Federal Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institute

Faculty of TVET Management and Leadership, VOP, ELH and MBS

Department of Vocational Pedagogy

Research Methodology (VoP 202) Major Assignment for summer program

Full Name: Haymanot Yihune Department: - Information Technology

Section: - III Id No:-TTK/265/11

Note:

Instruction: Attempt to answer all the 5 questions given below.

1. Explain the differences between(8 points)

a) Basic research and applied research

Basic research is curiosity driven. It is motivated by a desire to expand knowledge and involves the
acquisition of knowledge for knowledge's sake. It is intended to answer why, what or how questions
and increase understanding of fundamental principles. Basic research does not have immediate
commercial objectives and although it certainly could, it may not necessarily result in an invention or a
solution to a practical problem.
Basic Research (pure research or fundamental research) Study and research that is meant to increase
scientific knowledge.
Aim of Basic Research. To gain more knowledge or understanding of the subject under study, without
specific applications in mind.
Basic research. Attempts to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behavior.

Applied research. Conducted to address issues in which there are practical problems and potential
solutions.
Applied research is designed to answer specific questions aimed at solving practical problems. New
knowledge acquired from applied research has specific commercial objectives in the form of products,
procedures or services.
Fundamental research answers the initial question of how things work. This fundamental knowledge is
then used by applied scientists and engineers, for example, to make improvements on existing
products, technologies and processes. Likewise, basic researchers take advantage of improved
technologies to answer new fundamental questions. It is an important cycle for advancement.
Applied research is conducted to solve practical problems.
Applied Research is the research that is designed to solve specific practical problems or answer certain
questions. To add some knowledge to the existing one. To find out solution for the problem at hand.
.Applied-research for the sake of solving a particular problem and improving the lives of people.
 b) Quantitative research and qualitative research

In a qualitative research, there are only a few non-representative cases are used as a sample to develop
an initial understanding. Unlike, quantitative research in which a sufficient number of representative
cases are taken to consideration to recommend a final course of action.

There is a never-ending debate on, which research is better than the other, so in this article, we are going
to shed light on the difference between qualitative and quantitative research.

Qualitative research is one which provides insights and understanding of the problem setting. It is an
unstructured, exploratory research method that studies highly complex phenomena that are impossible to
elucidate with the quantitative research. Although, it generates ideas or hypothesis for later quantitative
research.

Qualitative research is used to gain an in-depth understanding of human behavior, experience, attitudes,
intentions, and motivations, on the basis of observation and interpretation, to find out the way people
think and feel. It is a form of research in which the researcher gives more weight to the views of the
participants. Case study, grounded theory, ethnography, historical and phenomenology are the types of
qualitative research.

Quantitative research is a form of research that relies on the methods of natural sciences, which
produces numerical data and hard facts. It aims at establishing cause and effect relationship between two
variables by using mathematical, computational and statistical methods. The research is also known as
empirical research as it can be accurately and precisely measured.

The data collected by the researcher can be divided into categories or put into rank, or it can be
measured in terms of units of measurement. Graphs and tables of raw data can be constructed with the
help quantitative research, making it easier for the researcher to analyses the results.

c) Interview and questionnaire

While questionnaires are mailed to the respondents, to be answered, in the manner specified in the
cover letter. The interview is a one to one communication; wherein the respondents are asked questions
directly.

Once the research problem is defined and research design is laid out, the task of data collection begins.
There are two types of data, i.e. primary data and secondary data. The data collection methods of these
two types of data differ, because, in the case of primary data, the collection of data must be original,
while in secondary data, data collection is much like a compilation.

The different methods of collecting primary data, like observation, interview, questionnaire, schedule
and so on. Many think that questionnaire and interview are one and the same thing, but there are a lot of
differences between these two.
 d) Population and sample

A population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about.
A sample is the specific group that you will collect data from. The size of the sample is always less than
the total size of the population.
In research, a population doesn’t always refer to people. It can mean a group containing elements of
anything you want to study, such as objects, events, organizations, countries, species, organisms, etc.
Sample
First, your sample is the group of individuals who actually participate in your study. These are the
individuals who you end up interviewing (e.g., in a qualitative study) or who actually complete your
survey (e.g., in a quantitative study). People who could have been participants in your study but did not
actually participate are not considered part of your sample. For example, say you e-mailed study
invitations to 200 people on a listserv and 100 of them end up participating in your study (i.e., complete
your survey or your experiment). Your sample is the 100 individuals who participated in your study.
The 100 individuals who received invitations but did not participate would not be considered part of
your sample; rather, they are part of what is often called the sampling frame. Your sampling frame is
the group of individuals who could possibly be in your study, which in the above example would be the
200 individuals on the e-mail listserv.
2. Suppose you want to study the effect of anxiety on test score. Use this information to
answer the following questions(4 points)
a. Identify the dependent variable
The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in an experiment.1 For
example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores; the dependent variable would be
the participants' test scores, since that is what is being measured.
In a psychology experiment, researchers study how changes in one variable (the independent
variable) change the dependent variable.2 Manipulating independent variables and measuring the
effect on dependent variables allows researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect
relationships.
The dependent variable is dubbed 'dependent' because it is thought to depend, in some way, on
the variations of the independent variable.
How do researchers determine what a good dependent variable will be? There are a few key
features that a scientist might consider.

