Research Question, Design,

and Sampling
the breeding ground of research
The wheel of science
• Research methodology is a
supporting discipline
Theories
• Different disciplines have
different paradigms
Empirical
• Only the substance of Hypo-
generali-
research is similar zations theses

Obser-
vations
Model of research processes
1. Formulating the research problem (specification)
2. Conceptualizing (valid, workable, manageable)
3. Reviewing the literature
4. Constructing an instrument for data collection
5. Selecting a sample (sampling)
6. Writing a research proposal
7. Collecting data
8. Processing data
9. Writing a report
Finding a good research topic
Topic: general problem + approach (it is NOT the research question)

• Interesting and motivating

• Feasible (knowledge, resources, time, connections, ethics)
• Timely, even when finished
• Theoretically grounded, and also provide contribution to theory
• Can be translated into research questions/aims/hypotheses
• Symmetry of potential outcomes
• Appropriate challenge level
• Accepted by the institution/buyer
• Contributes to the researcher’s career and/or development
Generating research ideas

Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill

Some alternatives:
• Mind mapping
• Hints on further research in literature
• One should always have a B plan (a second best topic).
• If the good idea is not coming, consider changing the broader topic area.
Ideas from past projects

Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill

How to decide
• What am I interested in (motivation)?
• What kind of work would I like to do (methods)?
• What am I capable of (knowledge)?
• What resources can I get an access to? (data!)
• What help can I get (everything)?
• (Who do I like to be my supervisor?)
• Do you like to join a larger research group or program ?
Significance of a research problem
• If you can find a problem that you alone want the solution, you
have achieved something substantial
• If you can pose a problem that the others recognize not just as
your problem, but as their problem as well, a problem whose
solution will change their thinking in ways they think
significant then it is excellent
Research problem
• Your questions should help you solve a research problem
• A problem is something you do not yet know or understand
• Ask yourself why are you asking certain questions
• A problem might be the origin of your research …
• … but you may not be able to formulate your problem fully at
the outset
First steps to take
• Must settle on a topic specific enough to let you master a reasonable
amount of information.
• Not “the dynamics of marketing for millennials,”
• but “essays in the role of urban millennials in Jakarta as a precursor toward fashion
trendsetting in the country”
• Out of the topic, develop questions that will guide your research and
point you toward a problem that you intend to solve.
• Gather data relevant to answering your question
• as collect, sort, and assemble your information, plan to do lots of writing to
remember and understand, may not in the neat order
Purposes of research
• Exploration: familiarizing with the topic/area/etc.
• Description
• Explanation
• Idiographic (for few cases)
• Nomothetic (factors accounting for a large part of of the variation of a phenomenon)
• Correlation/association
• Time order
• Non-spuriousness
• Necessary and sufficient causes
Main differences

Qualitative Quantitative
• Empiricist (sensation) • Rationalism (reason)
• Flexible/open/unstructured • Rigid/predetermined/structured
• To describe variation, situation, • Quantification
issue… • Greater sample
• Fewer cases • Narrow focus
• Wider focus (multiple issues) • To explain
• To explore • Statistical methods, analytical
• Narrative
 Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill
Good research topic
Refining the research idea
• Decision supporting techniques
• Discussions
• Preliminary research: literature, pilot
• Integrating ideas
• Thesis workshop
Conceptualization
• Fuzzy and imprecise notions (concepts) are made more
specific and precise. (specification of the concepts)
• “What do you mean on…” type questioning
• Dimensions: a specifiable aspect of the concept
• Indicators: an observation considered as a reflection of a
variable we wish to study
Measuring what?

Time dimension Units of analysis

• Cross-sectional studies • Individuals
• Longitudinal studies • Groups
• Trend studies • Organizations
• Cohort studies • Documents
• Panel studies • Social interactions and artifacts

What we can measure?

• Direct observables
• Indirect observables
• Constructs
Research question/aim
• Must be derived from the research problem
• Clear definitions, concepts are needed The goldilocks test
• This is what will be answered during the research
(through this we will contribute to the understanding of A research question must not
the problem) be: (1) too big, (2) too small,
(3) too hot.
• Must be one or a few. We can use sub-questions if
necessary.
• Needs on the research method and the data are drawn
from the questions.
• The research aim is a translation of the question.
What Makes a Question/Topic
Researchable?
• Not too big or too small
• Question focuses on something that has been discussed
• It’s interesting and it matters
• It’s in some way answerable
• There is a method to answering the question
• It raises more questions
(Ballenger, The Curious Researcher, 4th Edition)

Global warming, immigration = too big

The decision to lengthen the wings of DC3 in 1942 = it’s too small if you can describe it in
under five words.
Question vs. aim

Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill

Examples of research ideas and
questions

Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill

Finding topics and questions
• If you are free to pursue any research topic that interests you,
that freedom may be frustrating –– so many choices, so little
time.
• Finding a topic is only the first step and does not mean that
once you have a topic, you need only to search for information
and report what you find.
• Aim not just answering a question, but at posing and solving a
problem the others also should recognize as worth solving.
• Do not feel dismayed if at first you cannot find something as above,
but at least something you might find worth solving (genuinely)
Pondering the questions
• Asking the right questions is key to successful research
• Start with ‘who, what, where, when’ (facts), but move on to
‘how’ and ‘why’ (analysis)
• Question your topic from as many angles as you can think of –
questions give your research purpose and direction
• Listening to other people’s questions might help you
formulate your own
• There are some questions that have no answers
• The ultimate question is: “So what?”
Three useful steps
1. Name your topic: I am working on/studying …
2. Suggest a question: I am working on/studying … because I
want to find out how/why …
3. Motivate the question/find a rationale: I am working
on/studying … because I want to find out how/why … in
order to understand how/why …
(Booth, Colomb, & Williams, (1995). The craft of research. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press)
Practice on research problem
1. Topic: I am studying .

2. Question: because I want to find out what/why/how

.

3. Significance: in order to help my reader understand

.
Practice on research problem
1. I am studying the role of programmer in startup companies.

2. because I want to find out why students who study computer science
at this university move to other cities rather than pursue jobs here.

3. in order to help my reader understand the advantages of developing

strong relationships between startup companies and computer
science programs.

Practice only; do not use this informal formatting in your paper or proposal.
Practice on research problem
I am studying leadership styles because I want to find out how
leadership actions of project managers who display
introvert characteristics differ from those who display
extrovert characteristics in order to help my reader
understand the importance of diverse ways of interacting
among leaders and employees in the workplace.

Practice only; do not use this informal formatting in your paper or proposal.
Form a question to its significance (1)
• You need to decide how significant your research might be
not just to yourself but to others
• a simple guideline
Step 1 (Naming your topic)
• attempt to describe your work in a sentence like
I am studying the repair process for cooling systems
I am working on the motivation of President Jokowi’s early speeches
Form a question to its significance (2)
Step 2 (suggesting and defining the topic and the reason)
• describe your work more exactly by adding to that
sentence an indirect question that specifies something
about your topic that you do not know or fully
understand.
I am studying X because I want to find out who/ what/ when/ where/ whether/
why/ how __________

fill in the blank with a subject and a verb:

Form a question to its significance (3)
Step 3 (motivating the question)
• add an element that explains why you are asking your
question what you intend to get out of its answer
1. I am studying repair process for cooling systems,
2. Because, I want to find out how experts repairers
analyse failures
3. In order to understand how to design a computerised
system that could diagnose and prevent failures
Hypothesis
• Hypothetical answers to the research questions
• Can be supported or rejected through the research
• Not always necessary, but can help
The role of theory
“Nothing as practical as a good theory.” (Kurt Lewin)

• Provide guidance and hints: question, hypotheses, method, …

• What makes a theory:
• Concepts, definitions, terms
• Relationships between the concepts
• Logical reasoning
• Limitations
• Our contribution to the theory:
• Testing
• Developing
Selecting sample
Sampling- a valid alternative to a
census when

• A survey of the entire population is

impracticable

• Budget constraints restrict data

collection

• Time constraints restrict data collection

• Results from data collection are

needed quickly

Source: Saunders (2009)

 Source: Saunders (2009)
Sampling technique
Strategies for
probability sampling
• Identify sampling frame from
research objectives
• Decide on a suitable sample
size
• Select the appropriate
technique and the sample
• Check that the sample is
representative
Key points to consider
during sampling
• Problems of using existing
databases
• Extent of possible
generalization from the
sample
• Validity and reliability
• Avoidance of bias
Sample size
• Confidence needed in the
data
• Margin of error that can be
tolerated
• Types of analyses to be
undertaken
• Size of the sample
population and distribution
Key consideration
• Non- respondents and
analysis of refusals
• Obtaining a representative
sample
• Calculating the active
response rate
• Estimating response rate and
sample size
The research proposal
• Why?
• A help throughout the research project
• To gain resources
• There is no ultimate structure for research proposals.
• A general structure:
• Title
• Background
• Introduction/Motivation
• Literature Review
• Specifying the Problem/Question/Hypotheses/Aim/Topic
• Research design: data needed, data-collection method, data analysis, ethical issues
• Schedule (Gantt chart), budget, resource planning
• Expected outcomes
• References
Finding a good supervisor
• Should have: • Ways to find:
• Knowledge, skills • Offered topics/titles
• Capacity • Literature review
• Motivation/interest • Course lecturers
• Can provide help with contacts, • Networking
resources…
• How to get accepted?
• Personality
• Research proposal
• Do have more than one ideas
What to avoid
• Underestimate time
• Setting a question requires a lot of research, editing and
reflection.
• Set a question beyond the assignment’s scope
• Usually cannot be narrow enough!
• Use unclear wording
• Alternative phrasing?
• Feel ‘stuck’ with a question
Thank you
“A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can
begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something—and that
might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.”
Warren Berger