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Building Blocks of Science in Research

This document outlines the key steps in the scientific research process: 1. Observation of phenomena or changes in the environment. 2. Identification of a broad problem area or specific research questions within this area. 3. Development of a theoretical framework drawing on existing theories to explain variables and make predictions. It then discusses defining concepts and constructs, generating hypotheses, research design including data collection, measurement, analysis, interpretation, and refining theory based on results. The overall process moves from observation to identifying a research problem to designing a study and analyzing/interpreting data to refine understanding.

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Ahmad Sina Sabawoon
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520 views

Building Blocks of Science in Research

This document outlines the key steps in the scientific research process: 1. Observation of phenomena or changes in the environment. 2. Identification of a broad problem area or specific research questions within this area. 3. Development of a theoretical framework drawing on existing theories to explain variables and make predictions. It then discusses defining concepts and constructs, generating hypotheses, research design including data collection, measurement, analysis, interpretation, and refining theory based on results. The overall process moves from observation to identifying a research problem to designing a study and analyzing/interpreting data to refine understanding.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Sina Sabawoon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BUILDING BLOCKS OF SCIENCE

IN RESEARCH
Ahmad Sina Sabawoon
OBSERVATION
• Observation is the first stage, in which one senses
that certain changes are occurring, or that some
new behaviours, attitudes, and feelings are
surfacing in one‘s environment (i.e., the
workplace).
• When the observed phenomena are seen to have
potentially important consequences, one would
proceed to the next step.
• How does one observe phenomena
and changes in the environment?
IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM AREA
• Broad problem area refers to the entire situation where
one sees a possible need for research and problem
solving.
• The specific issues that need to be researched within
this situation may not be identified at this stage.
• Such issues might pertain to
(1) problems currently existing in an organizational
setting that need to be solved,
(2) areas that a manager believes need to be
improved in the organization
(3) a conceptual or theoretical issue that needs to be
tightened up for the basic researcher to understand
certain phenomena
(4) some research questions that a basic researcher
wants to answer empirically
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
• The conceptual framework is the researcher's understanding of how the variables in
his study connect. It identifies the variables required in the research investigation.
• Theories are developed by researchers to explain phenomena, draw connections, and
make predictions. In the theoretical framework, you explain the theories that support
your research, showing that your work is grounded in established ideas.
• Before you start your research, you have to explore what theories and models other
researchers have already developed.
• The goal of a theoretical framework is to present and explain this information.
• There may be many different theories about your topic, so the theoretical framework
also involves evaluating, comparing, and selecting the most relevant ones.
CONCEPTUAL VS. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
HYPOTHESIS

• An assumption or concession made for the sake of argument.


• A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is proposed for the
sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be
true.
• A hypothesis states your predictions about what your research
will find. It is a tentative answer to your research question that
has not yet been tested.
• For some research projects, you might have to write several
hypotheses that address different aspects of your research
question.
CONSTRUCTS; CONCEPTS; OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

• The first step in the measurement process is to define the concepts we are studying.
• Researchers generate concepts by generalizing from particular facts. Concepts are
based on our experiences.
• Concepts can be based on real phenomena and are a generalized idea of something
of meaning.
• Examples of concepts include common demographic measures: Income, Age,
Eduction Level, Number of SIblings.
• Constructs: Constructs are measured with multiple variables. Constructs exist at a
higher level of abstraction than concepts.
• Justice, Beauty, Happiness, and Health are all constructs.
• Constructs are considered latent variable because they cannot be directly observable
or measured.
Example of Construct
Brand loyalty is a construct that marketing researchers study often. Brand loyalty
can be measured using a variety of measures:
1.Number of items purchased in the past
2.Monetary value of past purchases
3.Frequency of past purchase occasions
4.The likelihood of future purchases
5.The likelihood of recommending the brand to a friend or family member
6.The likelihood of switching to a competitive brand
RESEARCH DESIGN

• Research design refers to the overall strategy utilized to carry


out a research 
• There are three main types of designs for research: Data
collection, measurement, and analysis.
DATA COLLECTION
• Data collection is a process of collecting information
from all the relevant sources to find answers to the
research problem, test the hypothesis and evaluate the
outcomes.
• Data collection is the process of gathering and
measuring information on variables of interest, in an
established systematic fashion that enables one to
answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and
evaluate outcomes.
DATA ANALYSIS

• Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and


modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing
conclusions, and supporting decision-making.
• The purpose of Data Analysis is to extract useful information from data and
taking the decision based upon the data analysis.
DATA INTERPRETATION
• Data interpretation refers to the implementation of
processes through which data is reviewed for the purpose of
arriving at an informed conclusion.
• The interpretation of data assigns a meaning to the
information analysed and determines its signification and
implications.
REFINEMENT OF THEORY / IMPLEMENTATION

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