CHAPTER 2

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Introduction to Research Process

The research process is similar to undertaking a journey.
For a research journey there are two important decisions to make1) What you want to find out about
or what research questions (problems) you want to find
answers to;
2) How to go about finding their answers.
There are practical steps through which you must pass in your
research journey in
order to find answers to your research questions.
The path to finding answers to your research questions
constitutes research
methodology.
At each operational step in the research process you are required

Steps in Research Process

Steps in Research Process:

1. Formulating the Research Problem

2. Extensive Literature Review
3. Developing the objectives
4. Preparing the Research Design including Sample Design
5. Collecting the Data
6. Analysis and Interpretation
7. Preparation of the Report or Presentation of Results-Formal
write ups of
conclusions reached.

RESEARCH PROCESS

Define
Research
Problem

Review
Concepts
And
theories

Review
Previous
Research

II

Developing
Objectives

Design
Research
(Including
Sample
Design)

Collect
Data

Analyses
And
Interpretations
Data

III

IV

VI

Report
writing

VII

1. Formulating the Research Problem

It is the first and most crucial step in the research process
- Main function is to decide what you want to find out about.
- The way you formulate a problem determines almost every step
that
follows:
Sources of research problems
Research in social sciences revolves around four Ps:
People- a group of individuals
Problems- examine the existence of certain issues or problems
relating to their lives; to ascertain attitude of a group of people
towards an issue
Programs- to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention
Phenomena- to establish the existence of a regularity.
In practice most research studies are based upon at least a
combination of two Ps.

1. Formulating the Research Problem Count

Every research study has two aspects:
1. Study population People: individuals, organizations, groups, communities
( they provide you with the information or you collect
information about them)
2. Subject area Problems: issues, situations, associations, needs, profiles
Program : content, structure, outcomes, attributes,
satisfactions,
consumer, Service providers, etc.
Phenomenon: cause-and-effect relationships, the study of a
phenomenon
itself
(Information that you need to collect to find answers to your
research questions)

1. Formulating the Research Problem Count

Considerations in selecting a research problem:
These help to ensure that your study will remain manageable and that
you will remain motivated.
1. Interest: a research endeavour is usually time consuming, and involves
hard work and possibly unforeseen problems. One should select topic of
great interest to sustain the required motivation.
2. Magnitude: It is extremely important to select a topic that you can
manage within the time and resources at your disposal. Narrow the topic
down to something manageable, specific and clear.
3. Measurement of concepts: Make sure that you are clear about the
indicators and measurement of concepts (if used) in your study.
4. Level of expertise: Make sure that you have adequate level of expertise
for the task you are proposing since you need to do the work yourself.
5. Relevance: Ensure that your study adds to the existing body of
knowledge, bridges current gaps and is useful in policy formulation. This
will help you to sustain interest in the study.
6. Availability of data: Before finalizing the topic, make sure that data are
available.
7. Ethical issues: How ethical issues can affect the study population and
how

1. Formulating the Research Problem Count

Steps in formulation of a research problem :
Working through these steps presupposes a reasonable level of
knowledge in the broad subject area within which the study is to
be undertaken. Without such knowledge it is difficult to clearly
and adequately dissect a subject area.
Step 1 Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you.
Step 2 Dissect the broad area into sub areas.
Step 3 Select what is of most interest to you.
Step 4 Raise research questions.
Step 5 Formulate objectives.
Step 6 Assess your objectives.
Step 7 Double check.

Step 2. Reviewing the literature

-Essential preliminary task in order to acquaint
yourself
with the available body of knowledge in your area of
interest.
-Literature review is integral part of entire research
process and makes valuable contribution to every
operational step.
-Reviewing literature can be time-consuming,
daunting and frustrating, but is also rewarding. Its
functions are:
a. Bring clarity and focus to your research
problem;

Step 2. Reviewing the literature Count

Procedure for reviewing the literature:
i) search for existing literature in your area of study;
ii) review the literature selected;
iii) develop a theoretical framework;
iv) develop a conceptual framework.
Search for existing literature:
-To effectively search for literature in your field of enquiry, it is
imperative that you have in mind at least some idea of broad subject
area and of the problem you wish to investigate, in order to set
parameters for your search.
You can review: (Sources of literature review)
Previous research reports,
Books,
Journals,
Magazines, newspapers,
Articles,
Abstracts,
Internet sources etc.
The acknowledged authors in literature review should mentioned in

Step 3 The formulation of objectives

-Objectives are the goals you set out to attain in your study.
-They inform a reader what you want to attain through the study.
-It is extremely important to word them clearly and specifically.
Objectives should be listed under two headings:
a) main objectives ( aims);
b) sub-objectives.
The main objective is an overall statement of the thrust of your study.
It is also a statement of the main associations and relationships that
you seek
to discover or establish.
The sub-objectives are the specific aspects of the topic that you want
to
investigate within the main framework of your study.
-They should be numerically listed.
-Wording should clearly, completely and specifically
Communicate to your readers your intention.
-Each objective should contain only one aspect of the Study.
-Use action oriented words or verbs when writing objectives.

