RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

BINYAMIN A AJAYI
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, NSUK
 Learning Objectives

▪ Understand basic concepts in research

▪ constructs, relationship, indicators, research model,
theory
▪ Understand research as a scientific method to acquire
knowledge
▪ Acquire skill to formulate researchable research problems
▪ Identify major research problems in computer science
▪ Explain the different research approaches and methods
▪ Quantitative, qualitative and design science
 Learning Outcomes

▪ Demonstrate skill to design data collection

instruments
▪ Able to collect data relevant to the research problem
▪ Able to interpret data into meaningful information
▪ Prepare research proposal
▪ Contribute new knowledge to your discipline
 Research Methodology Overview

▪ Definition
▪ Examples of Methods
▪ Control vs. Reality
▪ Secondary Methodologies
▪ Trends
▪ Survey, Laboratory Experiment, Case Study
 Research Overview

▪ Gathering information from resources such

as books or magazines isn’t a research.
▪ Research isn’t just transporting facts:
▪ Merely transporting facts from one resource to
another doesn’t constitute research.
▪ It only makes existing knowledge more
accessible. No contribution to new knowledge
 Research Process

▪ What is the purpose of your Re-search

▪ What are the questions on your mind
▪ What assumptions are you making
▪ What are the sampling techniques
▪ How are you collecting data
 Research Process contd

▪ What’s the research method

▪ What quality criteria guides you
▪ What data analysis method are
you using
▪ Writing the report
 Research: A Definition

▪ Is an activity that contributes to the understanding of a

phenomenon [Kuhn, 1962; Lakatos, 1978]
▪ Phenomenon: a set of behaviors of some entity/ies that is found
interesting by a research community
▪ Understanding: knowledge that allows prediction of the
behavior of some aspect of the phenomenon
▪ Activities considered appropriate to the production of
understanding (knowledge) are the research methods and
techniques of a research community
▪ It is an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed
at discovering, interpreting, and revising facts
 Types of Research

▪ Basic Research: its main purpose is the disclosure

of fundamental truths or principles
▪ Focuses the testing and development of theory
▪ To extend existing human understanding
▪ Has no immediate application to real world problems
▪ Example -Physics is interested to understanding
basic elements that make up matter
▪ Systems theory
 To solve existing societal problems

▪ Developing a SW that convert word files into

database format
▪ Doing payroll processing by a computer
▪ Developing e-learning package to enhance
student learning
 Theory

▪ An abstraction about the behavior of the phenomena that serve as a

guide for future practice
▪ E.g. communication theory, need hierarchy theory, learning theory, etc
▪ It is an association of two or more constructs
▪ Theories are developed based on what is observed or experienced,
often times in the real world. You may think theory as an absolute
truth, such as the theory of gravity or the theory of relativity
▪ Actually a changing phenomenon, especially in the soft or social
sciences with acquisition of new facts and observe new relationship
 Constructs -vs- Indicators

▪ Constructs are abstract concepts which is

not measurable
▪ religion, vehicle, etc
▪ Indicators are variables that can be
measurable. They are used to measure
constructs
▪ vehicle can be represented by model,
manufacturing date, price, etc
 Conceptual Framework

▪ The researchers understanding of the Problem

▪ Contains variables and their relationship to be investigated
in the research
▪ Serves as a guide for the research process
▪ Builds from existing theory or prior experience of the
researcher
▪ Accepted or modified after the collected empirical data is
analyzed and interpreted
 Hypothesis: The Assumptions

▪ It is the researchers guess or tentative solution

about the research problem which will be later
proved through the empirical data
▪ It is the relationship between two variables in your
conceptual framework
▪ The database system will improve information access in the
organization
▪ Graphical user interface will increase software learnability
 Definitions of Terms

▪ Define each technical term as it is used in

relation to your research project.
▪ Resource – how is defined in the context of
library and computer system
▪ This helps remove significant ambiguity from the
research itself by ensuring that reviewers, while
they may not agree with your definitions, at least
know what you’re talking about..
 Research Methods?

