INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS

Select the choice which best completes the statement, or answers the question, by clicking on the
corresponding letter.

1. The step-by-step process by which the research project is conducted and completed is known as:
a. The research process.
b. The process of describing research.
c. The process of developing research ideas.
d. The process of gathering data for a research project.

2. The literature review that the researcher writes becomes the:

a. Conceptual framework for the research project.
b. Theoretical framework for the research project.
c. Methodological framework for the research project.
d. Analytical framework for the research project.

3. Data collection methods are:

a. The means by which literature is sourced for a research project.
b. The means by which data is analysed for a research project.
c. The means by which data is gathered for a research project.
d. The means by which the researcher develops a theoretical framework.

4. Data is:
a. Literature gathered for a research project.
b. Information or evidence gathered for a research project.
c. Always difficult to source for a research project.
d. Always complex when used in a research project.

5. The four frameworks approach to the research project is an approach whereby:

a. The researcher uses one of four frameworks to help design the research project.
b. Where the researcher carries out four research projects.
c. The first framework, the conceptual framework, shapes, supports and directs the other
three frameworks.
d. Four methodologies are used in the research project.

6. A key concept is:

a. A sub-section in the theoretical framework.
b. A source of data.
c. A key idea, a key word or a key phrase.

1
d. A means of gathering data.

7. Data analysis is:

a. A very complex process.
b. The analysis of data. Data is analysed, findings are produced, conclusions are drawn and
recommendations are made.
c. The means by which data is gathered for a research project.
d. The final step in the research process.

8. The conceptual framework for the research project:

a. Contains all of the key concepts of the research project.
b. Contains the theoretical framework for the research project.
c. Contains the aim and objectives of the research.
d. Contains a description of the context for the research.

9. The conceptual framework is contained in:

a. The literature review.
b. The research methodology.
c. The analysis carried out for the research project.
d. The research statement/question.

10. As you begin your research project it is important to record your thoughts, ideas, inspirations,
contacts, references and resources:
a. Using an electronic recording device.
b. In a research diary.
c. For posterity.
d. For your research supervisor.

11. You will be able to refer back to your research diary for:
a. For a record of the research project, and for inspiration and ideas. The research diary will
save you a lot of time in the writing process.
b. Memories of your social life.
c. A record of your time at college.
d. Help with cramming for exams.

12. Social research is:

a. About statistical analysis.
b. About investigating some aspect of the social world.
c. Done by sociologists.
d. Always complex and difficult to understand.

2
 13. Business research is:
a. About statistical analysis.
b. Always complex and difficult to understand.
c. About investigating some aspect of business.
d. Not really relevant.

14. Social research paradigms are:

a. Different perspectives taken by social scientists on the social world.
b. Irrelevant in business research.
c. Data gathering methods.
d. Different means of analysing data.

15. The methodological framework contains:

a. All of the key concepts in the research project.
b. All of the detail on how the research was conducted.
c. The literature review.
d. Detail on the background to the research.

CHAPTER 2
DEVELOPING RESEARCH SKILLS
Select the choice which best completes the statement, or answers the question, by clicking on the
corresponding letter.

1. Literature in the context of a research project is?

a. Published accounts of research that has been carried out and completed.
b. Any paper resource.
c. Any written material.
d. Any highly regarded novel or book.

2. What is the most basic skill required of any researcher?

a. The ability to calculate statistics.
b. The ability to understand major philosophical issues and ideas.
c. The ability to generate ideas for research projects.
d. The ability to source data.

3. When can a research project be said to be researchable?

a. When the researcher decides to carry it out.

3
b. When the researcher supervisor approves the research idea.
c. When ethical approval for the project has been secured.
d. When there is sufficient time and money (if money is needed) to carry out the project, and if
there is ready access to the necessary data.

4. A case study research methodology is useful in:

a. Studies that involve very large populations.
b. The study of a bounded entity, such as a business, or a class, or a club, or an event.
c. Studies that involve large populations spread over large geographic areas.
d. Statistical analysis.

5. A survey research methodology is particularly useful in facilitating the study of:

a. People at work.
b. Women at work.
c. Very large populations and geographically scattered populations.
d. The workforce

6. Validity in relation to the research project relates to:

a. How logical, truthful, robust, sound, meaningful, reasonable and useful the research is.
b. How long the research takes to carry out.
c. The size of the written record of the research.
d. The relationship between the researcher and the research supervisor.

7. Reliability in relation to the research project relates to:

a. The reliability of the researcher.
b. The dependability of the research, and the degree to which the research can be repeated
while obtaining consistent results.
c. The reliability of the research supervisor.
d. The reliability of the participants in the research.

8. Triangulation in the research project means:

a. The triangular relationship between the research, the researcher and the research supervisor.
b. That there is a relationship between the literature review, the research methodology and the data
gathering methods.
c. That three data gathering methods must be used.
d. Studying the phenomenon under investigation from more than one perspective.

9. Every research project should begin with:

a. A statement of the research.
b. A decision about the data gathering methods to be used.

