Introduction to Research Methodology for Information system

 To introduce the basic terminology and concepts common to
research works.
 To define Research.
 Identify the difference b/n research and project
 To understand what research is and why it is important
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Objectives
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Introduction
1. Knowledge
 Knowledge is a collection of facts, information and skills acquired
through;
• experience or
• education
 Knowledge is (more generally) the theoretical or practical
understanding of a subject.
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Introduction to Research methods
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Introduction...
1. Knowledge
 It can be
• implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or
• explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject);
 It can be more or less formal or systematic
 There are many ways to gain knowledge:
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 Tenacity
 Intuition
 Authority
 Rationalism
 Empiricism
 science
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Introduction...
1. Tenacity:-is a willingness to accept ideas as valid because they
have been accepted for so long or repeated so often that they
seemed true.
2. Intuition:- accepted idea as valid because they feel intuitively
(instinctively) true
3. Authority:- accepting ideas as valid because some respected
authority asserts that the ideas are true.
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Introduction...
4. Rationalism:- is developing valid ideas using existing ideas
and principles of logic.
5. Empiricism:- is gaining knowledge through observation
6. Science:- a process that combines the principle of rationalism
with the process of empiricism, using rationalism to develop
theories and empiricism to test the theories.
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Introduction...
2. Science
 Science is
 a systematic way of asking and answering questions
 a disciplined curiosity
 The combination of rationalism and empiricism was first developed in
ancient Greek but was later weakened by a shift to more rational and
abstract approaches to knowing the world particularly as influenced by
Plato.
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Introduction...
1. Science
 By the 20th century, science had developed in to a wide accepted
way of thinking about the universe.
 As psychology is a relatively new scientific discipline that studies
the behavior of organisms, research methods of psychology are
drawn primarily from the natural sciences
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 Theory
 Theory is the conclusion we make through general observations. We
then verify the validity of the particular theory by using data we have
collected.
 If the data analyzed verify the validity of the theory, then the theory
becomes a law. This law will be embraced until there is a competing
theory that states otherwise.
 A theory is a coherent set of general propositions used as principles to
explain the apparent relationships of certain observed phenomena.
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Theory...
 Concepts (constructs) are the basic building blocks of theory
development. A concept is a generalized idea about a class of objects,
attributes, occurrences, or processes that have been given a name. A
concept construct may vary in terms of the level of abstraction
 A proposition is a statement concerned with the relationship between
concepts. It asserts a universal connection and logical linkage between
concepts. Propositions are at a higher level of abstraction than
concepts. Example: Smoking is injurious to health
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Theory...
 Hypotheses are propositions which are empirically testable. They
are usually concerned with the relationships between variables
 Example: Increasing salary by 10% will double the production
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Definition of Research
 Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.
 Research can be defined as a scientific and systematic search for
pertinent information on a specific topic.
 Some people consider research as a movement, a movement from the
known to the unknown.
 Research is a systematic, intensive, patient study and investigation in
some field of knowledge, usually employing the techniques of
hypothesis and experiment, whose purpose is to reveal new facts,
theories, or principles.
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Definition of Research...
 Research can be defined as any systematic investigation, with
an open mind to;
• establish novel facts,
• solve new or existing problems,
• prove new ideas, or
• develop new theories, usually using a scientific method.
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Definition of Research...
 Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be
used in a technical sense.
 According to Clifford Woody research comprises
 defining and redefining problems,
 formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions;
 collecting, organizing and evaluating data;
 making deductions and reaching conclusions; and
 at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether
they fit the formulating hypothesis. 14
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 Definition of Research...
 Scientific research is the process of
1. developing an empirically answerable question,
2. deriving a falsifiable hypothesis derived from a theory that
purports to answer the question,
3. collecting (or finding) and analyzing empirical data to test the
hypothesis,
4. rejecting or failing to reject the hypothesis, and
5. relating the results of the analyses back to the theory from which
the question was drawn.
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Project Vs Research
 Project is where we know the path to achieve the goal.
 Research is something where we only know the problem and over a
period of time we can apply new methods to generate solutions.
 Project has guarantee and can be completed within the time frame
but in research one cannot guarantee that solution will be found in
the given time frame. They can also be distinguished by outcomes
or end-products.
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 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
 The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through
the application of scientific procedures. The main aim of research
is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been
discovered as yet. The objectives of research can be the following
broad groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights
into it (studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or
formalize research studies);
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 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH...
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual,
situation or a group (studies with this object in view are known as
descriptive research studies);
3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with
which it is associated with something else (studies with this object
in view are known as diagnostic research studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables
(such studies are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).
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 TYPES OF RESEARCH...
 The basic types of research are as follows:
(i) Descriptive vs. Analytical:
Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiry of
different kinds.
 The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state
of affairs as it exists at present. In social science and business
research we quite often use the term Ex post facto research for
descriptive research studies.
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 Descriptive research asks “what?” It describes something.
Meanwhile, analytical research asks “why?” We try to find out
how something came to be.
 Descriptive research classifies, describes, compares, and measures
data. Meanwhile, analytical research focuses on cause and effect.
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Descriptive research Vs analytical research
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(ii). Applied vs. Fundamental:
 Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate
problem facing a society or an industrial/business organization,
 whereas fundamental research is mainly concerned with
generalizations and with the formulation of a theory.
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(iii). Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
 Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or
amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in
terms of quantity.
 Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with
qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind.
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(iv) Conceptual vs. Empirical:
 Conceptual research is that related to some abstract idea(s) or
theory. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop
new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones.
 On the other hand, empirical research relies on experience or
observation alone, often without due regard for system and theory.
• It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which
are capable of being verified by observation or experiment.
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 Motivation in Research
 What makes people undertake research?
 Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits.
 Desire to solve a challenge in solving the unsolved problems.
 Desire to design appropriate policies
 Desire to contribute to the existing stock of knowledge.
 Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work
 Desire to be of service to society
 Directives of government.
 Curiosity about new things.... etc
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 Significance of Research
 The significance of research can also be understood keeping in
view the following points:
(a) To those students who are to write a master’s or Ph.D.
thesis, research may mean a careerism or a way to attain
a high position in the social structure;
(b) To professionals in research methodology, research may
mean a source of livelihood;
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 Significance of Research...
(c) To philosophers and thinkers, research may mean the outlet for new
ideas and insights;
(d) To literary men and women, research may mean the development of
new styles and creative work;
(e) To analysts and intellectuals, research may mean the
generalizations of new theories.
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The Dimensions of Research
Prepared by Meseret Hailu (20016/17) 28
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Introduction to Research Methodology for Information system

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