Lecture 6

Understanding Different Research

Methodologies
 Learning Objectives
• By the end of this lecture you should be:
• able to understand the different types of
research methodology
• able to aware of the the different data collection
tools.
• able to understand sampling design
• able to learn how to structure a questionnaire
 Research Methodology
• The research method is chosen based on:

– the objectives of the study

– the costs involved in conducting the study

– the availability of the data

 Research Methodology
• There are five basic methods of conducting a
research study:
– Surveys

– Experiments

– Secondary data studies

– Observations

– Interviews
 Survey
• A survey is a research technique, which is used to
gather information from a sample of respondents by
employing a questionnaire.
•

• Surveys are normally carried out to obtain primary

data.
• Primary data are the data that are gathered first hand
to answer the research question being investigated.
 Survey
• Surveys are conducted by:
– Meeting the respondents in person
– Contacting the respondents through the telephone
– Conducting surveys through email
– Conducting online surveys through the Internet

• Researchers adopt any of these methods depending

on their requirement.
 Experiments

• In research, experiments can be conducted for

studying cause-and-effect relationships.
 Secondary Data
• A secondary data study is concerned with the analysis
of already existing data that is related to the research
topic in question.
• Secondary data studies help in projecting future
trends using some mathematical models.
• Secondary data studies help in determining a future
research direction to explore.
 Research Example for Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)

– Parameter Setting • Neighbourhood Topology

• Inertia weight (Shi & Elbert, 1998)
• Acceleration coefficient (Ziyu et al.,
2009)
• Non uniform Parameters (Ding et al.,
2014)
• Survey (Han et al., 2010)
𝑉 𝑡 + 1 = 𝜔. 𝑉 𝑡 + 𝑐1 𝑟1 𝑃𝑏 − 𝑋(𝑡) + 𝑐2 𝑟2 𝐺𝑏 − 𝑋(𝑡)
• Small: Von-Neumann (Kennedy & Mendes,
2002)
• Large: Fully Informed PSO (Mendes et al.,
2004)
• Dynamically changing (Liang et al., 2005)
• Simultaneous search (Wang et al., 2011)
𝑉 𝑡 + 1 = 𝜔. 𝑉 𝑡 + 𝑐1 𝑟1 𝑃𝑏 − 𝑋(𝑡) + 𝑐2 𝑟2 𝐺𝑏 − 𝑋(𝑡)

𝐺𝑏 is changed to
𝐿𝑏
– Learning Strategy – Hybrid Version
• Teaching and Peer learning (Lim & Isa, • Evolutionary operator (Lovbjerg et al.,
2014) 2001)
• Distance based Learning (Qu et al., • Differential Evolution(Epitropakis et al.,
2013) 2012)
• Comprehensive Learning (Liang et al., • Survey (Eslami et al., 2012)
2005)
• Fitness estimation (Sun et al., 2013)
𝑉 𝑡 + 1 = 𝜔. 𝑉 𝑡 + 𝑐1 𝑟1 𝑃𝑏 − 𝑋(𝑡) (𝐶𝐿𝑃𝑆𝑂)

Explore human learning principles for better performance improvement.

9
 Observation
• Observation technique is a process where the
respondents are observed without any interruption by
the observers.

• Example:
– The shopping patterns of customers in supermarkets
assessed by the researcher or by counting the number of
vehicles can qualify as observation research.
 Interview
• An interview is a purposeful discussion between two
or more people (Kahn and Cannell 1957).
• Help to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant
to research question(s) and objectives.
 Sampling Design
• In sampling, we gather data on an entire “population” by
measuring only a subset of that population, known as the
sample.
• A population consists of all of the individual elements in a
defined area.
 Sampling Design
• Are there too many people in the group that you are
studying?

• Are you limited in time and resources?

• If you answered yes to one or both questions, you

might want to select a sampling design to carry out
your study.
 Sampling Design

• A simple random sample is a selection of individuals chosen

so that each point in the population has an equal chance of
being selected.

• Each item in a “population” can be assigned a number. Then

the simple random sample can be selected by using a random
number table or a random number generator (using a
computer).
 Sampling Design
• A well-defined sample has the same characteristics as
the population as a whole
• It is very important to:
– define the population before selecting the sample
– decide the size of the sample.
• How big should a sample be?
– The bigger the sample size the greater will be its accuracy.