▪ Activity which contributes to the

understanding of a phenomena
▪ A way or strategy of data collection
 Research Methods

▪ Case Study ▪ Laboratory Experiment

▪ Design Research ▪ Mathematical Modelling
▪ Ethnography ▪ Phenomenological
Research
▪ Experimental
▪ Subjective/Argumentative
Simulation
▪ Survey Research
▪ Field Experiment
 Control vs. Reality

Laboratory Experiment Case Study

Survey
Control Reality
Primary & Secondary Methodologies

 Common Practice to use more than one Method of

Research
 Confirmation of findings
 Compensate for shortcomings (pros & cons)
 Examples:
 Longitudinal Research
 Collaborative Practice Research
 Survey Research

▪ Predefined structured questionnaires

▪ Advantages: Real-world observations, large
number of variables & observations
▪ Disadvantages: Possible subjective/bias
results, does not explain the cause of the
phenomena
 Laboratory Experiment

▪ Simulate real-world in a laboratory

environment
▪ Advantages: control, comparison
▪ Disadvantage: over simplification, isolation
 Metrics in Research

▪ Metrics are measures used to represent the

variable
▪ Sex variable is measured by Male or Female
▪ Attitude is measured by likert scale (Very strongly
disagree <->Strongly Agree)
▪ How do you measure CPU performance?
▪ Clearly state how you measure your research
variable
 Scales of Variable Measurement

 There are four measurement scales

 Nominal – which does not show magnitude like male or
famale
 Ordinal – which measure magnitude but cannot
quantify difference e.g poor and rich
 Interval - measures magnitude and the difference
between the two values
 e.g age years and 20 years
 Scale – measures which has values below zero
 e.g temperature
Research as Scientific Method

 The scientific method is a way to ask and answer

scientific questions by making observations and doing
experiments.
 Scientific Process

▪ Ask a Question or Define your Research Problem

▪ Undertake a literature review
▪ Construct a Hypothesis or Make your Assumptions
▪ Collect empirical data
▪ Test Your Hypothesis based on your empirical data
▪ Analyze Your Data
▪ Draw a Conclusion and
▪ Communicate Your Results
 Selecting the Topic: Is It

▪ Interesting?
▪ Multi-disciplinary?
▪ Feasible?
▪ Too personal?
▪ Potential for original contribution?
 Formulating the research question

▪ Ontology: nature of phenomena

▪ Epistemology: theory of knowledge; how to
arrive at some valid knowledge
▪ Research objectives
▪ Sources for devising questions
 Ontological Perspectives

 What aspects of social reality

 What kinds of entities/phenomena
do you wish to investigate?
Individuals; Institutions; Systems;
Attitudes; Behaviours
 Epistemological Perspectives

▪ Positivist – constructs objective truth

▪ Interpretive – constructs subjective
truth
▪ Design Science – creates new artifacts
 Quantitative Research Methods

▪ Uses deductive method of knowledge acquisition

▪ Intends to falsifies an existing theory
▪ Tries to generate objective, generalizable
knowledge
▪ Accepts objectivity of knowledge
▪ Uses a standard measurement instruments
▪ The researcher is independent in the process of
knowledge construction
▪ Intends with prediction and controlling
 Qualitative Methods

▪ Tries to build theory from bits of data

▪ Follows inductive method of knowledge
acquisition
▪ Believes that there are as many knowledge as
the number of people
▪ Accepts justified true believe rather the
mechanistic objective knowledge
 Design Science

▪ Deals with the ‘design’ of artificial artifacts (i.e., IT

artifacts) and creating something new that does not
yet exist.
▪ It’s both a process (set of activities) of ‘creating
something new’ and a product (i.e., the artifact that
results out of this process)
▪ Main outputs are either constructs, models, methods
(algorithms), or instantiations (algorithm codes), or a
combination thereof
 Design Research Outputs

▪ Constructs
▪ conceptual vocabulary of a problem/solution domain
▪ Methods
▪ algorithms and practices to perform a specific task
▪ Models
▪ a set of propositions or statements expressing relationships
among constructs
▪ abstractions and representations
 Outputs …

▪ Implemented and prototype systems

▪ Algorithmic codes with target language software
▪ Better theories - artifact construction
 Categories of CS Research

▪ Research in CS including IS and AI can be grouped as follows:

