Research Methodology

MODULE- 2
Research Design
Research Process:-
 Defining the Research Problem and
Literature Review
 Formulation of Hypothesis
 Research Design
 Collecting Data
 Analyzing Data & Testing Hypothesis
 Preparation of Report and Preliminary
Analysis
 Interpreting and Reporting the Findings
 What is Research Problem?
 It refers to some difficulty which a researcher
experiences in the context of either a
theoretically or practical situation and wants to
obtain a solution for the same.
Components:-
 There must be an individual or a group which
has some difficulty or the problem
 There must be some objectives to be attained,
Selecting the problem:
 Subject which is overdone should not be
normally chosen.
 Too narrow or too vague problems should be
avoided.
 Defining the Research Problem

A problem properly defined is half solved. It

could be any of the following three areas:

 Exploratory : gather preliminary information for

defining the problem and suggesting hypothesis.

 Descriptive : describe things i.e. market potential,

demography and attitude of customer.

 Casual: test hypothesis about cause and effect

relationships.
 Formulation of the Problem

Steps involved in defining a problem are:

 Statement of the problem in a general way

 Understanding the nature of the problem
 Surveying the available literature
 Developing the idea through discussion
 Rephrasing the research problem into
working proposition
Statement of the problem in a general way

 The problem should be stated in a general way

keeping in view either some practical concern or
some scientific interest. For this purpose, the
researcher must immerse himself thoroughly in
the subject matter concerning which he wishes to
pose a problem.
 Understanding the nature of the problem

The next step in defining the problem is to

understand its origin and nature clearly. The best
way of understanding the problem is to discuss
it with those who first raised it in order to find
out how the problem originally came about.
If the researcher has stated the problem himself, he
should consider once again all those points that
induced him to make a general statement
concerning the problem.
Surveying the available literature
All the available literature concerning the
problem at hand must necessarily be
surveyed and examined before a definition of
problem is given.
Researcher must devote sufficient time in
reviewing of research already undertaken on
related problems.
 Developing the idea through discussion

Discussion concerning a problem often produces

useful information. Various new ideas can be
developed through such an exercise.
Hence, a researcher must discuss his problem with
his colleagues and others who have enough
experience in the same area or in working on
similar problems.
This is often known as an experience survey.
Rephrasing the research problem into
working proposition

Finally, the researcher must sit to rephrase

the research problem into a working
proposition. Once the nature of the
problem has been clearly understood, the
environment has been defined, discussion
over the problem have been taken place
and available literature has been
surveyed and examined.
ILLUSTRATION :-
The profitability of commercial banks tends to decline year after year,
even though the volume of business – deposits and deployment
of funds – is on the increase.
How will a researcher formulate a problem when he encounters
this situation?
1) Title of the research problem: “An enquiry into the declining
trend in the profitability of “x” commercial bank”.
2) The objective of the study:-
a) To identify the major factor affecting the bank's profitability
b) To determine the major causes of the declining trend in its
profitability
c) To develop a strategy for improving the banks profitability
Formulation of Hypothesis

Concept of Hypothesis:

 A hypothesis is a proposition – a tentative

assumption which a researcher want to test for its
logical and empirical consequences.
 The hypothesis are necessary in problem –
oriented research to understand the cause or
relationship of a certain phenomena under
investigation.
 Is Hypothesis necessary?
In fact finding investigation, no problems may be
raised and the need formulating hypotheses may
not arise.
In exploratory studies, initially it may not be
possible to set up any worthwhile hypothesis.
Later it may be formulated for further formal
studies.
In all analytical and experimental studies,
hypotheses should be set up in order to give a
proper direction to them.
Types of Hypothesis

 Descriptive Hypothesis
 Relational Hypothesis
 Causal Hypothesis
 Working Hypothesis
 Null Hypothesis
Descriptive Hypothesis

These are proposition that describes the characteristics

( such as size, form or distribution) of a variable. The
variable may be an object, person, organization.

E.g. “The rate of unemployment among arts graduates is

higher than that of commerce graduate.”

“The educational system is not oriented to human

resource needs of a country”.
Relational Hypothesis

These are propositions, which describe the

relationship between two variables. The
relationship suggested may be positive or
negative correlation or causal relationship.

