WHAT IS RESEARCH……. DEFINITIONS

• A careful investigation or inquiry specially through search for new facts in any branch of

knowledge. (Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

• Systematized effort to gain new knowledge. (Redman and Mory)

• It 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.

(CliffordWoody)

• In short, the term ‘Research’ refers to….

• “The systematic method consisting of defining the problem, formulating a

hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain

conclusions either in the form of solution(s) towards the concerned problem or in

certain generalizations for some theoretical framework.”

OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

• To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights in to it. ( Exploratory or Formulative

research studies)

• To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group. (Descriptive

research studies)

• To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something

else. (Diagnostic research studies)

• To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship between variables. (Hypothesis-testing research studies)

TYPES OF RESEARCH

• Fundamental/Basic Research vs.Applied Research

• It is mainly concerned with generalisations and with the formulation of a theory. It is directed

towards finding information that has a broad base of applications.

• It aims at finding a solution for an immediate or pressing practical problem.

• Conceptual Research vs. Empirical Research

• It is related to some abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by philosophers and

thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones.

• It relies on experience or observation alone. It is data based research which are capable of

being verified by observation or experiment.

• Quantitative Research vs. Qualitative Research

• It is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can

be expressed in terms of quantity.

• It is concerned with qualitative phenomenon. It is specially important in the behavioural

sciences where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour.

• Exploratory Research vs. Conclusive Research

• It is used principally to gain a deeper understanding of something. Its role is to provide

direction to subsequent and more structured and rigorous research.

• The findings and propositions developed as a consequences of exploratory research might be

tested and authenticated by Conclusive Research.

• Descriptive Research vs.Analytical Research

• It includes surveys and fact finding inquiries of different types. The methods of research

utilized are survey methodsof all kinds.

• It aims at using facts and information already available and analyze these to make a critical

evaluation of the material.

• Some OtherTypes of Research…

• One-time Research OR Longitudinal Research

• Field Setting Research OR Laboratory Research OR Simulation Research

• Clinical Research OR Diagnostic Research

RESEARCH APPROACHES

• QuantitativeApproach

• It involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to rigorous

quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion. This approach can be further sub classified

into inferential, experimental and simulation approaches.

• InferentialApproach

• It forms a data base from which to infer characteristics or relationships of population.

• ExperimentalApproach

• It is characterized by much greater control over the research environment and some

variables are manipulated to observe their effect on the other variables.

• Simulation Approach

• It involves the construction of an artificial environment within which relevant information

and data can be generated.

• Qualitative Approach

• It is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behaviour. Generally, the

techniques of Focus Group Interviews,ProjectiveTechniques and Depth Interviews are used.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH

• Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes the

development of logical habits of thinking and organisation.

• The role of research in several fields of applied economics as a whole, has

greatly increased in modern times.

• Research provides the basic 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.

• Research is equally important for social scientists in studying social

relationships and in seeking answers to various social problems.

• In addition to what has been stated in previous slide, the significance of research can also

be understood keeping in view the following points:

• To those students who are to write a master’s or Ph.D. thesis, research may mean a careerism

or a way to attain a high position in the social structure;

• To professionals in research methodology,research may mean a source of livelihood;

• To philosophers and thinkers,research may mean the outlet for new ideas and insights;

• To literary men and women, research may mean the development of new styles and creative

work;

• To analysts and intellectuals,research may mean the generalisations of new theories.

FEATURES/CRITERIA OF GOOD RESEARCH STUDY

• Good research is systematic.

• Good research is logical.

• Good research is empirical.

• Good research is replicable.

THE RESEARCH PROCESS (GENERIC STEPS IN RESEARCH)

• Formulating the Research Problem

• Extensive Literature Survey

• Development of Working Hypothesis

• Developing the Research Proposal

• Preparing the Research Design

• Determining Sample Design

• Collecting the Data

• Execution of the Project

• Analysis of Data

• Hypothesis-testing

• Generalisations and Interpretations

• Preparation of the Report

1. FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

What is a Research Problem….?

• It refers to some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the context of either a

theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same.

We can, thus,state the components of a research problem as under:

• There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem

• There must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants nothing, one cannot have a

problem

• There must be alternative means (or the course of action) for obtaining the objective(s) one

wishes to attain

• There must remain some doubt in mind of researcher with regard to selection of alternatives

• There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains

There are two types of research problems…

• Those which relate to states of nature

• Those which relate to relationships between variables

Essentially, two steps are involved in formulating the research problems…

• Understanding the problem thoroughly

• Refreshing the same into meaningful terms from an analytical point of view

How to Select the Problem…..?

• Following points may be observed by a researcher in selecting a research problem or a

subject for research:

• Subject which is overdone should not be normally chosen.

• Controversial subject should not become the choice of an average researcher.

• Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.

• The subject selected for research should be familiar and feasible so that related research

material or sources of research are within one’s reach.

