PR1 | ETA and WW3 Reviewer

Research

a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to increase our understanding of a phenomenon of concern/interest and to solve problems and contribute to people’s overall quality of life and general welfare

Formal Research

one is expected to disseminate their discovery to the larger scientific community

Reasons for Research | Country

• addressing pressing national problems

• to improve competitiveness

• to enhance the quality and delivery of servoces

• to adapt an existing solution, practice, or strategy to new domains

• to meet the basic needs of a community or sector

Reasons for Research | Institution

• mission vision

• prestige

• accreditation

• grants

• community service

Reasons for Research | Yourself

• self-preservation

• academic requirement

• professional growth

• passion and interest

• community service

Importance of Research

• acquire more knowledge

• address gaps in learning

• address issues and problems

• recognize and explain a phenomenon or an event

• explore the unknown

• challenge and validate information

• improve present practices and technologies

Characteristics of Research

• originates with research questions

• requires clear articulation of a research goal

• divides the main problem into sub-problems

• guided by the specific research problem, question, or hypothesis

• requires a specific plan

• rests on a critical assumption

• requires data collection and interpretation to answer the research question

• is cyclical or helical

Qualitative Research | Definition

• collects and analyzes non-numerical data to search for patterns, themes, and holistic features /characteristics

• uses observable facts and words and focuses on interpretation by the researchers

• describes of how people experience an issue

• gives an overview of the human side of an issue in terms of behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and their relationships with intangible factors

• emphasizes the stance that human knowledge is always contextualized or local

• arranging and presenting information to find meaning in the data

• some form of counting is always involved

Quantitative Research | Definition

• collects and analyzes numerical data and assigns concepts to numerical values

• uses statistical methods to measure hard facts

• emphasizes objectivity and the control of contextual factors that may affect the results

• states hypotheses and relies on statistical analysis to support conclusions

• discusses a difference but not why there is

• collects a small amount of data from a large number of people and allows generalization for a population

Mixed Methods

• pure quantitative/qualitative is insufficient to fully understand the problem

• one can explore before administering and developing instruments by gathering qualitative data

• one can talk to others to explain statistical results and improve their prototypes and experiments

• to see quantitative and qualitative results match

Qualitative Research | Strengths

• done in natural settings

• emphasizes informant interpretations and meaning and seeks deep understanding of their work

• humanizes the research process

• high levels of flexibility

Qualitative Research | Weaknesses

• not as reliable and difficult to replicate

• subjective nature of data collection and analysis

• observations may be selectively reported

• risks of collecting meaningless and useless information from participants

• objectivity vs detachment

• ethical concerns and time-consuming

Quantitative Research | Strengths

• can deal with high amounts of cases

• can examine complex patterns of interaction between variables

• can verify cause and effect relationships

Quantitative Research | Weaknesses

• lacks in-depth information

• ignores individual perspectives and experiences

• can be built on pre-existing biases

Experimental Research

done in controlled environments, uses at least one variables that are isolated, manipulated, and controlled to understand its effect on a dependent variable

Descriptive Research

describes the data and characteristics of variables of a phenomenon without manipulating them

Survey Research

collects data on preferences, thoughts, attitudes, opinions, concerns, or interests through questionnaire and interviews

Narrative Research

explores human experiences as expressed in collected lived and told stories

Ethnographic Research

focuses on an entire cultural group to describe their shared patterns of behavior, values, language, and culture, usually explored in field work

Qualitative Research | Data Collection

is open-ended and is done through interviews, observations, documents, and AV materials

Quantitative Research | Data Collection

is close-ended and done in the form of surveys, behavioral checklists, secondary data, and data sets

Interviews

done to elicit people’s views in a detailed and comprehensive manner through open-ended questions that provide direct quotations

Participant Observation

collects data by observing the sample in their natural environment

Qualitative Research | Data Analysis

uses text and image data for coding and developing & relating themes

Quantitative Research | Data Analysis

uses numeric data for description, comparing groups, and relating variables

Identifying the Topic of Inquiry

done through selecting a research topic and conducting preliminary research

Selecting a research topic

based on one’s research interest and the problem of concern

Conducting preliminary research

identify the keywords to find relevant literature and explore what does said literature say about your topic and any related or similar studies done

Types of SHS Research

• Explore the potential of a new product, method, software, and device

• Investigate the impact of a certain solution, device, or approach

• apply or adapt existing solutions to new domains

• collects and describes new data/datasets

• understand preferences, behavior, and contexts

• systematic literature reviews

Support Structures

• research themes

• discipline-based mentors

• research centers and labs

• research ethics and data privacy

• intellectual property

• grants and collaborations

Background of the Study

provides a concise synthesis of current developments in your research field through a review of related work/literature and leads the readers towards the problem statement and research question and supports you in formulating them

How to Write the Background of the Study

1. Give a general context of your research area.

2. Highlight problems and situations on a global scale.

3. Give a more specific or local context regarding one’s specific area of study, narrowing or focusing the problem to a local situation.

