Research methods

Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences

Research methods in the Behavioral Sciences


The Chapter at a Glance

1. The importance of research2. Definition and aims of

research3. Basic steps in research4. Kinds of research


The Importance of Research

The purpose of research is to inform action. Thus, your study should seek to contextualize its findings within the larger body of research. Research must always be high quality in order to produce knowledge that is applicable outside of the research setting with implications that go beyond the group that has participated in the research. Furthermore, the results of your study should have implications for policy and project implementation.


Definition and Aims of Research

Research is an established necessity in the business world today, especially in management. The changes are a resulty of scientific procedures in planning, control, systems analysis and adoptations. It also defined as a “critical and exhaustive”.

Its aim is to discover a new facts and their correct interpretation, the revision of accepted conclusions, theories, or laws.


Basic Steps in Research

Research invlove a number of steps which may vary depending on the nature of the problem, as personnel and financial resources, time availability, etc. In general, research invloves the following basic steps.



Steps:1. Fomulating the problem

Research begins with a problem and the need to solve for it. Once the problem has recognized, the first step is to define it in concrete and explicit terms. The researcher must identify the type of consumer you will investigate since consumers may be classified on the basis of a number of factors like sex, age-grouping, socio-economic level, and the type of goods involved. In many instances a hypothesis is formulated.



Hypothesis – is “a preposition, condition, are principle which is a assumed, perhaps without belief, in order to draw out its logical consequences and by this method to test its accord with facts which are known be determined.”



2. Conducting Exploratory StudiesA type of research conducted for a

problem that has not been clearly defined. Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Given its fundamental nature, exploratory research often concludes that a perceived problem does not actually exist.



3. Designing the Research Project

The research design generally involves the following steps:



Determining the type of data neededData are classified into primary

and secondary. Primary are those facts obtained and recorded for the first time.

Secondary data are those which have been compile by an agency or person other than the researcher.



Identifying the source of dataWhen the researcher has obtained what type of data he needs, he should know where or from whom he will obtain them. For instance, if primary data collection is involve, he identified his subjects or the population to be situated. On the other hand, if secondary data are involve, he would to prepare a list of possible source where he may find the necessary information.



Selecting the kind of research and methods and instrument of data gathering

This step in designing a research project is concerned with selecting one among the four kinds of research and choosing the most appropriate methods for data gathering. The major kinds of research may be used in the behavioral sciences are the analytical, experimental, case, and survey methods.



4. Collecting the dataDirect Observation – this is the

simplest and most basic of the methods of data gathering. It involves making direct critical observations of actual behavior patterns and systematically describing in detail how they occur and in what environmental condition they take place.



A researcher can made direct observations of behavior either as a participant or as a non-participant. As a participant, he becomes a part of the event he is observing or the community that he is studying.

As a non-participant, the investigator carefully records and describes the behavioral patterns of his subjects.



While direct observation are useful, they have certain disadvantages. For one thing, whether the investigation acts as a participant or a non-participant, his presence tends to lessen the subjects spontaneity and affect the behavior being observed so that what is observed may no longer be typical of what the subject does.



Verbal Reports – Some phenomena, by their very nature, cannot be directly observed. These include covert behavior such as attitudes, feeling, beliefs, opinions, and others. In cases like these, the investigator depends on verbal repots of the respondent. Verbal report may be obtained through oral interview or written questionnaires.



A. Oral InterviewA number of techniques are used

for obtaining and recording interviews. These may be classified to the following:



Free association – techniques that allows the respondent to talk freely about anything the wishes and to express his thoughts spontaneously about any topic.



Depth interview or unstructured interview - the respondent can talk freely but he is confined to the topic that is of major concern to the investigator.



Semi-structured interview – this techniques gives the investigator control not only on the major topic to be stressed but also on the questions to be asked and the order in which they are to be asked.



Structured interview – the questions asked and the sequence with which they are to be asked and the order in which the are to be asked.



B. Questionnaires it may be open minded or

structures or a combination of both types. The first makes use of open-ended questions which require the structured questionnaire is similar to the structure interview except that the questions and the respondent answers are in writing.



Test in InventoriesThe term “test”, usually refers to

the subject performance in a task as scored and evaluated by a investigator. Unlike interviews, tests and inventions are concerned with measuring and evaluating certain characteristics and behavior patterns of the individuals tested.



