This document provides an overview of an applied research methodology course being taught at IOE Pluchowk campus in Nepal. It includes: 1. An introduction to the course objectives which are to increase awareness of research methods and familiarize students with qualitative and quantitative research approaches. 2. An outline of course topics which will cover research design, methods, data collection and analysis, and writing research proposals and reports. 3. Details on textbooks, references, hours, evaluation, and student requirements which involve interactions, written reports and presentations.

1. Welcome

2. APPLIED RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
EG921 CE
Lecture 1
Mr. Nagendra Bahadur Amatya
Lecturer
Dept. of Eng. Science and humanities
Pluchowk campus.
IOE
Email : nbamatya@ioe.edu.np

3. Introduction: Students
• Name
• Academic background
• Social background
• Experience
• Specific area of Interest
• Why do you think such an interest crystallized?
• Have you already gone some distance into the
study?

4. Today’s Overview
• Introduction
1 faculty, student and
course
2 • Concept of research
• Methods and Methodology
3 of research

5. Introduction
Course Objectives
• Applied Research Methodology
– Increasing awareness of Research, Criticism, Role
of RDM in an enquiry process
– Introduce a Range of Research
Methodologies, Strategies and tactics, weakness
and strengths
– Familiarize with problem base research
– Develop the skill to handle qualitative and
quantitative research
– writing research proposal and reports

6. Textbooks and References
• I shall be using some of these as references
– Rossi, P.H., Wright, J.D. & Anderson, A.B. 1983, Handbook of Survey
Research, Academic Press Inc., London.
– Cooper, Donald R., Schindler, Pamela S., 2006, Marketing Research, McGraw-
Hill, New Delhi
– Cooper, Donald R., Schindler, Pamela S., 2006, Business Research
Methods, McGraw-Hill, New Delhi
– C.R.Kothari.,2004, Research Methodology Methods and techniques, New Age
International (P) Ltd, Publisher, New Delhi
– Y.K .singh,2006, Fundamental of research Methodology and statistics, New
Age International (P) Ltd, Publisher, New Delhi
– McQueen, R. & Knussen, C. 2002, Research Methods for Social
Science, Prentice Hall.
– Jonker, J. & Pennik, B. 2002, The Essence of Research Methodology, Springer.
– Polonsky, M.J. & Waller, D.S. 2005, Designing and Managing a Research
Project, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks.
– Yin, R.K. 1994, Case Study Research, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks.
– Trochim, W.M.K. 2006, Research Methods Knowledge
Base, [online], Available:
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb, [2010, June 29]
– Key, J.P. 1997, Research Design in Occupational Education, [online], Available:
http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/academic/aged5980a/5980
[2010, June 29]

7. Course Outline
• Ontological and epistemological underpinning of research
• Formulation of research proposal, formulation and refining research
topic, research design, research hypothesis, research process- from
formulation of research question to final publication, research strategy
and design
• Use of quantitative and qualitative research methods, data
collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative data (
interview, participatory observation , group discussion).
• Collection, analysis and interpretation of quantitative data, use of
secondary data.
• PRA tools, problem – base research, population, sampling
interdisciplinary research, practical field work, use of
SPSS, EXCEL, research ethics
• Methods: Historical-interpretive, Qualitative, Co-relational, Causal-
Experimental and Quasi-experimental, Simulation and
modeling, Questionnaire Surveys, Case Studies
• Data analysis and interpretation, application of SPSS, EXCEL
• Writing research proposal, research report, thesis

8. Hours and Evaluation
• 4 credits 2 sessions a week of 2 hours each/ 13/14 weeks.
• Basically lectures
• Assessment (40 marks) in three points
– Cumulative assessment of interactions and outputs of tutorials
– Written report and presentation
– Written test
• Course Outputs
• Student Inputs 75% attendance
• Interactions and inputs in Tutorial classes
• Report and Presentation on Literature survey, References and
bibliography
• Participation through critiques

9. Introduction Academic/Applied Research
Research is a careful, systematic and patient study and
investigation…undertaken to discover or establish facts or
principles
Knowing creates description, explanation and understanding
New knowledge: not a perchance discovery!
Old Theory: New Observations
New Observations: New theory
New procedures of practice for old knowledge
Purposefulness of research
Changing Reality through New Knowledge

10. Meaning of research:
• Research simply seeks the answer of certain questions which
have not been answered so far and the answers depend upon
human efforts.
• Actually research is simply the process of arriving as dependable
solution to a problem through the planned and systematic
collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Research is the
most important process for advancing knowledge for promoting
progress and to enable man to relate more effectively to his
environment to accomplish his purpose and to resolve his
conflicts. Although it is not the only way, it is one of the more
effective ways of solving scientific problems.
• Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.
Once can also define research as a scientific and systematic
search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In
fact, research is an art of scientific investigation.
• Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be
used in a technical sense.

