CHAPTER – 4

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 INTRODUCTION

4.2 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

4.3 SELECTION OF STUDY AREA

4.4 SELECTION OF THE DISCIPLINE

4.5 SAMPLING METHOD

4.6 SAMPLING PROCEDURE

4.7 SAMPLE SIZE

4.8 TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION (SCALE AND

MEASUREMENT)

4.9 STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

Research Methodology 4.1

4.1 INTRODUCTION:

This chapter presents the research design and methodology employed in this
study, which has aimed to student satisfaction in commerce colleges and engineering
institute. This study takes primary data collection through Questionnaire.

Research methodology involves ways of organizing the fund of available

knowledge as well as of exploring, creating new knowledge, adoption of appropriate
techniques and adoption of suitable statistical procedures. A pre-planned and well-
described method will provide the researcher a scientific and feasible plan for
attacking and solving the problems under investigation.

The research methodology constitutes the blueprint for the data collection,
measurement, and analysis of data. It is the overall operational pattern or framework,
of the research that stipulates what information is to be collected from which sources
by what procedures? The methodology of any educational research program occupies
a unique place in collecting data from all sources. A variety of methods and
procedures has been developed to aid in the collection of data. The methodology is a
procedure of technique adopted in research. It describes the various steps of the plan
of action to be adopted in solving the research problem.

The Machinery of Methodology occupies a very important position in any

kind of research. The selection of a suitable method is a key to the successful
completion of research. There is no clear-cut distinction between the different
methods and the method to be adopted depends on the nature of the problem and type
of data required for the purpose.

The details of the method adopted, Design of the study, variables of the study,
tools used, and samples selected, and procedure adopted in the Methodology
administration of the tools and statistical techniques used for the analysis of the data.
It is also carried out systematically in order to achieve a high degree of reliability.
Research Methodology 4.2

4.2 DESIGN OF THE STUDY:

The descriptive research design has been employed for the present study. The
research design attempts to understand quality management practice in Higher
Education in different commerce colleges and Engineering institutes.

4.3 SELECTION OF STUDY AREA:

Selection area in higher education is very large and tough job. In higher
education has a wide range to select area. Like commerce, Arts, science, Management
and others. After secondary school, all field said to be Higher education. I choose
Gujarat state and in Ahmadabad city affiliated colleges in Gujarat University in the
discipline in commerce and GTU in Engineering Institutes.

Sampling is that part of statistical practice concerned with the selection of a

subset of individual observations within a population of individuals intended to yield
some knowledge about the population of concern, especially for the purposes of
making predictions based on statistical inference.

Researchers rarely survey the entire population for two reasons: the cost is too
high, and the population is dynamic in the sense that the population may change over
time. The three main advantages of sampling are that the cost is lower, data collection
is faster, and since the data set is smaller it is possible to ensure homogeneity and to
improve the accuracy and quality of the data.

Each observation measures one or more properties (such as Discipline,

Gender, Year of study and Type of college in different commerce colleges and
engineering Institutes) of observable bodies distinguished as independent objects or
individuals. In survey sampling, survey weights can be applied to the data to adjust
for the sample design.
Research Methodology 4.3

Table 4.1: Stratified Sample Allocations:

PARTICULARS NO OF STUDENTS PERCENT

B.Com. Semester-I 50 7.7
B.Com. Semester -III 211 32.5
B.Com. Semester -V 215 33.1
M.Com. Semester I 35 5.4
M.Com. Semester III 54 8.3
B. E. Semester –III 64 9.8
B. E. Semester –V 21 3.2
Total 650 100
Figure No 4.1 Stratified Sample Allocations in College Wise

STRATIFIED SAMPLE ALLOCATIONS

3% 8%
10%
F.Y. B. Com
8% S.Y.B. Com
T. Y. B. Com
5% 33%
M.Com Part 1
M.Com P:art 2
S. Y. B. E.
T. Y. B. E.
33%

