unit 3_lena.pdf

8/16/2019 Unit 3_Lena.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/unit-3lenapdf 1/32

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH DESIGNAND DATA ANALYSIS

1



PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Introduction

2. Social Science Research Methodologies

3. Research Ethics

4. Conclusion

2



SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH -1

Social science research is concerned with people

and their life contexts in unpredicted fashion.

Examples:

A study of the socio-economic and environmentaleffects of kerosene lanterns.

Food safety assurance in the Ghanaian food

manufacturing value chain.

Assessing the knowledge and practices of wayside

auto electricians in Ghana3



SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH- 2

The purpose of this unit is to introduce participants to the “empirical

social science research”.

Objectives of the unit:

Identify some of the research strategies available to researchers in

the social sciences;

Know the factors that affect the effectiveness of these research

designs; and

Operationalise these research approaches in ways that the

weaknesses do not limit the credibility of the research findings.

4



Social Science Research Strategies

1. Survey Research

2. Case Study

3. Action Research

5



SURVEY RESEARCH DEFINED Suited to research problems when the researcher aims to

describe the prevalence of a phenomenon or when there is theneed to be predictive about an outcome.

Allows for the drawing of a sample from a population of interest,

with the aim of generalising to the final population

It aims to collect information from a sample within a certaindegree of error.

Surveys tend to be quantitative in nature and usually usestructured and standardized questionnaires.

6



DETAILED STEPS FOR CONDUCTING A SURVEY

RESEARCH

Step One: Clarify the Purpose of the Research

It spells out the reasons for conducting the survey.

It is necessary because clarity of the research purpose helps to know if

the survey is the most appropriate approach to use.

8




RESEARCH –

CONT’D

Step Three: Decision on the Methodsand Procedures

Should it be:◦ Administer face-to-face questionnaires?

◦ Mailed and e-mailed questionnaires? or

◦ Telephone and computerized telephone

interviews?◦ Administer Online?

10




RESEARCH – CONT’D

Step Four: Design the Questionnaire Questionnaires are designed to address the research objectives or

questions.

Guidelines:

◦ Language wording

◦ Recall Bias

◦ Order of the Questions

◦ Length of the Questionnaire

11



Step four - cont’d

Type of Questions:Structured Questions:Structured questionnaires consist of closed or

prompted questions with predefined answers. The researcher has to anticipate all

possible answers with pre-coded responses

Unstructured Questions:Unstructured questionnaires are made up

of questions that elicit free responses. These are guided conversations rather than

structured interviews and would often be referred to as a “topic guide”.

Contingency questions:Questions that are limited to a subset of

respondents for whom they are relevant are called "contingency questions

Matrix Questions:Identical response categories are assigned to

multiple questions

12



DETAILED STEPS FOR CONDUCTING ASURVEY RESEARCH – CONT’D

Step Five: Pilot Test the Questionnaires

The pilot testing of survey instruments helps to:

◦ Know if each question addresses the research questions;

◦ Know if the questions are interpreted in a similar vein byrespondents;

◦ Identify if options provided for close-ended questions are exhaustive;

◦ Assess clarity and understandability of the questions;

◦ Evaluate the time taken to administer a questionnaire; and◦ Know respondents’ reactions to some questions.

13





Step Six: Preparation of the Sample Representativeness of the sample is most relevant.

Guided questions:

◦ How many will be included (the sample size)?

◦ How will the survey respondents be selected?

Determining the Sample Size

Some relevant questions to consider:

◦ What is the size of your target population?◦ What can the budget allow?

◦ How confident do you need to be with the results?

◦ Do you need to look at any subgroups? 14



Step Six: – cont’d

The sample size is often determined statistically if the sampleframe in known.

In a frame of 10 000 students, @ 95% confidence level, anda confidence interval of 0.05 the sample size can bedetermined as follows:

Where n is the sample size; N is the sample frame and α is theconfidence interval.

= 10 000 / 1 + 10 000 (0.05)2 n = 384.6

the sample size is 385 students.

15



Step Six: – cont’d

Sampling Methods

Two methods:

1) Probability sampling – every units has a known and non-zero

chance of being selected.

2) Non-probability – Some units are selected while others are not.

