RESEARCH SKILLS
GEO1-2415
,Table of Contents
Lecture 1b: Research approaches and getting started ........................................................ 3
The Role of Research Questions:................................................................................................. 3
Role of a Literature Review: ....................................................................................................... 4
Research Logics: ......................................................................................................................... 5
Research strategies: ................................................................................................................... 5
Lecture 2a: Research design principles in quantitative and qualitative research ................ 7
Research approaches in natural science:..................................................................................... 8
Lecture 2b: Research design principles: social sciences view .............................................. 9
Research Designs: ..................................................................................................................... 10
Validity: .................................................................................................................................... 12
Lecture 3a: Sampling design – principles, logic and application ....................................... 13
The purpose of sampling? ......................................................................................................... 14
4 types of probability sample ................................................................................................... 15
Sample size .............................................................................................................................. 16
Types of non-probability sampling............................................................................................ 16
Lecture 3b: Sampling in Qualitative Research .................................................................. 18
Sampling .................................................................................................................................. 18
How to decide on sample size? ................................................................................................. 20
Lecture 4: Data Collection in the Field & Descriptive Statistics ......................................... 20
Process: .................................................................................................................................... 20
Statistical Inference .................................................................................................................. 21
Probability and Statistical Significance:..................................................................................... 21
Statistics: mean, median, mode etc.: ........................................................................................ 23
Lecture 5: Surveys and Questionnaires............................................................................. 24
Structured interviews: .............................................................................................................. 25
Interview design: ...................................................................................................................... 26
Conducting a structured interview............................................................................................ 27
Self-administered Questionnaires............................................................................................. 29
Lecture 6: Data collection – qualitative: interviews .......................................................... 31
Open interviews ....................................................................................................................... 31
Conducting an open interview .................................................................................................. 32
Lecture 6b: Data collection – qualitative: focus groups .................................................... 33
Focus groups ............................................................................................................................ 33
Conducting focus groups .......................................................................................................... 34
1
, Online focus groups: ................................................................................................................. 35
Lecture 7a: Ethnography & Action Research .................................................................... 36
What is ethnography? .............................................................................................................. 36
In practice: ............................................................................................................................... 37
Action Research........................................................................................................................ 38
Lecture 7b: Ethics of field research ................................................................................... 39
Past practice: ............................................................................................................................ 39
Issues: ...................................................................................................................................... 39
2
, Lecture 1b: Research approaches and getting started
Why should you do research:
• Find answers to important questions
• Test theories and advance knowledge
• Inform policy and debate (what course should be taken in society)
The research Process:
• Problem
• Research Questions
• Literature review
o A critical examination of existing research relating to the interest, and
relevant theoretical ideas
• Analytical Framework
o A theoretical lens outlining key variable and relationships, which drives your
data collection and interpretation
• Sampling strategy
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Interpretation/Discussion
o The way you make sense of the findings eg. What do they mean, do they
confirm or disconfirm the existing theory?
• Conclusion
o What did we learn from this work? Does it improve our theoretical or policy
knowledge? What should be done next?
The Role of Research Questions:
• These are questions about exactly what you are investigating
• Must be focused and specific!
• They take time to get right
• Benefit is that they force you to be clear about what you want to find out
• They drive:
o Literature search
o Research design
o Type of data you will collect and from whom
o Data analysis
o Interpretation and Conclusions
Sources of Research Questions:
• Intellectual puzzles and contradictions
• Existing literature
• Replication
3
GEO1-2415
,Table of Contents
Lecture 1b: Research approaches and getting started ........................................................ 3
The Role of Research Questions:................................................................................................. 3
Role of a Literature Review: ....................................................................................................... 4
Research Logics: ......................................................................................................................... 5
Research strategies: ................................................................................................................... 5
Lecture 2a: Research design principles in quantitative and qualitative research ................ 7
Research approaches in natural science:..................................................................................... 8
Lecture 2b: Research design principles: social sciences view .............................................. 9
Research Designs: ..................................................................................................................... 10
Validity: .................................................................................................................................... 12
Lecture 3a: Sampling design – principles, logic and application ....................................... 13
The purpose of sampling? ......................................................................................................... 14
4 types of probability sample ................................................................................................... 15
Sample size .............................................................................................................................. 16
Types of non-probability sampling............................................................................................ 16
Lecture 3b: Sampling in Qualitative Research .................................................................. 18
Sampling .................................................................................................................................. 18
How to decide on sample size? ................................................................................................. 20
Lecture 4: Data Collection in the Field & Descriptive Statistics ......................................... 20
Process: .................................................................................................................................... 20
Statistical Inference .................................................................................................................. 21
Probability and Statistical Significance:..................................................................................... 21
Statistics: mean, median, mode etc.: ........................................................................................ 23
Lecture 5: Surveys and Questionnaires............................................................................. 24
Structured interviews: .............................................................................................................. 25
Interview design: ...................................................................................................................... 26
Conducting a structured interview............................................................................................ 27
Self-administered Questionnaires............................................................................................. 29
Lecture 6: Data collection – qualitative: interviews .......................................................... 31
Open interviews ....................................................................................................................... 31
Conducting an open interview .................................................................................................. 32
Lecture 6b: Data collection – qualitative: focus groups .................................................... 33
Focus groups ............................................................................................................................ 33
Conducting focus groups .......................................................................................................... 34
1
, Online focus groups: ................................................................................................................. 35
Lecture 7a: Ethnography & Action Research .................................................................... 36
What is ethnography? .............................................................................................................. 36
In practice: ............................................................................................................................... 37
Action Research........................................................................................................................ 38
Lecture 7b: Ethics of field research ................................................................................... 39
Past practice: ............................................................................................................................ 39
Issues: ...................................................................................................................................... 39
2
, Lecture 1b: Research approaches and getting started
Why should you do research:
• Find answers to important questions
• Test theories and advance knowledge
• Inform policy and debate (what course should be taken in society)
The research Process:
• Problem
• Research Questions
• Literature review
o A critical examination of existing research relating to the interest, and
relevant theoretical ideas
• Analytical Framework
o A theoretical lens outlining key variable and relationships, which drives your
data collection and interpretation
• Sampling strategy
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Interpretation/Discussion
o The way you make sense of the findings eg. What do they mean, do they
confirm or disconfirm the existing theory?
• Conclusion
o What did we learn from this work? Does it improve our theoretical or policy
knowledge? What should be done next?
The Role of Research Questions:
• These are questions about exactly what you are investigating
• Must be focused and specific!
• They take time to get right
• Benefit is that they force you to be clear about what you want to find out
• They drive:
o Literature search
o Research design
o Type of data you will collect and from whom
o Data analysis
o Interpretation and Conclusions
Sources of Research Questions:
• Intellectual puzzles and contradictions
• Existing literature
• Replication
3
