TY - BOOK AU - Kumar, Ranjit AU - Owen, Aly ed. TI - Research methodology: a step by step guide for beginners SN - 9788131704967 U1 - 001.42 PY - 2005/// CY - New Delhi PB - Pearson KW - Research methods. KW - Social Sciences. KW - Investigation N1 - 1 Research: a way of thinidng Research: a way of examining your practice Applications of research Definitions of research Characteristics of research Types of research Application Objectives Inquiry mode Paradigms of research Summary 2 The research process: a quick glance The research process: an eight-step model Steps in planning a research study Step I: formulating a research problem Step II: conceptualising a research design Step III: constructing an instrument for data collection Step IV: selecting a sample Step V: writing a research proposal Steps in conducting a study Step VT: collecting data Step VII: processing data Step VIII: writing a research report Summary step I Fonnulating a research problem 3 Reviewing the iiterature Place of literature review in research Bring clarity and focus to your research problem Improve your methodology Broaden your knowledge base in your research area Contextualise your findings Procedure for reviewing the literature Search for existing literature Review the literature selected Develop a theoretical framewo^^ Develop a conceptual framewmjis-' • Writing up the literature reviewed Summary 4 Fonnuiating a research probiem The research problem The importance of formulating a research problem Sources of research problems Considerations in selecting a research problem Steps in the formulation of a research problem The formulation of objectives Establishing operational definitions Summary 5 Identifying variables The definition of a variable The difference between a concept and a variable Concepts, indicators and variables Types of variable From the viewpoint of causation From the viewpoint of the study design From the viewpoint of the unit of measurement Types of measurement scale The nominal or classificatoiy scale The ordinal or ranking scale The interval scale The ratio scale Summary 6 Constructing hypotheses The definition of a hypothesis TTie functions of a hypothesis The characteristics of a hypothesis Types of hypothesis Errors in testing a hypothesis Summary step II Conceptualising a research design 7 The research design The definition of a research design The functions of a research design Summary 8 Selecting a study design Study designs based on the number of contacts The cross-sectional study design The before-and-after study design The longitudinal study design Study designs based on the reference period The retrospective study design The prospective study design The retrospective-prospective study design Study designs based on the nature of the investigation , The experimental study designs Others—some commonly used study designs Action research Feminist research The cross-over comparative experimental design The replicated cross-sectional design Trend studies Cohort studies Panel studies Blind studies Double-blind studies Case studies Summary Step Hi Constructing an instrument for data collection 9 Selecting a method of data collection Methods of data collection Collecting data using primary sources Observation Types of observation Problems with using observation as a method of data collection Situations in which observation can be made The recording of observation The interview Unstructured interviews Structured interview The questionnaire Choosing between an interview schedule and a questionnaire Different ways of administering a questionnaire The contents of the covering letter Advantages of a questionnaire Disadvantages of a questionnaire Advantages of the interview Disadvantages of the interview Forms of question Advantages and disadvantages of open-ended questions Advantages and disadvantages of closed-ended questions Considerations in formulating questions The construction of a research instrument Asking personal and sensitive questions The order of questions Prerequisites for data collection Collecting data using secondary sources Problems with using data from secondary sources Summary 10 Collecting data using attltudlnal scales Functions of attitudinal scales Difficulties in developing an attitudinal scale . Types of attitudinal scale The summated rating or Likert scale The equal-appearing interval or Thurstone scale The cumulative or Guttman scale The relationship between attitudinal and measurement scales Summary 11 Establishing the validity and reliability of a research Instrument n The concept of validity Types of validity Face and content validity Concurrent and predictive validity Construct validity The concept of reliability Factors affecting the reliability of a research instrument Methods of determining the reliability of an instrument External consistency procedures Internal consistency procedures Summary Step IV Selecting a sample 12 Sampling The concept of sampling The concept of sampling in qualitative research Sampling terminology Principles of sampling Factors affecting the inferences drawn from a sample Aims in selecting a sample Types of sampling Random/probability sampling designs Non-random/non-probability sampling designs 'Mixed' sampling designs The calculation of sample size Summary Step V Writing a research proposal 13 Writing a research proposal The research proposal Contents of a research proposal Preamble/introduction The problem Objectives of the study Hj^otheses to be tested Study design The setting Measurement procedures Ethical issues Sampling Analysis of data Structure of the report Problems and limitations Appendix Work schedule Summary Step VI Collecting data 14 Considering ethical issues In data collection Ethics Stakeholders in research Ethical issues concerning research participants Collecting information Seeking consent Providing incentives Seeking sensitive information The possibility of causing harm to participants Maintaining confidentiality Ethical issues relating to the researcher Avoiding bias Provision or deprivation of a treatment Using inappropriate research methodology Incorrect reporting '' Inappropriate use of information Ethical issues regarding the sponsoring organisation Restrictions imposed by the sponsoring organisation The misuse of information Summary Step Vll Processing data 15 Processing data Editing data collected through structured inquiries (quantitative studies) Editing data collected through unstructured interviewing Coding data: introduction Coding quantitative/categorical (qualitative and quantitative) data Developing a code book Pre-testing a code book Coding the data Verifying the coded data Coding descriptive/quantitative data Developing a frame of analysis for quantitative studies Frequency distributions Cross-tabulations Constructing the main concepts Statistical procedures Developing a frame of analysis for qualitative studies Analysing data The role of computers in research The role of statistics in research Summary 16 Displaying data . Tables Structure Types of tables Types of percentages Graphs The histogram The bar chart The stacked bar chart The 100 per cent bar chart The frequency polygon The cumulative frequency polygon The stem-and-leaf display Cc The pie chart The line diagram or trend curve The area chart The scattergram Summary Step VIII Writing a research report 17 Writing a research report Research writing in general Referencing Writing a bibliography Developing an outline Writing about a variable Summary 18 Research methodoiogy and practice evaiuation What is evaluation? Why evaluation? Intervention-development-evaluation process Perspectives in the classification of evaluation studies Tj'pes of evaluation from a focus perspective Evaluation for planning a program/intervention Process/monitoring evaluation Impact/outcome evaluation Cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness evaluation ' Types of evaluation firom a philosophical perspective Goal-centered/objective-oriented evaluation Consumer-oriented/client-centred evaluation Improvement-oriented evaluation Holistic/illuminative evaluation Understanding an evaluation: the process Involving stakeholders in evaluation Ethics in evaluation Summary ER -