It has been used a stratified random sampling technique that consisted of three
types of strata. The first strata are according to the year of study; Semester I/II B.Com
student, Semester III/IV B.Com student and Semester V/IV B.Com student The
second strata is according to the year of study P.G. semester I/II and Semester III/IV.
And Engineering students of semester IV and VI the details of the strata are presented
in above table.
Research Methodology 4.4

Among the total number of student 650 classifications are Year of study
Semester I/II B.Com no of students 50 (7.7%) Semester III/IV B.Com no of students
211(32.5%) Semester V/VI B.Com no of students (33.1%) M.Com Semester I/II
number of students 35 (5.4%) M.Com Semester III/IV no of students 54 (8.3%) and
Engineering S.Y.B.E no of students 64 (9.8%) T.Y.B.E No of students 21 (3.2%)

4.4 SELECTION OF THE DISCIPLINE:

Sampling designs are of two types. Probabilistic and non-probabilistic

sampling designs. A probability sampling design is one in which every unit in the
population has a chance (greater than zero) of being selected in the sample, and this
probability can be accurately determined. The combination of these traits makes it
possible to produce unbiased estimates of population totals, by weighting sampled
units according to their probability of selection.

This study considered Grant in Aid and self-finance commerce college’s

students and sample sizes are allocated them in proportion to a number of respondents
who are in University exam in semester March 2016 to July 2016 as per the survey. In
the survey collected data from following a different year of the study in Ahmadabad
city.

In this study commerce,undergraduate and postgraduate also engineering

students in Ahmadabad city of Gujarat Region are the sampling unit.

Table 4.2: Disciplines:

Degree Frequency Percentage

Commerce 565 86.90
Engineering 85 13.10
Total 100 100.00
Research Methodology 4.5

Figure 4.2: Disciplines:

DISCIPLINE
85

565 Valid Commerce

Valid Engineering

4.5 SAMPLING METHOD:

There were different techniques of sampling was followed through the

research. The first step that required sampling was selecting difference commerce
colleges to conduct the research in. In total, 650 Commerce and Engineering students
from different commerce colleges participated in the study; including 338 females and
312 males, with an age range of 18-24. This translates to a total of six semi-structured
focus groups, each with six participants involved. In order to increase reliability, two
focus groups were conducted for each year of study (i.e. semester I/II, Semester III/IV
and Semester V/VI and Post Graduate semester I/II, Semester III/IV and engineering
semester IV and V).

4.6 SAMPLING PROCEDURE:

Sample data collect during University Exam. Due to time constraints, a sampling
procedure was used. The sampling process begins by defining the frame. Thus the sampling
frame used in our study included all regular undergraduate, postgraduate and engineering
registered in Gujarat University in Ahmadabad and GTU in Engineering. For the 2016-17
academic year with a population size of 650 As per Gender classification of the total sample
selected, the study comprised of 650 (male=301 & female=349) Questionnaire filled
by respondents in During Exam is semester I/II, III/IV and V/VI and Post Graduate
student in three colleges after Class. Engineering student in two institutes during the
class session explained questionnaire and its objective and about SERVQUAL Model.
Research Methodology 4.6

4.7 SAMPLE SIZE:

On the basis of a sample survey, I collect data in the different semester during
University exam in Lokmanya College of commerce and engineering institute.

Table 4.3: Proportion of Responded By Gender:

Gender Frequency Percent

Male 312 48.00
Female 338 52.00
Total 650 100.00

Figure 4.3: Gender:

GENDER

48% Male
52% Female

As the table indicates, from total responded of (650) 48 % were males while 52 %
females. Through an effort made to select an equal number of male and female respondents. It
was of s large gender difference in number in the study site. However gender comparisons
with five dimensions (variables) the data and information have been collected from 565
students of commerce U.G and P.G and 85 students of Engineering. Thus, the total
sample size for the present study is 650.
Research Methodology 4.7

4.8 TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION (SCALE AND

MEASUREMENT):

A Likert scale question consists of a series of statement, all of which are

related to a particular target, and respondents are asked indicate the extent to which
they agree or disagree. The survey instrument consisted of two parts. In part A of the
questionnaire, survey respondents were asked to state their level of agreement with
each statement for five dimensions of service quality in education on a five-point
scale A five-pointLikert scale (5=Strongly Agree; 4=Agree, 3=Neutral, 2= Disagree
1= Strongly Disagree) is used to measure the quality management practice in Higher
Education.

