Research Methodologies

Buroshiva Dasgupta

What is research ?
Most of us do - what we call research - all the time : look for
information
[Latin re (again), cercier (to search)] like Molieres character
Monsieur Jourdain who talks of speaking prose without knowing
it.
Find answers to questions, solve problems, we google/search.
Difference between everyday research and scholarly research:
Everyday research is intuitive, casual, based on common sense and
usually subjective.
Scholarly research is structured, theory based, logical and
objective.

What is research ? 2
Every statement needs evidence; and evidence comes from research.
Human mind (says Saussure) makes sense of the world by forming binary
oppositions ... and comparisons are at the heart of most research :
qualitative/quantitative, thesis/synthesis ( Hegel) , bourgeois/proletariat
( Marx), capitalism/communism( Marx), raw/cooked ( Levi-Strauss), the
one/ the many (Plato), idealism/materialism, existence/essence
(Kierkegaard).
In research, we often seek a resolution from such dialectic.
The basic dialectic/opposition in research we find in the ideas of
qualitative/quantitative... Quality (Latin qualitas means of what kind?)
associated with evaluation/judgement . Quantitative (Latin quantitas
means how great/how much/how many) deals with
numbers/magnitude/measurement.
Resolution of oppositions/dialectic can come through a mixed form of
research which involves both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Qualitative/Quantitative
One of the greatest divides in social science research
Traditional knowledge divide between arts/humanities and
sciences: words and numbers.
Illiteracy and innumeracy two knowledge gaps we generally
see in humans.
Basically two types of knowledge acquisition: not everything that
can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be
counted - Albert Einstein.
Represent types of data and methods of analysis qualitative data
is represented by words, pictures and icons, analysed using various
modes of thematic exploration (post-positivist approach);
quantitative data is represented through numbers and analysed
through statistics.(positivist approach)

Qualitative/Quantitative 2
Limits holistic knowledge: division is artificial: most
quantitative data starts out as word based qualitative
concepts (poverty, gender, consumerism,
development). These words get coded numerically
(quantified) and treated statistically.
We are habituated to this switch from qualitative to
quantitative data: we mark our students merits in
numbers/grades.
In the quantified form, they represent real knowledge
of real people, merits, behaviors and issues.
Take a mixed approach not either/or : combine the
power of words with authority of numbers.

Orientation of scholars

Data Man
Information
The mean
Quantitative
Ingenuity in design

Data-free Man
Interpretation
Meaning
Qualitative
Ingenuity in analysis

Focus on audience
Statistics
data a problem
American pragmatic

Focus on text
Concepts
idea a problem
European philosophical

Research - multidisciplinary
Semiotics
Aesthetic theory
Literary theory

Psychoanalytic theory
Sociological theory
Political theory
Economic theory
Anthropological theory

Philosophical perspectives
Historical perspectives
Comparative perspectives

Types of Research
Primary Research
- Documentation ( field survey)
- Questionnaire
Secondary Research
- books, journals, websites, search engines
Quantitative, Qualitative

Steps of Research
Proposal the objective, hypothesis
Data Collection primary, secondary
Literature Review different, up-to-date views
Methodology
Analysis
Quantitative : graphs, tables,
softwares (spreadsheet. SPSS)
Qualitative : historical, literary, psychological
Conclusion - findings
Bibliography

Analysing Research papers quantitative

Look for not just findings, but also methodologies

Identify the method or methods used
Determine the research questions/hypotheses
Identify the independent variable and dependent
variables
Consider the sample size, N=?
Evaluate the sampling method
Ask how the survey was conducted
Note the major results/conclusions

Analysing Research Papers

Qualitative

What topic was investigated?

What methods were used?
What were the conclusions?
What problems you found with
methods used ?
How valid are the findings ?

Citation Style & Bibliography

MLA : Modern Language Association
(Humanities)
author, title, city, publisher, year,
APA : American Psychological Association (Social
Sciences)
author, year, title, city, publisher
CMS : Chicago Manual Style ( history sources
footnotes, endnotes)
author, title, city, publisher, year