CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design
Research Respondents, Locale, Duration
Sources of Data
Sampling Technique
Research Instrument
Data Gathering Procedure
Statistical Treatment of Data
RESEARCH DESIGN

Research design refers to the overall plan, structure or

strategy that guides a research project, from its conception to
the final data analysis. A good research design serves as the
blueprint for how you, as the researcher, will collect and
analyze data while ensuring consistency, reliability and
validity throughout your study.
Research Design can be:

Quantitative Studies

Qualitative Studies
 Some famous example of quantitative design are
descriptive and correlational design which allow you
to measure variables and describe relationships
between them.
CORRELATIONAL DESIGN
• Used to test whether (and how strongly) variables
are related
• Variables are measured without influencing them
Correlational Research Types

• Positive correlation:
If one variable increases, the other one will grow
accordingly. If there is any reduction, both variables
will decrease
• Negative correlation:
All changes happen in the reverse direction. If
one variable increases, the other one should
decrease and vice versa.
• Zero correlation:
No association between 2 factors or events can
be found.
DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN
Descriptive research is a research method
describing the characteristics of the population or
phenomenon studied. This descriptive methodology
focuses more on the “what” of the research subject
than the “why” of the research subject.
In other words, it “describes” the research
subject without covering “why” it happens.
 Descriptive research is usually defined as a type
of quantitative research, though qualitative research
can also be used for descriptive purposes.
Descriptive research methods:
There are three distinctive methods to
conduct descriptive research. They are:

• Observational method
• Case study method
• Survey method
Some examples of descriptive research titles include:

1."Demographic Characteristics and Purchasing Behaviors of

Millennial Consumers in Urban Retail Settings“

2."Perceived Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services Among Low-

Income Older Adults in Rural Communities“

3."Patterns of Social Media Usage and Its Impact on Levels of Civic

Engagement Among College Students"
Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative data can be collected using a variety of methods,

and multiple methods may be used throughout the data collection
phase of a single qualitative study.

• Interview: Researchers can conduct in-depth, face-to-face

interviews with participants. This allows them to gain insights
from the participants to best understand their experience.
• Focus Groups: Focus groups are similar to interviews, but involve
multiple participants at once. They are another route to obtaining
responses and making interview observations.

• Observation: A less direct method than interviews or focus groups,

this method requires careful attention to participants’ activities and
behaviors in order to gather data.

• Document analysis: Researchers can gather useful data from print

documents as well as electronic records. Careful analysis is needed to
draw conclusions from the body of related documents.
RESEARCH RESPONDENTS, LOCALE AND DURATION

Research Respondents
Research respondents are individuals who participate
in research studies by providing their insights, experiences,
and opinions. They play a crucial role in generating data and
contributing to the overall findings of the research.
Research Locale, Duration
A research locale is a specific location that serves as a
field site for a research project. It is the physical place
where researchers go to collect data and investigate a
particular topic or phenomenon. It is essential to select the
right locale to ensure the success of the research project.
Duration is how long your research lasts, from
beginning to end.
SOURCES OF DATA

A data source is any location where you can find facts,

figures, or other relevant information to support your
research.
In the digital age, finding data sources has become
much easier, though whether those sources will meet your
research goals needs to be thoroughly investigated.
 The following are the two sources of data:

• Primary data sources refer to original data collected

firsthand by researchers specifically for their
research purposes. These sources provide fresh and
relevant information tailored to the study’s
objectives.
Examples of Primary Data Sources:

Surveys and questionnaires

Observations
Experiments
Interviews and focus groups
• Secondary data sources involve data collected by
someone else for purposes other than your specific
research. Therefore, secondary data complements
primary data and can provide valuable context and
insights to your research. The researcher does not have to
generate it themselves, but rather, can simply collate or
analyze data which has already been collected.
Examples of Secondary Data Sources:

Published Literature
Government Sources
Online Database
Market Research Reports
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

When you conduct research about a group of people,

it’s rarely possible to collect data from every person in that
group. Instead, you select a sample. The sample is the group
of individuals who will actually participate in the research.
 To draw valid conclusions from your results, you have to carefully
decide how you will select a sample that is representative of the group as
a whole. This is called a sampling method.

There are two primary types of sampling methods that you can use in
your research:

• Probability sampling involves random selection, allowing you to make

strong statistical inferences about the whole group.

