Research Methods

Introduction

1
 Could you please review and send me a formal proposal that I could
use as a pitch to talk with them?
 Here you have some examples that would be great to have:
 What is the University?
 Who are you?
 What is the purpose and what do you want to achieve?
 What is the level of interaction needed?
 With who do you need to talk?
 What is the effort requested?
 DO you need to visit/interact with one of our offices or all?
 What is the goal/outcome? (Study Result)
 What should we expect from this goal/outcome? (Study Result)
 This Study will be shared with who? Are we going to have access to
this?
 Last
2 but not the least. Why should we accept?
Course Objective
 Generally

 This course reviews the major considerations and

tasks involved in conducting research particularly as
they pertain to the area of CS/IT.
 You will be introduced with the essential aspects of
proposing, designing, supporting, conducting and
reporting on research projects/thesis.
 Cont…
 Specifically
 Explain the purpose of research and Understand basic
concepts in research
 Understand research as a scientific method to acquire
knowledge
 Acquire skill to formulate researchable research
problems
 Identify major research problems in CS and related
areas
 Explain the different research approaches and methods
(Design science, Quantitative and qualitative)
 Able to analyze and explain existing research outputs
(thesis) focusing on methods
 Able to design research projects or research proposal
 Topics
 Introduction
 Fundamental characteristics of science, technology, research and scientists
 The Research Process
 Problem identification , literature review, designing research, executing
research, reporting research.
 Literature search and reviewing with an emphasis on online search methods
 Research Designs
 Design Science, Quantitative, Qualitative
 The scientific method in research
 Data Collection , Analysis, interpretation ;
 Solution design and evaluation
 Scientific communication (Proposal, Report, journal… writing)
 Miscellaneous issues
 Attitudes for success in research , Values (Ethics) in research
Introduction-Topics
 Meaning of research

 Purpose /objectives of research

 Motivation and significance of research

 Types of research

 Ethical issues in research

6
Meaning of Research
 Re-search

 Research is an organized and systematic way of finding

answers to questions

 Is an academic activity of
 Search for knowledge
 Scientific investigation

7
Cont…
Research often makes use of various
Sources of Knowledge
• INTUITIVE (when coming up with an initial idea
for research)
• AUTHORITATIVE (when reviewing professional
literature)
• LOGICAL (when reasoning from findings to
conclusions)
• EMPIRICAL (when engaging in procedures that
lead to these findings)

8
Cont..
Scientific Research

 Employees Systematic Observation and rational processes

to create new knowledge

 Based on logical relationship not just beliefs

 Involves an explanation of the methods used to collect

and analyze data; explanation to “why the results are
meaningful?”

9
WHAT RESEARCH IS NOT
1. Research is not mere information gathering
2. Research is not mere transportation of facts from one
location to another.
 Fact discovery, fact transportation, and fact
transcription.
 Missed the essence of research: the interpretation of data.
3. Research is not merely digging for information –
example of “house for sale” sign board
4. Research is not a catchword, used to get attention
YEARS OF RESEARCH HAVE PRODUCED A NEW CAR WASH!
GIVE YOUR CAR A MIRACLE SHINE WITH SOAPY SUDS

10
 ????
 What is a computer game playing habit of children’s in
Ethiopia

 A mobile based agricultural information system for the

Agricultural Transformation Agency

 A lightweight methodology for Network Traffic Control in

private Wide Area Network

11
 WHAT TRUE RESEARCH IS
Research is a procedure by which we attempt to find
systematically, and with the support of demonstrable
fact, the answer to a question or the resolution of a
problem.

Has EIGHT distinct characteristics:

1. Originates with a question.
2. Demands a clear articulation of a goal.
3. Requires a specific plan of procedure.
4. Usually divides the principal problem into more
manageable sub-problems.

12
WHAT TRUE RESEARCH IS
5. Is tentatively guided by research questions, or
hypotheses.

6. Accepts certain critical assumptions.

7. Will countenance only hard, measurable data in

attempting to resolve the problem that initiated the
research.

8. By its nature, circular; or, more exactly, helical.

13
(1) Originates with a question or problem
 Originates with a question in the mind of the researcher.
 The world is filled with unanswered questions,
unresolved problems.
 Things that cause us to wonder, to speculate, to ask
questions.