▪ The study of what is possible
▪ Including both mathematical and less rigorous forms of
theorising.
▪ The study of existing (naturally occurring)
▪ including information processing systems E.g. animals, societies,
brains, minds
▪ Research involving creation of new useful information processing
systems, and research directly related to engineering
applications.
▪ The creation and evaluation of tools,
▪ Including formalisms and techniques to support all these
activities.
Know your Research Contributions

▪ In what way(s) does your study add

significant contribution(s) to:
▪ Extant Theory?
▪ Relevant Practice?
▪ If I build/develop something new – say, a computer
program, a model, an algorithm – how difficult do you
think it is to argue that it is novel?
▪ At a trivial level, you can argue that every program is
going to be unique.
▪ You can go a step beyond and say that you are now
going to compare the abstract technique embedded in
the program, not the specific instantiation of it. Fine,
so that narrows the definition of uniqueness.
 Come up with a New Technique

▪ The question that will be asked is – so, how does it

improve what we did before?
▪ Unless there is some utility component to this, the
creation will not be worthwhile.
▪ So, worth is tied to a utilitarian perspective here.
Utility in context
▪ That is why sometimes the positivist/interpretive
research is called explanation research and
development research is called improvement
research.
 Concern for Artificial Phenomena

▪ We deal with human creations such as organizations

and information systems.
▪ Of immediate interest is the fact that these
artificial phenomena can be both created as well as
studied and that scientists can contribute to each of
these activities (March and Smith 1995).
 Design Science Product

▪ So, whereas natural science tries to understand

reality,
▪ Design science attempts to create things that serve
human purposes.
▪ Rather than producing general theoretical knowledge,
▪ It produce and apply knowledge of tasks or situations in
order to create effective artifacts.
REASERCH: HOW TO BEGIN

Binyamin A Ajayi
Computer Science, NSUK
 42
RESEARCH TOOLS
 Specific mechanism or strategy the researcher uses to:
 Collect, manipulate or interpret data
 They are not the method of research which is
 approach taken in carrying out the research project
 “Library research; statistics research” are telltale signs and largely
meaningless
 43

 LIBRARY AND ITS RESOURCES

 COMPUTER AND ITS SOFTWARE
 MEASUREMENT TECHNIQURES
 STATISTICS
 HUMAN MIND
 LANGUAGE
LIBRARY FROM THE WALL TO VIRTUAL
44

 Library of the quiet past

 Laborious, time consuming process
 Card catalog
 Periodical indexes
 Library of the stormy present
 Quickly and efficient
 Computer terminal
 Online databases
 45
ACESSING TODAY’s LIBRARY
 Library catalog
 Electronic catalogs listing library holdings
 Indexes and abstracts: library’s heart for the researcher
 A typical library provides online databases
 Reference librarian
 Helps you find information
 Browsing the library shelves
 Electronically or physically this may be rewarding
COMPUTER AND ITS TOOLS 46

 Software and technological tools now makes research

easier
 Computer has become research assistance
 Taking advantage of the internet
 World wide web; Electronic mail; News

 Accessing the internet

 College acess
 Perosnal subscription
 47
MEASUREMENT AS A TOOL

 Measurement is limiting the data of any phenomenon

substantial and non substantial
 Strive for objectivity
 Measurability
 Validity

 Extent to which the instrument

measures what it is intended
 Reliability

 Consistency of the measuring

instrument in yielding result
 48

Scale Measurement Characteristics Statistical Possibilities

Type Scale
Non- Nominal Measures names or Mode; percentage
interval designation of discrete values or chi-square
unites or categories
Ordinal Values as more or less, Median; percentile
larger or smaller, without rank; rank correlation
being size specific
Interval Interval Equal intervals or degrees Mean; standard
of difference but deviation and most
starting point arbitrarily inferential statistics
chosen
Ratio Equal intervals but with Geometric mean and
absolute zero point of percentage variation
origin and virtually an
inferential analysis
 49
STATISTICS AS A TOOL

 When appropriately used can be wonderful

 Statistical values obtained are never the end of
research endeavours
 It only provides information about the data
 The researcher provides meaning
 The luring of statistics
 50
HUMAN MIND

 Critical thinking: reasoning

 Deductive logic: premise
 Inductive reasoning: observation
 Scientific methods: insight to the unknown
 Theory building: constructive
 Collaboration with others: 2 Heads…
 51
LANGUAGE AS A TOOL