There are several types of probability and non-probability sampling:

16



Sampling methods – cont’d

Probability sampling Non probabilitysampling

Random sampling Snowball sampling

Stratified Sampling Quota sampling

Cluster Sampling Purposive Sampling

17



Merits and Demerits of the SamplingTechniques

Technique Brief Descriptions Advantages Disadvantages

Simplerandom

Random sample fromwhole population

Highly representative if allsubjects participate; the ideal

ot possible without complete listof population members;

potentially uneconomical to

achieve; can be disruptive to

isolate members from a group;

time-scale may be too long.

Stratifiedrandom

Random sample fromidentifiable groups

(strata), subgroups,

etc.

Can ensure that specific groupsare represented, even

proportionally, in the sample(s)

(e.g., by gender), by selecting

individuals from strata list

More complex, requires greatereffort than simple random.

Cluster Random samples of

successive clusters of

subjects (e.g., by

institution) until small

groups are chosen as

units

Possible to select randomly when

no single list of population

members exists, but local lists do;

data collected on groups may

avoid introduction of confounding

by isolating members

Clusters in a level must be

equivalent and some natural

ones are not for essential

characteristics (e.g., geographic:

numbers equal, but

unemployment rates differ)

18



Merits and Demerits of the SamplingTechniques – cont’d

Purposive

Hand-pick subjects on the basisof specific characteristics

Ensures balance of groupsizes when multiple groups

are to be selected

Samples are noteasily defensible as

being representative

of populations due to

potential subjectivity

of researcher

Quota Select individuals as they come

to fill a quota by characteristics

proportional to populations

Ensures selection of adequate

numbers of subjects with

appropriate characteristics

ot possible to prove

that the sample is

representative of

designated population

Snowball Subjects with desired traits or

characteristics give names of

further appropriate subjects

Possible to include members

of groups where no lists or

identifiable clusters even

exist (e.g., drug abusers,

criminals)

o way of knowing

whether the sample is

representative of the

population

19




Step Seven: Train Interviewers

This involves providing them with the skills needed to

undertake successful interviewing.

Interviewers have a tremendous amount of influence on the

quality of the research.

A good interviewer can make all the difference in the world to

the usefulness of the data collected.

20




Step Eight: Data Collection • Describes how the information is gathered from respondents.

• This is an important step, that must be done right in order to ensure

the integrity of the information collected.

• The following procedures are to be observed in data collection:

◦ Face-to-face Interviews

◦ Using Telephone Surveys ◦ Using Mail Surveys

◦ Online

21





Step Nine: Processing the Data This involves preparing and translating the data for analysis.

Involves putting the completed questionnaires into a format

that can be summarized and interpreted.

The procedure includes:

◦ Coding ◦ Data Entry

22




Step Ten: Analysis of Results A crucial step in ensuring that the findings reflect

the opinions and views of respondents.

Both quantitative and qualitative methods areused.

The qualitative inquiries capture areas where in-depth information is required for better

understanding of issues.

The quantitative analysis is can be done usingSPSS, STATA or any other statistical software.

23




Step Eleven: Interpret and DisseminateResults

It is important to feed back the results of thesurvey to management, staff, interested

participants and other stakeholders.

This is to keep them informed and establish buy-infor implementing any changes resulting from the

survey.

24




Step Twelve: Take Action This refers to implementing the changes suggested

by the results of your survey.

It is important to take action and implementchanges in order to make improvements tosubjects understudied.

25



CASE STUDY RESEARCH

A case study is an in-depthinvestigation of an individual, group,institution or phenomenon.

Case studies are often based on thepremise that locating one case is

enough to make a conclusion forother cases since a case can betypified for similar other cases.

26



Purpose of Case Studies

The primary purpose of case study is todetermine factors that have resulted inthe behaviour understudy.

The investigation involves a detailedexamination of a single subject, group orphenomenon.

27



TECHNIQUES FOR SELECTION OFCASES IN CASE STUDY RESEARCH

Case selection in case study research has similarobjectives as random sampling.

In case selection, a researcher desires arepresentative sample which has useful variation onthe dimensions of theoretical interest.

One’s choice of cases is therefore driven by the waya case is situated along these dimensions withinthe population of interest. That is, how the case fitsinto the theoretically specified population.

28



ETHICS IN RESEARCH

Informed Consent

Competence

Privacy ◦ Sensitivity of information

◦ Settings being observed

◦ Dissemination of the information

◦ Anonymity and Confidentiality

30



Thank you

32

unit 3_lena.pdf

Documents