• Once a researcher decides on a sample, he needs to

obtain data from this sample.
 Example
– The data were collected using an internet questionnaire
survey. Six hundred Saudi engineering companies were
selected from 2,002 companies obtained from the
Chamber of commerce database.
Population and sample
Population and Sample Example

Definition
A population consists of all
elements – individuals, items, or
Population objects – whose characteristics
are being studied.
The population that is being
studied is also called the target
population.

A portion of the population

selected for study is referred to
as a sample.

© Matthias Rauterberg TU/e ID, 2009 17/70

The random sample

Definition
A sample drawn in such a way that each element of the population
has a chance of being selected is called a random sample. If the
chance of being selected is the same for each element of the
population, it is called a simple random sample.
An element or member of a sample or population is a specific
subject or object (for example, a person, firm, item, state, or country)
about which the information is collected.

A variable is a characteristic under study that assumes different

values for different elements. In contrast to a variable, the value of a
constant is fixed.
The value of a variable for an element is called an observation or
measurement.
© Matthias Rauterberg TU/e ID, 2009 18/70
Random sampling method

© Matthias Rauterberg TU/e ID, 2009 19/70

Systematic sampling method

© Matthias Rauterberg TU/e ID, 2009 20/70

Cluster sampling method

© Matthias Rauterberg TU/e ID, 2009 21/70

 Questionnaire structure
• Well designed questionnaires are highly structured so
that the data can be analyzed quantitatively and
systematically.
• Proper questionnaire design is essential to ensure that
you obtain valid responses to the questions asked.
• In order to obtain accurate relevant information:
– give some thought to what questions we ask
– how we ask questions ,
– the order we ask questions, and the general layout of the
questionnaire.
 How do I organize a survey?
• Plan Ahead
– Set aside time to prepare questions
• Identify Goals
– Clearly identify the information that you want to obtain from
the survey
• Provide Instruction
– Explain why you are conducting the survey and provide any
additional instructions that they will need to complete the
questionnaire.
• Length of Survey/Questionnaire
– short (1-2 pages) and simple questionnaires usually attract
higher response rates than long (4 + pages) and complex
ones.
 Types of Questions:
• Closed Format
– Respondents are forced to choose between several
given options.
– multiple choice, yes/no and ranking
• Advantages of closed format:
– Easy and quick to fill in
– Easy to code, record, and analyze results
quantitatively
– Easy to report results
 Types of Questions:
• Open Format: the respondents can formulate their own
answers.
– use the open format if you are looking for respondents to
provide specific comments or feedback.

• Advantages of open format:

• Allows exploration of the range of possible themes arising from
an issue
 How do I ask the questions?
• Use short and simple sentences.
• Ask for only one piece of information at a time.
– Example: Please rate the Global Environment Class in terms
of its content and presentation
– Should be divided into two parts:
– question one: “Please rate the class in terms of its
content”
– question two: “Please rate the class in terms of its
presentation.
– Avoid negatives if possible.
 How should I arrange the questions?
• Some general rules are:
– Go from general to specific.
– Go from easy to difficult.
– Start with closed format questions.
– Start with questions relevant to the main subject.
– Do not start with demographic and personal question

• Questionnaires must first be piloted and evaluated before the

actual survey
 How should I begin?
• It is good to have a personalized cover letter or an introductory
statement that:
– explains the purpose of the survey, the importance of the
respondent’s participation, the person who is responsible for
the survey.
• A good way to start is:
– “Hello. My name is ___(your name)___ and I am student at _(your
school or institution). I’m working on a research project looking
at __(title of your research project)_ for a course called ‘ (
your course name).’ I was wondering if you have a few minutes
to answer some questions dealing with my research.”
• At the end always thank the respondent for
participating in your questionnaire.
 Online resources
• Online surveys can be developed for little or no cost
through services such as Survey Monkey
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/).

• This site and similar services may help you to set up

your questions, administer your response, and analyze
your responses.

• This can then be used for presenting your research

results.
• This is how the research journey continues.