Research Design in Research Methods

Minor Academic Orientation Research Methods Chapter 4 Research design

Minor Academic Orientation Research Methods Chapter 4 Research designDr. Vera Hartog [email protected], September 2013

The research process

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http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/researchcource/3Research Designa blue print for research projects

Sekaran, 2009Why Scientific Research?In general, results and conclusions are more trustworthy than those based on hunches, experience and intuition.It is purposive, rigorous and objective.It enables other researchers interested in similar issues to come up with comparable findings. Findings can be considered accurate. The resulting solutions can be applied to similar problemsThe hallmarks of science PurposivenessRigor Testability Replicability Precision and confidence Objectivity Generalizability andParsimony 5Why are these criteria important? Using a scientific method rather than simply collectingand analyzing data :Ensures that results will be less prone to errorMore confidence can be placed in the findings They increases the replicability and generalizability of the findings1. Purposiveness7

Research is done with a definite aim, with a definite goal in mindExample: increasing employee commitment2. RigorA good theoretical base and sound methodological design would add rigor to the purposive study.Rigor adds carefulness, scrupulousness and the degree of exactitude in research.

9Example of rigor A manager asks 10-12 employees how to increase the level of commitment. If solely on the basis of their responses the manager reaches conclusions on how employee commitment can be increased, the whole approach to the investigation would be unscientific. It would lack rigor for the following reasons:Based on a few employeesBias There might be other influences on commitment which are ignored and which are important for a researcher to know

Rigor involves good theoretical base and thought out methodology. Thus enabling the researcher to collect the right kind of informationfrom an appropriate sample, with a minimum degree of bias.

3. Testability10After random selection manager and researcher develops certain hypothesis on how manager employee commitment can be enhanced, then these can be tested by applying certain statistical tests to the data collected for the purpose

Example of testability The researcher might hypothesize that those employees who perceive greater opportunitiesfor participation in decision making would have a higher level of commitment.

4. ReplicabilityThe re-application of the research design to similar research problems You or other researchers repeating the study and finding similar results (Think of the human cloning research)12

Example of replicability The study concludes that participation in decision making is one of the most important factors thatinfluences the commitment, we will place more faithand credence in these finding and apply in similarsituations. To the extent that this does happen, we willgain confidence in the scientific nature of our research.

135. Precision and Confidence Precision refers to the closeness of the findings to reality basedon a sample, to what really exists in the universe.

Confidence refers to the probability that our estimations arecorrect. That we can confidently claim that 95% of the time ourresults will be true that that there is only a 5% chance of our being wrong. This is known as the confidence level.

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Example of precision and confidenceYour questions have to be accurately measuring your constructs. Hitting the bulls eye.However it is not enough to be precise. In social science research, a 95% confidence level is acceptedas conventional and is referred to as a significancelevel of 0.05 (p = 0.05).

This means that out of a 100 answers to the same question no more than five can be expected to bewrong or arrived at by chance. Out of a 1000 answers no more than 50, . 6. Objectivity The conclusions drawn through the interpretation of the results of data analysis should be based on the facts of the findings derived from actual data, and not on researchers subjective or emotional values.

Example of objectivity If we had a hypothesis stating that greater participation in decision making would increase organizational commitment and this was not supported by the results, we would have to accept that our hypothesis was falsified by ourresearch results. In both the managerial and the scientific world a falsified hypothesis equals avaluable finding too.

By the way !!! Results can support a hypothesis, results never prove a hypothesis !!! 177. GeneralizabilityRefers to the scope of applicability of the research results. Can the results generated in the study of one organizational setting be transferred to other organizational settings?

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8. ParsimonySimplicity in explaining the phenomenon or problems that occur, and in generating solutions for the problems, is always preferred to complex research frameworks that consider an unmanageable number of factors.

19Keep It Simple and Scientific Example of ParsimoneyFor instance, if 2-3 specific variables in the work situation are identified, which when changed would raise the organizational commitment of the employees by 45%, that would be more useful be more useful and valuable to the manager than if it were recommended that he should change 10 different variables to increaseorganizational commitment by 48%.20Purpose of the studyThe primary concern of the study is: The focus of this study is on The main purpose of this study is .The current study investigates the relationship between

To find answers/come to solutions the researcher opts for: explorative researchdescriptive research hypothesis testing21Sekaran, 2009Purpose of the studyExploratory study:is undertaken when not much is known about the situation at hand, or no information is available on how similar problems or research issues have been solved in the past. Example:A service provider wants to know why his customers are switching to other service providers?22Sekaran, 2009Purpose of the studyDescriptive study:to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation. Example:A bank manager wants to have a profile of the individuals who have loan payments outstanding for 6 months and more. It would include details of their average age, earnings, nature of occupation, full-time/part-time employment status, and the like. This might help him to elicit further information or decide right away on the types of individuals who should be made ineligible for loans in the future. 23Sekaran, 2009Purpose of the studyHypothesis testing:Studies that engage in hypotheses testing usually explain the nature of certain relationships, or establish the differences among groups or the independence of two or more factors in a situation. Example:A marketing manager wants to know if the sales of the company will increase if he doubles the advertising dollars. 24Sekaran, 2009Type of investigationCausal Studyit is necessary to establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. Does smoking cause cancer?

Correlational studyidentification of the important factors associated with the problem. Are smoking and cancer related?25Sekaran, 2009Researcher interference The extent of interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work at the workplace has a direct bearing on whether the study undertaken is causal or correlational.In studies conducted to establish cause-and-effect relationships, the researcher tries to manipulate certain variables so as to study the effects of such manipulation on the dependent variable of interest.A correlational study is conducted in the natural environment of the organization with minimum interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work.Sekaran, 2009Study settingContrived: artificial settingExperiments done to establish cause-and- effect relationship in a contrived environment and strictly controlled are called lab experiments.Non-contrived: the natural environment where work proceeds normally Studies conducted to establish cause-and-effect relationship using the same natural environment in which employees normally function are called field experiments.

27Sekaran, 2009Population to be studiedUnit of analysis:IndividualsDyadsGroupsOrganizationsCultures 28Sekaran, 2009RelevanceTheoretical relevancePracitcal relevance Time horizonCross-sectional studiesSnapshot of constructs at a single point in timeUse of representative sample

Multiple cross-sectional studiesConstructs measured at multiple points in timeUse of different sample

Longitudinal studiesConstructs measured at multiple points in timeUse of same sample = a true panel

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The gap between what employers expect of new graduate hires and the skill set new graduate hires possess. Conceptual model an exercise building a simple model

For lesson 5Study Part 1 of textbook (Bryman & Bell, 2011)Draw the theoretical/conceptual model for the three articles (see assignment 3), map hypotheses/ propositions and bring these to class for next weeks workshop

33Thank you for your attention