QUESTION 1

The term Unobtrusive by definition means not attracting attention, therefore unobtrusive
measures are a way of gaining information by studying people or groups that are not aware
that they are being studied. Unobtrusive measures are also called non-reactive measures
because the group being studied does not react or know that they are being studied, therefore
they cannot react. They are four main types of unobtrusive measures; physical trace analysis,
simple observation, disguised observation and simulation. In physical trace analysis, the
researcher studies physical items that can be traced and linked from previous human
interaction these can include records, documents and any other things that contain
information that can provide a historical overview of what is being studied. In the simple
observation method, the researcher examines the activity of the person or group in public
without the subject (s) knowing that they are being studied in order to not interfere with how
the subject reacts. Disguised observation involves the researcher observing the subject in
public; however the researcher here pretends to be part of the group being studied. The
subject (s) does not know that they are interacting with the person that is studying them.
Finally the last type of unobtrusive measure is what are known as simulations, these are
strategies that attempt to imitate or copy a social experience or process, these range from
simple games or activities to difficult computer generated processes. Simulations are
unobtrusive measures because the participants of the activity do not know that their actions
are being watched and studied.

In selected social problems, It may be unrealistic to require informed consent from subjects
such as youth violence and gender based violence subjects because the subjects will alter
their behaviour once they realise that they are being observed, therefore Unobtrusive
measures as methodologies which do not involve direct data collection from the subjects are
contrasted with interviews and questionnaires as they use other direct ways to obtain the
required data. In social research, evidence of what people actually do as opposed to what they
say is as vital as the latter, because researchers cannot be sure about what effect their
presence in the field may have on the people and the interactions that they observe. For
example in a project of youth violence, certainly the subjects awareness that they are being
observed will change how they react however if an unobtrusive method such as disguised
observation is being employed to gather data, the behaviour of the subjects will be as real and
honest as can be.
In addition, unobtrusive methods can assist in tacking known biases such as researcher bias
into the work as researcher do not need to be concerned about the effects of the research on
their subjects; this is because of the lack of interaction directly with the research participants.
In the case of studying a gender based violence case, the researcher may have a gender bias
due to their gender themselves or due to previously held assumptions and beliefs, this may
affect the outcome of the research as compared to the researcher studying the subjects
without the subjects knowing that they are being studied. Finally as already stated
unobtrusive methods are an integral part of qualitative researches which usually include
studies that focus on processes that occur overtime and processes that occurred decades
before data collection began. Therefore events that have long since passed can be examined
through these methods for these methods do not rely on retrospective accounts which may be
subject to error in memory as some longitudinal surveys do. Therefore specific methods like
physical trace analysis can be employed in researches that occurred long ago and whose
details are relevant to the current research problem.

Attempts to derive data from research subjects without affecting what is being measured have
given birth to unobtrusive measures of data collection. The use of measures that, even though
imperfect in other ways , are minimally reactive have over time been considered
supplementary rather than substitutes for other measure when reaching on certain social
problems such as youth violence and gender based violence.in order to collect data that is
wholesome, unobtrusive measures are among the best methods of data collection in social
research.

QUESTION 3

a) Thesis Statement   
A professional qualification from a higher learning institution such as NIPA
provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, be it a certificate, diploma
or a degree. However, not every student is able to finance their education without
any hiccups. Some students may be able to pay for their tuition fee’s smoothly
while others may face a few challenges during the course of their
studies. Undeniably various factors cause variations in student’s attitudes
towards payment of tuition fees ranging from financial challenges to cost of
tuition fees. The result of this is multiple challenges in learning which may lead
 to drop outs, therefore there is a need to investigate the various attitudes students
have towards the payment of tuition fees and the causes of the various attitudes.
b)    Units of analysis                                                                                                        
1.     NIPA students from certificate, degree and master’s classes
2.     The NIPA students finance department
 
c)        For the NIPA students in all levels; 
1.     Are the NIPA tuition fees affordable for you? (a) yes (B)no (C) fairly
2.     Who pays your tuition fees? (a) Guardians (b) spouse (c) self (d) sponsorship
For the NIPA accounting department
1. When do most students pay tuition fees in a semester?
(a) During registration (b) before exams (c) when collecting results
2.     What percentage of students pay their tuition fees before due date?
-------------%                                           
d)    In order to select 200 respondents for this research project of NIPA students’
attitude toward payment of tuition fees, the quota sampling technique would be used.
Quota sampling method is a non-probability sampling method of gathering
representative data from a group. Application of quota sampling ensures that sample
group represents certain characteristics of the population chosen by the researcher. In
order to sample the given number, the researcher will first identify the subgroups and
divide the entire population into Program levels which are Certificate, degree and
Degree students, as well as a portion of the students finance department in order to get
full representation. While taking note of the proportions of these subgroups in the
entire population the researcher will then sample each subgroup accordingly.
 
