This document provides an overview of research aptitude and methodology. It defines research as a careful investigation or inquiry to discover new facts in any field of knowledge. Research aptitude is the ability to systematically examine a situation for developing theories. The document outlines the objectives, types, and steps of research. It discusses topics like literature review, variable identification, hypothesis formulation, research design, sampling, and data collection methods.

1. Research Aptitude
Kiruba Nagini R
Assistant Professor- PGDM
ITM Business School
Chennai

2. Research:
Definition: A Careful investigation or
enquiry, especially through search of
new facts in any branch of knowledge
Three important points – investigation or
enquiry, search of new facts, any branch
of knowledge
Aptitude:
Definition: Ability or skill
to do something
Research Aptitude:
Definition: The ability or skill to systematically, carefully and closely examine a
situation, procedure or an activity for the formulation of generalizations and
theories.
ANSWER TO 5Ws AND 1H-WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN, HOW

3. Role of Research in Different fields:
1. Inculcates the habit of logical thinking
2. Helps in problem-solving
3. Govt. policy formulation
4. Avoid nation’s resources being wasted
5. Good career path for researchers
6. Reach higher positions as researcher
7. Create and develop new styles of work
8. Formulation of new theories

4. Objectives of research
• Understand a particular phenomenon or a problem
• Analyze the cause and effect of a problem
• Study the frequency of the problem
• Verify social facts, generalizations and values
• Suggest remedial measures and solutions to the problems
• Examine different aspects of daily life
• Develop principles and formulate a new procedure
• Formulate new theories and help further advancement
• To test a hypothesis depicting the relationship between variables

5. CATEGORIES OF OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
Theoretical
objectives
Factual objectives Application
objectives
Formulation of new
theories, based on
the association
between variables.
Useful in science,
mathematics, etc.
Finding new facts.
Fit for history,
explanatory
research
Applying the
existing theories to
new situations.
Fit for technologies,
manufacturing and
application
oriented fields.

6. Research Methodology
• Study of how to conduct the research scientifically and systematically.
• How do we solve a problem with research?
Research Methods
• Techniques that we use in every stage of the research like data
collection, data analysis and interpretation, visual representation, etc.
• The problem and its suitable technique to solve it

7. Types of Research
Quantitative Research Qualitative Research
Anything that can be expressed in terms
of numbers
That which cannot be expressed in
numbers
Highly structured study Unstructured study or semi-structured
Deductive research: general to specific Inductive research: Specific to general
Survey, interview, longitudinal studies,
online polls, etc.
Group discussions, observations,
individual interviews, word association
test, story completion test, sentence
completion test, etc.,
Sample size is larger but with lesser
depth
Sample size is smaller but with greater
depth

8. Fundamental Research` Applied research
Adding to the existing knowledge Apply the existing theory and use
it for some constructive purpose
Formulate theories and add them
to the existing ones
Find solution to a problem with
the existing knowledge
Types of Research
Structured Research Unstructured research
Pre-defined objectives, sample
size, target population
Flexible objectives, research design
and alike throughout the study
period

9. Types of Research
Conceptual research Empirical Research
Establish or enhance some results based on a concept
or a theory, and not on any experiments.
Experiments are the base for the research – to test, to
nullify, to prove, to enhance…any existing ones and
develop new ones
Innovative research Incremental research
Researches resulting in discovering or inventing a new
technique or technology to solve the problem
Just an addendum to the existing technique or
technology
Descriptive research Analytical research
Describe in detail the whole problem, advantages,
disadvantages, etc.
Here, it is about why it occurred? Causes, reasons,
effects

10. Type of Research
Deductive Research Inductive Research
Theory -> Hypothesis ->Observation -> Confirmation Observation -> Pattern -> Hypothesis -> Theory
General to specific approach Specific to General approach
Positivism Post positivistic approach
All results must be based on facts Scientific reasoning and common sense are same
No room for intuition Emerge from intuitively rejected facts
Objective reality Subjectivity of the problem
Structured and controlled Unstructured
Quantitative research Qualitative
Empirical studies Immeasurable, only abstract
Approaches to Research

11. Characteristics of Good research
Systematic Empirical Critical Objectivity Accuracy
Generalizability Logical Realistic Controlled Validity
Reliability Rigorous Credibility Cyclical/incremental Replicable
Methods of research
Experimental research
Descriptive research
Historical research
Methods of research

12. Steps in Research – Cliffard Woody
• Defining and redefining problems
• Formulating hypothesis
• Collecting, organizing and evaluating data
• Making deductions and reaching conclusions
• Testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulated
hypotheses

13. Steps in research process
• Select the topic
• Define the research problem
• Review of literature
• Develop the objectives
• Identify the variables and formulate hypotheses
• Prepare the research design
• Carryout sampling
• Collect the data
• Perform the data analysis and hypothesis testing
• Carryout generalization and interpretation
• Write the research report

