designing the research tool(s)
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Designing the Research Tool(s). Research Design Types of Primary Research Questionnaire Construction. Designing the Research Tool(s). Primary vs. Secondary Research Reliability and Validity Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data. Research Design. Research Design. Primary Research - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Designing the Research Tool(s)
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Designing the Research Tool(s)
⢠Research Design
⢠Types of Primary Research
⢠Questionnaire Construction
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Research Design
⢠Primary vs. Secondary Research
⢠Reliability and Validity
⢠Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Research DesignPrimary Research
⢠Focus groups
⢠Interview
⢠Observation
⢠Questionnaire survey
Secondary Research⢠Unpublished
â Academic theses, reports
⢠Publishedâ Books,
magazines, journals, newspapers, internet websites
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Reliability
⢠Replicates research with same results
⢠Ensure a significant sample size
Validity
⢠Test what you set out to test
⢠Think through, design and construct carefully
Research Design
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Research DesignQuantitative Data
⢠Completely objective
⢠Easy to tabulate
â Discrete
â continuous
Qualitative Data
⢠Qualities or attributes
⢠Difficult to measure quantitatively
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
⢠Focus groups⢠Observation⢠Interview⢠Questionnaire survey
Types of Primary Research
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Focus Group Discussions
⢠Can be an important tool for â programme evaluationâ Marketing, advertisingâ Policy-makingâ communication
⢠Consists of a number of individuals⢠Lasts between 1 to 2½ hours⢠Records or observes the session
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Focus Group Discussions
Advantages⢠Used for exploratory
research⢠Obtain data quickly
and less costly⢠Interact, probe and
clarify⢠Observe non-verbal
behaviour
Disadvantages⢠Cannot extrapolate to
a larger population⢠Affect the thought
processes of respondents and researcher
⢠Collating the information and its interpretation may be difficult
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Observation⢠Involves watching or seeing what is
happening⢠Obtain data through the use of the five
senses
Example :Counting the number of buses that run on time
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Observational Tally Sheet
No. of buses that run on time at specific time intervals
Observer _________________________ Date ________Place _____________________________ Day _________
Time8 - 8.599 - 9.5910 - 10.5911 - 11.5912 - 12.5913 - 13.5914 - 14.5915 - 15.59
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
ObservationAdvantages⢠May be the only
method at times⢠Generally objective ⢠Easy to tally and work
with
Disadvantages⢠Limited to those
phenomenon observed
⢠Cannot explain why ⢠May be influenced by
observer bias⢠May be expensive
and time-consuming
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Interviews⢠Used when in-depth understanding is
needed⢠Can be used with other research tools
to â Supplement informationâ Clarify the problem, limit the scope etc.â Help interpret unusual findingsâ Put data into perspective
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
InterviewsStructured Interview⢠Cannot vary the way
the questions are asked
⢠Can only repeat the question
⢠Speak in as neutral a tone as possible
Purpose: Limit the interviewer bias
Unstructured interview⢠Conversational in tone⢠Informal way of eliciting
information
Example: Job interviewinformation to be elicited
â qualifications, experience, ability to work with others etc.
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
InterviewsAdvantages⢠Relatively more
flexible and adaptable⢠Permits probing⢠Can observe the non-
verbal behaviour⢠Ambiguity can be
clarified
Disadvantages⢠Interviewer bias can
affect the intervieweeâs responses
⢠Time-consuming and expensive
⢠Difficult to tabulate
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Questionnaire Survey⢠An orderly list of questions to
â obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc.â provide answers to how and why people
think or behave in a certain way⢠Helps researchers
â make decisionsâ improve productsâ recommend policies/proceduresâ suggest changes
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Questionnaire SurveyAdvantages⢠Eliminates researcherâs
prejudices⢠Time and cost effective⢠Reaches a large number
of respondents⢠Respondentsâ privacy
maintained⢠Easy to tabulate
Disadvantages⢠Returns may not be
representative ⢠Answers may not be as
desired⢠May be invalid and
unreliable ⢠Time-consuming to
design and refine
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Types of QuestionsOpen-ended question
In your opinion, how can Resident Committees meet the needs of people living in the neighbourhood?
Dichotomous question Only people with degrees should be promoted.Agree ___ Disagree ___ No opinion ___
Multiple-choice question Tick the radio station you listen to most frequently :Class 95 FM ____ FM92.4 ____93.8 FM ____ Gold 90FM ____
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Types of QuestionsRating question
How do you rate the efficiency of this department?Excellent Good Average Fair Poor1 2 3 4 5
Ranking question Rank the following subjects in order of preference.(1 being the most preferable) :Applied Statistics __________Business Finance __________International Economics __________Managerial Accounting __________Management Sciences __________
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Questionnaire Construction⢠Be as clear as possible ⢠Designed to elicit as accurately and quickly as
possible from the respondentâ obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc.â provide answers to how and why people think or
behave in a certain way⢠Helps researchers
â make decisionsâ improve productsâ recommend policies/proceduresâ suggest changes
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
ExamplePurpose:To evaluate the effect of training programme on staff morale
Hypothesis:Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Hypothesis:
Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.
1. How would you rate the present selection procedures used to identify staff for the new training programme?good 1 2 3 4 poor
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Hypothesis:
Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.
2. If you gave a rating of either 3 or 4, please indicate your reasons (you may tick more than one option):
it is embarrassing to be nominated it doesn't identify the people who really need the
training people who might want to attend the course are not
able to others; please elaborate ______________________
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Structure of the Questionnaire
⢠Be personal and friendlyâ Show appreciationâ Introduce yourself and subject
⢠Be logicalâ Provide clear instructionsâ Place simple questions firstâ Categorise questionsâ Make transitions smooth â Use filter/classification questions
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Content of Questions
⢠Make questions easy to answerâ Avoid sensitive or personal questionsâ Avoid asking for difficult information
⢠Provide realistic optionsâ offer choices that are mutually exclusiveâ avoid multi-topic questionsâ include âdonât knowâ, âothersâ, no opinionâ
categories
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Phrasing of Questions
⢠Phrase questions unambiguouslyâ Use question words
Eg. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
â Avoid words with vague meanings
Eg. Do you drink regularly?
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
⢠Use objective phrasingâ Phrase questions concisely
â Eg. Has it happened to you that over a long
period of time, when you neither practiced
abstinence nor birth control, you did not
conceive?
Phrasing of Questions
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
⢠Use objective phrasingâ Avoid leading questions
Eg. Is Phua Chu Kang your favourite sitcom?
â Avoid loaded questions
Eg. Do you practise good dental hygiene?
Phrasing of Questions
Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)
Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s)
Basic Principles⢠Be brief
â Keep the questionnaire shortâ Make each question count
⢠Be professionalâ Make questionnaire visually appealingâ Use good quality paper â Use correct grammar
⢠Plan for easy tabulationâ Avoid open-ended questions â Provide range categories