• Non-probability sampling involves non-random selection based on

convenience or other criteria, allowing you to easily collect data.
Probability sampling methods:
Simple random sampling
Systematic sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling

Non-probability sampling methods:

Convenience sampling
Voluntary response sampling
Purposive sampling
Snowball sampling
Quota sampling
Probability sampling methods: In a simple random sample,
Simple random sampling every member of the population has
Systematic sampling an equal chance of being selected.
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling Your sampling frame should include
the whole population.
To conduct this type of
sampling, you can use tools like
random number generators or other
techniques that are based entirely on
chance.
Probability sampling methods:
Simple random sampling Systematic sampling is similar
Systematic sampling to simple random sampling, but it is
Stratified sampling usually slightly easier to conduct.
Cluster sampling
Every member of the population is
listed with a number, but instead of
randomly generating numbers,
individuals are chosen at regular
intervals.
 Stratified sampling involves
Probability sampling methods: dividing the population into
Simple random sampling
subpopulations that may differ in
Systematic sampling
important ways. It allows you draw
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling more precise conclusions by ensuring
that every subgroup is properly
represented in the sample.
To use this sampling method, you
divide the population into subgroups
(called strata) based on the relevant
characteristic (e.g., gender identity, age
range, income bracket, job role).
Probability sampling methods:
Simple random sampling
Systematic sampling Cluster sampling also involves
Stratified sampling dividing the population into subgroups,
Cluster sampling but each subgroup should have similar
characteristics to the whole sample.
Instead of sampling individuals from
each subgroup, you randomly select
entire subgroups.
Non-probability sampling
methods: A convenience sample simply
Convenience sampling includes the individuals who happen to
Voluntary response sampling be most accessible to the researcher.
Purposive sampling This is an easy and inexpensive
Snowball sampling way to gather initial data, but there is
Quota sampling
no way to tell if the sample is
representative of the population, so it
can’t produce generalizable results.
Convenience samples are at risk for
both sampling bias and selection bias.
Non-probability sampling methods: Similar to a convenience sample,
Convenience sampling a voluntary response sample is mainly
Voluntary response sampling based on ease of access. Instead of the
Purposive sampling
Snowball sampling
researcher choosing participants and
Quota sampling directly contacting them, people
volunteer themselves (e.g. by
responding to a public online survey).
Voluntary response samples are
always at least somewhat biased, as
some people will inherently be more
likely to volunteer than others, leading
to self-selection bias.
Non-probability sampling methods: This type of sampling, also
Convenience sampling known as judgement sampling, involves
Voluntary response sampling the researcher using their expertise to
Purposive sampling select a sample that is most useful to
Snowball sampling
the purposes of the research.
Quota sampling
It is often used in qualitative
research, where the researcher wants
to gain detailed knowledge about a
specific phenomenon rather than make
statistical inferences, or where the
population is very small and specific.
Non-probability sampling methods:
Convenience sampling If the population is hard to
Voluntary response sampling access, snowball sampling can be used
Purposive sampling to recruit participants via other
Snowball sampling participants. The number of people you
Quota sampling
have access to “snowballs” as you get
in contact with more people.
It involves asking current study
participants to identify other potential
subjects for the study.
 Quota sampling relies on the
Non-probability sampling methods: non-random selection of a
Convenience sampling predetermined number or proportion
Voluntary response sampling of units. This is called a quota.
Purposive sampling
You first divide the population
Snowball sampling
Quota sampling into mutually exclusive subgroups
(called strata) and then recruit sample
units until you reach your quota. These
units share specific characteristics,
determined by you prior to forming
your strata. The aim of quota sampling
is to control what or who makes up
your sample.
RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
A Research Instrument is a tool used to collect,
measure, and analyze data related to your research
interests. The choice of research instrument will usually
be yours to make as the researcher and will be whichever
best suits your methodology.
A research instrument can include interviews, tests,
surveys, or checklists.
 There are many different research instruments you can
use in collecting data for your research:

• Interviews (either as a group or one-on-one). You can

carry out interviews in many different ways. For example,
your interview can be structured, semi-structured, or
unstructured. The difference between them is how formal
the set of questions is that is asked of the interviewee. In a
group interview, you may choose to ask the interviewees
to give you their opinions or perceptions on certain topics.
• Surveys (online or in-person). In survey research, you are
posing questions in which you ask for a response from the
person taking the survey. You may wish to have either free-
answer questions such as essay style questions, or you may
wish to use closed questions such as multiple choice. You
may even wish to make the survey a mixture of both.

• Focus Groups. Similar to the group interview above, you

may wish to ask a focus group to discuss a particular topic
or opinion while you make a note of the answers given.
• Observations. This is a good research instrument to use
if you are looking into human behaviors. Different ways
of researching this include studying the spontaneous
behavior of participants in their everyday life, or
something more structured. A structured observation is
research conducted at a set time and place where
researchers observe behavior as planned and agreed
upon with participants.
DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE
Data gathering procedure is a critical step of any
research or analysis. Data gathering is the process of
collecting and evaluating information or data from multiple
sources to find answers to research problems, answer
questions, evaluate outcomes, and forecast trends and
probabilities.
STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA
In its simplest form, statistical treatment of data is
taking raw data and turning it into something that can be
interpreted and used to make decisions. Standard deviation,
correlation, regression, descriptive statistics are some of the
examples that can be used in statistical treatment of data.

Commonly Used:
Percentage and Frequency Distribution
Slovin’s Formula
Percentage and Frequency Distribution
Slovin’s Formula
END OF SLIDE