14. Selection of topic
• Feasibility study
• Scope of discovery
• Primary study availability for new topics
• Estimated cost of study
• Skill requirements for conducting the study
• Time consumption
• Interest area of the researcher

15. Define the research problem
• Problem statement
• Introduce the topic of research
• Explains the problem/situation/ an activity for which solution is
needed
• Problem, parameters to examine, interpreting framework, and results
• Importance of the study, benefits and justification needed

16. Comprehensive literature review
• Analysis of books, journals, articles, documentaries, etc
• Previous works
• Properly organized, summarized and narrated
• Three steps:
• List out what is known
• List out what is unknown from the collected details
• Decide on how to solve the problem with the available sources, or extending
them, or applying them

17. Develop objectives
• Is it theoretical, factual or application-oriented?
• Develop the Primary and secondary objectives
Variable Identification and Hypothesis Formulation
• Continuous or discrete variable – weight/ number of students
• Dependent – the variable under the influence of another variable
• Independent variable – the variable which influences the other variable
• Extraneous variables – influence the dependent variable, but not in the system
• Confounding variables – strongly influencing the dependent variables, but not in system;
highly influential than extraneous variables
• Categorical variables – classified or categorized into groups, options, etc.,
• Demographic variables – the set of variables that define the study group
• Active variables – changed under the control of researcher
• Attributed variables – cannot be changed under the control of researcher

18. Measuring the variables: The Scales
Nominal scale:
• Categorize
• No ranking
• Names or
numbers
given do
not have
any
meaning
Ordinal scale:
• Categorize
• Ranking
based on
levels
• One choice
is superior
to other
• Likert scale
Interval scale:
• Categorize
• Ranking
based on
levels and
expressed
in intervals
• Time,
temperatur
e, marks
etc.
Ratio scale:
• Categorize
• Ranking
based on
levels and
expressed in
intervals
• Can have an
absolute
zero, starting
point of scale

19. Hypothesis
• A testable proposition in testable form and predicts a particular
relationship between two or more variables
• Types:
• Null
• Alternate
• Other categories
• Hypothesis of no difference – between groups, situations, actions, etc.
• Declarative hypothesis – Global warming is caused by pollution
• Directional hypothesis – Palm sugar is sweeter than sugar, but not sweeter
than jaggery
• Non-directional hypothesis – There is no difference in the qualities of brand A
and B

20. Research design
• Sampling design – selecting the samples
• Observational design – conditions for observations
• Statistical design – sample size, tools for data analysis
• Operational design – selection of sample, sample size for recording
observations, data analysis, report design, etc.

21. Types of research design: Exploratory research
design/ formulative research design
• Explore a problem
• The whole research process may change
• Result in development of new ideas, or theory
• Qualitative/ unstructured researches
• Hard to interpret, generalize
• Difficult to test validity and reliability

22. Types of research design: Conclusive Research
Design
• Can form hypothesis
• Variables can be tested for relationship
• Formal and structured
• Quantitative analysis is possible
• Generalizable results
• Types: Causal Research Design, Longitudinal Research Design, Cross-
sectional Research Design

23. Types of research design: Experimental
Research Design
• Relationship between variables is tested using experiments
• Experiments include: manipulation of the stimuli, environment, etc.,
• Dependent variables are observed under the controlled environment,
subject to the changes in independent variables
• Types: Pre-Experimental design, Quasi-experimental design and True-
experimental design

24. Sampling
• Systematic bias /sampling error
• Types:
• Probability sampling
• Quasi-probability sampling
• Non-probability sampling

25. Probability sampling
• Simple random
sampling
• Stratified random
sampling
• Cluster sampling
Quasi Probability
sampling
• Systematic sampling
• Multi-stage sampling
Non - Probability
sampling
• Quota sampling
• Purposive sampling or
judgmental sampling
• Convenience sampling
• Snowball sampling /
chain referral sampling
• Dimensional sampling

26. Data collection
Primary
• Survey
• Questionnaire
• Interviews
• Observations
• Online tools
Secondary
• Published sources
• Books
• Journals
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Publications
• Unpublished sources
• Diaries
• Letters
• Unpublished
biographies

27. Data analysis and representation
• Frequency
• Percentage
• Mean
• Standard deviation
• Correlation
• Regression
• Explanations
• Inferences
• Tables – time-series data, cross-section
data and panel data
• Charts
• Graphs
• Dashboards

28. Hypothesis testing
• Reject null hypothesis; accept alternate hypothesis
• Accept null hypothesis; reject alternate hypothesis
Fours errors in hypothesis testing:
1. Null hypothesis is true, but rejected – type 1 error
2. Null hypothesis is false, but accepted – type 2 error
3. Null hypothesis is true, and accepted
4. Null hypothesis is false, and rejected

29. Thank you