Session Objectives

After this session you will be able to

Understand what is meant by research design What are its different elements What is a proposal Why to write a proposal How to write a proposal

Azra Naheed Center for Research and Development Superior University Lahore

RESEARCH DESIGN
A plan of what data to gather, from whom, how and when to collect the data, and how to analyze the data obtained Components of Research Design Introduction Purpose statement Objectives of the research Significance of the study Methodology and Methods Research questions and hypothesis Limitations and delimitation

The Introduction
Introduction is the opening part of the proposal that justifies the problem to be researched and clarifies the significance of the proposed study in order to establish a framework for research.

Components of introduction
Background of the study The research problem Studies that have addressed the problem Deficiencies in the studies The significance of the study

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Azra Naheed Center for Research and Development Superior University Lahore

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Over the past ten to fifteen years, various arguments have been made that firms human resources may be its sole source of sustainable competitive advantage(Ferris et al, 1999). The way in which internal resources contribute toward a firm achieving sustainable competitive advantage has become known as resource based view (Barney & Arikan, 2001) the resource base approach contends that organizations can develop a sustained competitive advantage only if its activities create value in a unique way, one that competitors cannot easily copy (Barney, 1991) this approach has been used as the theoretical grounding that posits that HRM can have a positive impact on firm performance (Wright et al, 2001). Therefore HRM has now become the crucial ingredient in the development process of the developing countries like Pakistan. Benell (1994) and Budhwar and Debrah (2001) disclosed that many developing countries are trapped by outdated and ineffective HR systems that put unintended roadblocks in their way.Quality of Education is one of the major factors accelerating the development of a country and is the most important instrument in achieving the desired objectives of economic development. (Economic Survey of Pakistan: 2005z06). In this regards, the role of teachers, as well as their performance

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Though much budget is spent on the administrative side of higher education development (curricula development, restructuring, etc.), less attention is given to the underlying dimensions of Teachers performance.. . Therefore, the present study is aim to explore the perceptions of teachers performance in higher education sector of Pakistan using HR practices: recruitment, training, growth opportunities, rewards, and participation. Therefore, the present study is aim to explore the perceptions of teachers performance in higher education sector of Pakistan using HR practices: recruitment, training, growth opportunities, rewards, and participation. With all these issues in mind the main purpose of this sequential mixed methods study is to explore teachers views about HRM practices and performance in first phase with intent of using this information in the second phase to generalize the findings. In particular, most of the research exploring the HR practicesperformance relationship has focused on the development countries & manufacturing industry. Too few studies have focused on developing countries and performance at employee level.

Purpose Statement
The purpose statement indicates why you want to do the study and what you intend to accomplish(Locke et
al, 2000)

Why Purpose Statement

It is the most important statement in an entire research study. It conveys the overall intention of a proposed study. It establishes the direction for the research. Qualitative Research In qualitative research we use the worlds like explore, understand, or discover and we have focus on single phenomena. Quantitative Research In quantitative research we use words like determine, identify, or compare and we have focus on comparing and relating two or more variables. Mixed Methods Research In Mixed methods research we focus on both qualitative and quantitative research and mention the design with rationale
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In order for higher educational institutions to be successful they must be able to employ people who will stay with the business and perform at high levels, research indicates that employees who are committed and satisfied with the organization are more likely to perform well. So the implementation of HRM practices is one way that educational institutions can build commitment & satisfaction among teachers to enhance performance. Therefore, The purpose of this two phase, sequential mixed methods study will be, firstly to explore and understand the teachers perception and viewpoint about HRM practices and performance in the Higher Education Sector of Pakistan and to further explore the organizational factors that support the optimum performance among the teachers using Semistructured interview. Secondly, themes from the qualitative data will then be used to develop a questionnaire to quantify the findings and furthermore

Objectives of the study

Objectives are the steps you are going to take to answer your research questions to fulfill the purpose of the research study Objectives can be

Main objectives Sub objectives

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The objectives of this research study are as follows

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To explore teachers view on performance that how they define performance and what they see as good, bad or acceptable performance. To explore teachers experiences about HRM practices and how they feel about these practices?

To explore teachers opinion about organizational factor that contributes to their performance.
To establish the basis for evolving effective and performance oriented human resource practices. To facilitate the policy making bodies to evolve a comprehensive view of teachers performance and thus undertake necessary administrative adjustments.

