Research Process Steps

• To conduct effective research, you must understand the

research process steps and follow them.
• Here are a few steps in the research process to make it easier
for you:
1. Identify the problem
2. Evaluate the literature
3. Create hypothesis
4. The research design
5. Describe Population
6. Data collection
7. Data Analysis
8. Report Writing
Research Methodology
• research methodology as a theory of how an inquiry should
proceed. It involves analysis of the assumptions, principles and
procedures in a particular approach to inquiry.
• methodologies explicate and define the kinds of problems
• that are worth investigating; what constitutes a researchable
problem; testable hypotheses; how to frame a problem in such a
way that it can be investigated using particular designs and
procedures; and how to select and develop appropriate means
of collecting data.
• In order to give direction to this study, the research process
―onion‖ of Saunders et al. was adopted.
• This onion illustrates the range of choices, paradigms, strategies
and steps followed by researchers during the research process
Research Methodology
• The research process onion provides a summary of
the important issues that need to be taken into
consideration and reviewed before undertaking any
research.
•
• The different layers of the onion serve as a basis from
which to consider the following: the philosophical
orientation of the researcher; the research approach
adopted; appropriate research strategies; the
research time lines that are under review; and the
data collection techniques employed by the
researcher.
Research Onion
• The research onion consists of six main layers, which can
be explained as:
1. Philosophy
2. Approach
3. Strategy
4. Choices of Methods
5. Time Horizons
6. Data Collection and Analysis
Research Onion
• Philosophy

• It refers to the set of principles concerning the worldview or stance

from which the research is conducted.
• Philosophical positions used in academic studies are often divided
into positivism and interpretivism, where positivism assumes
that knowledge is independent of the subject being studied,
• and interpretivism claims that individual observers have their own
perception and understanding of reality.
• Hence positivist studies are often more scientific and result in
testing phenomena, whereas interpretivism studies are often
qualitative in nature.
• positivism and interpretivism. underpins the qualitative versus
quantitative debate, often referred to as “the scientist versus
detective”
Research Onion
• Positivism
• Positivists believe that reality is stable and can be observed and
described from an objective viewpoint , i.e. without interfering with
the phenomena being studied.
• They contend that phenomena should be isolated and that
observations should be repeatable.
• Interpretivism
• Interpretivists contend that only through the subjective
interpretation of and intervention in reality can that reality be fully
understood.
• The study of phenomena in their natural environment is key to the
interpretivism philosophy, together with the acknowledgement that
scientists cannot avoid affecting those phenomena they study.
• They admit that there may be many interpretations of reality, but
maintain that these interpretations are in themselves a part of the
scientific knowledge they are pursuing.
Research Onion
POSITIVISM
Relationship between society and the individual
Society shapes the individual
:individuals act in their lives a s
reaction to external influences , social
norms that they learnt through
socialization
Focus of social research
The aim is to identify general laws that
apply to all human behavior, like the
laws of physics apply to the natural
world
Research methods
Quantitative research : social survey,
INTERPRETEVISM
Individuals are complex beings who
experience ‘objective reality’ very
differently and thus act consciously in
their lives
The aim is to understand the lives an
experiences of individuals an
empathetically identify reasons for why
they act the way they do
Qualitative research : participant
observation , unstructured interviews ,
diaries
Research Onion
• Approach
• Once the student has chosen the appropriate methodology, the
research onion suggests that an appropriate research must be
picked.

• The deductive approach starts with a specific hypothesis

development based on the literature review that has been observed
by the researcher, and gradually tries to test this hypothesis and
check if it holds in particular contexts.

• In contrast, the inductive approach starts with observations that

the researcher uses to create a new theory.
Research Onion

• Strategy
• it is needed to expected to devise the strategy of the study.
• The research onion suggests that strategies can include action
research, experimental research, interviews, surveys, case
study research or a systematic literature review.
• The strategy is chosen based on the data required for the research
and the purpose of the study.
Research Onion
• The research strategy describes how the researcher intends to carry
out the work .
• The strategy can include a number of different approaches, such as
experimental research, action research, case study research,
interviews, surveys, or a systematic literature review.
• experimental
• Experimental research refers to the strategy of creating a research
process that examines the results of an experiment against the
expected results. It can be used in all areas of research, and usually
involves the consideration of a relatively limited number of factors
• Survey
• Survey strategy of the research onion is often linked with the deductive
approach. It is one of the finest and economical research strategy. You
can collect rich and reliable data through this method. Surveys tend to
be used in quantitative research projects, and involve sampling a
representative proportion of the population
Research Onion
• Case Study
• Case study research is the assessment of a single unit in order to
establish its key features and draw generalizations.
• This form of research is effective in financial research, such as
comparing the experiences of two companies, or comparing the effect of
investment in difference contexts.
• Action research;
• This form of research is common in professions such as teaching or
nursing, where the practitioner can assess ways in which they can
improve their professional approach and understanding.
• This strategy is used mainly to find the solution that can be used to
solve a certain problem.
Research Onion
• Choices of Methods
• The research onion suggests mono-method, mixed method as
possible choices for conducting research.
• The mono-method comprises only one method for the study.
• The mixed method is based on the use of two or more methods of
research and commonly refers to the use of qualitative and
quantitative methodology.
RESEARCH PROJECT

LO#1
Examine Appropriate Research Methodologies and
Approaches as part of the Research Process

Instructor
Marwa Alageili
Research Onion

• Time Horizons
• It refers to the time frame of the research.
• Generally, observations can be of two types based on time
horizons, namely cross-sectional and longitudinal.
• The cross-sectional data is used when all observations are for a
single point of time such as in most surveys.
• Longitudinal data, in contrast, implies the observations for a
particular variable that are available for several years, quarters,
months or days.
Research Onion
• Cross Sectional
• The cross sectional time horizon is the one already established,
whereby the data must be collected.
• This is used when the investigation is concerned with the study of a
particular phenomenon at a specific time.
• Longitudinal
• A longitudinal time horizon for data collection refers to the collection of
data repeatedly over an extended period, and is used where an
important factor for the research is examining change over time
• Analysis and Data collection
• The process used at this stage of the research contributes significantly
to the study overall reliability and validity .
• Data collection and analysis is dependent on the methodological
approach used.
• This layer explains how the data used in the research are collected and
analyzed. It also explains the source of data, the research design, the
sample, the sample size, sample ethics, sample limitations, the
research reliability and validity.
Research Onion
• The data collected could be primary data or secondary data. Primary
data is a direct data, it is obtained directly from the source.
Secondary data is the opposite of primary data, secondary data is
indirect data.
• Primary Data is defined as data collected from the source or first
hand. This can be done via the use of several instruments
questionnaires, oral or written interviews, etc
• Secondary Data is derived from the work or opinions of other
researchers .
Research Onion
• Data Collection and Analysis
• This is the final layer of the research onion and consists of the
techniques and procedures used.
• It is used to clearly explain the ways and purposes of the research
conducted.
• At this stage, you are expected to choose between the primary and
secondary data and between qualitative and quantitative data
collected from different sources.
• Data is considered the central piece in the research onion
framework.