Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
MB 0034
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
(3 credits)
Set I
For example:
Is the mean first salary of a newly graduated student equal to $30,000?
The population of interest is all students who have just graduated. The
parameter of interest is the mean and the variable salary is continuous. The
hypothesized value of the parameter, the mean, is $30,000. Since the
parameter is a population mean of a continuous variable variable, this
suggests a one sample test of a mean.
2. SPECIFY THE NULL AND ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES.
The second step is to state the research question in terms of a null hypothesis
(H0) and an alternative hypothesis (HA). The null hypothesis is the
population parameter, µ = $30,000 (H0: µ = $30,000). The alternative
hypothesis is the population parameter does not equal $30,000 ( HA: µ NE
$30,000). This HA suggests a two-tailed test as NE $30,000 can be less than
$30,000 or more than $30,000. Sometimes the alternative hypothesis is
stated in terms of a direction such as less than or greater than a value such at
$30,000. A directional HA calls for a one-tailed test, in the direction stated in
the HA.
The next part of step 2 is to select a significance level typically alpha is used
at the .05 or the .01 level. A good researcher will also not neglect Type II
error. In this step we are not only setting up our research question in terms of
statistical hypotheses, but we must evaluate whether all the assumptions
appropriate for the statistical test have been met.
Example:
H0: µ = $30,000
HA: µ NE $30,000 alpha=.05
Since the best estimate of µ is xbar, our sample mean, the test statistic is
based on a distribution of sample means, the sampling distribution of the
mean, xbar, with n, sample size, equal to the number of data values used to
compute xbar. We have hypothesized from the research question the mean of
this distribution and want to see if our sample mean is close to this value. To
determine where our sample mean fits on this sampling distribution, we
convert our sample mean, xbar, to a z-score. Thus the test statistic would be :
z = xbar-µ (hypothesized)
standard error of xbar
Example:
Suppose we randomly sampled 100 high school seniors and determined their
salary of their first job. The sample mean salary, xbar, was $29,000 with a
standard deviation of $6,000. Since sample size is >30, we don't have to
worry about whether the population is normally distributed (Central Limit
Theorem). The test statistic would be:
z = $29,000 - $30,000 = -$1,000 = -1.667
$6,000/sqrt(100) $600
4. COMPUTE PROBABILITY OF TEST STATISTIC OR
REJECTION REGION.
The fourth step is to calculate the probability value (often called the p-value)
which is the probability of the test statistic for both tails since this this two-
tailed test. The probability value computed in this step is compared with the
significance level selected in step 2. If the probability is less than or equal to
the significance level, then the null hypothesis is rejected. If the probability
is greater than the significance level then the null hypothesis is not rejected.
When the null hypothesis is rejected, the outcome is said to be "statistically
significant"; when the null hypothesis is not rejected then the outcome is said
be "not statistically significant." If the outcome is statistically significant,
then the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis.
Example:
Since this value is greater than alpha=.05 selected when we set up out
hypotheses, we accept the null hypothesis, H0: µ = $30,000.
Example:
ii) The organic motto of action must be socially relevant. That is, the action of the individual cases
must be viewed as a series of reactions to social stimuli or situation. In other words, the social
meaning of behavior must be taken into consideration.
iii) The strategic role of the family group in transmitting the culture must be recognized. That is, in
case of an individual being the member of a family, the role of family in shaping his behavior must
never be overlooked.
iv) The specific method of elaboration of organic material onto social behavior must be clearly shown.
That is case histories that portray in detail how basically a biological organism, the man, gradually
blossoms forth into a social person, are especially fruitful.
v) The continuous related character of experience for childhood through adulthood must be stressed.
In other words, the life history must be a configuration depicting the inter-relationships between the
person's various experiences.
vi) Social situation must be carefully and continuously specified as a factor. One of the important
criteria for the life history is that a person's
life must be shown as unfolding itself in the context of and partly owing to specific social
situations. vii) The 'life history material itself must be organized according to some conceptual
framework, this in turn would facilitate generalizations at a higher level.
Snowball sampling - The first respondent refers a friend. The friend also
refers a friend, etc. he 'snowball' effect occurs as referrals multiply at each
step. For example if you got two referrals from each person, then starting
from two people get four more, then eight, sixteen and so on.