 Igniting a chain reaction that terminates in the research

process.
 Inquisitive mind is the beginning of research.
 Do not know, do not understand.
 Why? What’s the cause of that? What does it all mean?

14
(2) Requires clear articulation of a goal
 Cannot proceed without a clear articulation of a goal.
 A clear, unambiguous statement of the problem.
 An exercise in intellectual honesty.
 Must set forth in a grammatically complete sentence
exactly what the ultimate goal of the research
 Basic for the success.
 Without it, research is on shaky ground.

15
 (3) Requires a specific plan for proceeding
 Requires a specific plan of procedure.
 Not an excursion into happy expectation, a carefully planned
attack, search-and-discover mission explicitly planned.

 Logically designed.

 Any existent data that address themselves will be used

 What will you do with them after they are in your possession?

 Cannot be postponed.

 Procrastination has no place in the agenda

16
(4) Divides the principal problem into sub
problems
 Dividing it into more manageable subareas.
 Whole is composed of the sum of its parts.

 We break down much more frequently than we realize.

 To proceed logically, should closely inspect the principal

problem, soon cause the appropriate, necessary
subproblems to float naturally.

 Many researchers take neither the time nor the trouble to

isolate the lesser problems, their research projects become
cumbersome and unwieldy.
17
cont…
 It is expedient to reduce the main problem to a series of
logical subproblems.
 Example: Getting to another town 50km away

 Main problem: How do I get there?

 Subproblems:
1. What is the direct route?
2. How far do I travel on highway?
3. Which exit number should I take?

18
(5) Guided by specific questions or hypothesis

 Seeks direction through appropriate hypotheses

based upon obvious assumptions.
 Each of the subproblems is then viewed through a
construct called a hypothesis.
 Logical supposition, reasonable guess, an educated
conjecture.

 Direct your thinking to the possible source of facts that will

aid in resolving the research problem.

 Nothing new. They are constant, recurring features of

everyday life.
 Natural working of the human mind.
19
Cont…
Example: table lamp.
Find the switch.You turn it. No light.
Begin to construct a series of reasonable guesses.
1. The bulb has burned out.
2. The lamp is not plugged into the wall outlet.
3. A late afternoon thunderstorm interrupted
the electrical service.
4. The wire from the lamp to the wall outlet is defective.
5.You forgot to pay your electric bill.
These hypotheses provides a direction for exploration.

20
Cont…
Never proved nor disproved; either supported or not
supported.
 You go out to your car, get a flashlight, find a new bulb, and insert the new
bulb. The lamp fails to light. (Hypothesis 1 is rejected.)
 You glance down at the wall outlet and the lamp is plugged into it.
(Hypothesis 2 is rejected.)
 You look at your neighbours’ homes. Everyone has electrical power.
(Hypothesis 3 is rejected.)
 You go back into your home, lift the cord connecting the lamp to the wall
socket. The lamp lights briefly, then goes out.You lift the cord again. Again
the lamp lights briefly. The connecting cord is defective. (Hypothesis 4 is
supported.)
 Fortunately, hypothesis 4 solved the problem, and by repairing or replacing
the cord, you can count on adequate light in the near future.

21
Cont…
 After the hypotheses, come facts.
 Greatest discoveries begun as hypotheses.
 Over time, as particular hypotheses are supported by a growing
body of data, they evolve into theories.
 A theory is an organised body of concepts and principles
intended to explain a particular phenomenon.

 Distinction between a hypothesis and an assumption.

 Assumption is a condition that is taken for granted, without which the
research situation would be impossible.
 Assumptions are self-evident conditions.
 For the beginning researcher, it is better to be over-explicit than to take
too much for granted.