4
c. A decision about the research methodology to be used.
d. An understanding of the overall conclusion that will be drawn.

10. The stated objectives of the research project are:

a. Aspirations the researcher has for the research project.
b. A complete list of all of the things the researcher hopes to accomplish with the research.
c. The steps the researcher takes in order to accomplish the aim of the research.
d. The standards the research supervisor sets down for the research project.

11. The theoretical framework is:

a. The framework that succinctly presents all of the key concepts in the research project.
b. The framework the researcher builds from the literature (theory) s/he reviews for the
research project.
c. The search for literature that the researcher carries out.
d. Another name for the analytical framework.

12. Observation, questionnaires and interviews are all:

a. Research methodologies.
b. Theoretical frameworks.
c. Fundamental philosophies.
d. Data gathering methods.

13. Ethnography, grounded theory and action research are all:

a. Examples of research methodologies.
b. Examples of data gathering methods.
c. Fundamental philosophies.
d. Theoretical frameworks.

14. Positivism, constructivism and interpretivism are all:

a. Examples of fundamental philosophies.
b. Examples of data gathering methods.
c. Examples of research methodologies.
d. Examples of theoretical frameworks.

15. Plagiarism is:

a. The study of research and research methodologies.
b. The scholarship required in the research project.
c. The term for the relationship between the research and the research supervisor.
d. The use and/or presentation of somebody else’s work or ideas as your own.

5
 CHAPTER 3
UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH ETHICS
Select the choice which best completes the statement, or answers the question, by clicking on the
corresponding letter.

1. Ethics can be defined as:

a. A process of reasoning in terms of the right thing to do.
b. Rules governing society.
c. The basis of the criminal code.
d. A list of rights and wrongs.

2. Essential in ethics and ethical standards is:

a. A good grasp of research methods.
b. The capacity to produce good research.
c. A good understanding of business.
d. The capacity to distinguish between right and wrong.

3. Integrity and transparency are fundamental:

a. Issues in business.
b. Requirements in research.
c. Ethical principles in research.
d. Methodologies in research.

4. Power is:
a. Essential in business.
b. Essential for the business researcher.
c. A good force for any researcher.
d. A fundamental ethical issue in research.

5. The ethically reflective practitioner:

a. Engages in research on ethics.
b. Thinks critically about the standard of their research and their code of conduct and
behaviour as a researcher.
c. Is particularly bound by rules and standards.
d. Wastes a lot of time just thinking.

6
6. Reflexivity is:
a. The fast response the researcher makes to every development in the research project.
b. The relationship that develops between the researcher and the research project.
c. The researcher’s active, thoughtful engagement with every aspect and development of their
research.
d. A reflection on the relationship between the researcher and the research project.

7. A guarantee of confidentiality is:

a. A guarantee that some information will remain confidential and will not be disclosed.
b. Always required by proper ethical standards in research.
c. Essential for every participant in a research project.
d. Only given under duress.

8. The principle of informed consent is:

a. Of little use in business research.
b. Essential to the relationship between the researcher and the research project.
c. A key ethical concern.
d. A key data gathering method.

9. The principle of informed consent holds:

a. That all resources used in the research project must be properly referenced and acknowledged.
b. The researcher must inform the research supervisor of every development in the research project.
c. The researcher must inform the research supervisor of every ethical development in the research
project.
d. Participants agree to participate in a research project when they have been fully informed
of any and all potential consequences.

10. Research ethics committees are:

a. Committees of researchers.
b. Convened by organisations to monitor and police the ethical standards of research projects
carried out under their auspices, under their name.
c. Committees of researchers concerned with ethics.
d. Concerned only with research conducted in the medical sciences.

11. Intrusion is:

a. What the researcher must engage in, in order to carry out the research.
b. In the very nature of research.
c. Any unwarranted, unnecessary or unwelcome engagement with a person or a place.
d. Unavoidable, in a research project.

7
 12. A gatekeeper is:
a. Any person or structure that controls access to people, places, structures and/or
organisations.
b. A person in charge of a gate.
c. A security officer or guard.
d. A person who controls entrances and exits.

13. Every research project should make a contribution:

a. To the researcher’s development.
b. Financially
c. To knowledge.
d. In terms of methodology.

14. In carrying out the research, the researcher should engage properly and thoroughly with:
a. The media.
b. The literature on the topic.
c. Their peers.
d. Art and science.

15. There are potential risks and harms in:

a. Every stage of the research process.
b. Some research projects.
c. Research projects that engage with human populations.
d. Some research projects that engage with human populations.

CHAPTER 4
UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY
Select the choice which best completes the statement, or answers the question, by clicking on the
corresponding letter.

1. The philosophical framework is the:

a. The frame of mind of the researcher undertaking the research.
b. World view within which the research is situated.
c. The approach the academic institution takes to research.
d. Framework of collaboration developed between the researcher and research supervisor.

