RM Chapter 1
RM Chapter 1
MSCS II
LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
UNIVERSITY LAHORE.
PREPARED BY: DR. AYESHA IQBAL
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
• Research is an organized investigation of a
problem where an investigator attempts to gain
solution to a problem.
• In order to get the right solution a clearly
defined objectives are very important.
• A clearly defined objective directs a researcher
in the right direction.
• A clearly defined objectives are important
feature of a good research study
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• A research objective is a clear, concise,
declarative statement, which provides direction
to investigate the variables under the study.
• Research objectives focus on the ways to
measure the variables, such as to identify or
describe the.
• The objectives of a research project summarize
what is to be achieved by the study.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• The objective of research project summarizes
what is to be achieved by the study.
• The research objectives are the specific
accomplishments the researcher hopes to
achieve by the study.
• The objectives include obtaining answers to
research questions or testing the research
hypotheses.
TYPES OF RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
– General objectives are broad goals to be achieved.
– The general objectives of the study states what the
researcher expects to achieve by the study in general
terms.
• SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
– Specific objectives are short term and narrow in
focus.
– General objectives are broken into small logically
connected parts to form specific objectives.
TYPES OF RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• The general objective is met through meeting
the specific objectives stated.
• Specific objectives clearly specify what the
researcher will do in the study, where and for
what purpose the study is done.
EXAMPLES
• GENERAL OBJECTIVE : “ An experimental study
on the effects of poverty on education among
selected cities in Pakistan”.
• SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES : To assess the effects of
poverty on education among the people licing
in rural areas of Punjab.
TYPES OF RESEARCH
• The Research Problem
– An issue or concern that needs to be
addressed (see Chapter 5)
– If the problem calls for
• Explanation or theory testing:
Quantitative
• Exploration or understanding: Qualitative
• One approach alone is inadequate: Mixed
methods
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Qualitative Research
– Main purpose = understand reasons and
motivations.
– Data collection – unstructured or semistructured.
– Findings are descriptive.
– Explores.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Begins with assumptions and the use of
interpretive/theoretical frameworks
• These frameworks inform the study of
research problems
• Research problems address the meaning
individuals or groups ascribe to a social or
human problem
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory
research. It is used to gain an understanding of
underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations.
• It provides insights into the problem or helps
to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential
quantitative research. Qualitative Research is
also used to uncover trends in thought and
opinions, and dive deeper into the problem.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• May involve a final written report or
presentation
• Includes the voices of participants
• Addresses the reflexivity of the researcher
• Provides complex description and
interpretation of the problem
• Discusses its contribution to the literature or a
call for change
EXAMPLES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Diary accounts, open-ended questionnaires,
documents, participant observation, RECORD
KEEPING, FICUS GROUPS.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Explores Quantitative Research
• Main purpose = data quantification
• Data collection – structured.
• Findings are statistical, presented in
tabulations.
• Measures
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Quantitative research is an approach for
testing objective theories by examining the
relationship among variables.
• These variables, in turn, can be measured,
typically on instruments, so that numbered
data can be analyzed using statistical
procedures.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Quantitative Research is used to quantify the
problem by way of generating numerical data or
data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It
is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors,
and other defined variables and generalize results
from a larger sample population.
• Quantitative Research uses measurable data to
formulate facts and uncover patterns in research.
Quantitative data collection methods are much more
structured than Qualitative data collection methods.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• The final written report has a set structure
consisting of introduction, literature and
theory, methods, results, and discussion.
• Like qualitative researchers, those who engage
in this form of inquiry have assumptions about
testing theories deductively, building in
protections against bias, controlling for
alternative explanations, and being able to
generalize and replicate the findings.
EXAMPLES OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH