BENGHAZI OPEN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF GRADUATE STUDIES

APPLIED LINGUISTICS DEPARTMENT
Research Methodology
Dr.salem Alzway
By: Norhan saad Ali Omar
Chapter1
What is Research?
Research methodology is a systematic framework used to solve
the research problem by using the best and most feasible methods
to conduct the research, while aligning with the purpose and
objectives of your research. Research methodology includes
answering the what, why, and how of your research. To put it in
simpler words, it will explain about: WHAT – What is your
research method, what tools will you use to collect and analyze
the data, what would be the sample size, etc.? WHY – Why do
you choose what you have planned to choose? HOW – How do
you plan to use the methods and tools to solve your research
problem and carry out the research? Importance of research
methodology: Research methodology helps you plan your
research. Helps you document research accurately from start to
finish. The research methodology allows readers to understand
the approach and methods used in the research.
Research is undertaken within most professions. More than a set of skills,
it is a way of thinking examining critically the various aspects of
professional work. It is a habit of questioning what you do and a
systematic examination of the observed information to find answers with
a view to instituting appropriate changes for a more effective professional
.service

CHARACTERISTICS OF
:RESEARCH
Research is a process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting information
.to answer questions
But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it
must, as far as possible, be
controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and
.critical
Controlled /1
control implies that, in exploring causality in relation to two variables
(factors), you set up your study in a way that minimizes the effects of
other factors affecting the relationship This can be achieved to a large
extent in the physical sciences (cookery, bakery), as most of
the research is done in a laboratory. However, in the social
sciences (Hospitality and Tourism) it is extremely difficult as
research is carried out on issues related to human beings living in
society, where such controls are not possible. Therefore in Hospitality and
Tourism, as you cannot control external factors, you attempt to quantify
their impact

Valid and verifiable/2

this concept implies that whatever you conclude on the basis of your
.findings is correct and can be verified by you and others
.
Empirical - this means from information collected from real life /3
experiences or observations that any conclusions drawn are based upon
.hard evidence gathered

Critical - critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods /4

employed is crucial to a research enquiry. The process of investigation
.must be foolproof and free from drawbacks
The process adopted and the procedures used must be able to withstand
.critical scrutiny
Rigorous - you must be scrupulous in ensuring that the /5
procedures followed to find answers to questions are relevant,
appropriate and justified. Again, the degree of rigor varies markedly
.between the physical and social sciences and within the social sciences

Systematic - this implies that the procedure adopted to undertake an /6

investigation follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps
cannot be taken in a haphazard way. Some procedures must follow
.others

Introduction
The introduction has three function first, it sets the context by introducing
the topic of your paper. this called the background information. This
information
leads to second function: it specifies the thesis statement. Finally the
introduction contains a short out-line of how you are going to handle the
.aspects of your topic in the rest of the paper

: Thesis statement
comprises one or two declarative sentences that summarize
the main point of a paper or a piece of writing such as an essay. A
thesis statement identifies the topic to be discussed, as well as the
purpose of the paper itself. Most importantly, a study’s thesis
statement clearly makes an assertion and communicates to the
reader the position the author has taken on the topic

:Problem of research
research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a
troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or
in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding
and deliberate investigation. In some social science disciplines
the research problem is typically posed in the form of a question.
A research problem does not state how to do something, offer a
vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.
Importance of... The purpose of a problem statement is to:
Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied.
The reader is oriented to the significance of the study and the
research questions or hypotheses to follow. Places the problem
into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to
be investigated. Provides the framework for reporting the results
and indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the study and
.explain how the findings will present this information

AIMS OF RESEARCH
The aim of a research study is a broad, overarching statement that
defines the general purpose and goal of the research. It addresses
the fundamental question of why the study is being conducted and
what the researcher hopes to achieve. The aim provides a high-
level overview and sets the direction for the entire study. A well-
defined aim is crucial as it helps to frame the research questions,
guides the research process, and communicates the significance
of the study to stakeholders such as funding bodies, academic
peers, and the public. It essentially provides the foundation upon
.which the research is built
Also 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. Though each research
.study has its own specific purpose, we may think of research

Chapter2
literature Review:
involves researching, reading, analyzing, evaluating, and summarizing
scholarly literature about a specific topic. The results may be an entire
article or may be part of a article, thesis, dissertation, or grant proposal. It
helps the author learn about the history and nature of their topic, and
identify research gaps and problems.

Types of Literature Review :

There are many types of literature review. The choice of a specific type
depends on your research approach and design. The following types of
literature review are the most popular in business studies.
 Narrative literature review, also referred to as traditional literature
review, critiques literature and summarizes the body of a literature.
Narrative review also draws conclusions about the topic and identifies
gaps or inconsistencies in a body of knowledge. You need to have a
sufficiently focused research question to conduct a narrative literature
review.

Systematic literature review requires more rigorous and well-defined

approach compared to most other types of literature review. Systematic
literature review is comprehensive and details the timeframe within which
the literature was selected. Systematic literature review can be divided
into two categories: meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. When you conduct
meta-analysis you take findings from several studies on the same subject
and analyze these using standardized statistical procedures. In meta-
analysis patterns and relationships are detected and conclusions are
drawn. Meta-analysis is associated with deductive research approach.
Meta-synthesis, on the other hand, is based on non-statistical techniques.
This technique integrates, evaluates and interprets findings of multiple
qualitative research studies. Meta-synthesis literature review is conducted
usually when following inductive research approach.