4. Support the study with a summary of approaches and findings from prior studies.

Parts of the Background of the Study

1. Domain/General Research Topic

2. Sub-domain/Specific Research Topic

3. Related Studies/What Others Have Done

4. Gaps/Findings and Limitations

5. Opportunities/Statement of the Research Problem

Research Gap

an area of concern where there is a gap in the knowledge and we have no ready responses, therefore we must investiagte a possible solution

Evidence Gap

missing or insufficient data to support a claim

Knowledge Gap

missing information in current understanding

Practical-Knowledge Conflict Gap

disconnect between theory and practice

Methodological Gap

limitations in current research methods

Empirical Gap

lack of experimental or observational data

Theoretical Gap

missing explanations in existing theories

Population Gap

under-represented groups in research

Research Problem

clear and concise statement that outlines the issue or phenomenon the research aims to investigate to act as the foundation for the study and the guide for all the components of the research

Research Problem as Feasible

it can be done with available resources and skills

Research Problem as Interesting

findings can be significant to some sector

Research Problem as Novel

it can contribute to new knowledge

Research Problem as Ethical

the research will not cause harm

Research Problem as Relevant

it is useful for the development of scientific knowledge, for society, and for future research

Research Question

it frames a possible hypothesis or solution to address the research problem while implying the appropriate method to use (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed)

Stating a Research Question

• Ask what you want to know in that study.

• Identify the main issue you aim to explore

• Question should dictate what your study will explore

• Create main questions and sub-questions

• Start with “How?”, “Why?”, and “What?”

Characteristics of a Good Research Question

• clear and specific

• refers to the investigated problem/phenomenon

• contributes new knowledge

• uses reasonable design and evaluation methods

• collects real data

• requires analysis

• can be proved or disproved

Purpose of Research Questions

• Guide the study’s direction and focus

• Synthesizes multiple sources to present your unique argument

• Reflect the main problem of the study

• Considers how the research will fit into the field’s body of knowledge

How to Frame Research Questions

1. Review previous studies.

2. Describe background of the study

3. Identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities

4. Articulate research problem and questions.

General Research Objective

a brief statement of how you will investigate the research problem while stating the overall goal that should be achieved to answer the research question

Specific Objectives

Identifies the steps needed to achieve your general objective while being specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bounded

Significance of the Study

determines your work’s contribution from the various output that can be generated from your study

Stating the Relevance of Your Work

It must follow the perspective of your discipline/field, target participants, and larger community

Stating the Relevance of Your Work from the Perspective of Your Research Discipline or Field

its technical/scientific contribution and new learning and insights it can bring to the field

Stating the Relevance of Your Work from the Perspective of Your Target Participants

how target sector will benefit from the contribution generated by one’s study

Stating the Relevance of Your Work from the Perspective of the Larger Community

long-term perspectives on the potential contributions and impact of your research

Determining the Significance of the Study

• consider all possible stakeholders, not just the research’s direct beneficiaries

• have broad perspectives covering immediate anf long-term benefits

Drafting Proposals

• Cite all reviewed works, indicating publisher and publication date

• Relevant works must come from conference papers, journals, and books

• Check the cohesiveness across two paragraphs.

• Observe proper word choice

• Avoid marketing terms

• Do not abbreviate words

• Writing style must be in passive voice, avoid constructs like “the researchers/proponents/team/group”

Related Work

Also known as previous studies, it is published research that describes work on a research area or domain similar or relevant to your own and/or contains methodologies or research strategies that you can adapt for your own work.

