3. (1) Define Research Problem
– A research problem is a definite or clear expression [statement] about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists
in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practice that points to a need for
meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. A research problem does not state how
to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.
– Specify the Research Objectives. A clear statement defining your objectives will help you
develop effective research.
– Review the Environment or Context of the Research Problem.
– Explore the Nature of the Problem.
– Define the Variable Relationships.
– The Consequences of Alternative Courses of Action.
4. (2)Review of Literature
– A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources
relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing,
provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in
relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are
designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while
researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your
research fits within a larger field of study.
5. (3)Hypothesis Formulation
– A research hypothesis is a statement of expectation or prediction that will be tested by research.
– FORMULATING HYPOTHESIS Begins with an assumption called HYPOTHESIS
– HYPOTHESIS: An hypothesis is really a temporary explanation, a kind of educated guess about what will happen under
certain conditions.
– Hypothesis is considered as an intelligent guess or prediction, that gives directional to the researcher to answer the
research question.
– Hypothesis or Hypotheses are defined as the formal statement of the tentative or expected prediction or explanation of
the relationship between two or more variables in a specified population
– A hypothesis is a formal tentative statement of the expected relationship between two or more variables under study.
– A hypothesis helps to translate the research problem and objective into a clear explanation or prediction of the expected
results or outcomes of the study
– A null hypothesis is a hypothesis that says there is no statistical significance between the two variables. It is usually the
hypothesis a researcher or experimenter will try to disprove or discredit. An alternative hypothesis is one that states there
is a statistically significant relationship between two variables.
6. (4) 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.
– According to William Zikmund, “Research design is defined as a master plan
specifying the methods and procedures for collection and analyzing the needed
information.”
– According to Kerlinger, “Research design is the plan, structure, and strategy of
investigation conceived so as to obtain answer to research questions and to
control variance.”
7. (5)Data Collection
– Various methods of collecting data are employed by social scientists. Here we
will discuss the varied dimensions relevant to : data generation and attempt to
arrive at an abstract typology involving stimuli, responses and setting for data
collection. The task of data collection begins after a research problem has been
defined and research design /plan chalked out.
– PRIMARY DATA : Are those which are collected a fresh and for the first time and
thus happen to be original in character and known as Primary data.
– SECONDARY DATA : Are those which have been collected by someone else and
which have already been passed through the statistical process are known as
Secondary data
8. (6)Analysis of Data
– Data analysis is the most crucial part of any research. Data analysis summarizes
collected data. It involves the interpretation of data gathered through the use of
analytical and logical reasoning to determine patterns, relationships or trends.
9. (7)Hypothesis Testing
– Various tests, such as Chi-square test, t-test, F-test, have been
developed by statisticians for this purpose.
– The hypothesis may be tested through the use of one or more of
such test, depending upon the nature and object of research
enquiry.
– Hypothesis testing will result in either accepting the hypothesis or
in rejecting.
10. (8)Interpretation and Report
Writing
– After collecting and analyzing the data, the researcher has to accomplish the
task of drawing inferences followed by report writing. This has to be done very
carefully, otherwise misleading conclusions may be drawn and the whole
purpose of doing research may get vitiated. It is only through interpretation that
the researcher can expose relations and processes that underlie his findings.
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