Research methodology and methods are taught in several ways in many academic disciplines at various levels by people committed to a variety of research paradigms. Though paradigms vary in their contents and substance, their broad approach to enquiry, in the author’s opinion, is similar. Such ideas have also been expressed by Festinger and Katz, who in the foreword to their book Research Methods in Behavioral Sciences say: ‘Although the basic logic of scientific methodology is the same in all fields, its specific techniques and approaches will vary, depending upon the subject matter’ (1966: vi). Therefore, the model developed here is generic in nature and can be applied to a number of disciplines in the social sciences. It is based upon a practical and step-by-step approach to research enquiry that at each step provides a smorgasbord of methods, models and procedures to choose from.
Broadly, a research process is very similar to undertaking a journey. Suppose you want to go out for a drive. Before you start, you must decide where you want to go and then which route to take. If you know the route, you do not need to consult a map, but, if you do not know the route, then you need to use one. Your problem is compounded if there is more than one route. You need to decide which one to take. Similarly, for a research journey there are also two important decisions to make. The first is to decide what you want to find out about or, in other words, what research questions you want to find answers to. Having decided upon your research questions or research problems, you then need to decide how to go about finding their answers. The path to finding answers to your research questions constitutes research methodology. Just as there are signposts along the way as you travel to your destination, so there are practical steps through which you must pass on your research journey
Research methodology and methods are taught in several ways in many academic disciplines at various levels by people committed to a variety of research paradigms. Though paradigms vary in their contents and substance, their broad approach to enquiry, in the author’s opinion, is similar. Such ideas have also been expressed by Festinger and Katz, who in the foreword to their book Research Methods in Behavioral Sciences say: ‘Although the basic logic of scientific methodology is the same in all fields, its specific techniques and approaches will vary, depending upon the subject matter’ (1966: vi). Therefore, the model developed here is generic in nature and can be applied to a number of disciplines in the social sciences. It is based upon a practical and step-by-step approach to research enquiry that at each step provides a smorgasbord of methods, models and procedures to choose from.Broadly, a research process is very similar to undertaking a journey. Suppose you want to go out for a drive. Before you start, you must decide where you want to go and then which route to take. If you know the route, you do not need to consult a map, but, if you do not know the route, then you need to use one. Your problem is compounded if there is more than one route. You need to decide which one to take. Similarly, for a research journey there are also two important decisions to make. The first is to decide what you want to find out about or, in other words, what research questions you want to find answers to. Having decided upon your research questions or research problems, you then need to decide how to go about finding their answers. The path to finding answers to your research questions constitutes research methodology. Just as there are signposts along the way as you travel to your destination, so there are practical steps through which you must pass on your research journey
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