2. The concept of ‘fit’ is used to explain how:

a. Every aspect of the research project should fit with every other aspect of the research
project. All the elements of the research project must ‘fit’ together.

8
b. Well the research project fits with the researcher.
c. Well the research project fits with all of the other responsibilities of the researcher.
d. The relationship between the researcher and the research supervisor works.

3. The first question a researcher asks themselves when they start a research project is:
a. Why do I have to do this?
b. Who can I get to help me with this?
c. What am I going to do?
d. When am I going to be finished with this?

4. The second question a researcher asks themselves when they start a research project is:
a. Why do I have to do this?
b. Who can I get to help me with this?
c. What am I going to do?
d. How am I going to do it? (the methodology and the methods to be used)

5. In deciding on what methodology and methods to use in the research, it is important to remember
that these decisions must be:
a. Discussed and explained in detail in the opening paragraph of the report of the research.
b. Justified.
c. Made in line with the traditional research methods used in business research.
d. Made in collaboration with a team of advisors.

6. Ontology refers to:

a. The study of being.
b. The study of space.
c. The study of air.
d. The study of light.

7. Epistemology relates to:

a. Space, to what constitutes space.
b. Air, to what constitutes air.
c. Language, to what constitutes language.
d. Knowledge, to what constitutes knowledge.

8. The methodological pyramid shows how:

a. Important data gathering methods are.
b. Important it is to engage in triangulation in research.
c. The fundamental philosophies support the different research methodologies which in turn
support the different data collection methods.

9
d. To use the model of the research process.

9. Quantitative data are data in the form of:

a. Images.
b. Numbers, numerical data.
c. Attitudes.
d. Impressions.

10. Qualitative data is:

a. Non numerical data.
b. Numerical data.
c. Statistical data.
d. Data in the form of numbers.

11. Theory, in relation to research, is:

a. Relevant only in some research projects.
b. Any idea the researcher develops in relation to their research project.
c. The explanation the researcher develops for their research project.
d. To be found in literature. Literature is research that has already been carried out and
completed and published.

12. All research conducted or carried out within an academic setting is:
a. Highly theoretical.
b. Either theoretical or applied research.
c. Embedded in theory.
d. Applied research.

13. The findings of research that does not have a theoretical base, a theoretical framework are:
a. Always generalizable.
b. Are relevant only in social science research.
c. Applicable only to certain populations.
d. Limited to the specific context within which the research was situated.

14. Concepts are:

a. Key data gathering methods.
b. Key words, key ideas.
c. Important research methodologies.
d. Fundamental philosophical frameworks.

10
15. Concepts, created and developed, and aligned with other concepts, are:
a. The building blocks of theory.
b. Relevant to the methodological framework.
c. Meaningful only in the context of the literature review.
d. Meaningful only in the context of the theoretical framework.

11
Parts of a Research Report
1. Title. It contains an informative title that describes the content of the paper, the name of author/s,
addresses or affiliations, and date of submission. Examples of an informative title are the following:
a. Effects of Facebook on the Academic Achievement of Grade 12 Students
b. Development and Validation of a Software for Detecting someone's work
2. Abstract. It contains the summary of the research findings and conclusion.                           
3. Introduction. It explains the current state of the field and identifies research gaps. It is also the part
where the research focus is presented by addressing the identified gaps in the topic. It puts the
research topic in context.                 
4. Literature Review. It contains the summary and synthesis of all available sources directly related to
the study. In a research report, the literature review is divided into three sections: related concepts,
related studies and synthesis.             
5. Methodology. It describes how the experiments or tests in the research were conducted. The
discussion of the instrument used presents the tools in gathering data. The past tense is used in
describing the methodology.
6. Results. It factually describes the data gathered and the table and graphs that summarize the
collected data. Along with the tables and graphs are their respective interpretations.
7. Discussion. It provides an explanation of all the results in relation to the previous studies presented
in the literature review.
8. Conclusion. It contains the restatement of the major findings, the limitations of the study, the
recommendations and the implications.
9. References. It contains the different sources used in the study.
Steps in Writing a Research Report
    Writing a research report may seem like a daunting task, but if you break down the process into small
steps, you will be able to accomplish it effectively. The stages of writing a research report also follow the
basic writing process with a few additions to accommodate and address the different parts of the report.
10. Select and narrow down the topic. Use any of your preferred prewriting activities to generate ideas.
11. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering the initial references.
12. Formulate the thesis statement and research questions. A good thesis statement guides and controls
the flow of your paper.
13. Have a preliminary outline.
14. Gather additional references. Use the preliminary outline as a guide for this stage.
15. Prepare the prefinal outline.
16. Have your instruments such as your questionnaire
17. Gather the data using the identified instruments.
18. Process the data and present them in graphical forms if applicable.
19. Interpret the gathered data.
20. Write the methodology and results sections.
21. Write the introduction and literature review.
22. Write the discussion. Be sure to link the literature review to the discussion section.
23. Write the conclusion.
24. Prepare the reference list.
25. Edit and format your paper Observe the proper mechanics.

12