Research methodology

1. Research Methodology

2. General Approach

• Inductive
• Deductive
• Hypothetico-deductive

3.

General Approach
Scientific/research paradigms/worldviews
Positivist (experiential)
Hermeneutic
Post-positivist
Interpretive-phenomenological
Critical
Post-modern, deconstructivist

4. General Approach

• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Combination of quantitative and
qualitative

5. Variables

• What are your variables?
• Can you distinguish between independent and
dependent variables?
• What are the indicators for measuring your
variables?
• What are your conceptual and operational
definitions?
• What are the levels of measurement:
– Nominal, ordinal, interval and scale variables
• What are your units of analysis?

6. Validity and Reliability

• How valid are your:
– Instruments?
– Data?
– Findings?
• How reliable is your research?

7. Sampling Strategy

• What is your sampling strategy?
– Representative:
• Simple random
• Stratified random
• Cluster
– Non-representative:
• Quota
• Purposive
• Snowball
• Convinience
• What is your sample size?

8. Resources and Ethics

• What resources do you have?
– Time?
– Money?
– People?
• What equipment do you need?
• Does your research involve ethical issues? How
do you address them?

9. Participant Observation

• Participant observation:
– Design schedules for:
• Observations
• Natural conversations
• Various kinds of interviews (structured, semistructured,
unstructurred)
• Checklists
• Questionnaires
• Unobtrusive methods
– Identify resources
• Language
• Time
– Issue of objectivity
– Issue of gender

10. Methods: Survey

• Questionnaire survey design
– Personal interviews
– Self-administered survey
– Telephone survey
– Using interviewers
– Pilot survey

11. Methods: Focus Groups

• Focus group discussions
– How many?
– How many respondents in each group?
– How are focus groups composed?
– Schedule of questions

12. Other

• Expert survey
• Mental maps
• Behavior trace studies
• Periodicals and archival research
• Content analysis
• Ethnographic decision models

13. Methods: Data Analysis

• How do you plan to analyze your data?
– Qualitative data analysis
– Social network analysis
– Quantitative data analysis (Excell, SPSS
statistics, etc.)