THE UNITED NATIONS' RESEARCH INITIATIVE- TDR GLOBAL HAS AWARDED RECOGNITION TO KONNIFEL'S RESEARCH INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME
THE UNITED NATIONS' RESEARCH INITIATIVE- TDR GLOBAL HAS AWARDED RECOGNITION TO KONNIFEL'S RESEARCH INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME
One of the earliest things that a researcher needs to decide when embarking upon a project is the methodology that s/he will use for her/his research. Though it may take some time for a researcher to zero in on a methodology, it is perhaps the most important step to be considered at the beginning of a research project. Research methodology is like a concrete toolkit—it is a complete set of methodological tools that are deployed to conduct the research and arrive at a conclusion. Every crucial step in a researcher’s journey, starting from the research question to the collection of data and examining the findings, relate to the research methodology that has been chosen. In this article, we will try to understand what research methodology is and how different types of methodological tools can be deployed by a researcher.
Before choosing their research methodology, a researcher should have a clear idea of different types of research methodology and a sound justification for the methodological tools that s/he will opt for in her/his project.
Research methodology is a set of techniques and procedures that helps determine how a researcher will identify, collect and analyse information to carry out their research. In other words, it is a logical and systematic plan to solve a research problem. It lays out the steps that the researcher will take to seek answers to the research question. This includes the manner in which data will be collected, examined and analysed so that the researcher can reach a logical conclusion.
While research methods are the set of techniques that are used to carry out research, methodology is a broader concept, as it asks us to “consider the logic behind the methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are using a particular method or technique and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others (“Research Methodology: An Introduction”). The concerns that research methodology broadly deals with are “why a research study has been undertaken, how the research problem has been defined, in what way and why the hypothesis has been formulated, what data have been collected and what particular method has been adopted, why particular technique of analyzing data has been used and a host of similar other questions are usually answered when we talk of research methodology concerning a research problem or study” (“Research Methodology: An Introduction”).
Research methodology can broadly be of three types—quantitative research methodology, qualitative research methodology, and mixed-method research methodology. The researcher may adopt either a qualitative or a quantitative approach to collect information. While quantitative approaches include collecting data through surveys, questionnaires and experiments, qualitative data may be collected through observation, interviews and textual research. Some research projects also demand a mixed-method approach of data collection.
Quantitative research focuses on collecting numerical data and analysing the data using statistical analysis and comparisons. Meanwhile, qualitative research focuses on collecting and examining textual data. This may involve looking at historical data in an archive or collecting data through interviews and participant observations. Qualitative research is undertaken when the broad outline and purpose of research is exploratory. Broadly speaking, it is an effective methodology when a researcher seeks to examine textual data, historical perspectives, oral narratives, and sociological and behavioural patterns. Mixed-method research combines the approaches of qualitative and quantitative research. This methodology is deployed when a researcher is dealing with both numerical and textual data so that the approach that needs to be undertaken includes both numerical analysis and exploratory investigation.
Sampling is an important part of research methodology, which “involves selecting a representative sample of the population to conduct the study, making statistical inferences about them, and estimating the characteristics of the whole population based on these inferences” (Sreekumar).
Research methodology includes two types of sample design—probability sampling and non-probability sampling. In probability sampling, a sample is chosen from a population using a process of random selection. There are three types of random selection—systematic sampling, which involves choosing samples at regular intervals; stratified sampling, which involves choosing samples from smaller groups that the entire population has been broken up into; and cluster sampling, in which samples are collected from clusters that have been created on the basis of demographic parameters.
Thus, with probability samples, “each element has a known probability of being included in the sample but the non-probability samples do not allow the researchers to determine this probability” (Pandey and Pandey 14). In non-probability sampling, there is no fixed selection process and samples are collected depending on the researcher’s capabilities. Therefore, the researcher may choose participants who are most readily accessible due to their geographical proximity or their availability at a particular time.
The first step in research is to clearly define the research problem and formulate a clear plan to carry out the investigation. The second step is working on a literature review in which the researcher carries out a detailed and comprehensive review of the existing body of research in the field. This step helps the researcher frame the research questions and come up with a clear hypothesis.
The next step would be to choose the research design, finalise the research methodology, and determine the sample size and data collection process. The data is collected thereafter using the methodology—qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method—that has been selected. This is followed by data analysis, interpretation of the data in the context of the research question and the hypothesis, and compiling the findings into a well-structured report to reach a conclusion. The conclusion may well be different from the hypothesis. But it is important to draw a conclusion based on the findings of the research. In other words, the conclusion should not be forcefully tailored to support the initial hypothesis even if the data may lead the researcher into a different direction. A researcher cannot let confirmation bias determine the course of her research.
A great deal of thought should be put into choosing the research methodology at the initial stage of any research project. The researcher should take into consideration the type of data that she will be dealing with and the data collection method while choosing the methodology. Framing the appropriate research question and the initial hypothesis goes a long way in determining the methodological tools that will be required to carry out the research.
A researcher should always have a strong justification for the research methodology that she has chosen. The choice of methodology should be aligned with her research objectives, and she should be able to cite similar studies in the field that have used the same methodological tools. The researcher should also be transparent about the challenges and constraints faced while choosing their sample size and data collection methods. This will show that the researcher has put in a lot of thought into choosing their research methodology, assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the methodological tools being deployed, and is prepared to handle all challenges while computing the results.
“Research Methodology: An Introduction,”https://southcampus.uok.edu.in/Files/Link/DownloadLink/RM%20U1%20P1.pdf, accessed on Nov. 24, 2024.
Sreekumar, Divya. “What is Research Methodology? Definition, Types, and Examples.” Paperpal by Editage, August 28, 2023,https://paperpal.com/blog/academic-writing-guides/what-is-research-methodology , accessed on Nov. 24, 2024.
Pandey, Prabhat and Pandey, Meenu Mishra. Research Methodology: Tools and Techniques. Buzău: Bridge Centre, 2015.https://euacademic.org/bookupload/9.pdf, accessed on Nov. 24, 2024.
