The First Lecture

Subject: Thesis Writing 
• Different Definitions of Research.
• Goals and Purposes of Scientific Research.
• GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH
• The scientific method and Methodology
• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
• Nomothetic vs. Idiographic Research
• Correlational research and experimental research.
• Researcher and the qualities of a good researcher
• Study and Research.
 Definition of Research

According to C.C. Crawford
        “Research  is  simply  a  systematic  and  refined 
technique  of  thinking,  employing  specialized  tools, 
instruments,  and  procedures  in  order  to  obtain  a 
more adequate solution of a problem than would be 
possible under ordinary means. 
        John W. Best thinks, “Research is considered to 
be  the more formal, systematic, intensive process of
carrying  on  the  scientific  methods  of  analysis.  It 
involves  a  more  systematic  structure  of 
investigation,  usually  resulting  in  some  sort  of 
formal  record  of  procedures  and  a  report  of  results 
 Definition of Research
–  James  Harvey  Robinson    writes:“Research  is  but 
diligent  search  which  enjoys  the  high  flavour  or 
primitive hunting.”
“Research is the manipulation of things, concepts or 
symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, 
correct  or  verify  knowledge,  whether  that 
knowledge aids in the practice of an art.”
                             (Encyclopaedia of Social Science)
 According to V. Redman and A.V.H. Mory:
“Research  is  a  systematized  effort  to  gain  new 
knowledge.”   
 Definition of Research

According to C. Francies Rummel
“Research  is  an  endeavour  to 
discover,  develop  and  verify 
knowledge.  It  is  an  intellectual 
process  that  has  developed  over 
hundreds of years, ever changing
in  purpose  and  form  and  always 
 The Term Research

Research means to observe the phenomena again

and again from different dimensions.
The research is a process of which a person observes
the phenomena again and again and collects the
data and on the basis of data he draws some
conclusions.
Research is oriented towards the discovery of
relationship that exists among phenomena of the
world in which we live. The fundamental
assumption is that relationship exists between
variables.
 Goals and Purposes of Scientific Research

1­ The purpose of research is to answer questions and 
acquire new knowledge. 
2­ Research  is the primary tool used in virtually all 
areas of science to expand the frontiers of knowledge. 
3­ By conducting research, researchers attempt to 
reduce the complexity of problems, discover the 
relationship between seemingly unrelated events, and 
ultimately improve the way we live
 Goals and Purposes of scientific
Research
-Research can be used for the purposes of description,  
explanation, and prediction, all of which make  
important and valuable contributions to the expansion of
what we know and how we live our lives. 
­  Scientific research in virtually all fields of study shares 
certain defining characteristics, including testing 
hypotheses, careful observation and measurement, 
systematic evaluation of data, and drawing valid 
conclusions.
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH

The following characteristics may be gathered from

the definitions of ‘Research’

1. It gathers new knowledge or data from primary or

first-hand sources and secondary sources.
2. It places emphasis upon the discovery of general
principles.
3. It is an exact, systematic and accurate
investigation.
4. It uses valid instruments for collecting data.
5. It is logical and objective.
 The scientific method

    The  scientific  method  is  best  thought  of  as  an 

approach  to  the  acquisition  of  new  knowledge.  To 
be clear, the scientific method is not actually a single
method, as the name would erroneously lead one to 
believe,  but  rather  a  perspective  on  how  scientific 
investigations should proceed. It is a set of research 
principles and methods that helps researchers obtain 
valid results from their research studies.
   The biggest benefit of the scientific method is that it 
provides  a  set  of  clear  guidelines  for  gathering, 
evaluating,  and reporting information in the context 
of a research study.
 Methodology

            The  term  methodology  refers  to  the  overall 

approaches & perspectives to the research process as
a  whole  and  is  concerned  with  the  following  main 
issues:

 Why did you collect certain data?
 What kind of data did you collect?
 Where did you collect data from?
 How did you collect data?
 How did you analyze data?
 Categories of
Research

There  are  two  broad  category  of  research  with  which 

researchers must
be familiar.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
• Quantitative research involves studies that make use 
of statistical analyses
to  obtain  their  findings.  Key  features  include  formal 
and systematic
measurement and the use of statistics.
 Qualitative and Quantitative
Research

1. Qualitative research relies on deduction. It reaches conclusions by

reasoning or inferring from general principles to particulars.
Quantitative research relies on induction, arriving at generalizations
by collecting, examining, and analyzing specific instances.
2. Qualitative research requires the investigator to engage with the
persons, events studied as an integral part of the study process.
Most often, quantitative research calls for the investigator to
remain detached.
3. Qualitative research offers particular value in the process of
generating new concepts or theories. Quantitative research focuses
more on the testing of existing theories of generalizations.
 Qualitative and Quantitative
Research

4. Qualitative research seeks to provide full 
and accurate descriptions of phenomena in all 
their  complexity.  The  aim  of  quantitative 
research  is  to  reveal  or  establish  cause­and­
effect relationships in or among experiences or
occurrences.
5. Qualitative research attempts to discover and 
show  the  assumptions  that  underlie  events  or 
actions. Quantitative research focuses more on
testing the operation of assumptions.
6.  Qualitative  research  uses  natural  settings  as 
 Types of Research

Nomothetic vs. Idiographic
•  The  nomothetic  approach  uses  the  study  of 
groups to identify general laws that apply to a 
large  group  of  people.  The  goal  is  often  to 
identify  the  average  member  of  the  group 
being studied or the average performance of a 
group member.
•  The  idiographic  approach  is  the  study  of  an 
individual.  An  example  of  the  idiographic 
approach is the aforementioned case study.
 Types of Research

The  most  common  types  of  research  are—correlational  research  and 

experimental research.
    In correlational research, the goal is to determine whether two or more 
variables are related. A variable is anything that can take on different 
values,  such  as  weight,  time,  and  height.)  For  example,  a  researcher 
may be interested in determining whether age is related to weight.
Two Types of Correlation
• Positive  correlation:  A  positive  correlation  between  two  variables 
means  that  both  variables  change  in  the  same  direction  (either  both 
increase or both decrease). 
• Negative  (inverse)  correlation:  A  negative  correlation  between  two 
variables  means  that  as  one  variable  increases,  the  other  variable 
decreases. In other words, the variables change in opposite directions
 Experimental Research
  In  its  simplest  form,  experimental  research  involves 
comparing  two  groups  on  one  outcome  measure  to 
test some hypothesis regarding causation. 
For example, if a researcher is interested in the effects 
of  a  new  medication  on  headaches,  the  researcher 
would  randomly  divide  a  group  of  people  with 
headaches into two groups. One of  the groups, the 
experimental  group,  would  receive  the  new 
medication being  tested.The other group, the  control
group,  would  receive  a  placebo  medication  (i.e.,  a 
medication containing a harmless substance, such as 
sugar,  that  has  no  physiological  effects).  Besides 
receiving  the  different  medications,  the  groups