The dependent variable depends on the independent variable. Thus, if the independent variable
changes, the dependent variable would likely change too.

The dependent variable is placed on the y-axis on a graph. This is the vertical line or the line that
extends upward. The independent variable is placed on the graph's x-axis or the horizontal line.

The dependent variable is the one being measured. If looking at how a lack of sleep affects
mental health, for instance, mental health is the dependent variable. In a study that seeks to find
the effects of supplements on mood, the participants' mood is the dependent variable.
 b) Identify the Independent variable

The independent variable is deemed 'independent' because the experimenters are free to vary it as
they need. This might mean changing the amount, duration, or type of variable that the
participants in the study receive as a treatment or condition.

For example, it's not uncommon for treatment-based studies to have some subjects receive a
certain treatment while others receive no treatment at all. In this case, the treatment is an
independent variable because it is the one being manipulated or changed.

One way to help identify the dependent variable is to remember that it depends on the
independent variable. When researchers make changes to the independent variable, they then
measure any resulting changes to the dependent variable.

The independent variable is the variable the experimenter manipulates or changes, and is
assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable. For example, allocating participants to
either drug or placebo conditions (independent variable) in order to measure any changes in the
intensity of their anxiety (dependent variable).

c) State Null hypothesis

The null hypothesis is a typical statistical theory which suggests that no statistical relationship and
significance exists in a set of given single observed variable, between two sets of observed data and
measured phenomena. A null hypothesis is a type of statistical hypothesis that proposes that no
statistical significance exists in a set of given observations. Hypothesis testing is used to assess the
credibility of a hypothesis by using sample data. Sometimes referred to simply as the "null," it is
represented as H0.

The null hypothesis, also known as the conjecture, is used in quantitative analysis to test theories about
markets, investing strategies, or economies to decide if an idea is true or false.

 A null hypothesis is a type of conjecture in statistics that proposes that there is no difference
between certain characteristics of a population or data-generating process.
 The alternative hypothesis proposes that there is a difference.
 Hypothesis testing provides a method to reject a null hypothesis within a certain confidence
level.
 If you can reject the null hypothesis, it provides support for the alternative hypothesis.
 Null hypothesis testing is the basis of the principle of falsification in science.

d) State alternative hypothesis

Alternative hypothesis

An important point to note is that we are testing the null hypothesis because there is an element of doubt
about its validity. Whatever information that is against the stated null hypothesis is captured in
the alternative hypothesis.
 In other words, the alternative hypothesis is a direct contradiction of the null hypothesis

An alternative hypothesis is a direct contradiction of a null hypothesis. This means that if one of the two
hypotheses is true, the other is false.

3. Suppose you want to study employability of TVET graduates. Use this information to
answer the following questions (4 points).
a) Write statement of the problem for the study (just in one paragraph)

Soft skills or employability skills have been a rising focus around the world as they are deemed to be
important for organizational productivity. graduates from local universities are still not there in relevant
soft skills that lead to high unemployment statistics of graduates. Soft skill is needed for the graduate to
function beyond what is expected and to survive in the changing work which had found that employers
value generic employability skills express deeply over specific technical skills regarding the deficiency
of graduates lacking the required employability skills. . 

b) Formulate a research question that would be addressed by the study

 Does the graduate profile affect for employability?
 Does TVET institution related factor affect for employability?
 Does the type of training program affect for their employability?
 Does the skill of the graduate affect for employability?
c) State general objective for the study

 Aid social mobility by providing the careers and employability skills, knowledge, experience, advice

and guidance that students require.

 Inspire students in order to raise academic achievement.

 Provide students with knowledge of all futures pathways including higher education and

apprenticeships.

d) Write significance of the study

Employability skills are also often referred to as employment skills, soft skills, work-readiness skills or
foundational skills. They often improve your performance, minimize errors and promote collaboration
with your coworkers, enabling you to perform your role more effectively.
Your career is likely to involve many different job roles and employers, and even if you stay in the same
job it is likely to change its nature over time. Therefore, employability skills are useful as they are
transferable; you can adapt them to whichever situation you find yourself in.
4. Explain the importance of literature review in a research work(4 points)

The importance of literature review in scientific manuscripts can be condensed into an analytical

feature to enable the multifold reach of its significance.  It adds value to the legitimacy of the
research in many ways:

Provides the interpretation of existing literature in light of updated developments in the field to help

in establishing the consistency in knowledge and relevancy of existing materials

It helps in calculating the impact of the latest information in the field by mapping their progress of

knowledge.
It brings out the dialects of contradictions between various thoughts within the field to establish facts

The research gaps scrutinized initially are further explored to establish the latest facts of theories to

add value to the field

Indicates the current research place in the schema of a particular field

Provides information for relevancy and coherency to check the research

Apart from elucidating the continuance of knowledge, it also points out areas that require further

investigation and thus aid as a starting point of any future research

Justifies the research and sets up the research question

Sets up a theoretical framework comprising the concepts and theories of the research upon which its

success can be judged