Introduction To Research Methodology

Important Dates / Assessment
• Test – 28 of May, 2022 – 9:00 – 12:00 (Civil Engineering Technology

Building)
• Submission of Research Proposal – 4th of June, 2022 (online)
• Assessment 1 – Research Proposal – 60%
• Assessment 2 – Test – 40%
LEARNING OUTLINE
• Introduction to Research Methodology • Research Approach and Strategies
• Research Proposal • Data Collection
• Problem Identification and formulation • Sampling
• Literature review • Referencing and Citation
• Plagiarism and Copyright • Writing concise research abstract,
• Theories and Paradigms conclusion, recommendation, and
limitations
INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Defining research
•A process of (i)answering unanswered questions (ii) creating that which
does not currently exist (iii) expanding the boundaries of our ignorance
•A systematic quest to the discovery and creation of knowledge

•“A careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of
knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles” (Grinnell, 1993:4)
•It is a discovery (Rediscovery); A voyage from the known to the
unknown
•An effort to be closer to the truth

•Research is the systematic process of collecting and analysing
information (data) to increase our understanding of the phenomenon
(occurrence) with which we are concerned or interested.
Why Do Research?
•To know why? Blue sky research!

•To solve specific real world needs – e.g., low cost housing! A faster
car!
• The pursuit of a postgraduate qualification
Reasons for Research
1. Research is important to our day-to-day life. Research done by others
determines most of what any of us believe.
• Whenever we ‘look something up’ we do research by consulting the research of others, but
we can trust what we find only if those who did that research did it carefully and reported
it accurately.
• The basic knowledge and research methods that professional researchers develop become
the basis for all other social research.
2. Without research there will be no reliable published research, we would be
prisoners of what we alone see and hear, locked in the opinions of the
moment.
3. Engage in research as an academic exercise to fulfil the requirements of a

particular study.
4. Gathering data that can help us answer questions about various aspects of
society and thus improving our understanding of the society.
5. Research can provide answers to questions of theoretical interest to a
particular social science discipline. Such questions may have no
apparent applications in the present society.
6. Findings from research yield better-informed, less biased decisions

than the guessing, hunches, intuition, and personal experience that
were previously used.
Research Categories
Pure
• performed for the single goal of gaining knowledge
Applied
• performed to solve a specific practical problem (here the practically useful
outcome is the goal of the research and any outcomes of a theoretical
significance are the bonus)
Note: One category of research could lead to the other

Types Of Research
1. Experimental research [cause and effect]
• Here researchers identify independent variables (cause) and try to determine if changes in
the independent variables result in changes in the dependent variables (effect)
• E.g., If we wanted to test whether a new drug was effective in reducing blood pressure in rats – the
independent variable would be the use or non-use of the drug and the dependent variable would be the blood
pressure
2. Creative research – the development of new theories, new procedures and
new inventions
Can be practical and theoretical

•Practical creative research is about design of physical things (artefacts) – e.g., A new car.
•Theoretical creative research is about the discovery of new models, theorems, algorithms e.g.,
A new technology adoption model for digital technologies usage among civil engineering firms
3. Descriptive (case study)
• Is research in which a specific situation is studied either to see if it gives general theories or
to see if existing general theories are borne out by the specific situation e.g., Anthropological
studies of isolated cultures to see whether pervasive social organisations are essential features of human kind.
• It may be used when the object of the research is very complex

e.g., in trying to study the effectiveness of a health care delivery system, a researcher might undertake an in-
depth case study of a selected number of hospitals in a selected number of countries and compare them to see if
any general trends emerge.
4. Ex Post Facto Research (from after the fact)
• This is the opposite of experimental research (cause and effect)
• It looks back at the effects and tries to deduce the causes from these effects
• It occurs when data are available that could not be generated by experimental research e.g.,
understanding the relationship between road development in an area and its current population
5. Action Research
• A type of applied research that focuses on finding a solution to a local problem in a local
setting e.g.,
A teacher investigates whether a new spelling program she has adopted leads to improvement in her students’
achievement scores
6. Historical Research
• These are studies of the past to find cause-effect patterns

• Often geared towards using past events to examine a current situation and to predict future
situations e.g., Stock market forecasting.
• The research does not directly study current causes or effects; rather data is gathered from
primary sources (records of past events) and secondary sources (records after the events)
7. Expository Research
•Base purely on existing information and results in review-type reports

•By reading widely on a field, and then comparing, contrasting, analyzing and synthesizing all
points of view on a particular subject, a researcher can often develop new insights.
• A comparison of tax structures in developed and developing countries is an example of this type of
research.
Steps in Research Process
1 Become aware of a topic and a problem
2 Convert the problem into a well-demarcated research problem
3 Carry out the research (using data collection or experimentation)
4 Analyse the results
5 Write up the findings

