Principles, Practices and Dynamics of Research Management LECTURE-4 Research Design Kazi Nurmohammad Hossainul Haque Senior Lecturer, Civil Service College Dhaka MPA 5 th Batch ( ) 15 January 2011 Saturday BIAM Foundation Complex

Discussion Topics Defining research design Broader components of research design Components of research design

Defining Research Design “‘Design’... is a process of deliberate anticipation directed (to bring) an expected situation under control.” Designing – apriori decision-making about a situation as it unfolds. Research design – A systemic approach to establish a plan of action to implement the research. A simulated construction of research action. The arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data. Simply, research design is an operational plan for a proposed research, a kind of ‘mapping strategy’.

Research Design: Broader Components Research Problem & Research Question(s) Research Methodology

Components of Research Design Statement on Research Problem Positioning the research Research objective(s) Research question(s) Research sub-question(s) Brief theoretical/analytical review Research methodology Research schedule Table of contents Indicative reference list

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Problem statement: A statement on the nature of the research problem Should define temporal, geographical and conceptual limits of the research work Clarifications: Definitions, Delimitations, Assumptions, Theoretical/conceptual bases Positioning the research: An indication of the connection of the research to a ‘theoretical/conceptual’ or ‘discipline’ or ‘policy’ field Research objectives: A statement regarding the objectives to be attained through this research

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s): Formation of questions and/or hypotheses that are examined in the research Research questions needs to be as ‘precise’ and ‘concise’ as possible Indication to relationships between theories, concepts, variables, phenomena and/or events Questions/hypotheses – vital role in research design through determining scope and focus If relevant, formulation of sub-questions and/or operational hypotheses Sub-questions further help define what relations the research is observing and explaining

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Variable:- A general category of objectives, events or situations, i.e. sex, income, social class Within this category, specific instances will vary Variable is a measurable dimension of a concept Research involve manipulation or measurement of variable Variables must have at least two values Explanation and analysis of the changes and differences in the variables is at the crux of research

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Variable:- Typology of variable: nature & effect (causality) Nature: Continuous Discrete Causal effect: Dependent Independent

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Hypothesis:- Formulation of hypothesis for presuming problems that requires systemic inquiry. Hypothesis formulation gives direction in which way facts are to be arranged so irrelevant facts can be eliminated from relevant facts. Characteristics of hypothesis: Simple & Clear Concept Specific & Testable R M Compliant Rel. to existing theory Emp. verifiable

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Hypothesis:- Sources Specialized knowledge field Publications i.e. published studies, research abstracts, journals, books, papers etc. Experiences and observations Discussions and deliberations

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Hypothesis:- Process of developing hypothesis Inductive reasoning deductive reasoning Generalization, abstraction, theory Prediction, expectation, hypothesis Observations, facts, evidence

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research question(s) and sub-question(s) (cont.): Variable & Hypothesis: Operational definition of variables/concepts: Difficulties of operationalization: Operational definition Determine definition Select definite indicators May not be directly measurable for factors like time, conceptual nature, sensitivities etc. Lack of single universally accepted measure Need for complex set of different indicators

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Brief Theoretical/Analytical Review: A short discussion of relevant theoretical background An introduction of main analytical approaches to be examined and used One of the main functions of theory – providing explanation of processes and predict possible movements of certain variables Theories explain causal and natural relationship of variables Social problems and issues are complex and interrelated by nature – difficulty to give a comprehensive and satisfactory analysis – so use of analytical approaches, combining theories in an integrated framework of analysis

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research Methodology: An argued indication of the sources of data: An argued choice for data collection, data analysis and data processing techniques Primary data, secondary data Different methods: (i) Survey of documents and other (secondary) sources, (ii) Observations, (iii) Questionnaire, (iv) Interview, (v) Case Study Research methods are tools and techniques for attacking research problem. But tools and techniques themselves are not enough without their appropriate uses.

Components of Research Design (Cont.) Research schedule: A timetable, which is important for the student’s own monitoring of progress and for the planning and co-ordination of supervision Table of contents Indicative reference list