Step 3 The formulation of objectives

Count
The objectives should start with words such as
to determine,
to find out,
to ascertain,
to measure,
to explore etc.
The wording of objectives determines the type of research (descriptive, correlational
and experimental) and the type of research design you need to adopt to achieve
them.
e.g.
Descriptive studies:
-To describe the types of incentives provides by Hotel XYZ to employees in
Mumbai.
-To find out the opinion of the employees about the medical facilities provided by
five
star hotels in Mumbai.
Correlatinal studies:
-To ascertain the impact of training on employee retention.
-To compare the effectivenesss of different loyalty programmes on repeat
clientele.
Hypothesis testing studies:
-To ascertain if an increase in working hours will increase the incidence of
drug/alchohol abuse.

Step 3 The formulation of objectives

Count
Objectives of the Research Study: Objectives identified to answer the
research
questions have to be listed making sure that they are:
a) numbered, and
b) statement begins with an action verb.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OBJECTIVES
Clear +Complete +Specific + Identify main + Identify the
variables to direction of
be correlated relationship
IDescriptive StudiesI
I..Correlational Studies (experimental and non-experimental).I
IHypothesis testing studies...I

Step 4. Preparing the research design

Research design is the conceptual structure within which
research would be
conducted.
The function of research design is to provide for the collection of
relevant information with minimal expenditure of effort, time
and money.
The preparation of research design, appropriate for a particular
research problem, involves the consideration of the following :
Objectives of the research study, Method of Data Collection to be
adopted, Source of informationSample Design, Tool for Data
collection,
Data Analysis-- qualitative and quantitative

Step 4. Preparing the research design

Count.
DETERMINING SAMPLE DESIGN
Researchers usually draw conclusions about large groups by taking a sample
A Sample is a segment of the population selected to represent the population as a
whole.
Ideally, the sample should be representative and allow the researcher to make
accurate
estimates of the thoughts and behaviour of the larger population.
Designing the sample calls for three decisions:
Who will be surveyed? ( The Sample)
The researcher must determine what type of information is needed and who is
most likely to have it.
How many people will be surveyed? (Sample Size)
Large samples give more reliable results than small samples. However it is not
necessary to sample the entire target population.
How should the sample be chosen? (Sampling)
Sample members may be chosen at random from the entire population
( probability sample)
The researcher might select people who are easier to obtain information from
( nonprobability sample)

Step 5: Collecting data

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION: There are two types of data
Primary Data collected for the first time
Secondary Datathose which have already been collected and analysed by
someone else.
Methods of Primary Data Collection
OBSERVATION METHOD:
Commonly used in behavioural sciences It is the gathering of primary data by
investigators own direct observation of relevant people, actions and situations
without asking from the respondent.
SURVEY METHOD
Structured Surveys: use formal lists of questions asked of all respondents in the
same way.
Unstructured Surveys: let the interviewer probe respondents and guide the
interview according to their answers.
CONTACT METHODS:
Information may be collected by, Mail , Telephone, Personal interview.
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
Also called Empirical Research or Cause and Effect Method, it is a data-based
research, coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified with
observation or experiment.
Experimental research is appropriate when proof is sought that certain variables

Step 6: Analysis and Interpretation

Data can be analysed either manually or with the help of a computer .
Manual Data Analysis: This can be done if the number of respondents is
reasonably small, and there are not many variables to analyse.
However, this is useful only for calculating frequencies and for simple
cross tabulations.
Manual data analysis is extremely time consuming. The easiest way to
do this is to code it directly onto large graph paper in columns. Detailed
headings can be used or question numbers can be written on each
column to code information about the question.
To manually analyse data (frequency distribution), count various codes
in a
column and then decode them.
In addition, if you want to carry out statistical tests, they have to be
calculated
manually. However, the use of statistics depends on your expertise and

Step 6: Analysis and Interpretation

Count.
Data Analysis Using a Computer:
If you want to analyse data using computer, you should be familiar with
the appropriate program. In this area, knowledge of computer and
statistics plays an
important role.
The most common software is SPSS for windows. However, data input
can be long and laborious process, and if data is entered incorrectly, it
will influence the final results.

Step 6: Analysis and Interpretation

Count.
Use SPSS (statistical package for social science) for statistical analysis
in research
Have a thorough knowledge about SPSS package
The analyzed data can be presented in tabular form, cross tabulation,
pie-chart, bar chart, etc.
The presenting data should be clear and easy to understand the facts
so use appropriate charts and tables
Interpretation of data is not merely describing the percentage given in
the table. But it should be beyond the description. Reference to the
earlier studies related to the results will strengthen the research
Interpretation should be clear & valid.

Step 7: Reporting the findings

Writing the report is the last, and for many, the most difficult step of
the research process. The report informs the world what you have
done, what you have discovered and what conclusions you have drawn
from your findings. The report should be written in an academic style.
Language should be formal and not journalistic.

FINAL REPORT CHECK LIST AND STANDARD FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

NEED TO FOLLOW
COUNT

listed the contents of the report

I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Problem Identification
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Research Objectives
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6. Scope and Limitations
1.7 Research Benefit
II REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Theoretical Review
2.2 Previous Research
2.3 Theoretical frame work

III METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Sampling Design
3.3 Research Instruments
3.4 Reliability and Validity
3.5 Data Collection Procedure
3.6 Testing the Hypothesis
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION
4.2 Data Analysis
4.3 Interpretation of Results
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Recommendations
LIST OF REFERENCES
APPENDICES

Discussion

Discuss
each group
elaborately
about
various
steps in
research
process?