E.g. “Participative management promotes

motivation among executives.”
“The lower the rate of job turnover in a work
group, the higher the work productivity.”
Causal Hypothesis

 States that the existence of, or a change in, one

variable causes or leads to an effect on another
variable.
 The first variable is called as independent
variable and the later the dependent variable.
 When dealing with causal relationships b/w
variables the researcher must consider the
direction in which such relationship flow, i…e
Which is cause and which is effect
Working Hypothesis

While planning the study of a problem ,

hypothesis are formed. Initially they may
not be very specific. In such cases, they
are referred to as “ Working Hypothesis”
which are subject to modification as the
investigation proceeds.
Null Hypothesis
 These are hypothical statements denying what are
explicitly indicated in working hypothese.
 They do not nor were intended to exist in reality.
 They state that no difference exits between the
parameter and the statistic being compared to it.
E.g. Even though there is a relationship between a
family income and expenditure on recreation, a
null hypothesis may state: “There is no
relationship between families income level and
expenditure on recreation”.
Null hypothesis are formulated for testing statistical
significance.
Hypothesis Testing
Steps involved in hypothesis testing
are:

 Formulate a Hypothesis:
 Set up a suitable significance level
 Type I error: reject the null hypothesis, when in
fact it is true.
 Type II error: accept the null hypothesis, when
in fact it is untrue.
Contd:-
 Choose a Test Criterion: select suitable
statistics that can be used these along with
the available information.
 Some of that statistics are:
 Normal distribution : z-statistic
 T-statistic : ‘t’ test
 F statistic
 Chi-square statistic
Hypothesis Testing
 Compute the Test
characteristic:
 involves the actual collection
and computation of the
sample data. The calculated
value (absolute) is compared
with tabulated value obtained
from normal distribution
against the decided criterion
(value of ‘a’ and one tail or
two tail)
Contd:-
 Make a Decision: acceptance and
rejection of hypothesis. If the calculated
value of the test is greater than the
tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected and the alternate hypothesis is
accepted.
Characteristics of a Good Hypothesis
 Conceptual clarity
 Specificity
 Testability
 Availability of techniques
 Theoretical Relevance
 Consistency
 Objectivity
 Simplicity
Research Design
Meaning of Research Design :-
 “It is the plan, structure and strategy of
investigation conceived so as to obtain answer to
research questions and to control variance”
-Kerlinger
 “It is a blue-print for the collection, measurement
and analysis of data”
-Bernard Philips
Types of Research Design
Research Design in case of Exploratory
Research Studies:
 the sample size is small
 non-probability sampling designs are used
 data requirements are vague
 objective is general rather than specific
 no definite recommendations are made from
results
Contd:-
Research Design in case of Descriptive or
Diagnostic Studies:
 describes the phenomena under study
 the sample size is large
 objective is very specific
 use of probability sampling design
 findings are more definite and concrete
Contd:-
Research Designs in Case of Casual Research
Studies or Experimental Research:

 provide stronger basis for existence of

casual relationship
 control the influence of one or more
extraneous variable
Need for Research Design
 It facilities the smooth sailing of the various research operation.
 Need of a research design or plan in advance for collection of data
& analysis for research projects.
 It stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for
collecting the relevant data & the techniques to be used in analysis
 It should be done with great care as any error in it may upset the
entire project.
 It has a great bearing on the reliability of the result arrived at &
as such constitutes the firm foundation of the entire edifice of the
research work.
Features of a good design
 Flexible, appropriate, efficient, economical
 The design which minimises bias & maximises the
reliability of the data collected & analysed is considered
a good design.
 A design which yields maximal information & provides
an opportunity for considering many different aspects
of a problem is considered most appropriate & efficient
design in respect of many research problem
Research Proposal
 Introduction
 Statement of the problem
 Review of the literature
 Scope of the study
 Objective of the study
 Conceptual model
 Hypotheses
 Operational definition concept
Contd:-

 Reference period
 Methodology
 Sampling plan
 Tools for gathering data
 Plan of analysis
 Chapter scheme
 Financial budget.