What is a research?
- Discovery of a new knowledge
- Systematic and organized effort to investigate specific problem
Why doing a research?
- Internal drive vs external drive
- Attempts to seek answer to questions
- Draws conclusions to data
- Generalize conclusion
- Adds to the existing body of knowledge
- Improves understanding of the real world
- Improves understanding of our own practice
Types of Research
- Basic/ Pure/ Fundamental
- to improve understanding
- to generate knowledge
- to build theories
- Applied
- to solve a current existing problem
Characteristics of Research
- Questions/ Problem statement
- Goal (s)
- Specific plan
- Divide into sub-problems
- Research questions/ hypotheses
- Accept assumptions
- Collect and interpret data
- Cyclical
Research Process
- Determine the specific area of interest
- Extensive literature survey
- Refinement of the research topics
- Preparing the research design
- Collecting the data
- Analysis of data
- Preparation of the report and presentation of the results
Research Model
- Asking the questions
- Identifying important factors
- Formulating a hypothesis
- Collecting relevant information
- Testing the hypothesis
- Working with the hypothesis
- Reconsidering the theory
- Asking new questions
Research Process (as illustrated in the diagram above)
The research process is a set of operations which aid the researcher in the systematic gathering, recording and analysis of data to help solve decision making problems.
Characteristics of Scientific Research
- Purposiveness
- Rigor
- Testability
- Replicability
- Precision and Confidence
- Objectivity
- Able to generalize
- Parsimony
Research Methodology
- Gather data
- Analyze data
- Conclude
Deduction
Deduction is the process by which we arrive at a reasoned conclusion by logical generalization of a known fact.
Deductive reasoning:
Develop theory => Formulate hypothesis => Collect and analyse data => Accept/ reject hypotheses
Induction
Induction is a process where we observe certain phenomena and on this basis arrive at conclusions.
Inductive reasoning:
Observe phenomena => Analyse patterns and themes => Formulate relationships => Develop theory
