31 Aug Methodology and resources
Chapter 3: MethodologyItems followed by * will not be in the research proposal, but rather are added after data iscollected and analyzed. In addition, other sections may be modified after data collection,to reflect how the study evolved. Introduction (1-2 paragraphs) Research design Target population and sampling procedure Limitations, delimitations, and assumptions Invitation and informed consent, if applicable, in appendix Addressing ethical and human subjects considerations Data collection and instrumentation (include final version of instrumentsinappendix)Wilmington University16 Adjustments that were made during data collection Sample demographics* Evaluation of sample adequacy and representativeness* For qualitative, discussion of how the codebook was developed (include thecodebook or a representative portion of it in an appendix)* Reliability and validity; for qualitative, inter-rater reliability for addressingpropositions* Analysis procedure for each hypothesis (in research proposal, but shifted toChapter 4 in final report) Procedures used to scrub data and exploratory data analysis* Summary and segue to Chapter 4 (1-2 paragraphs)This chapter discusses the design of the research, and the detailed procedures used toconduct and analyze the research. When writing the research proposal, the student maywrite this chapter in the past tense so that the verbs do not need to be changed after theresearch has been conducted. However, if procedural changes are made while conductingthe research, this chapter will need to be revised accordingly. Reasons for changes shouldbe provided along with the timing of changes, if not all data were collected under thesame conditions.Another change that may take place in Chapter 3 upon completion of the research is thatdiscussion of any pilot testing done will be reduced or eliminated.You may assume that the reader is familiar with statistical testing procedures. See thequantitative research checklist and qualitative research checklist (Appendix E andAppendix F) for further information specific to these types of research.It is your responsibility to become expert in the sampling, data collection, and analysisprocedures used in your research. This requires reading specialized research books aswell as critiquing empirical research articles. Your committee members provide guidancebut expect you to understand and be able to conduct basic research and analysis. Youmust be sufficiently knowledgeable that you can defend the sampling, data collection, andanalysis procedures selected. Many students have found Laerd.com to be an excellentstatistical analysis resource.Limitations are aspects of the situation or research design, which may adversely impactthe generalizability of findings. Delimitations are the boundaries the researcher has placedon the research. That is to say, what is included and what is excluded? Assumptions aresample or data collection aspects the study is taking for granted. There should be a briefexplanation about why you believe these assumptions to be reasonable.After completing the research, evidence should be provided that the sample obtained wasrepresentative of the population and the sample size was sufficient. If the sample isbiased, discuss how that might have influenced the results and impacted validity.Sometimes it is possible to conduct statistical analyses to estimate the extent to whichsample bias may have distorted your results. For example, were late responders different Wilmington University17from early responders? Were responses different depending on education level, etc.?In qualitative research methodology, it is necessary to indicate the method and rationaleused to select the participants, groups, sites, etc., that were included in the study. Inqualitative research, usually a purposive sample is used rather than a random sample.Various reasons can be used to select sampling units, such as their being typical, extreme,or important. Usually the sample size is small, and there is no attempt to use inferentialstatistics to generalize the results to a larger population. Rather, similarity of results withprevious studies and/or agreement with the theoretical foundation of the study are used asbases for positing generalizability.If an adopted instrument was used, it must be properly cited and referenced, as shouldstudent developed instruments that substantially use the ideas of other researchers.(Remember you must seek written permission to use instruments developed by others. Ifyou plan to make modifications to the instrument, including changing the scale, you mustobtain permission for these modifications. Occasionally, there may be a fee or restrictionsrequired by the authors.) Any instruments used in the study should be included in theappendices. It is not necessary to describe pilot studies in detail.
