Research Phase III: conducting a research study

Step VI: collecting data

Having formulated a research problem, developed a study design, constructed a research instrument and selected a sample, you then collect the data from which you will draw infer­ences and conclusions for your study.

Many methods could be used to gather the required information. As a part of the research design, you decided upon the procedure you wanted to adopt to collect your data. In this phase you actually collect the data. For example, depending upon your plans, you might com­mence interviews, mail out a questionnaire, conduct nominal/focus group discussions or make observations. Collecting data through any one of the methods may involve some ethical issues, which are discussed in Chapter 14.

Step VII: processing and displaying data

The way you analyse the information you collected largely depends upon two things: the type of information (descriptive, quantitative, qualitative or attitudinal); and the way you want to communicate your findings to your readers.

Chapter 15 describes different ways of analysing quantitative and qualitative data and Chapter 16 details various methods of displaying analysed data.

In addition to the qualitative-quantitative distinction, it is important for data analysis that you consider whether the data is to be analysed manually or by a computer.

If your study is purely descriptive, you can write your dissertation/report on the basis of your field notes, manually analyse the contents of your notes (content analysis), or use a computer program such as NUD*IST N6, NVivio or Ethnograph for this purpose.

If you want quantitative analysis, it is also necessary to decide upon the type of analysis required (i.e. frequency distribution, cross-tabulations or other statistical procedures, such as regression analysis, factor analysis and analysis of variance) and how it should be presented. You will also need to identify the variables to be subjected to these statistical procedures.

Step VIII: writing a research report

There are two broad categories of reports: quantitative and qualitative. As mentioned earlier, the distinction is more academic than real as in most studies you need to combine quantitative and qualitative skills. Nevertheless, there are some solely qualitative and some solely quantitative studies.

Writing the report is the last and, for many, the most difficult step of the research process. This report informs the world what you have done, what you have discovered and what conclusions you have drawn from your findings. If you are clear about the whole process, you will also be clear about the way you want to write your report. Your report should be written in an academic style and be divided into different chapters and/or sections based upon the main themes of your study. Chapter 17 suggests some of the ways of writing a research report.

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.