Lect 6 chapter 3

Research Methodology

Learning objectives: To know:

Methods of data collection

Methods of analyzing data of research

•The methods section describes the reasons for using specific techniques to identify, select, and analyze information .

• Your methodology answers two main questions:

• How did you collect the data?

• How did you analyze the data?

The writing should be direct and precise and always written

in the past tense.

Kallet, Richard H. "How to Write the Methods Section of a Research Paper." Respiratory Care 49 (October 2004): 1229-1232.

Activity 1

•Mention what the research methodology includes?

Importance of a Good Methodology Section

-1.Readers need to know how the data was collected,because the method you chose

affects the findings.

-2.The reader wants to know that the data was collected in a consistent

way. For example ,

if you are using a multiple choice questionnaire, readers need to know that it offered your respondents a reasonable range of answers to choose from(options).

-3.The method must be appropriate to fulfilling the overall aims of the study.

For example, you need to ensure that you have a large enough sample size to be able to generalize and make recommendations based upon the

findings. Bem, Daryl J .Writing the Empirical Journal Article .

-4.Your methods should have a clear connection with your research problem. One of the most common deficiencies found in research papers is that the proposed methodology is not suitable to achieving the stated objective of your paper.

Describe the specific data collection you are going to use, such as, a.interviews, b.questionnaires,c.observation, d.archival research. If you are analzying existing data, such as a data set or archival documents, describe how it was originally created or gathered and by whom.

Explain how you intend to analyze your results. Will you use statistical analysis? Will you use specific theoretical perspectives to help you analyze a text or explain observed behaviors?

Provide a justification for subject selection and sampling procedure. For instance, if you propose to conduct interviews, how do you intend to select the sample population.

If you are analyzing texts, which texts have you chosen, and why? If you are using statistics, why is this set of statistics being used? If other data sources exist, explain why the data you chose is most appropriate to addressing the research problem

Describe limitations. Are there any practical

limitations that could affect your data collection?

• Once you have written all of the elements of the methods section, subsequent revisions should focus on how to present those elements as clearly and as logically as possibly.

For clarity, when a large amount of detail must be presented, information should be presented in sub-sections according to topic.

•The order of the methods section should flow like this:

1. Describing the samples/ participants.2. Describing the materials you used in the study3. Explaining how you prepared the materials

4 .Explaining how you made measurements and what calculations you performed5. Stating which statistical tests you did to analyze the data.

Activity 3 How can you order your methods?

Methods of collecting data - primary research

1.Questionnaires

Self-completion questionnaires:Self-completion questionnaires A series of questions that the respondent answers on their

own .

Self-completion questionnaires are good for collecting data on relatively simple topics, and for gaining a general overview of an issue.

Questionnaires need to have clear questions, easy to follow

design, and not be too long .

2.Interview

.a.Structured interviews :

Structured interviews Similar to a self-completion questionnaire, except that the questions that are asked by an interviewer to the

interviewee .

The same questions are read out in the same way to all respondents. There will typically be a fixed choice of

answers for the respondents .

• Activity 3

• What difference is there between Structured interviews and self-completion questionnaire

• .b.Unstructured interviews

• A way of asking questions which allows the interviewee to have more control of the interview. The interview could be semi-structured,

• which uses an interview schedule to keep some control of the interview, but also allows for some flexibility for the interviewee’s responses.

-c.In-depth interviews :The interview could be unstructured, here the aim is to explore the interviewee’s feelings about the issue being explored and the style of questioning is very informal. Or

Or the interview could be a life history where the interviewer tries to find out about the whole life, or a portion of the person’s life

d.Focus groups :

A form of interviewing where there are several participants; there is an emphasis in the questioning on a tightly defined topic; the accent is on interaction within the group and the joint construction of

meaning .

3.a.Observation

Structured observation :

Watching people and recording systematically their behaviour. Prior to the observation, an observation schedule will be produced which details what exactly the researcher should look for and how those observations should be recorded

•. b.Participant observation:

•This involves studying people in naturally occurring settings. The researcher participates directly in the setting and collects data in a systematic manner. The researcher will observe behaviour, listen to conversations, and ask questions

activity 4

Draw a distinction between structured and participant observation.

When you describe your methods it is necessary to state how you have addressed the research questions. The methods should be described in

enough detail or at least repeated in a similar way in another situation. Every stage should be explained and justified with clear reasons for the choice of your particular methods and materials.

Activity

Name the methods of data collection?

Mid-term Exam