Secondary data or recordsSometimes the materials of

interest to the investigator are no longer available because the event took place years ago. The investigator made use of a mass of secondary data or written records which he himself had no part in collecting but which, nevertheless, may be used in his study.



5. Processing the dataAfter the required data have been

collected, the next step is to group or classify them into meaningful category on the basis of similarity.


Basic Steps in Research The categorization of data is known as coding. It

is the technical process by which raw data are transformed into symbols (usually numbers) that may be tabulated and counted.

The preceding steps of editing, classifying, and coding are only preparatory to tabulation. Tabulation is a systematic method of counting, similar replies and adding them in an accurate and orderly manner.

However, machine such as electronics calculators have made figure counting easier, faster and simpler – especially when the machine provides for memory banks.



6. Analysis and Interpretation

There are two basic methods of analyzing data: the Statistical and the Inferential.



1. Statistical analysis – statistics or quantitative procedures are utilized to achieve anyone or more of the following purposes:a. To determined what behavior is typical in a group.b. To find out the extent of diverse behavior in a

group.c. To indicate other aspects of how the individuals are distributed with respects to the variable being measured.d. To show the relationship of the different variable with one another.



2. Inferential analysis – is the process of determining the meaning of evidence b reflective thinking. It is this method of inferential analysis where we make logical interpretations or draw conclusions through inference.



7. Presentation of the ResearchA research report generally

includes the following:1. Statement of the problem.2. The research design.3. The findings.4. Analysis and interpretation.5. Conclusions and recommendations.


Kinds of Research

Analytical method. Emphasis is given on the use of analysis to evaluate secondary data.

The experimental method. A scientific investigation involving two aspects: (1) the manipulation or control to some variable by the experiment and (2) the systematic observation and measurement of the results.

Variables. It may be presence or absence of condition or factor.


Kinds of Research

KINDS OF VARIABLES USED IN EXPERIMENT

Independent variable. A condition set and selected by the experimenter. It may be a stimulus presented, a factor, or condition whose effects are being examined.


Kinds of Research

Dependent variable. The factor which the experimenter predicts will change when changes are made to the independent variables.

Relevant variables. Factors which are likely to influence the results; hence, they are held constant for all subjects throughout the experiment so that any change in the dependent variable can be attributed to the independent variable.


Kinds of Research

Advantages and Limitations of an Experiment

Advantages:

It possesses inherent objectivity and precision, as well, as “logical rigor”.The variables and conditions are under the control of investigator.Other investigator can verify the findings by repeating the procedures used.


Kinds of Research

Limitations:

There are certain phenomenon's in nature which cannot be studied by using the experimental method.Subjects are not always available.It sometimes interferes with the very thing it is trying to study.The experiment is artificially arranged by the experimenter.


The Case Study

Case study examines intensively many characteristics of “one unit” (such as a person, a company, a community, or a culture) usually over a long period of time.

The case method is useful in studies involving ethology and development. It will discover the critical incidents that led to an industrial strike, or what various effects the industrialization of a traditional society would have on the family unit.

Kinds of Research


In spite of its usefulness, the case method has certain limitations. The chief drawback is that no generalizations can be made from one sample. Another limitation is that, there is insufficient control to safeguard against biased results. Nevertheless, case studies, in general, definitely furnish rich clues and insights for further investigation.

Kinds of Research


The Survey

This is a research method in which data are obtained from a sample of respondent representatives of a larger group. Data are obtained through interviews or questionnaires.

Population is the totality of all possible phenomena that have certain characteristics in common. A population may consists of Filipino housewives residing in Greater Manila, or it may be limited to those residing in the Makati area. A sample is part of a population.

Kinds of Research


Sampling. This refers to the selection of a sample from a population for the purpose of establishing the characteristics of a population. This technique eliminated the tedious and unnecessary procedures of interviewing every member of a population. Generally, a random selection of the unit in the sample is preferred. In random sampling, every unit in the population has a mathematically equal chance of being included in the sample. Thus, the sample can be said to be representative of the population.

Kinds of Research

Research methods

Education

exploratory research

research setting

research projectis

purpose of research

kind of research

theimportance of research

behavioral sciences

methods of data