Research Methodology: A Comprehensive Guide
Approach to the Problem
Refine and structure the research idea (Sampieri 1998). It must be verbalized clearly and precisely to investigate using scientific procedures. Kerlinger states:
- The problem must express a relationship between two or more variables.
- It should be clearly formulated as a question.
- It should be observable and testable in reality; it should be empirically testable.
Sampieri and co-authors suggest addressing:
- The objectives pursued by the research.
- The research questions.
- The justification of the study.
Research Objectives
- Establish the problem.
- Contribute to a case or its solution.
- Contribute to a theory or provide empirical evidence for it.
Research Questions
- Be concrete and precise to define the variables under investigation.
- Limit them to a specific point in space and time by setting temporal and spatial boundaries for the study.
Justification for the Study
Explain why this research should be conducted (focus on two key reasons).
Types of Research
Exploratory Research
Conducted when the subject has been little explored, there are not enough studies, and it is difficult to make assumptions or generalizations.
Descriptive Research
Describes situations and events using systematic criteria that allow manifesting the structure or behavior of the phenomena under study. This provides systematic and comparable information with other considerable sources of knowledge. Requires considerable knowledge of the area under investigation to formulate research questions.
Correlational Research
Seeks to analyze two or more variables to see whether or not they are related by analyzing their correlation. Its purpose is to understand how the behavior of one variable can lead to knowledge about related variables.
Explanatory Research
Analyzes existing relationships or at least the conditions in which events occur, explaining why things happen. This type of research is more complex and carries a considerably higher risk of errors.
Research Objectives
These aim to ascertain the nature of the problem and explain possible relationships between variables and phenomena:
- General Objectives: Outline the overall goal of the investigation.
- Specific Objectives: Indicate more particular goals to be met in the investigation. These should be specific, measurable, and relevant. They are often exploratory and descriptive and do not necessarily require hypotheses.
- Analytical Objectives: Study can be anticipated through hypotheses. These can be:
- Explanatory: When the cause or study factor occurs spontaneously without the researcher’s intervention.
- Predictive: When the cause is found and administered by the researcher. These objectives allow for contrasting or verifying the hypothesis, confirming the relationship between variables, understanding the causes, and anticipating or preventing phenomena.
Impact
Social Impact
Benefit the population.
Technological Impact
Seeks improvements in different sectors related to the use of methods and tools.
Economic Impact
Defined with precision, using standardized indicators to consider the balance of payments, technology, and innovation.
Environmental Impact
May require amendments due to potential environmental consequences. This involves administrative procedures and impact assessments.
Feasibility of Research
Related to the availability of resources: material, financial, human, time, and information. This can be defined in terms of technical, institutional, and information sources.
Technical Feasibility
Focuses on the area where research and development projects could generate functioning research.
Institutional Feasibility
Concerns information provided by research institutions and ensuring the results remain available for further research, even if the institution lacks space for that investigation.
Information Sources Feasibility
Relates to managing public and private, national or local bodies to conduct information flow through electronic literature reviews and papers, identifying potential sources of advice and technical support for research development.
Hypothesis
A procedure based on sample evidence and probability theory used to determine if a hypothesis is reasonable or should be rejected.
- Formulate the H0 (null hypothesis) and H1 (alternative hypothesis).
- Select a significance level.
- Identify the statistical value of a test using a decision rule.
- Formulate the decision rule.
- Take samples and reach a decision.
H0: Affirmation of the value of a population parameter.
H1: Affirmation to be accepted if the sample data provide evidence that the null hypothesis is false.
Level of significance: Probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true.
Test statistics: Value obtained from sample information used to determine whether the hypothesis is rejected.
Research Validation Parameters
- Select the sample.
- Instructions to follow.
- Administer stimuli.
- Observe and record responses.
- Measure variables.
- Apply phases.
- Control extraneous variables.
- Employ established instruments.
- Select measurement methods.
- Set scalar units.