1. Become aware of a topic and a problem
• The specific subject addressed by the research is called the topic
• The specific question addressed by the research is called the problem
• Sources of problems
- Recommendations of previous research
- Funding bodies e.g., NRF, CSIR
- University professors
- University research entities – centers, institutes
- National and regional government agencies and departments
2. Convert the problem into a well-demarcated research problem
• Decide whether you want to investigate a general solution or one that works for a particular
area or field
• Demarcate the scope of the literature – how widely or deeply will you need to study the
topic?
• Identify the research variables – e.g., Effect of temperature (independent variable A) on
respiration (dependent variable B)
Variables can either be:
Qualitative (they can vary between settings like practical/non practical, absent/present or
good/mediocre/bad ) or
Quantitative (They vary between numerical settings)
Statement of the research problem
• Having performed the preliminary study and demarcated the problem, the researcher
should now be in a position to make a statement of the research problem (statement of
the problem)
• In particular the statement of the research problem will:

✓Ask a question or questions, normally about the relationships between variables
✓Be empirically testable – within time, budget, resource constraints
✓Define the potential usefulness of the result(s) of the research
3. Carry out the research (using data collection or experimentation)
Sources of information
Literature study
This can be in 2 forms
- A preliminary literature study to get a feel for the topic and the issues involved and
understand how the proposed research would fit them. This should precede any written proposal
to conduct research
- Full literature study
- Is a far more comprehensive study which is part of the research process itself rather than
part of the preparation for research
- The bulk of this work should be done prior to embarking on experimentation or data
collection so that the results of the study can be used during these activities
- However, during the course of the research you should update your knowledge of recent
developments by reading current publications
The main sources of information are
✓Textbooks, articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations &

treatises, company reports, people, magazines, newspapers, the internet .
How would you access the information
• There are three major steps to obtaining the needed information:

• Find out which reports are useful (from the title, the abstract, reference by other people,
summary of publications)
• Obtain copies of them
• Read them
Research Methodology
•What is research methodology?
•Research methodology is “the combination techniques used to enquire into a
specific situation”
•In essence, it refers to the overall approach to the research process

from the theoretical underpinning to the collection and analysis of
data.
• Methodology is concerned with:
✓Why data should be collected;
✓What data should be collected;
✓Where the data should be collected from;
✓When the data should be collected;
✓How the data should be collected; and
✓How the data will be analyzed.
Choosing the Right Methodology
• The selection of the research methodology and their application depends on:
✓The aim and objectives of the study
✓The nature of the phenomenon being investigated
✓The underlying theory or expectations of the investigator
✓The underlying principles and assumptions regarding the use of such methodology under
specific circumstances
• There are three features of the research problem that assist in choice of
methodology:
✓Scope of the problem

✓Nature or description of the problem
✓Complexity of the problem
1. Scope of the problem
• Identify whether the problem is specific, generalizable or both specific and generalizable.
• This is established during the literature survey.
• The methodological approach, as well as methods, selected must therefore be able to deliver
a broadly specific or generalizable result.
2. Nature or description of the problem
• A balance must be made between describing the problem qualitatively and quantitatively.
• This can be considered as balancing the description of ‘why’ a phenomenon happens
against ‘what’ is happening.
• This would point the research towards a methodological position incorporating primarily
quantitative or qualitative analysis (the main variables are either numeric or descriptive).
3. Complexity of the problem
• Establish from the number of parameters that need to be measured or observed whether
the problem is simple or complex.
The Duty of a Researcher
• Research is all about addressing an issue or asking and answering a question or solving a
problem, so…
➢Identify an issue, question, or problem.

• Talk with people who want or need your study.
➢Find out what’s already known about it.
• Talk with experts and/or read their reviews and the original research on the topic.
➢Plan, cost, and do your study accordingly.
➢Write it up and submit it for assessment.
• - Better still, do a good job on it and submit it for publication.
• Your work will benefit more people if you publish it.
• Rule no. 1 in academia is publish or perish.
THANK YOU

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Important Dates / Assessment

• Test – 28 of May, 2022 – 9:00 – 12:00 (Civil Engineering Technology

•A systematic quest to the discovery and creation of knowledge

•An effort to be closer to the truth

•To know why? Blue sky research!

3. Engage in research as an academic exercise to fulfil the requirements of a

6. Findings from research yield better-informed, less biased decisions

Note: One category of research could lead to the other

Can be practical and theoretical

• It may be used when the object of the research is very complex

• This is the opposite of experimental research (cause and effect)

• These are studies of the past to find cause-effect patterns

•Base purely on existing information and results in review-type reports

2 Convert the problem into a well-demarcated research problem

3 Carry out the research (using data collection or experimentation)

4 Analyse the results

5 Write up the findings

• In particular the statement of the research problem will:

This can be in 2 forms

✓Textbooks, articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations &

How would you access the information

• There are three major steps to obtaining the needed information:

•In essence, it refers to the overall approach to the research process

✓Scope of the problem

➢Identify an issue, question, or problem.

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