Research Methodology

For BE

BY
Arjun Kumar Gaire
 Data
Data is the building block of any research
• Data is Defined as the values collected
through record-keeping, observing or
measuring
• It is facts, texts, or numbers that can be
collected
• Not only the number but it may be in
other many forms such as transcripts of
interviews, maps, photographs and
videotapes or social interaction
 Data types
Basis categories of data are
• Subjective vs. objective
• Qualitative vs. quantitative
• Primary vs. secondary
 Facts and opinion
• Facts usually describe real things.
• Facts measure anything that actually
exists or has existed. Data based on
estimates may not be reliable facts.
• For example,
– 400 students admitted in a College in
academic year 2010.
– Distance between Kathmandu and
Pokhara is 200 km
 Facts and opinion
• An opinion is a view or judgment
formed in the mind about a
particular matter,
• It is simply a belief stronger than
impression and less stronger than
positive knowledge
• Opinions are the result of attitude,
intention, knowledge and motive and
reflect perception of people about
something what they believe about it.
 SOURCES OF DATA
COLLECTION
• Primary sources
• Secondary sources
• Sources of secondary
data in context of Nepal
 Important consideration for
Data collection
• Statement of the problem
• Scope of the enquiry
• Cost
• Implementation time
• Is the sample available
• Response rate
• Technology available
• Sensitive questions
• Size and complexity
 Questionnaire method
• Main tool of survey research
• It is a formal list of questions
designed to gather responses from
respondents on a given topic
• The respondents requested to fill up the
questionnaire and send back to the
enquiry office within specified time.
 Questionnaire method
• A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting
of a series of questions and other prompts for the
purpose of gathering information from respondents.
• The questionnaire was invented by Sir Francis
Galton.
• Questionnaires are used by managers, sociologists
and other researcher.
• Questionnaires have advantages over some other
types of surveys because they are
– cheap
– do not require as much effort from the
questioner as verbal or telephone surveys
– often have standardized answers that make it
simple to compile data.
 Types of Questions
• Structured questionnaire
– Closed form questing: In this method, a
number of alternative answer are provided
at he end of each question and the task is
– the informants have to choose one of
them. This is also called ‘selective type’ of
questionnaire,
– the informant has to select one among the
answerers supplied by the investigator
himself. His choice of giving his own
answers is not permitted and hence it has a
name ‘close type”
 Types of Questions
• Open End Question: In this method,
questions are not followed by any ready
made answers. The informants have to
think of the answers himself and he is
free to answer he likes. This is also
called intensive type
– for the respondents thet have to think
of or invent the answer for himself.
 Methods used to administer
questionnaire.

• Online questionnaire

• Mailed Questionnaire method

 Online questionnaire
• The internet is used as a method of
distributing and collecting questionnaire.
• The online questionnaire is an electronic data
collection method, which allows researchers
to collect information through internet, email
or website in a format that can be directly
studied and analyzed.
• If the respondents are technically literate, the
online questionnaire can be useful.
• However, the application for this approach of
data collection is still at its early stages in our
contest.
 Online questionnaire
• Despite of certain problems, online
questionnaire is getting popularity as an
important source of gathering
information and will become
increasingly effective in the future as
the user of the internet increases.
 Mailed questionnaire
• When the respondents are literate and their list is
available, mail questionnaire is used to collect the
data.
• This helps greatly in reducing the field cost.
• Researcher prepare a set of questionnaire relating to
the enquiry
• questionnaire contains a list of questions and some
blank space for the answer to be filled in by the
respondent.
• Copies of the questionnaire are sent by post to the
selected respondents at different places
• A covering letter is also attached, this letter is a
request letter for filling up the questionnaire and
sending back to the sender
 Mailed questionnaire
• Covering letter usually include
– Introduction of the research and research
organization.
– Objective and purpose of the research.
– Focusing the important of the role of the
respondents as a resources person for required
information.
– A fixed time period within which the
questionnaire are to be filled up by the
respondent and to be back by the post or by
other means.
– The address of survey/research organization
 Mailed questionnaire
• Merits
– This method is the most economical
and it needs the least amount of
money, time and manpower.
– Real information is obtained as the
questionnaires are filled by
respondents.
– Information is free from biasness of
the investigator.
– Information can be easily obtained
from wide spread geographical area.
 Mailed questionnaire
• Demerits
– This method can’t be used where the
informants are uneducated.
– Most of the informants don’t return
the questionnaire.
– The returned questionnaire may not
be carefully filled.
• Precaution
– The questions should not affect the
personal feelings of respondents.
Thank You
for
Today!!!