Significance of the study

A significance sections elaborates on the importance and implication of a study for researcher, practitioners, and policy maker. In designing the section one might include
3 or 4 ways in which the study adds to scholarly research and literature in the field 3 or 4 ways in which the study helps improve practice 3 or 4 reasons why the study will improve policy

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The present study will be significant in number of ways. It will contribute to the body of knowledge by: Firstly, since the present area is highly under researched in Pakistan. No study has been found to explore the HR perceptions in teachers performance in educational setting of Pakistan. Therefore, the present study assumes that the findings of the present study will help the managers in universities of Pakistan in particular and those in developing countries in general to answer the long standing question of how to enhance teachers performance. Secondly, no research has been found on organizational commitment and satisfaction as mediators of HR practices and performance conducted in educational setting and especially in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study will prove to be a significant contribution in this area with the assumption that fostering organizational commitment and satisfaction among academic staff has become important or rather becomes imperative for the universities in Pakistani context (Chughtai & Zafar, 2006)

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the present study will aim to provide guidelines to education managers to come up with the policies which would enable them to attract and retain their top level faculty at their respective universities. Thus Identifying those HRM practices that tend to enhance commitment and satisfaction which leads to teachers performance would be a significant benefit for the management of Educational institutions and similarly it will enhance the quality of education. Employing mix methods research which has not been used in this area and hence this will be a significant methodological advancement. Examining the applicability of the discussed Western concepts and theories in an Eastern developing country (Pakistan) in order to develop a cross-contextual generalization of these concepts.

Methodology and Methods

The methodology includes the methods, procedures, and techniques used to collect and analyze information. It should generally include statements about: Site and sample Methods of data collection Data analysis procedures Why Methodology it clarifies the procedures and methods of data collection and analysis It increases the efficiency and authenticity of the research

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The most important thing in the selection of approach is the nature of research problem as my research problem is twofold in nature. So I have decided to choose mixed methods research approach as to accommodate my first objective of exploring and understanding the complexity of the contextual variances in context of Pakistan. I will use interpretivism as a research philosophy and use semistructured interview method under the umbrella of qualitative paradigm. Then to cope with my second objective i.e. to deal with the validity, reliability, and generalizability, positivism will be chosen supported by survey method in the circumference of quantitative paradigm. Furthermore this decision is supported by the rationale of availing the merits and overcoming the demerits of both approaches as discussed by Creswell (2003), the use of multiple data sets can inform the research, by yielding insight and methodological changes that improve the study and strengthen findings as well as

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Selecting Mixed Methods Approach on the basis of Pragmatic Knowledge Claims I have decided to collect the qualitative and quantitative data in phases using Sequential Exploratory Design in sequential strategies. A visual view of the sequential strategy is as follows During this process qualitative data will be collected using semi-structured interviews in the first phase of the study through open ended questions supported by probes and prompts to get deep insights and to keep the respondent on track respectively with time and cost saving approach resulting categorization for thematic as well as descriptive analysis. purposeful sampling will be used to choose experienced respondents regarding the phenomena under consideration.

Theory
Theory is the standard principle that defines the relationship of two or more variables
Qualitative Research: In case of qualitative research theory is an outcome of the whole research process by finding the answers to the research questions Quantitative Research In case of quantitative research theory is used as bases to be verified through the acceptance or rejection of hypothesis using statistical results. Mixed Methods Research in case of Mixed Methods Research theory is both developed and also verified.
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Azra Naheed Center for Research and Development Superior University Lahore

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The present study will utilize the theoretical concept of Social Exchange Theory(Blau, 1964) and norms of reciprocity (Gouldner, 1960) and expectancy theory which will form the theoretical basis of the research. The social exchange theory and norms of reciprocity will be used to explain the basis of employee commitment and satisfaction as researchers have noted that exchange ideology and norms of reciprocity significantly increase satisfaction and commitment among employees (Witt, 1992; Witt et al, 2001). Furthermore, the Expectancy theory provides evidence that links HRM practices to processes that facilitate high

Research Questions and Hypothesis

Research questions are interrogative

statements or questions that the researcher seeks to answer

Hypothesis are predictive statements that

the researcher holds about the relationship among variables to be tested

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(Main question) HRM practices and performance among teachers in Pakistan. (Sub questions) What are the teachers experiences about Human Resource management Practices and how they feel about that? How do teachers perceive about their own performance and what they perceive as good, bad or acceptable performance? What are the teachers opinions about organizational factors that contribute to their performance?

Limitations and Delimitations

Limitations: possible weaknesses of the study that were not / could not be controlled. Delimitations: boundaries set by the researcher that limit the generalizability of findings.

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Limitations and Delimitations: Due to limitations of resources This study is restricted to the Teachers with 02 or more years of experience (02 years are supposed to be minimum) This study is restricted only to the teachers of higher education sector in Pakistan.

Proposal
Proposal is the written document that describes the topic, Problem, design, and methodologies to be adopted to conduct the proposed research.

Why Proposal
The development of proposal for any research study is essential because It allows the researcher to plan and review the steps of the project. It serves as a guide throughout the investigation. It forces time and budget estimates

Structure of a Proposal

Outline of the structure of a proposal

1. Title
2. Introduction

Background of the study (Sectoral Brief) The research problem Studies that have addressed the problem Deficiencies in the studies The significance of the study The purpose statement

3. Purpose Statement The purpose or study, aim of the project and reasons for the research design The research questions and hypotheses
4. Philosophical Foundations

worldview and philosophical assumptions for using specific research approach.

5. Literature Review

Outline of the structure of a proposal

6. Methodology and Methods

Site and sample Data collection procedures Data analysis procedures

7. Potential Ethical issues 8. References and appendixes