• The importance of the subject, the qualifications and the training of a researcher, the costs involved,

the time factor are few other criteria that must also be considered in selecting a problem.

• The selection of a problem must be preceded by a preliminary study.

What is Necessity of Defining the Problem ?

• A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved.

• The problem to be investigated must be defined unambiguously for that will help to

discriminate relevant data from the irrelevant ones.

• A well defined Research problem will help researcher to find answers to questions like:

• What data are to be collected?

• What relations are to be explored?

• What techniques are to be used for the purpose?

• What characteristics of data are relevant and to be studied?

• Defining a research problem properly is a prerequisite for any study and is a step of the

highest importance.

• Formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution

Technique Involved in Defining Problem

The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of the following steps generally one after the

other:

• Statement of the problem in a general way

• Understanding the nature of the problem

• Surveying the available literature

• Developing the ideas through discussions

• Rephrasing the research problem into a working proposition

2. EXTENSIVE LITERATURE SURVEY

• After the problem is formulated, researcher should undertake extensive literature survey connected

with the problem.

• The abstracting and indexing journals and published or unpublished bibliographies are the first place to

go to.

• Academic journals, Conference proceedings, Government reports, books etc. must be tapped depending

on the nature of the problem.

• It should be remembered that one source will lead to another.

• The earlier studies, if any, which are similar to study in hand should be carefully studied.

• A good library will be a great help to the researcher at this stage.

3. DEVELOPMENT OF WORKING HYPOTHESIS

What Is A Hypothesis…..?

• “one simply means a mere assumption or some supposition to be proved or disproved”

• “A proposition or a set of proposition set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some

specified group of phenomena either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide

some investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts”

• “A research hypothesis is a predictive statement, capable of being tested by scientific methods,

that relates an independent variable to some dependent variable”

Characteristics of Good Hypothesis:

• Hypothesis should be clear and precise.

• Hypothesis should be capable of being tested.

• Hypothesis should state relationship between variables.

• Hypothesis should be limited in scope and must be specific.

• Hypothesis should be stated as far as possible in most simple terms.

• Hypothesis should be consistent with most known facts.

• Hypothesis should be amenable to testing within a reasonable time.

• Hypothesis must explain the facts that gave rise to the need for explanation.

Types of Hypothesis

• (i) Descriptive Hypothesis

• This is simply a statement about the magnitude, trend or behaviour of a population under study.

Based on past record, the researcher makes some presumptions about the variable under study. For

example:

• Students from the pure science background score 90-95 per cent on a course on quantitative method.

• The current advertisement for the diet drink will have 20-25 per cent recall rate.

• The literacy rate in the city of Indore is 100 per cent.

• (ii) Relational Hypothesis

• These are the typical kind of hypothesis which state the expected relationship between two

variables.

There are two types of Relational Hypothesis:

• Directional or One-tailed Hypothesis

• While stating the relation, if the researcher make use of words such as increase, decrease, less than or more

than, the hypothesis is stated to be directional or one-tailed hypothesis.For example:

❑ Higher the likeability of the advertisement, the higher is the recall rate.

❑ Higher the work exhaustion experienced by the BPO professional, higher is the turnover intention of the person.

• Non-directional orTwo-tailed Hypothesis

• Sometimes the researcher might not have reasonable supportive data to hypothesize the expected direction

of the relationship.In this case,it will be known as non-directional or two-tailed hypothesis.For example:

• There is a relation between quality of work life and job satisfaction experienced by employees.

• Ban on smoking has an impact on the cigarette sales.

• Anxiety is related to performance.

4. PREPARING THE RESEARCH DESIGN

What is Research Design….?

• A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a

manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in

procedure.

• The Research Design is the conceptual structure within which research is conducted; it

constitutes the blue print for the collection, measurement and analysis of data.

• The Research Design decisions happen to be in respect of:

• What is the study about?

• Why is the study being made?

• Where will the study be carried out?

• What type of data is required?

• Where can the required data be found?

• What periods of time will the study include?

• What will be the sample design?

• What techniques of data collection will be used?

• How will the data be analysed?

• In what style will the report be prepared?

Keeping in view the stated design decisions in previous slide, one may split the overall

research design into four following parts:

• The Sample Design

• It deals with the method of selecting items to be observed for the given study.

• The Observational Design

• It relates to the condition under which the observations are to be made.

• The Statistical Design

• It concerns with the questions of how many items are to be made observed and how the

information and data gathered are to be analysed.

• The Operational Design

• It deals with the techniques by which the procedures specified in the sampling, statistical and

observational designs can be carried out.

The preparation of the research design, appropriate for a particular research problem,

involves usually the consideration of the following:

• The means of obtaining the information.

• The availability and skill of the researcher and his team.

• Explanation of the way in which selected means of obtaining information will be organized and

the reasoning leading to the selection.

• The time available for the research.

• The cost factor relating to the research.