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Capstone paper Materials and Methods

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Materials and methods

Introduction

The methodology is the systematic theoretical analysis of the methods used in the

field of study[ CITATION Rut18 \l 1033 ]. Academic research involves the selection of

strategies and concepts applicable to an information branch. The study is a mixture of

knowledge and thinking and can be said to be the right way to explore the facts, especially in

nature's sciences. A research methodology is a standardized approach used in science. This

means a research guide and how it is carried out. It describes and analyzes methods, clarifies

their limitations and resources more clearly. A qualitative approach to assessing the content

and obtaining a more thorough interpretation of the current and anticipated challenges of

human space travel involves collecting the necessary documentation and assembling the

control lists from the specific records.

Research Methodology

This study adopted qualitative and quantitative research methodology since the

research is exploratory and confirmatory, respectively[ CITATION Rut18 \l 1033 ]. The

quantitative analysis involved gathering and analyzing numeric data; for example, the

questionnaires had closed-ended questions. Respondents were required to provide their

opinion based on a scale like strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree.

Qualitative research involves gathering and analyzing non-numeric data, such as audio, video

and text, to clarify respondents' experiences, perceptions and ideas. The qualitative research

methodology was adopted because the researcher wanted to gain a detailed understanding of

the current and anticipated challenges of space travel. A qualitative method has various

distinct approaches; the researcher used narrative research since the researcher wanted to

investigate how individuals presented experiences and how to interpret their perceptions and
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understand them. The researcher was the instrument in the study since all the analysis,

interpretations and findings were filtered from the researcher's motives.

Data Collection Methods

Interviews

Interviews contain questions and responses from study respondents[ CITATION

Bar18 \l 1033 ]. Interviews take many forms: face-to-face group interviews and individual

face-to-face interviews. The researcher used unstructured interviews in which the interviewer

used open questions ended and had little control over the respondent's information. As an

analyst, the researcher examined various respondents, including some of my classmates, to

determine the current and anticipated space travel challenges. The study participants of the

interview were chosen randomly to get different opinions about the study topic. This enabled

the researcher to acquire vast information about their views about challenges facing space

travel. The interviews were based on two central questions; What is your opinion about

human space travel? What do you think are the challenges facing space human travel?

Questionnaires

During the questionnaires' construction, the researcher arranged the questions in a

logical order from one question to the other[ CITATION Sch18 \l 1033 ]. To acquire the best

response, the questions were set from more general questions to more specific questions. The

questionnaires followed the following procedure during the structuring; screens which the

researcher used to find whether individuals should participate in the questionnaire or not. The

next step was the warm-ups, simple to answer questions that help capture the interest in the

research—transition questions that help individuals participating in the study differentiate

different parts of the questionnaire. The researcher also used skips, for example, "If no, then

answer question 4. If yes, answer question 6." The difficult questions were towards the end of
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the questionnaire. There was a progress bar to help participants know when they are almost

through answering the questionnaire.

By administering online questionnaires to various respondents, the researcher could

get different perspectives from multiple respondents[ CITATION Bar18 \l 1033 ]. While

structuring the questionnaire, the researcher grouped the respondents into two broad

categories; scholars and non-scholars. The researcher used both closed-ended and open-ended

questions, which were different depending on the category is respondent belonged to. Finally,

upon collecting all the responses from the study participants, the researcher was in a

considerable position to determine the current and anticipated challenges of space travel.

Justification

The researcher used the above data collection methods because they are cheap and take less

time during the research than other data collection methods. Interviews are personal and best

at gathering customized details. The interviewer also gets timely responses. Questionnaires

profit from the fact that they are inexpensive and do not involve the questioner's function so

much as verbally or telephonically. Questionnaires also provide structured replies that render

compiling data simpler.

Data analysis method

Data analysis is crucial as time and money were spent in collecting data. It is a

necessary process; it provides light to the data collected from the various study participants.

The researcher used the deductive approach in analyzing data, including the study of

contextual evidence based on a pre-determined framework. The researcher used questions as

a reference point for data analysis. This approach is fast and straightforward and was adopted

since the researcher had a realistic idea of how the study participants would react. The

researcher used the following five steps during data analysis.

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First, the researcher arranged the data since the data was widely unstructured and

made no sense initially. The researcher transcribed the collected data and systematically

arranging the data. In the second step, the researcher organized the data using the research

objectives and organizing the data according to the asked questions[ CITATION Are20 \l

1033 ]. The researcher arranged the research objectives in a table for more clarity and

avoided wasting time caused by using unorganized data. The third step was to set up code for

the data collected. Coding is among the easiest way to compress a great deal of information.

Qualitative data coding involves assigning and categorizing captured data the patterns and

properties. Coding is an essential phase in qualitative data analysis since hypotheses may be

extracted from the study's relevant outcomes. The researcher gained an in-depth

understanding of data after assigning codes, which helped the researcher make better

decisions.

The fourth step was validating the collected data; since data is essential for analysis, it

is essential to ensure that it is not faulty. Data validation has two sides; precision in the

study's arrangement or process and reliability to the degree that the techniques continuously

produce reliable results. The final step was concluding the data analysis by methodically

submitting the data in a report that can be used readily. The study showed that 73% percent of

respondents had a "strongly agree" and" agree" view on the question about inadequate

funding of NASA, therefore a hypothesis that lack of funding is one of the major current

challenges facing space travel since most people feel that the government is not doing enough

to fund space projects.

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References

Arezes, R., Quental, J., Pereira, A., & Guimarães, R. (2020, November). Thinking Through

Design and Its Contribution to Data Collection Methodology in Interdisciplinary

Research Practice: Questionnaire/Interview Construction and Analysis.

In International Conference on Design and Digital Communication (pp. 293-299).

Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-61671-7_28

Barrett, D., & Twycross, A. (2018). Data collection in qualitative research.

https://ebn.bmj.com/content/21/3/63.abstract

Rutberg, S., & Bouikidis, C. D. (2018). Focusing on the fundamentals: A simplistic

differentiation between qualitative and quantitative research. Nephrology Nursing

Journal, 45(2), 209-213. http://www.homeworkgain.com/wp-

content/uploads/edd/2019/09/20181009143525article2.pdf

Schnall, A. H., Wolkin, A., & Nakata, N. (2018). Methods: Questionnaire development and

interviewing techniques. In Disaster Epidemiology (pp. 101-108). Academic Press.

Schnall, A. H., Wolkin, A., & Nakata, N. (2018). Methods: Questionnaire

development and interviewing techniques. In Disaster Epidemiology (pp. 101-108).

Academic Press.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128093184000137