advanced research methods

2. » The research ‘onion’
» Understanding the research philosophy
» Research Approaches
» The Process of Research Design
» Group Activity:
» SPSS Assignment

3. Figure 4.1 The research ‘onion’

4. ‘Research philosophy is an over-arching
term relating to the development of
knowledge and the nature of that
knowledge’
Adapted from Saunders et al, (2009)

5. » relates to the development of knowledge
and the nature of that knowledge
» contains important assumptions about the
way in which you view the world

6. » Positivism - the stance of the natural scientist ending at
law-like generalizations
» Emphasising highly structured methodology to facilitate
replication (Gill and Johnson, 1997), quantifiable
observation lending themselves to statistical analysis”
» Assuming researcher as independent: i.e. neither affects
nor is affected by the subject of the research’

7. » Interpretivism - researchers as ‘social actors’
emphasize ‘ the details of the situation to understand
the reality
e.g. In this ever changing world circumstances of today
may not apply in three months time then some of the
value of generalizability would be lost
» Arguing that rich insights into this complex world are
lost if such complexity is reduced entirely to a series
of law like generalizations

8. » Realism - direct and critical realism, i.e.
Reality exist that is independent of human
thoughts and beliefs
» Recognizing the importance of
understanding people’s socially constructed
interpretations within the context of broader
social forces
* Example: Does window shopping fulfill dreams or
increase frustration?

9. The two main research approaches are
Deduction - theory and hypothesis are
developed and tested
Induction – data are collected and a theory
developed from the data analysis

10. Deduction
5 sequential stages of testing theory
» Deducing a hypothesis
» Expressing the hypothesis operationally
» Testing the operational hypothesis
» Examining the specific outcome of the enquiry
» Modifying the theory (if necessary)
Adapted from Robson (2002)

11. Induction
Building theory by –
» Being concerned with the context of events
» Using more qualitative data
» Using a variety of data collection methods
» Permitting alternative explanations of what’s
going on

12. Major differences

13. The right choice of approach helps you to
» Make a more informed decision about the
research design
» Think about which strategies will work for your
research topic
» Adapt your design to cater for any constraints
Adapted from Easter by-Smith et al. (2008)

14. Combining research approaches
Things worth considering
» The nature of the research topic
» The time available
» The extent of risk
» The research audience

16. » Clear objectives derived from the research question
» To specify sources of data collection
» To consider constraints and ethical issues
» Classification of the research purpose
o Exploratory research
o Descriptive studies
o Explanatory studies or causal research

17. Archival
Experiment Case Study
Research
Survey Ethnography
Grounded Action
Theory Research
More on research design and strategies
in the next class

19. 1. In the previous assignment-3, you were asked
to;
- define ‘parameters for literature search’,
- generate ‘keywords and search terms ’,
- identify and use ‘tertiary literature sources’
- record the ‘bibliographical details’ and
- prepare a list of ‘references’
Continues on next slide

20. 2. Continue this practice, using other approaches of
literature search noted in Lecture-3; e.g. :
(i) Obtaining relevant literature referenced in books
and journals already studies;
(ii) Scanning and browsing secondary literature
available in the libraries; and
(iii) Searching using Internet.
3. Prepare a list of references of all the literature you have
reviewed.
4. Also start writing the review according to the guidelines
provided in Lecture-3.
5. Your individual reports be annexed with your group
report to be submitted in next week-class.

21. Group‟s assignment
1. Exchange your reports as well as „content‟ with each other, hold a
group meeting and finalyze group report for submission in next class.
2. Be ready for a discussion in next class on “experiences in reviewing
the literature” and your group‟s “List of references”.

22. Carrying out a survey of economic status
using SPSS for analysis - I