• Explanatory - attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship
between two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
• Exploratory - undertaken to explore an area where little is known or to
investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study
(feasibility study/pilot study).
CATEGORY 3: INQUIRY MODE
• Structured
• The structured approach to inquiry is usually classified as quantitative research.
• Everything that forms the research process- objectives, design, sample, and the
questions that you plan to ask of respondents- is predetermined.
• It is more appropriate to determine the extent of a problem, issue or
phenomenon by quantifying the variation.
• Unstructured
• The unstructured approach to inquiry is usually classified as qualitative research.
• It is more appropriate to explore the nature of a problem, issue or phenomenon
without quantifying it.
• Main objective is to describe the variation in a phenomenon, situation, or
attitude.
RESEARCH DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE AND
QUALITATIVE
• Quantitative
• based on the measurement of quantity
or amount
• a process is expressed or described in
terms of one or more quantities.
• “bigger is better”
• Examining the randomness of the
data, its mean and variation
RESEARCH DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE AND
QUALITATIVE
• Qualitative
• concerned with qualitative phenomenon
involving quality.
• It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies
reasoning and uses words. Its aim is to get
the meaning, feeling and describe the
situation.
• “size does not matter”
• Investigating why certain data are
random
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

• Strengths
• the researcher gains an insider's view of
the field.
• suggesting possible relationships, causes,
effects and dynamic processes.
• a more descriptive, narrative style, to
examine forms of knowledge that might
otherwise be unavailable, by gaining new
insight.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Limitations
• The problem of adequate validity or reliability
is a major criticism.
• Contexts, situations, events, conditions and
interactions cannot be replicated to any
extent, nor can generalizations be made to a
wider context
• The time required for data collection, analysis
and interpretation is lengthy.
• Issues of anonymity and confidentiality
present problems when selecting findings
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Strengths
• Precision - through quantitative and reliable measurement
• Control - through sampling and design.
• Ability to produce causality statements, using controlled experiments.
• Statistical techniques allow for sophisticated analyses.
• Replicable
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Limitations
• It fails to take account of people's unique ability to interpret their
experiences, construct their own meanings and act on these.
• It leads to the assumption that facts are true and the same for all people
all of the time.
• produces banal and trivial findings of little consequence due to the
restriction on and the controlling of variables.
• It is not totally objective because the researcher is subjectively involved in
the very choice of a problem as worthy of investigation and in the
interpretation of the results
RESEARCH PROCESS
QUALITIES OF A GOOD RESEARCH
• Systematic - Research is structured with specified steps to be taken in a
specified sequence in accordance with the well-defined set of rules.
• Empirical - It implies that research is related basically to one or more aspects
of a real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for
external validity to research results.
• Replicable - Allows research results to be verified by replicating the study and
thereby building a sound basis for decisions.
• Logical - This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning
and the logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in
carrying out research
REFERENCES
• Mishra, S.B., & Alok, S. (2011). Handbook of research methodology: A
compendium for scholars and researchers. Educreation Publishing.
• _________. (2006). Introduction to data analysis handbook. Migrant
& Seasonal Head Start Technical Assistance Center. Academy for
Educational Development.
• ________. (2015). Module on research methods. University of Gondar,
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health
• USM Undergraduate Research Guide. 2019.

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