22
(6) Accepts critical assumptions
 Assumptions are equivalent to axioms in geometry
 Assumptions as bedrock upon which the research
rest
 Essential that others know
 Vitally important in judging the quality of the research

 Example: to investigate whether students learn the

unique grammatical structure of a language more
quickly by studying only one foreign language at a
time or two concurrently

23
Cont…
 At a minimum the researcher must assume
 The teachers used in the study are competent to teach the
language or languages in question and have mastered the
grammatical structures of the language(s) they are teaching

 The students taking part in the research are capable of

mastering the unique grammatical structures of any language
they are studying

 The language selected for the study have sufficiently different

grammatical structures that students can recognized and
learn to distinguish between them

24
(7) Requires collection and interpretation of
data
 Deals with facts and their meaning.
 Next step is to collect whatever facts seem appropriate and
to organize them in meaningful ways so that they can be
interpreted.

 Collection of data, not necessarily appropriate for

interpretation.
 Only facts, events, happenings, observations-nothing more.

 These are potentially meaningful.

 The significance of the data depends upon the way in which

the human brain extracts meaning from those data.
25
Cont…
 Unprocessed, are worthless in research.
 Become a travesty (something that can be joked about).
 Data demands interpretation.

 No rule, no formula, that will lead the researcher unerringly

(accurately) to the correct interpretation.

 Subjective: entirely upon the logical mind, inductive reasoning

skill, objectivity of the researcher.

 Different minds frequently see different meanings in

the same set of facts.
 An axiom of interpretation that all researchers must recognize.
26
(8) Research is, by its nature, cyclical or,
more exactly, helical
 Is circular
 The research process follows a cycle and begins simply and
follows logical, developmental steps.
1. A questioning mind observes a particular situation and asks,
Why? What caused that? How come? (Subjective origin of
research.)
2. One question becomes formally stated as a problem. (Overt
beginning of research.)
3. The problem is divided into several simpler, more specific
subproblems.
4. Preliminary data are gathered that appear to bear on the
problem.
5. The data seem to point to a tentative solution of the problem.
A guess is made; a hypothesis or guiding question is formed.

27
Cont…
6. Data are collected, processed, and interpreted.
7. A discovery is made; a conclusion is reached.
8. The tentative hypothesis is either supported by the data or is
not supported; the question is either answered (partially or
completely) or not answered.
9. The cycle is complete.

This is the format of all research.

28
Cont…
 Different academic disciplines merely use different
routes to arrive at the same destination.
 Circle is, however, deceptive.
 Accurately helix, or spiral.
 One comes across additional problems.
 Research begets research.
 Dynamic quality.
 NOT One-time act (static), self-contained, an end in
itself.
 Genuine research creates more problems than it
resolves.
29
 What is the purpose of research?
Why do we do researches?

30
Major Purposes of Research
 A research can be undertaken for two
different purposes:

 1. To solve a currently existing problem (applied

research)

 2. To contribute to the general body of knowledge

in a particular area of interest (basic/fundamental
research)

31
Scientific Research
Objectives of Research
• Employs systematic observation and
• To discover
rational answers
processes to questions
to create new through
knowledge. of scientific procedures.
the application
• Based on logical relationships not just
beliefs.
• To find out the truth which is hidden
which has notanbeen
• Involves discovered
explanation as yet.
of the methods
used to collect and analyze data;
explanation to “why the results are
meaningful?”

32
 Objectives of Research
Objectives of Research … cont’d

• To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to

achieve new insights into it;
• To discover answers to questions through
• To
theportray accurately
application the characteristics
of scientific procedures.of a
particular individual, situation or a group;
• To determine the frequency with which something
• To find out the truth which is hidden
occurs or with which it is associated with
which haselse;
something not been discovered as yet.
• To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship
between variables;