According to Cooper (2000), this type of scale is considered to be an interval

scale. Therefore, measurement of central tendency and its dispersion can be made.
Demographic and academic backgrounds of respondents were asked in the
questionnaire. Some were assigned to certain categories and it is mutually exclusive
and collectively exhaustive. Thus it possessed a property of a nominal scale.

4.9 STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES:

To test the tenability of the hypothesis formulated for the present study the
Following statistical techniques were employed.

Statistical analysis: For the analysis of the data collected here, for research
have used different descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics like frequency
distribution, crosstabs, charts, testing of hypothesis.

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS:

Descriptive statistical analysis is generalization to the particular group of

individuals observed. Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of
the data in a study. They provide simple summaries about the sample and the
measures with the simple graphical presentation of the observation.
Research Methodology 4.8

With inferential statistics, we try to reach conclusions that extend beyond the
immediate data alone. This includes different techniques of estimation and testing of
hypotheses.

Data have checked the normality of the collected data and found that data is
not normal, I measure Normality in Log N means natural logarithms, Log10 and
Square root. But data couldn’t find Normality. So data have used nonparametric tests.
As sample is large, here used chi-square test in wherever it was applicable. In an
entire study, so have used following tests. In order to understand the characteristics of
students of commerce colleges in Ahmadabad in Gujarat State in Ahmedabad city, the
percentage analysis and frequency distribution are worked out. Nonparametric test is
use for data analysis.

PARAMETRIC TEST:

Chi- square test use for SERVQUAL model for independent In Chi-square
tests enable us to test whether more than two population proportions are equal. Also if
we classify a student satisfactions into several categories like strongly agree/agree/
neutral/strongly disagree/disagree with respected attributes. So here use Chi-square
test to test whether two attributes are independent of each other. Chi-square test is use
into discipline, gender, type of colleges and year of the study in all five variables in
SERVQUAL Model.

In a parametric use Chi-Square test to all five variables to significantly

different by using Likert scale five points. Like tangibility, Responsiveness,
Reliability, Assurance and Empathy. After Chi-Square test result four variable in
Likert scale less than 5 so merge two points in each variable to strongly disagree and
agree.

NON-PARAMETRIC TEST (KRUSKAL AND WALLIS TEST

AND MANN WHITNEY TEST):

Non-parametric tests are best for data is not normal so prefer non parametric
test. It would seem prudent to use non-parametric tests in all case.
Research Methodology 4.9

NULL HYPOTHESIS AND ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS:

(1) Discipline Variable:
H0: There is no association between recorded all five dimensions and
Discipline.
H1: There is an association between recorded all five dimensions and
Discipline.
(2) Gender Variable:
H0: There is no association between recorded all five dimensions and
Gender.
H1: There is an association between recorded all five dimensions and
Gender.
(3) Types of colleges Variable:
H0: There is no association between recorded all five dimensions and Type
of College.
H1: There is an association between recorded all five dimensions and Type
of College.
(4) Year of the Study Variable:
H0: There is no association between recorded all five dimensions and Year of
study.
H1: There is an association between recorded all five dimensions and Year of
study.

To obtain the necessary data from a total of 650 questionnaires distributed and
all data collected 100 % of them found to be complete. The responded questionnaires
were enter in excel and raw data entered into the computer software “statistical
package for the social science” (SPSS version 16) the characteristics and participant is
use. Also Mat lab for Non parametric and systat for t test use. Result is next chapter V
for Analysis.