Reasons to Review Previous Studies

• to understand the state-of-the-art in the topic

• to benefit from other’s research findings

What You Can Find in RRLs

• what has been done already

• the motivation for doing the study

• how they conducted the research

• what they found out or discovered

• the challenges they encountered

• what are missing in their studies

Learning Outcomes

• shows knowledge about the history of your research area

• shows understanding o the key concepts, ideas, studies, and models related to your topic

• demonstrates you can evaluate and synthesize the work of others

• clarifies important definitions and terms

Keywords

words related to the main concepts of a research paper, usually found below the abstract

What to Consider When Using Keywords

consider the number of keywords you need, as well as their relevance to your own study, and use them to find your published work

The Appropriateness of Published Work

The published work can include be a survey that synthesizes prior work, a description of the design and validation of a product, model, tool, or process, or a description of an experimental study and results. Ensure their relevance to your research, and use their bibliography to find more.

Review of Related Work

Consider

• the context of the study or research field

• the nature of the problem and the gaps/challenges they are addressing

• the research questions used

• the approach to the problem

• the findings

• the contribution to the field

• any recommendations for future research

Research Methodology

the specific steps and activities that the proponents will perform to accomplish the research’s goals, objectives, and problem while following ethical guidelines

Specific Plan for Proceeding

Researchers plan the overall research design and specific methods purposefully to acquire relevant data to their research problem.

Survey Variant

1. Theories & Related Work: used for showing theories & principles, procedures/processes, and factors/variables

2. Survey Development: creation of data collection instruments

3. Data Collection: done through interviews, surveys, focus group discussions

Product/Tool Testing Variant

1. Theories & Related Work: used for models & frameworks, strategies & methods, standards & guidelines, and interaction principles

2. Product/Tool Selection: creation of features & functionalities, accessibility, and resource requirements

3. Experiment Setup: long-term use, pre- and post-test, user self-reporting

4. Data Collection: done through observation of user behavior, feedback, and system usage log

Laboratory Variant

1. Theories & Related Work: shows scientific principles, experiment design, needed materials and procedure,and variables

2. Laboratory Setup: one is working with variables and may have varying experiment setup

3. Data Collection: done through observation and experiment sheets

Software/Prototype Design Variant

1. Theories & Related Work: used for models & frameworks, strategies & methods, standards & guidelines, and interaction principles | Data Collection (Domain): done through interviews, surveys, or FGDs for user requirements, processes & strategies, and rules and guidelines

2. Software/Prototype Design: creation of features & functionalities, interface design, and coding & building

3. Data Collection (Validation): user perception of usability, perception if design is short-term or long-term, system usage log

Data Collection Methods

• Surveys

• interviews

• observations

• experiments

• document analysis

Qualitative Data Collection Tools

• online forums

• groups

• web survey chat

• online communities

• in-depth interviews

Quantitative Data Collection Tools

• face-to-face

• online

• phones

• mail

Data

it is one of the most important and vital aspects of research as they give a better picture of it`

Primary Data

collected from first-hand experiences, and has not been changed, altered, or processed

Secondary Data

previously collected from other researchers, including data from published articles, electronic repositories, and records, may have issues with reliability, suitability, adequacy, and accessibility

Ethics

• privacy and confidentiality of participants’ data

• participation is voluntary

• withdrawal is allowed

• recording during data collection

• data must be aggregated and anonymized

Research Design

instruments to be used in collecting and analyzing data that helps you answer your research questions more effectively

Case Studies

a detailed study of a specific subject

Ethnographic research

in-depth observational studies of people in their natural environment, aiming to understand the cultures, challenges, motivations, and settings of those involved.

Grounded Theory

collecting rich data on a topic of interest and developing theories inductively

Phenomenology

investigating a phenomenon or event by describing and interpreting the shared experiences of participants

Narrative Research

examining how stories are told to understand how participants perceive and make sense of their experiences

Descriptive

provides information on the current state of affairs by observing participants in a natural situation

Experimental

provides causal relationship information between variables within a controlled situation

Quasi-experimental

attempts to build a cause and effect relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable

Correlational

allows researcher to establish a relation between two closely related topics/variables

Exploratory

explores a new subject area by taking a holistic viewpoint and gathering foundational insights

Cross-sectional

provides a snapshot of a moment in time to reflect the state

Longitudinal

provides several snapshots of the same sample over a period of time to understand causal relationship

Mixed methods

provides a bespoke application of design subsets to create more precise and nuanced results

Observational

involves observing participants’ ongoing behavior in a natural situation

Non-probability Sampling Methods

samples are chosen without regard to probability of occurrence, caution should be exercised in interpreting the results

Convenience Sampling

elements are chosen primarily by convenience

Judgement/Purposive Sampling

elements are chosen based on the researcher’s or an expert’s judgement