e)   The results of the research can be generalised to the highest extent due to the fact
that representation was ensured. All three categories in the institution where
represented, that is certificate, diploma and degree levels of study. In addition, data
was collected from the students finance department of the institution in order to
analyse the payment patterns of students in the institution.

f)     Quantitative methods of research involve explaining phenomena by collecting

numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods. Therefore
quantitative methods reveal what to what extent but often fail to answer the why and
 how of the research problem. In light of this study, a quantitative approach would not
allow the reasons of various attitudes towards tuition fees to be explored. However,
the qualitative approach will compensate for the quantitative approach by seeking to
answer questions about why and how people behave in the way that they do. It
provides in-depth information about human behaviour. Qualitative approaches
majorly focus on small groups which allow in depth data collection and genuine
efforts to solve research problems, which in the case of the current research problem
allow for the problem to be explored wholly.

QUESTION 2

a) The best research approach to use in order to investigate the potential demand for face
masks among Zambians living in Lusaka and how having health insurance might affect the
utilisation of the face masks project would be the Inductive Approach to research. The
Inductive approach to research, also known in inductive reasoning, starts from specific
observations or sensory experiences and then develops a general conclusion from them. It
starts with the observations and theories are proposed towards the end of the research process
as a result of observations. Inductive reasoning begins with collecting data that is relevant to
the topic. Once a substantial amount of data has been collected, the researcher will look for
patterns in the data, working to develop a theory that could explain if health insurance affects
the utilization of face masks.

The inductive approach allows for an assumption to be proven wrong or right through critical
observation of the phenomena and thus determining whether your premises are true or false.
Inductive reasoning begins with a specific observation or inference, then It fuels more
exploration to test if the judgment or probable inference is right or wrong. In the process,
anyone who uses inductive reasoning will explore the given context, the realm and try or test
different scenarios. This kind of exploration is not only good for the purpose of investigation
or studying probabilities but it also helps the person indulging in inductive reasoning to
understand how accurate or inaccurate the initial assessments and inferences have been, of
which given in this case would be the most favourable approach to the given study.

Inductive reasoning being an approach that works with possibilities gets the research to a
starting point. However, not all probabilities will be true or even possible but inductive
reasoning gives the research various options. This approach to research is therefore the most
suitable approach to test the assumption that health insurance affects the utilization of face
masks among Zambians. In order to gauge an idea or develop a perception with very little
material at hand, which could be observations or experience, inductive reasoning gives the
researcher a starting point.

b) Conducting interviews is a research data collection method that can be used to obtain the
data required in the research. The sources that can be used are the other face masks producers
in Lusaka, the regular face mask customers that do not have health insurance and those
customers with health insurance. Some of the interview question can be;

Face mask producers

1. In your own words, how would you describe the current demand for face masks?
……………………………………….

2. According to you, what is the percentage of the current profits emanating from the
production and distribution of face masks? ………………….

3. Who are the majority types of clients? ..................

4. Is there a period when you don’t sell face masks? ……………

5. Is there a difference in demand from clients with health insurance and those without
health insurance? ………………………

Customers with health insurance

1. Do you see the need of face masks even when you have health insurance? (a) Yes (b) no

2. How many face masks do you own? --------------------

3. How frequently do you buy face masks? ………………………..

4. Does having health insurance influence your decision to buy face masks? (a) yes (b) no

5. How frequent would you buy face masks if you didn’t have health insurance?
………………….

Customers without health insurance

1. How many face masks do you own? ………………….

2. Does not having health insurance influence the number of face masks you buy?
………………………..

3. How frequent do you buy face masks? ………………..

4. Where do you buy your face masks from? …………………

5. Would you stop buying face masks if you had health insurance? …………..

c) Limitations of Inductive Approach

Among the limitations of the inductive approach are that it begins with a single observation
or an inference drawn from very specific and alike situations, this cannot entirely lead to fair
judgment or accurate inference in a diverse world which does not give the most dependable
results that can be drawn from a research project. The generalization of a specific assumption
is most likely to turn out wrong more often than frequent because the said assumption is
created from observations and not already existing theory; such assumptions are often most
likely to turn out false.
The most appropriate data collection tools in this case of research would be interview guides
that will facilitate the collection of information from face mask producers as well as selected
face mask users. Another data collection instrument would be questionnaires that would be
most suitable for use among face mask users in the given vicinity.