Scoping literature review, as implied by its name is used to identify the

scope or coverage of a body of literature on a given topic. It has been
noted that “scoping reviews are useful for examining emerging evidence
when it is still unclear what other, more specific questions can be posed
and valuably addressed by a more precise systematic review.”[1] The
main difference between systematic and scoping types of literature review
is that, systematic literature review is conducted to find answer to more
specific research questions, whereas scoping literature review is
conducted to explore more general research question.

Argumentative literature review, as the name implies, examines

literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply
imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the
literature. It should be noted that a potential for bias is a major
shortcoming associated with argumentative literature review.
Integrative literature review reviews, critiques, and synthesizes
secondary data about research topic in an integrated way such that new
frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. If your research
does not involve primary data collection and data analysis, then using
integrative literature review will be your only option. Theoretical
literature review focuses on a pool of theory that has accumulated in
regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena.

Theoretical literature reviews play an instrumental role in establishing

what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what
degree existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new
hypotheses to be tested.

Chapter 3
:Methodology
This chapter looks at the various research methods that are commonly used by
researchers in the field of information systems. Then the research methodologies
and research methods particularly used in information systems are discussed two
main types of research methodologies namely qualitative research methodology
and qualitative research methodology two and to explain the advantages of using
.secondary data sources for research
Tools: can be helpful resources when formulating your research questions and .
designing certain data collection methods (e.g., surveys). However, it’s important
.to use these tools responsibly to avoid academic dishonesty

Qualitative
Qualitative research methods Each of the research approaches involve
using one or more data collection methods. These are some of the most
:common qualitative methods

a/Classroom Observations: recording what you have

seen, heard, or encountered in detailed field notes. There
:are types of classroom observation
Participant Observation: is when you actively engage /1
in the environment you’re studying rather than observing
from the sidelines. This allows you to see your subjects in
a natural setting and gather data you’d never otherwise get
Non-participant Observation: is the opposite of /2
participant observation — you sit on the sidelines as a
neutral observer, watching your subjects go about their
..business without interfering
b/Interviews: personally asking people questions in one-
.on-one conversations
There are several types of research interviews that
researchers can use based on their research goals, the
.nature of their study, and the data they aim to collect
Structured Interviews are standardized and follow a .1
fixed format. Therefore, these interviews have a pre-
determined set of questions. All the participants are asked
the same set of questions in the same order. Therefore, this
type of interview facilitates standardization and allows
easy comparison and quantitative analysis of responses. As
a result, structured interviews are used in surveys or studies
which aims for a high level of standardization and
.comparability

Semi-structured Interviews offer a flexible framework .2

by combining pre-determined questions. So, this gives an
opportunity for follow-up questions and open-ended
discussions. Researchers have a list of core questions but
can adapt the interview depending on the participant’s
responses. Consequently, this allows for in-depth
exploration while maintaining some level of consistency
across interviews. As a result, semi-structured interviews
are widely used in qualitative research, where content-rich
.data is desired
Unstructured Interviews provide the greatest .3
flexibility and freedom in the interview process. This type
do not have a pre-determined set of questions. Thus, the
conversation flows naturally based on the participant’s
responses and the researcher’s interests. Moreover, this
type of interview allows for open-ended exploration and
encourages participants to share their experiences,
thoughts, and perspectives freely. Unstructured interviews
useful to explore new or complex research topics, with
.limited preconceived questions

c/Think-aloud protocol: participants speak aloud any

words in their mind as they complete a task. A review of
the literature has shown that think-aloud research methods
have a sound theoretical basis and provide a valid source of
data about participant thinking, especially during
language based activities

:Quantitive
Quantitative research is the process of collecting and analyzing numerical
data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test
.causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations
:Mixed Qualitative
The mixed methods research definition is a design that utilizes both
quantitative (numeric) and qualitative (descriptive) research elements to
gain a conclusion for a study. A mixed methods study is likely to utilize
several data collection practices and evaluation processes that are
appropriate for both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Mixed
methods research can most easily be identified by the following
characteristics: Collection and analysis of both quantitative and
qualitative data Integration of the data during the collection process
.Theoretical model(s) serving as a research framework

:ANALYSIS OF DATA
research data analysis is a process used by researchers to reduce data to
a story and interpret it to derive insights. The data analysis process helps
reduce a large chunk of data into smaller fragments, which makes sense.
Three essential things occur during the data analysis process — the first
is data organization. Summarization and categorization together
contribute to becoming the second known method used for data
reduction. It helps find patterns and themes in the data for easy
identification and linking. The third and last way is data analysis –
.researchers do it in both top-down and bottom-up fashion

Types of data in research: Every kind of data has a rare quality of

describing things after assigning a specific value to it. For analysis, you
need to organize these values, processed and presented in a given context,
to make it useful. Data can be in different forms; here are the primary data
.types
Qualitative data: When the data presented has words and descriptions,
then we call it qualitative data. Although you can observe this data, it is
subjective and harder to analyze data in research, especially for
comparison. Example: Quality data represents everything describing taste,
experience, texture, or an opinion that is considered quality data. This
type of data is usually collected through focus groups, personal qualitative
interviews, qualitative observation or using open-ended questions in
.surveys
Quantitative data: Any data expressed in numbers of numerical figures
are called quantitative data. This type of data can be distinguished into
categories, grouped, measured, calculated, or ranked. Example: questions
such as age, rank, cost, length, weight, scores, etc. everything comes
under this type of data. You can present such data in graphical format,
charts, or apply statistical analysis methods to this data. The (Outcomes
Measurement Systems) OMS questionnaires in surveys are a significant
.source of collecting numeric data
Categorical data: It is data presented in groups. However, an item
.included in the categorical data cannot belong to more than one group