Literally, research is Search for knowledge.

The natural early stages immediate way of knowing something has been daily
experience of human’s through their senses.

As human community develops, before

Scientific Method was developed there have been two customs of
knowledge seeking;
-

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There are four ways of knowing from our everyday experiences.
These are;

• The method of ,
• The method of ,
• The method and
• The

i. The Method of Tenacity

The term tenacity refers to the acceptance of a belief based on the idea that “ we have
always known it to be this way”. In other words, it represents the automatic
acceptance of the prevailing traditional beliefs and customs in which we have been
socialized. We accept those beliefs and customs as true without exploring them and
then behave with it. Even when we come across evidences that contradict our beliefs,
we still tend to cling to our traditional belief.

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 Example:-
In some cultures Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is an accepted practice.

Two Problem surrounding method of tenacity as a way of

learning about the surrounding world are:-

1. The information may gain wide acceptance through its familiarity alone.
2. Tenacity offers no means for correcting erroneous ideas.

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ii. The Method of Authority
If we enter into a new culture, we may experience so many things for which we are
not familiar. If we are naïve to most of the practices what we do, is we ask someone in
that culture who is supposed to have the knowledge – an authority figure. We are
likely to ask others whom we think have a wealth of experience and knowledge about
the cultural practices of the community. We may, then, accept a new idea or
information stated by this authority figure.
In our day-to-day living we accept what we have been told by an authority figure, for
example, a physician may tell us that smoking affects our health.

Examples:-
In many cases, referring to an authority, especially in areas about which we know
nothing, is useful and beneficial. We often rely on the judgment and expertise when
we consult, for example, electrician, civil engineer or chemist.
Problem:-
Authority can be incorrect and at times can lead people in the wrong directions.
Hence, it is important to examine the basis of the authority’s claims.
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iii. The A priori Method
The idea that underlies the a priori method is that, first we develop general
knowledge, opinion, or belief about the world through the aforementioned methods
or personal observation of things around us and then we draw new and specific
conclusion from this general knowledge.

Example:-
Reason and logic are the basic tools of an a prior method and often take the form
of a logical syllogism such as All men are tall; Alemu is a man; therefore, Alemu is
tall . Hence, logical conclusions may not necessarily lead to correct conclusions.
Ethiopians have famous long distance runners. Kebede is an Ethiopian …

Problem:-
We all use reason everyday as we try to solve problems and understand
relationships. As useful as it is to be reasonable, however, reason alone will not
always produce the appropriate knowledge.
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iv. The Common Sense
This method of knowing offers an improvement over acceptance based on tenacity,
authority, or reason because it appeals to direct experience. Common sense is based
on our own past experiences and our perceptions of the world. It originates from our
day-to-day practical experiences and in turn guides our daily interaction with our
surrounding.

Limitations:
• Our experiences and perceptions of the world may be quite limited.
• The concepts that we have about the world may be seriously misleading.
• Although common sense may help us deal with the routine aspects of daily life,
it may also form a wall and prevent us from understanding new ideas.

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 … a process of enquiry and investigation; it is systematic, methodical and
ethical;
Research is usually to solve practical problems and/or increase knowledge.

… In scientific method ideas are evaluated and corrected through dispassionately

observing by means of our bodily senses or measuring devices - in this case science
can be seen as a systematic and controlled extension of common sense - and using
reason to compare various theoretical conceptualization based on experience –
which represents a direct application of the principles of logic.

One of the characteristics of science is a reliance on information that is verifiable

through experience. That is, it must be possible for different people in different
places and at different times using the same method to obtain comparable results.

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 • Conceptual schemes and theoretical structures
• The notion of control
• The explanations of different observed phenomena

… The systematic approach concerning generalization and the formulation

of a theory is also research. As such the term ‘research’ refers to the
systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem, formulating a
hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching
certain conclusions either in the form of solutions(s) towards the
concerned problem or in certain generalizations for some theoretical
formulation.

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 Some Characteristics of Research

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 Objectives/Purposes of Research

• Review or synthesize existing knowledge

• Investigate existing situations or problems
• Provide solutions to problems
• Explore and analyze more general issues
• Construct or create new procedures or systems
• Explain new phenomenon
• Generate new knowledge/to discover new facts
• …or a combination of any of the above!
( Collis & Hussey, 2003)

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Objectives/Purposes of Research
In some other literatures, the prime objectives of research are
• to verify and test important facts
• to analyze an event or process or phenomenon to identify the cause and effect
relationship
• to develop new scientific tools, concepts and theories to solve and understand
scientific and nonscientific problems
• to find solutions to scientific, nonscientific and social problems and
• to overcome or solve the problems occurring in our every day life.
• to get a teaching position in a college or university or become a scientist in a
research institution
• to solve the unsolved and challenging problems then get joy of doing the
creative work
• to get recognition
• to find out the unknown facts of an event/curiosity to find new things
• to serve the society by solving social problems

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 Typical Research Process/stages
i) Selection of a research topic
ii) Definition of a research problem
iii) Literature survey and reference collection
Assessment of current status of the topic chosen
iv) Formulation of hypotheses
v) Research design
vi) Investigation
vii) Data analysis
Viii) Interpretation of result
ix) Reporting Result

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 Research Process/stages
Review of Literature

Review Concepts Design

Definition and theory Research
Formulate
of Research (including
Hypothesis
Problem sample
Review Previous
design)
I Research finding
III IV
Collect
Data
II (Execution)
V
Interpret Analyze Data (Test
hypothesis if any)
and Report
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VII VI 13
What are Research Methodology?
Research Methods? and

The term methodology refers to the overall approaches & perspectives to the
research process as a whole and is concerned with the following main issues:

• Why you collected or collect certain data

• What data you collected or collect
• Where you collect/collected it
• How you collect/collected it
• How you analyze/analyzed it

In other words, Research methodology is a systematic way to solve a problem. It is a

science of studying how research is to be carried out. Essentially, the procedures by
which researchers go about their work of describing, explaining and predicting
phenomena are called research methodology. It is also defined as the study of
methods by which knowledge is gained. Its aim is to give the work plan of research.

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… Research Methods, …
Research methods are the various procedures, schemes and algorithms used in
research.
All the methods used by a researcher during a research study are termed as research
methods. They are essentially planned, scientific and value-neutral. They include
theoretical procedures, experimental studies, numerical schemes, statistical
approaches, etc. Research methods help us collect samples, data and find a solution to
a problem. Particularly, scientific research methods call for explanations based on
collected facts, measurements and observations and not on reasoning alone. They
accept only those explanations which can be verified by experiments.

A research method refers only to the various specific tools or ways data can be
collected and analyzed, e.g. a questionnaire; interview checklist; data analysis
software, experimental setup, etc.

Research Techniques on the other hand are further details of research methods.

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 Important Characteristics of Research
1. Systematic: It means that research is structured with specified steps to be taken in
a specified sequence in accordance with the well defined set of rules. Systematic
characteristic of the research does not rule out creative thinking but it certainly
does reject the use of guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions.

2. Logical: This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning and
the logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in carrying out
research. Induction is the process of reasoning from a part to the whole whereas
deduction is the process of reasoning from some premise to a conclusion which
follows from that very premise. In fact, logical reasoning makes research more
meaningful in the context of decision making.

3. Empirical: It implies that research is related basically to one or more aspects of a

real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for external
validity to research results.

4. Replicable: This characteristic allows research results to be verified by replicating

the study and thereby building a sound basis for decisions.

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