The way that the sample is chosen by target people makes it liable to various
forms of bias. People tend to associate not only with people with the same
study selection characteristic but also with other characteristics. This
increases the chance of correlations being found in the study that do not
apply to the generalized wider population.
The need to get the person to give you a referral also means that the
researcher has to form a relationship with the person and be nice to them.
This can change the study results as affective biases in both the researcher
and the target person change how they think and behave.
With care in selection (you do not have to use every referral) and avoiding
personal bias, snowball sampling can still be a useful method, particularly if
you have no other way of reaching the target population.
This method is popular with newspapers and magazines which want to make
a particular point. This is also true for marketing researchers who are
seeking support for their product. They typically start with people in the
street, first approaching only 'likely suspects' and then starting with
questions that reject people who do not suit.
· Secondary data can be very effectively used for the comparison of two
statistics and then drawing inferences based on these comparisons.
· Secondary data is the most easily accessible data and saves the researcher
the trouble of going through the tiresome process of collecting data
personally.
· Secondary data avoids data collection problems and it provides a basis for
comparison.
· It can be less expensive than gathering the data all over again.
· This data type may allow the researcher to cover a wider geographic or
temporal range.
· Secondary data can allow for larger scale studies on a small budget.
· Collecting secondary data leaves more time for making in depth data
analysis.
· With secondary data the researchers might be able to test hypotheses they
had not thought of, or examine the strengths of their arguments.
· It is far cheaper to collect secondary data than to obtain primary data. For
the same level of research budget a thorough examination of secondary
sources can yield a great deal more information than can be had through a
primary data collection exercise.
· When the researcher has collected the secondary data, there is no need to
repeat the field work necessary for the collection of data.
· The time involved in searching secondary sources is much less than that
needed to complete primary data collection.
· Secondary sources of information can yield more accurate data than that
obtained through primary research. This is not always true but where a
government or international agency has undertaken a large scale survey, or
even a census, this is likely to yield far more accurate results than custom
designed and executed surveys when these are based on relatively small
sample sizes.
· It should not be forgotten that secondary data can play a substantial role in
the exploratory phase of the research when the task at hand is to define the
research problem and to generate hypotheses. The assembly and analysis of
secondary data almost invariably improves the researcher's understanding of
the marketing problem, the various lines of inquiry that could or should be
followed and the alternative courses of action which might be pursued.
· Often the secondary data provides valuable background for the research -
for example, it enables users to judge whether a small sample they have
gathered is typical of the national population.
of the cases.
Recording should be accurate and complete.
Advantages of observation
Observation has certain advantages :
1. The main virtue of observation is its directness; its makes it possible
number can be centered above the title. The table numbers should run
in consecutive serial order, alternatively tables in chapter 1 be
numbered as 1.1 1.2 in chapter 2 as 2.1,2.2 and so on
3. The caption should be clear and brief.
4. ‘the units of measurement under each heading must always be
indicated
5. If the data in series of tables have been obtained from different
The information in the first part of this section, Journal Articles, Books,
Chapters in Books, Peer Reviewed Published Conference Proceedings, Non-
peer Reviewed Published Conference Proceedings is filtered and extracted to
formulate the Preliminary Publication Count for the Department of
Education. This is a crucial step in the subsidy calculation process and it is
of the utmost importance that this information must be as comprehensive
accurate as possible. All research publications, which appeared in 2004,
must be included, even if they are "in press". There will be an opportunity
early in February to submit volume and page numbers of papers, which have
appeared in the interim. Publications should be listed using the Harvard
referencing system, without using italics or bold. Journal names must appear
in full. Abbreviations will be returned to departments for expansion. (Theses
passed for higher degrees are subsidy earning but this information is not
included in the Preliminary Publication Count.)
The second part of this section, Published Conference Abstracts, Patents, Theses &
Dissertations passed for Higher Degrees, University Publications & Publications of a
Popular Nature - Unreformed Journal Articles, Newspaper Articles, CD's, Online
Works, Extension and Development Work, Creative Work, Consultancy and Other
Activities based on Expertise Developed in Research (gives departments the
opportunity to demonstrate the extent and nature of their extension and
development work), Motivation for the addition of a South African
Journal to the list of South African approved journals. The work
included here is not subsidy earning but nevertheless is an important aspect
of scholarly activity at UCT.
• Bibliography
• Appendix
• Copies of data collection instrument
• Technical details on sampling plan
• Complex tables glossary of new terms used