INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ASSIGNEMNT

COURSE NAME: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (B.A PROGRAMMES)

Due Date: 1st November, 2022.
INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Answer ALL Questions.

2. Be brief, precise and to the point.
3. Write your Name and SIN number clearly.
4. Handwriting should be very clear, and readable.
5. Name the attempted questions and number them accordingly
6. Work should be well cited and referenced in Harvard system of academic writing
7. Number of pages should not exceed ten in total.

1. The Ministry of Health is faced with the problem of low uptake of covid-19 vaccines.
Suppose you are hired to offer research consultancy on this phenomenon, which is translated
into a research problem: “Analyzing the determinants of the uptake of COVID 19
vaccines: a case study of Lusaka- Zambia”, and using the Health Belief Model which
explains the failure of people to adopt disease prevention strategies or screening tests for
early detection of disease.
The Health Belief Model derives from psychological and behavioral theory, and it offers six
constructs to explain the phenomenon:
 Perceived susceptibility: Person’s subjective perception of the risk of acquiring an
illness or disease.
 Perceived severity: Person’s feelings on the seriousness of contracting an illness or
disease.
 Perceived benefits: person’s perception of the effectiveness of various actions
available to reduce the threat of illness or disease.
 Perceived barriers: person’s feelings on obstacles to performing a recommended
health action.
 Cue action: Stimulus needed to trigger the decision making process to accept the
recommended health action.
 Self-efficacy: The level of a person’s confidence in their ability to successfully
perform the desired and/or recommended behavior.

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Part I: Questions:
i. State any two research objectives for the phenomenon highlighted above
ii. State any two research questions based on the objectives mentioned above
iii. State any hypothesis for this study
iv. Develop a conceptual framework based on the variables highlighted above to
demonstrate the relationship between the dependent variable [uptake of
COVID-19 vaccines] and the independent [Predictor] variables listed above.
Part II: Research proposal:
Briefly, write short notes on key elements to consider in the following selected sections of the
proposal for the phenomenon mentioned above.
i. Background
ii. Statement of the problem
iii. Specific objectives
iv. Research questions/hypotheses
v. Theoretical framework
vi. Literature review
vii. Research design
viii. Sampling design
ix. Sample size
x. Triangulation

2. Research Philosophy: Whether you are consciously aware of them or not, at every stage in
your research you will make a number of ontological, epistemological and axiological
assumptions (Burrell and Morgan, 1979). Briefly show the application of research
philosophy in natural and social sciences by clearly stating the ontological, epistemological
and axiological assumptions under each science.

Assumption Types Positivism: Objectivism Interpretivism: Subjectivism

[Natural Science] [Social Science]
Ontology

What is the nature of reality?

Ontological philosophical
position?

What is the world like?

Epistemology

What is considered acceptable

legitimate knowledge?

What constitutes good quality

data?

What kinds of contribution to

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 knowledge can be made?
Axiology

What is the role of values in

research?
Typical Methods

3. Research Designs:
Identify and briefly explain the appropriate sampling design for each of the following
social research phenomena and show their implementation respectively. Provide practical
explanations and make valid assumptions in order to support your answer.
A. Qualitative research:
i. To study community traditional child birth practices causing infant mortality
ii. To study the cholera situation in a given well defined location
iii. To study cultural practices or a way of life of an ethnic group
iv. To study a new phenomenon emerging in a population
v. To build a theory explaining the suicide phenomenon

B. Quantitative research-Experiments and Surveys:

i. To study a proposed vaccine for COVID19 in clinical research
ii. To study the association of smoking and lung cancer using a chi-squared test
iii. To study the effectiveness of a Malaria drug in a given community
iv. To study the effects of population growth on agricultural productivity within a
rural agro-based population
v. To study the prevalence of STIs in a population

4. Sampling designs:
Identify and briefly explain the appropriate sampling design for each of the following social
research phenomena and show their implementation respectively. Provide practical explanations
and make valid assumptions in order to support your answer.
i. To randomly study the prevalence of malaria in households in a given territory
ii. To study the hunger situation in a systematic pattern within a given territory
iii. To study poverty in a heterogeneous high, medium and low density population
iv. To study farming practices implemented in different villages in a given region
v. To study farming practices used in villages by randomly selecting respondents

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5. Analyze the abstract presented below:
Gender Based Violence and its Effects on Women’s Reproductive Health: The Case of
Hatcliffe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
1Festus Mukanangana1*, Stanzia Moyo, 2Alfred Zvoushe3 and Oswell Rusinga4

1Zimbabwe Prison Service Headquarters, Research and Development Section, Harare; 2Centre for Population Studies, University
of Zimbabwe; 3Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture; 4Great Zimbabwe University.
Abstract-
“Gender based violence (GBV) negatively impacts on women’s reproductive health (R.H) and is
contrary to human rights and RH statutory instruments. The study triangulates quantitative and
qualitative research methods with women in the reproductive age group being the target group.
The study noted that 95% of the respondents experienced physical violence, 31% rape by a
stranger, 92% spousal rape and 65% forced marriages. Socio-cultural, religious, economic and
policy implementation factors underlie a culture of silence that prevails among the victims of
GBV. The study recommends economic empowerment of women and information, education,
counselling pertaining to the negative effects of GBV to both males and females. There is need
for education about grievance procedures and scaling up of policy enforcement in order to curb
the gruesome effects of GBV”. [Afr JReprod Health 2014; 18[1]: 110-122].

Questions:
i. Give any two limitations of the abstract presented: critique the abstract given above
ii. State the appropriate: research design, sampling design and data collection methods
necessary for the phenomenon being studied.

Wishing you ALL the Best!

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