Research Philosophy and Methods

1. Research Methodology
Philosophy of Research/Research Design
Dr Hassan Ali
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of Narowal

2. Presentation Outline – Philosophy of
Research
Purpose of Research
Defining Research and Development
Classification of Research and Development Cycle
Research Onion
Creating R&D Strategy – Fundamental Principles
Aligning R&D with Organizational Business Strategy
Role of Innovation & Creativity in R&D Strategy

3. Learning Objectives
1. Learners should be able to understand the research
philosophy, differentiate between research and
development, and develop appropriate strategies to
align with the research goals.
2. Learners can formulate appropriate research problems
and hypotheses, design achievable objectives and
develop the research process.

5. What does it means
by Research?

7. Definition of Research
There are many definitions of research that could be found
from different perspectives, some of them are:
 An endeavour to DISCOVER new or collate old facts etc by the
scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.
[Oxford Concise Dictionary]
 A collection of methods and methodologies that researchers apply
systematically to produce scientifically based knowledge about the
social world. [Neuman]
 According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and
redefining problems, formulating hypotheses or suggested solutions;
collecting, organising and evaluating data; making deductions and
reaching conclusions, and at last carefully testing the conclusions to
determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

9. Motivation for Conducting Research
 The possible motives for doing research may be either one or more of the
following:
1. Desire to get a research degree along with its
consequential benefits;
2. Desire to face the challenge in solving unsolved problems, i.e.,
concern over practical problems initiates research;
3. Desire to get the intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
4. Desire to be of service to society;
5. Desire to get respectability.
 However, this is not an exhaustive list of factors motivating people to undertake
research studies, many more factors such as directives of government,
employment conditions, curiosity about new things, desire to understand
causal relationships, social thinking and awakening, and the like may as well
motivate people to perform research operations.

10. Motivation for Conducting Research

11. Research Philosophy
 The term research philosophy relates to the
development of knowledge and the nature of that
knowledge.
 Your research philosophy contains important
assumptions about the way in which you view the
world (problems).

13. Research Continuum Model

15. Why is R&D important?
 Crucial to survival
 Fast-changing environment
 Continuous technology change
 Competition
 Changing consumer preferences
 Fundamental to “marketing”
 Advantage is markets come from:
 Understanding what markets need (MR)
 In case of technology – selling what is possible to make
 Efficient production processes

17. Classification and Evolution of R&D
The R&D model assumes that science has a
monopolyover knowledge, technology is an
outcome of science, and economic development
is due to technology development.
The R&D model confines innovation to
technology and then the technology to R&D.

19. R&D versus D+D (Design and Development)
Three examples underline the main difference between R&D and D+D: Atomic
Bombs, Airplane and Light Bulb.
1. The A-Bomb probably is the best example of an R&D invention.
 Basic Research was done by AlbertEinstein, who had no clue about
its final application.
2. The invention (design) of Aircraft is a good example of D+D.
 The Wright brothers knew the final goal, a heavier-than-air aircraft from
day one, and they did everything to get it.
3. The invention of the Light bulb by Edison is another example of a D+D case.
 The idea was to make an electric-based light source (bulb) that can
compete with the gas-based light source.
 D+D always starts with a product in mind and goes back to get it.

20. The Combined Model of IR&D and D+D
 The new model combines Basic Research, Industrial Research
and Development (IR&D) and D+D (Design and
Development).
 D+D is one of the key aspects of Technology Innovation/Development
and it is not the same or inferior to R&D.
 D+D often acts as a link between successful R&D and Production to
satisfy Market/Customer needs.

21. Research Onion
 The research onion was developed by Saunders et al. (2007) in order to
describe the stages through which the researcher must pass when
formulating an effective methodology.
 First, the research philosophy requires definition.
 This creates the starting point for the appropriate research approach,
which is adopted in the second step.
 In the thirdstep,the research strategy is adopted, and the
fourth layer identifies the time horizon.
 The fifth step represents the stage at which the data
collection methodology is identified.
The benefits of the research onion are thus that it creates a series of stages under which the
different methods of data collection can be understood, and illustrates the steps by which a
methodological study can be described.

31. The Research Process
Introduction
Research Design Basics
Problems and Issues inResearch Design

32. Introduction to Research Process

34. Research Design Basics

35. Research Design Basics

37. Formulating Research
Problem Statement
 According
sentence
to Kerlinger
, ‘A problem is an interrogative
or statement that asks what relation exists
between two or more variable.
 The answer to question will provide what is having sought in the
research.
 R.S. Woodworth defines problem as ‘a situation for which we
have no ready & successful response by instinct or by
previous acquired habit.
 We must find out what to do’, i.e. the solution can be found out only
after an investigation.

38. Formulating Research
Problem Statement

39. Formulating Research Problem Statement
Formulating RP

40. Development of
Hypothesis and Research
Objectives
 Hypothesis is the research’s prediction of the outcome of the
research study. That is the expected relationship between
the study variables.
 Thus, RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS translates the research purpose into a
clear prediction of the expected results or outcome of the study.
 It provides direction for the type of research (i.e. design, sampling,
data collection .. etc.).
 Suggests the type of statistical analysis to be used in the study.
 Identifies the variables to be manipulated and/or measured.
Research hypothesis should be stated clearly, concisely,
measurably, and in the present tense.

41. Development of Hypothesis and
Research Objectives
Three criteria should be considered in developing hypothesis:
1. A relationship should be addressed in each hypothesis.
2. The variable/condition/relationship must be testable or
measurable.
3. The aim of the research guides what is included in the
research hypothesis.

42. Development of Hypothesis
and Research Objectives
Research objective is a concrete statement describing what
the research is trying to achieve.
 A well-worded objective will be SMART, i.e. Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, & Time-bound.
 Research objective should be Relevant, Feasible, Logical,
Observable, Unequivocal & Measurable.
 Objective is a purpose that can be reasonably achieved
within the expected timeframe & with the available
resources.

46. Six assumptions of qualitative
designs (Merriam 1988: 19-20)
1. Qualitative researchers are concerned primarily with process, rather
than outcomes or products.
2. Qualitative researchers are interested in meaning.
3. The qualitative researcher is the primary instrument for data
collection and analysis. Data are mediated through this human
instrument, rather than through inventories, questionnaires, or
machines.

47. 4. Qualitative research involves fieldwork. The researcher physically
goes to the people setting, site, or institution to observe or record
behavior in its natural setting.
5. Qualitative research is descriptive in that the researcher in
interested in process, meaning and understanding gained through
words or pictures.
6. The process of qualitative research is inductive in that the
researcher builds abstractions, concepts, hypotheses, and theories
from details.

48. Quantitative Methods
 Quantitative Descriptive
 Descriptive statistics: graphical and numerical techniques for
summarizing data.
 QuantitativeAnalytic
 Inferential statistics: procedures for making generalizations about
characteristics of a population based on information obtained from
a sample taken from that population