Research Methodology
RESEARCH:
a way of examining your practice…
Research is undertaken within most professions.
More than a set of skills, it is a way of thinking: examining critically the various
aspects of your professional work.
It is a habit of questioning what you do, and a systematic examination of the observed
information to find answers with a view to instituting appropriate changes for a more
effective professional service.
DEFINITION OF RESEARCH
When you say that you are undertaking a research study to find answers to a question,
you are implying that the process;
1. is being undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies ( approaches);
2. uses procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested for their
validity and reliability;
3. is designed to be unbiased and objective .
Philosophies means approaches e.g. qualitative, quantitative and the academic
discipline in which you have been trained.
Validity means that correct procedures have been applied to find answers to a
question. Reliability refers to the quality of a measurement procedure that provides
repeatability and accuracy.
Unbiased and objective means that you have taken each step in an unbiased
manner and drawn each conclusion to the best of your ability and without
introducing your own vested interest.
(Bias is a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something).
Adherence to the three criteria mentioned above enables the process to be called
‘research’.
However, the degree to which these criteria are expected to be fulfilled varies from
discipline to discipline and so the meaning of ‘research’ differs from one academic
discipline to another.The difference between research and non-research activity is, in the way we find
answers: the process must meet certain requirements to be called research. We can
identify these requirements by examining some definitions of research.
The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search.
re is a prefix meaning again, anew or over again
search is a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe.
Together they form a noun describing a careful, systematic, patient study and
investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles.
Research is a structured enquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to
solve problems and create new knowledge that is generally applicable.
Scientific methods consist of systematic observation, classification and interpretation
of data.
Although we engage in such process in our daily life, the difference between our
casual day- to-day generalisation and the conclusions usually recognized as scientific
method lies in the degree of formality, rigorousness, verifiability and general validity
of latter.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH:
Research is a process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting information to answer
questions.
But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it must, as far
as possible, be controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and
critical.
–Controlled– in real life there are many factors that affect an outcome.
The concept of control implies that, in exploring causality in relation to two variables
(factors), you set up your study in a way that minimizes the effects of other factors
affecting the relationship.
This can be achieved to a large extent in the physical sciences (cookery, bakery), as
most of the research is done in a laboratory. However, in the social sciences
(Hospitality and Tourism) it is extremely difficult as research is carried out on issues
related to human beings living in society, where such controls are not possible.
Therefore in Hospitality and Tourism, as you cannot control external factors, you
attempt to quantify their impact.-Rigorous-you must be scrupulous in ensuring that the procedures followed to find
answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified. Again, the degree of rigor
varies markedly between the physical and social sciences and within the social
sciences.
-Systematic-this implies that the procedure adopted to undertake an investigation
follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazard
way. Some procedures must follow others.
-Valid and verifiable-this concept implies that whatever you conclude on the basis of
your findings is correct and can be verified by you and others.
-Empirical-this means that any conclusion drawn are based upon hard evidence
gathered from information collected from real life experiences or observations.
-Critical-critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods employed is crucial
to a research enquiry. The process of investigation must be foolproof and free from
drawbacks. The process adopted and the procedures used must be able to withstand
critical scrutiny.
For a process to be called research, it is imperative that it has the above
characteristics.
TYPES OF RESEARCH
Research can be classified from three perspectives:
1. application of research study
2. objectives in undertaking the research
3. inquiry mode employed
Application:
From the point of view of application, there are two broad categories of research:
– pure research and
– applied research.
Pure research involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses that are
intellectually challenging to the researcher but may or may not have practical
application at the present time or in the future. The knowledge produced through
pure research is sought in order to add to the existing body of research methods.
Applied research is done to solve specific, practical questions; for policy
formulation, administration and understanding of a phenomenon. It can be
exploratory, but is usually descriptive. It is almost always done on the basis ofbasic research. Applied research can be carried out by academic or industrial
institutions. Often, an academic institution such as a university will have a specific
applied research program funded by an industrial partner interested in that
program.
Objectives:
From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as
–descriptive
-correlational
-explanatory
-exploratory
Descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem,
phenomenon, service or programme, or provides information about , say, living
condition of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue.
Correlational research attempts to discover or establish the existence of a
relationship/ interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation.
Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between
two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
Exploratory research is undertaken to explore an area where little is known or to
investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study (feasibility study
/ pilot study).
In practice most studies are a combination of the first three categories.
Inquiry Mode:
From the process adopted to find answer to research questions – the two approaches
are:
– Structured approach
– Unstructured approach
Structured approach:
The structured approach to inquiry is usually classified as quantitative research.
Here everything that forms the research process- objectives, design, sample, and the
questions that you plan to ask of respondents- is predetermined.It is more appropriate to determine the extent of a problem, issue or phenomenon by
quantifying the variation.
e.g. how many people have a particular problem? How many people hold a particular
attitude?
Unstructured approach:
The unstructured approach to inquiry is usually classified as qualitative research.
This approach allows flexibility in all aspects of the research process.
It is more appropriate to explore the nature of a problem, issue or phenomenon
without quantifying it.
Main objective is to describe the variation in a phenomenon, situation or attitude.
e,g, description of an observed situation, the historical enumeration of events, an
account of different opinions different people have about an issue, description of
working condition in a particular industry.
Both approaches have their place in research. Both have their strengths and
weaknesses.
In many studies you have to combine both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
For example, suppose you have to find the types of cuisine / accommodation
available in a city and the extent of their popularity.
Types of cuisine is the qualitative aspect of the study as finding out about them entails
description of the culture and cuisine
The extent of their popularity is the quantitative aspect as it involves estimating the
number of people who visit restaurant serving such cuisine and calculating the other
indicators that reflect the extent of popularity.Â