 What is your proficiency

 How many language can you use
 Proof reading your writings
 52
HOW TO BEGIN

 Identify concepts and terms that make up the topic

statement
 Review related literature to help refine approach to
examine the topic and finding a way to analyze it
 Look for sources that can help broaden, modify, or
strengthen your initial thoughts and arguments
 prepare a detailed outline for your paper that lays the
foundation for a more in-depth and focused review of
relevant research literature
 53

 What is the phenomenon/issue the study is searching

answers to
 What are the observable challenges
 What are the ways extant solution have addressed the
challenges
 What is the solution this study brings
 What is the method going to be embarked in providing
the solution
 What should be the expectations
 54
THE ABSTRACT
 It summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300
words or less, the major aspects of the entire
paper in a prescribed sequence that includes:
 overallpurpose of the study and the research
problem(s) you investigated
 basic design of the study
 major findings or trends found as a result of
your analysis
 brief summary of your interpretations and
conclusions
 55

 The abstract allows you to elaborate upon each major

aspect of the paper and helps readers decide whether
they want to read the rest of the paper
 Therefore, enough key information [e.g., summary
results, observations, trends, etc.] must be included to
make the abstract useful to someone who may want to
examine your work
 56
ABSTRACT SHOULD NOT BE
 Lengthy background or contextual information,
 Redundant phrases, unnecessary adverbs and adjectives,
and repetitive information;
 Acronyms or abbreviations,
 References to other literature [instead, say something like,
"current research shows that..." or "studies have
indicated..."],
 Ellipticals [i.e., ending with "..."] or incomplete sentences,
 Jargon or terms that may be confusing to the reader,
 Citations to other works, and
 Image, illustration, figure, or table, or references to them.
 57
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

 Sources of criticism
describe the counter-
argument,
 provide evidence from review of the literature as to why
prevailing argument is unsatisfactory, discussing how study’s
view is more appropriate

 Sources of new ideas

extend, modify, and refine
current position in light of
 58

 Sources for historical context

Helps formulate how to begin analysis
to place issues and events in proper
historical context
 Sources of interdisciplinary insight
provide a means of approaching a topic
from multiple perspectives rather than
the perspective offered from just one
discipline
 59

 Synthesise your argument by drawing on refined

literature in a critical manner
 Demonstrate clearly issues that have been:
 Robustly supported in extant studies
 Presented more tenuously or controversial or neglected
and demand further investigation
 Explore models that can serve as conceptual
framework or required development
 60

 Have subheadings where trends are noted and are

appraised
 What is the Gap for which your study will be of
significance
 How is your literature intending to predict new
knowledge
 61
RESEARCH PROBLEM

 It is the main organizing principle guiding the analysis

of your paper
 The problem under investigation offers an occasion
for writing and a focus that governs what to say
 It represents the core subject matter of scholarly
communication
 a means by which we arrive at other topics of
conversations and
 discover new knowledge and understanding
THE PROBLEM: THE HEART OF PROCESS 62

 Look around you: asking questions about the phenomenon around you can be
intriguing
 Read the literature: find out what things are already known about your area
of interest to:
 Address identified suggestions for future research
 Replicate research in a different setting
 Consider how a subpopulation behave differently
 Apply existing theory to a new setting
 Explore unexpected or contradictory findings
 Challenge findings that seems to contradict belief
THE PROBLEM CONTD 63

 Attend professional conferences to learn new research directions. Be

ready to ask questions.
 Seek the advice of experts in your area of interest
 Choose topic that intrigues and motivates. Does it worth your time and
energy
 Choose a topic that will be interesting and can caught the attentions of
audience
 Search the online databases: scholar google
STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
64

 State the problem you intend to solve clearly and completely. It can't
be vague
 Think through the feasibility of the project. You have to think of the
resources at your disposal
 Say precisely what you mean. Don’t assume. Remember absolute
honestly and integrity are assumed in every statement a scholar makes
 State the problem in a way that reflects an open mind about its solution
 Divide the problem to sub-problems
 Edit and refine the problem
THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM 65

 What is, according to extant study, the issue

or problem about the particular phenomenon?
 What is the available solution out there?
 What are the challenges with the solution?
 What is the solution the current study brings
to the bare?
 How is this solution achievable?
 what is the accruable benefit from the new
thinking?