1. Introduction To Research Methodology

2.  Is systematic collection, analysis and
interpretation of primary or secondary
quantitative or qualitative data to answer a
certain question or solve a problem.

3.  Research begins with asking a question.
 The main purpose of research is to answer
the question you have asked.
WHAT ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER?

4. The aim of the research is
to solve a problem

5.  Funders want you to quantify the need in
your community for which you need the
funding
 Funders want you to demonstrate the impact
of the programs they have funded.
 To assess the progress you have made in
reaching the goals of your program.

6.  Look back at the question you want to
answer.
 What information will help you answer that
question?
LET’S TAKE AN EXAMPLE

7.  Look at information that other people have
already collected
 Collect your own information

8.  What are some of the people or places you
can go to get information to answer your
question?
Census
Child Care /Research Connections
Labor Statistics
National Child Care Research Collaboration and
Archive
State Agencies
Colleges/Universities
Associations and other interest groups
ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE SOURCE OF YOUR DATA AND USE PUBLIC SOURCES

9.  Information you are looking for may not be
available elsewhere.
 You may have access to groups that others
do not – data you can provide/collect can and
will help the field in general.
 Collecting information specific to your agency
can help evaluate the services you provide
and help you assess where best to
concentrate your resources.

10. 1- Talking to people either one-on-one or in
groups (example, focus groups).
2- Surveys
Face-to-face
Mail
Telephone
Web-based/E-mail

11. WHO DO YOU WANT INFORMATION FROM?
 Talking to or Surveying the Entire Population.
 Sampling the Population
Convenience Sample
Random Sample
Stratified Random Sample

12. Descriptive
•Case report
•Case series
•Survey
Analytic
Observational
•Cross sectional
•Case-control
•Cohort studies
Experimental
•Randomized
controlled trials
Strength of evidence for causality between a risk factor and outcome

13.  One-on-one/Group Interviews: Look for
patterns, general themes, specific
language, etc. Do NOT generalize to your
population.
 Surveys: Counts, percents, averages, etc.
CAN generalize to your population.
YOUR NUMBERS:
CHECK DOUBLE-CHECK AND THEN
CHECK AGAIN.

14.  Know your audience.
 Highlight information that would be of most
interest to your target audience.
 Place your information within an overall
framework/context.
 The same data can be used for multiple
reports to multiple audiences.
ABOVE ALL KEEP IT SIMPLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE.

15. Thank
you
for
attention