Research Process and Research Design.

A brief detailed powerpoint presentation on the Research Process & Research Design.

1. Research Process In the research process, we pass through certain major steps. Every step is important in its own in affecting the value of the research and their worth.

2. Steps involved In Research Process

3. Define Research Problem - The 1 st step in the Research Process is defined or redefining the study will be based . The research problem may be something the agency identifies as a problem, some knowledge or information that is needed by the agency . The researcher should understand the problem thoroughly & examine all available literature related to that problem. Review the literature - Now that the problem has been defined, the researcher must learn more about the topic under investigation. To do this, the researcher must review the literature related to the research problem. This step provides foundational knowledge about the problem area. The review of literature also educates the researcher about what studies have been conducted in the past, how these studies were conducted, and the conclusions in the problem area.

4. Formulating Hypothesis - After Literature survey , researcher should state the working hypothesis in clear terms. Hypothesis should be very specific & limited to the piece of research because is has to be tested. The role of Hypothesis is to guide the researcher & keep him on the right track. Developing the Research design- The Research Problem having being formulated . The researcher will be required to prepare a research design i.e. he will have to state the structure within which research will be conducted .The function of research design is to provide for the collection of relevant data with minimum expenditure of time, efforts & money.

5. Determining Sample design - A sample can be defined as a small piece of group. The researcher must decide the way of selecting a sample which is known as SAMPLE DESIGN. Sample can be of various types such as:- i ) Simple/Random Sampling ii) Systematic Sampling iii) Quota Sampling

6. Collection of Data-   The actual study begins with the collection of data. The collection of data is a critical step in providing the information needed to answer the research question. Every study includes the collection of some type of data—whether it is from the literature or from subjects—to answer the research question. Execution of Projects - Ex ecution of projects is very important step as it requires correct lines, adequate & dependable matter.

7. Analysis of data – After the data has been collected, the researcher has the task of analysing them. The analysis of data requires a number of related operations such as; creating raw data through tabulation pie-charts, coding & then drawing statistical inferences. Generalization & Interpretation – In this stage, hypothesis is compared by testing various statistical tools such as Chi-square test, F test, T test . Any test may be applied depending upon the nature & object of the research hypothesis. Testing will result in either accepting or rejecting the hypothesis.

8. Report Writing or Thesis - F inally the research has to prepare the report of what has been done by him, writing of report must be done with great care keeping in view the following points:- The layout of the report should be in a proper format starting from the introduction which includes Title, Acknowledgement, Introduction, Data Analysis, Finding & Conclusions at the end of the report a list of books, journals, magazines, websites, etc. consulted during research work should be given in the Bibliography .

9. Research Design “ Research Design is a planned sequence of the entire process involved in conducting a research study.” Miller A  research design  is the "blue print" of the study. The design of a study defines the study type and sub-type ,  research question , hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, experimental design, and, if applicable, data collection methods and a statistical analysis plan. Research design is the framework that has been created to seek answers to research questions.

10. Features Of Research Design It is a plan that satisfies the objective of the study & the hypothesis to be tested. It is an outline that specifies the sources & types of information relevant to the research study. It is a blue print specifying the method for gathering & analysing a data. It also includes the time and cost budget according to the research study.

11. Exploratory Research Design Exploratory Research design is defined as the initial research into a hypothetical or theoretical idea. This is where a researcher has an idea of getting a solution of his problem. The main purpose of this study is to determine the general nature of the problem & the variables related to it & then discover new ideas. It is appropriate for any problem in which a very little problem is available .

12. Descriptive Research Design These Designs are used for some definite purpose. It attempts to describe and explain conditions of the present by using many subjects and questionnaires to fully describe a phenomenon. Descriptive Research Design is a act of exploring the thing in the dark , creating a complete picture of what you are looking at.

13. Causal Research Design These designs tends to specify the nature of relationship between two or more variables present in the problem environment. This research design attempts to explore cause and affect relationships where causes already exist and cannot be manipulated.

14. Measurement Scale In Research

15. Nominal Scale The lowest measurement level you can use, from a statistical point of view, is a nominal scale. A nominal scale, as the name implies, is simply some placing of data into categories, without any order or structure. A physical example of a nominal scale is the terms we use for colours. The underlying spectrum is ordered but the names are nominal. The most common statistical tool used in measurement may be Chi-Square.

16. Ordinal Scale An ordinal scale is next up the list in terms of power of measurement .The simplest ordinal scale is a ranking When a market researcher asks you to rank 5 types of Drinks from most flavourful to least flavourful, he/she is asking you to create an ordinal scale of preference.

17. Ratio Scale A ratio scale is the top level of measurement . The factor which clearly defines a ratio scale is that it has a true zero point . It represents the actual amount of variable. The amount of physical dimensions , weight, height , etc are example of the ratio scale. It facilitate a kind of comparison between two variables.

18. Interval Scale The standard survey rating scale is an interval scale . When you are asked to rate your satisfaction with a piece of software on a 7 point scale, from Dissatisfied to Satisfied, you are using an interval scale . It is an interval scale because it is assumed to have equidistant points between each of the scale elements. This means that we can interpret differences in the distance along the scale. We contrast this to an ordinal scale where we can only talk about differences in order, not differences in the degree of order.

19. Sources of Errors In Measurement 1) Respondent – At times the respondent may fail to express positive feelings or sometimes may have little knowledge on that particular topic. All these factors may create errors in the final results. 2) Situation - Situational factors may also come as an errors in the way of correct measurement. Any condition which places strain or stress on interview can create effects on the interviewer respondent report.

20. 3 ) Measure – The interviewer can distort responses by reordering questions . Errors may occur because of incorrect coding, wrong tabulation or statistical calculation . 4) Instrument – Errors may arise because of defective measuring instruments the use of complex words , poor printing inadequate space for replays are a few things that make the measuring instrument defective & may result in measurement errors.