33
 What motivates a research?

34
 Significance
Significance
Objectives
Motivation ofResearch
research
inofResearch
research
of … cont’d
… cont’d

To
•• Whatgainmakes
familiarity
– Increased with
people
amount a phenomenon
undertake
of research or to
research?
make progress possible.
achieve new
Desire to
– Research getinsights
a researchinto it; along with its
degree
Knowledge
– Research inculcates scientific thinking and
consequential
promotes the benefits.
development of logical habitsof of a
• To portray accurately the characteristics
– Desire to and
thinking solveorganization.
a challenge in solving the unsolved
particular individual, situation or a group;
problems.
– Complexity in business and government is increasing.
– Desire
• To to design
determine theappropriate
frequencypolicies
with which something
Thereoris with
more information and Information
knowledge
–– Desire
occurs to which
contribute toitthe
is existing
associated oftoknowledge.
stockwith
understand the world than before.
something
– Desire to getelse;
intellectual joy of doing some creative
Multi disciplinary professions have become common
– work
• To test atohypothesis
– Desire be of serviceoftoasociety
casual relationship
between variables;
– Directives of government. Development
– Curiosity about new things, etc....
35
Significance of Research
 Research is the fountain of knowledge and an important
source for providing guidelines for solving different business,
governmental and social problems. Therefore,
 (a) To analysts and intellectuals, research may mean the
generalisations of new theories;
 (b) To philosophers and thinkers, research may mean the
outlet for new ideas and insights;
 (c) To those students who are to write a thesis, it is a
way to attain a high position in the social structure;
 (d) To professionals in research methodology, it is a
source of livelihood;
 (e) To literary men and women, research may mean the
development of new styles and creative work.

36
Significance
Significance of research
of research … cont’d

– Increased amount of research make progress possible.

Research Knowledge
– Research inculcates scientific thinking and
promotes the development of logical habits of
thinking and organization.
– Complexity in business and government is increasing.
Information
– There is more information and knowledge to
understand the world than before.
– Multi disciplinary professions have become common

Development

37
 Types of Research

38
Based on Purpose
 (i) Descriptive vs. Analytical:
 -Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding
enquiries such as Ex post facto where the researcher has
no control over the variables so he can only report what
has happened.

 -Analytical research is using of facts already available then

analyse these to make a critical evaluation.

 (CS research is expected to be of more analytical)

39
Cont..
 (ii) Applied vs. Fundamental:
 -Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate
problem facing a society or an industrial/business
organization.
 Developing a SW that convert word files into database format
 Innovating new way in doing payroll processing by a computer
 Developing a program that copy's files from a computer to a
mobile phone
(Given the field that we are in, your research is expected to be
more of applied)
 -Fundamental research is mainly concerned with
generalizations and with the formulation of a theory
40
Based on Approach and method
(iii) Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
 -Quantitative research is based on the measurement of
amount/quantity.

 -Qualitative research is concerned with quality or kind.

 (CS research may follow both or either ) ????

41
Based on Approach and method
(iv) Conceptual vs. Empirical:
 Conceptual research is used by philosophers to develop
new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones.

 Empirical research is data-based research which can be

verified by observation or experiment.

 (as a masters work, CS research is expected to be more

of emperical)?

42
Cont…
(V) Behavioral Vs Design Science
 Design Science
 Studiesartificial objects or phenomena designed to
meet certain goals
 (CS research mainly falls under this category)

 Behavioral
 Studies the decision processes and communication
strategies within and between organisms in a social
system

43
Cont…
 (v) Some Other Types of Research:

 -Based on Time => one-time research or longitudinal

research.

 Based on the environment=> field-setting research or

laboratory research or simulation research.

 Based on orientation=> conclusion-oriented and

decision-oriented

44
45
Expected Problems Encountered by
Researchers
 1. The lack of a scientific training in research methodology;
 2. Insufficient interaction between concerned bodies;
 3. Research studies overlapping one another;
 4. Inexistence of code of conduct for researchers;
 5. the difficulty of adequate and timely ICT know-how;
 6. Unsatisfactory Library services and functioning;
 7. Difficulty of timely availability of published data;
 8. Ethical concerns (both Animal & Human)
 9. Approval by authorities
 10. Lack of cooperation etc....

46
Ethical issues in research
 Ethical concerns
 Moral issues – honesty, integrity

 Legal implications – confidentially/privacy

 Neutrality

 Protecting human subjects

47
Ethical issues cont…Issue of Plagiarism
 Intentional VS unintentional
 The effect is the same
 The most serious one
 Presenting ones idea /research as if it is yours
 Others
 Use/Copy sentences/ideas of others as they are in your work
 Solution
 Acknowledging
 Either paraphrase or put it in quotation and cite.
 Through proper citation (at sentence level, paragraph level etc…
 Indicate in any appropriate way that it is not yours.

48
Course Assessment
Presentation/Participation - 10%

Literature Review – 15%

Data Collection & Analysis – 15%

Proposal Writing - 30%

Final Exam - 30%