11. TERM RESEARCH

12. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH
The following characteristics may be gathered from the
definitions of ‘Research’
1. It gathers new knowledge or data from primary or
first-hand sources.
2. It places emphasis upon the discovery of general
principles.
3. It is an exact systematic and accurate investigation.
4. It uses certain valid data gathering devices.
5. It is logical and objective.
6. The researcher resists the temptation to seek only
the data that support his hypotheses.

13. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH cont..
7. The researcher eliminates personal feelings and
preferences.
8. It endeavors to organize data in quantitative terms.
9. Research is patient and unhurried activity.
10. The researcher is willing to follow his procedures to
the conclusions that may be unpopular and bring social
disapproval.
11. Research is carefully recorded and reported.
12. Conclusions and generalizations are arrived at
carefully and cautiously.

14. THE FUNCTIONS OF
RESEARCH
The following are the main functions of research:
The main function of research is to improve
research procedures through the refinement and
extension of knowledge.

15. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
• Theoretical
objective
• Factual objective
• Application
objective

16. Theoretical objective:
Those researches whose objectives are theoretical
formulate the new theories, principles or laws. Such
type of research is explanatory because it explains
the relationships of certain variables. These
researches contribute some basic knowledge to the
human knowledge. The researches in different
disciplines i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics etc.
have the theoretical objective.

17. Factual objective :
Those researches whose objective is factual find out
new facts. This objective is by nature descriptive.
These researches describe facts or events which
happened previously. Such type of research is done in
history.
Applicationobjective
The research having application objective does not contribute a
new knowledge in the fund of human knowledge but suggests
new applications. By application we mean improvement and
modification in practice. For example if anyone gives a new
application of electricity then such type of research has
application objective.

18. MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH
• What makes people to undertake research? This is a
question of fundamental importance. The possible motives
for doing research may be either one or more of the
following:
• 1. Desire to get a research degree along with its
consequential benefits;
• 2. Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved
problems, i.e., concern over practical problems initiates
research;
• 3. Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
• 4. Desire to be of service to society;
• 5. Desire to get respectability.

19. TYPES OF RESEARCH
• The basic types of research are as follows:
 Descriptive vs. Analytical( Ex post facto research)
Applied vs. Fundamental:
Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
Conceptual vs. Empirical:
Some Other Types of Research:

20. Descriptive vs. Analytical
( Ex post facto research)
• The main characteristic of this method is that the
researcher has no control over the variables; he can only
report what has happened or what is happening.
• Most ex post facto research projects are used for
descriptive studies in which the researcher seeks to
measure such items
• In analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher
has to use facts or information already available, and
analyze these to make a critical evaluation of the material.

21. Applied vs. Fundamental:
• Applied research aims at finding a solution
for an immediate problem facing a society or
an industrial/business organization, whereas
fundamental research is mainly concerned
with generalizations and with the formulation
of a theory.

22. Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
• Quantitative research is based on the
measurement of quantity or amount. It
is applicable to phenomena that can be
expressed in terms of quantity.
Qualitative research, on the other
hand, is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating
to or involving quality or kind.

23. Conceptual vs. Empirical:
• Conceptual research is that related to some
abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by
philosophers and thinkers to develop new
concepts or to reinterpret existing ones. On the
other hand, empirical research relies on
experience or observation alone, often without
due regard for system and theory. It is data-
based research, coming up with conclusions
which are capable of being verified by
observation or experiment. We can also call it as
experimental type of research.

24. Some Other Types of Research:
• One time/ Cross sectional vs Longitudinal/ Developmental &
Trend or Predication studies ( the time domain)
• Filed setting vs Lab/ simulation research
• Clinical vs diagnostic studies
• Exploratory vs Formulated ( the degree of formulation of the
problem) studies
• Historical studies
• Content analysis in one such quantitative method –
multipurpose method developed specifically for investigating
a board spectrum or problem in which the contents of
commination serve as a basis of inference. Example usage
rates, word counts, etc
• Correlation research
• Conclusion oriented or decision oriented research

25. Working Toward Research
Achieve
research
objective
Research Worked On
Design
study
implement
Test,
,reliability
validity
Develop your
research
concept
Time Spent

26. Research is Never Ending Process
what ever you proved in your research
it may be mid way of the process.
watch at this animation
Think where you are ?
compare with your research process
Animation