Course Titles/Code: Research method and Sample

Survey practice (Stat3032)

Prerequisite: Sampling Theory(stat 2031)
Course Contents:
1. Research Methods (5 hours)
1. Introduction: Concepts and definition of research
2. Dimension of Research
3. Tools of Research
4. Stating a Research Problem
5. Literature Review
6. Research Design

7. Research Proposal Writing

8. Writing a Research Report

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2. Introduction to Sample Survey (1 hours)
1. The Purpose of Sampling
2. Planning of Sample Survey
3. Sources of Data
4. Advantages of sample survey

3. Multistage Sampling: Two-Stage Equal Cluster

Sampling (3 hours)
1. Simple random sampling
2. Stratified random sampling
4. Preparation of Sampling Frames (2 hours)
1. Definition of Frames
2. Types of Sampling Frames
5. Sample Design (2 hours)
1. Choice of Sampling Design
2. Selection process
3. Estimation Procedures

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6. Methods of Data Collection (1 hours)
1. Types of Data Collection Methods
2. Importance of combining different data collection techniques
3. Ethical Consideration

7.Instruments of Data Collections (3 hours)

1. Types of Instruments
2. Principles of Questionnaire Design
3. Types of Questions
4. Question Layout
5. Common Problems of Question Writing (Phrasing)

8. Pre-tests and Pilot Survey (1 hours)

1. Pre-tests
2. Pilot survey

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9. Survey Cost Estimation (1 hours)
1. Time Scheduling
2. Preparation of Budget Proposal
10. Field Work (1 hours)
1. Organization of Field Work
2. Recruitment of Field Workers
11. Survey Analysis (1 hours)
1. Data Analysis
2. Presenting the Results
12. Non-sampling Error in Surveys (1 hours)
1. Classification of survey error
2. Classification of non-sampling error

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 13. Application of Sample Survey Practice: (16 hours)
1.Field visits to gain experience
2.prepare survey design, collect data, process the collected
data, analyze and write a report.
14. Statistical Consultancy (10 hours)
1.General discussion of statistical consulting
2.The role of the statistician in the experimental process;
3.The tools and training necessary for statistical consulting;
4.Principles of good practice of statistical consulting
5.Consulting practice

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1.1 Concepts and Definition of Research

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Research is a process of enquiry and investigation that can
help to solve practical problems.

Problem Solution
Activity

Systematically Unsystematically

…. is the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of

existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to
generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings.

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…..it is a search of knowledge.

What are the various sources of knowledge?

knowledge
A. Everyday Experience as Sources of
Knowledge
Common Sense

The Method of Tenacity

The Method of Authority

The a Priori Method

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 Common Sense
Common sense is our own usual understanding
of the world.

It originates from our day-to-day practical

experiences and in turn guides our daily
interaction with our surrounding.

We assume this knowledge is correct

because it is familiar to us.
 Our senses
 Use of opinion of others

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 The Method of Tenacity
The term tenacity refers to the acceptance of
traditional beliefs and customs based on the
idea that “we have always known it to be
this way”.
We accept those beliefs and customs as true
without exploring them and then behave with
it.
Even when we come across evidences that
contradict our beliefs, we still tend to stick to
our traditional belief.

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 The Method of Authority
Authoritative knowledge is an uncritical
acceptance of another’s knowledge such as
doctors, lawyers, electrician, civil engineer or
chemist, significant others, priests, etc.

 Authority knowledge in areas about which

we know nothing, is useful and beneficial.

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 The a Priori Method
The idea that underlies the a priori method is that
first we develop general knowledge, opinion, or
belief about the world through the aforementioned
methods or personal observation of things around us
and then we draw new and specific conclusion from
this general knowledge.

As a result it is also known as a deductive reasoning.

Reason and logic are the basic tools of a prior

method and often take the form of a logical
syllogism such as All men are tall; Alemu is a man;
therefore, Alemu is tall.
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 B. The Scientific Method
Science can be defined as the study or
knowledge of world based on observation and
experimentation.
It goes a step beyond common sense and
provides scientific explanations for realities in
life and those that we take for granted.
It can be seen as a systematic and controlled
extension of common sense –
The scientific method of knowing is the
scientific research.
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 Definition
The word research is composed of two syllabuses, re
and search. RE=is a prefix meaning again, a new or
over again;
again SEARCH =is a verb meaning to examine
closely and carefully,
carefully to test and try or to investigate.
Research: research refers to the systematic methods
consisting of: articulating problem, formulating a
hypothesis (if need), collecting data, analyzing data and
arriving at certain conclusions either in the form of
solutions for the problem or certain generalizations for
some theoretical formulation.
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 Purpose of Scientific Research
The main purpose of scientific research is:
 problem solving by applying scientific procedures.
To reduce the complexity of problems, discovering the
relationship b/n phenomena or making predictions about
the future of events.
In short, the specific purposes of scientific research
may include:
 Describing

 Explaining

 Predicting

 Controlling

 Comparing

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Cont’d…
Description –give a pictorial version of the
phenomena being studied
- In description, … answers to questions ‘’what’’, ‘’who’’
and ‘’where’’?
- Explanation- involves understanding the cause and
effect relationship between phenomena.
- Answers the question “why?”
- Prediction –give generalizations to predict what will
happen in the future.
- Control –to intervene and subsequently observe an
expected result.
- Comparison –comparing groups on one behavior or
compare different behaviors in one group.

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 Motivation of Research
People are motivated to conduct research:
 interest about new things, directives of government,
employment conditions,
 desire to understand causal relationships, Desire to be of
service to society;
 Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential
benefits;
 Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved
problems, i.e., concern over practical problems;
 Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
 Social thinking, desire to get respectability and the like…

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Criteria of a Good Research
 A good Research is:
 Systematic - so ordered, planned and disciplined;
 Logical- should be guided by logical reasoning
 Controlled - the researcher can have confidence in his/her research
outcomes;
 Empirical/practical - putting beliefs, ideas, or assumptions to a test;
 Replicable- can be repeated with a new group of subjects or at different point in
time
 Generative- it should leads to generating many other new questions
 Critical - many truths are tentative and are subject to change as a result of
subsequent research.

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 Types of Research
Research can be classified in terms of:
Goal of research
 Basic/fundamental research and applied research.
Specific objectives of research
 Descriptive, explanatory and exploratory research
Approaches of research or the type of data used Qualitative
and quantitative
Designs,
 experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental
the sources of data collection in research,
 Primary research and secondary research
Fields of study
 natural science research,
 social science research,
 educational research,
 behavioral science research,
 health science research, etc

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 1. Basic / Applied research
Basic research
It is also called fundamental /Theoretical /Analytic or
pure research- involves developing and testing theories
and hypothesis that are intellectually challenging to the
researcher .
It is basically concerned with the formulation of a
theory and with the advancement of knowledge.
That is, basic research is designed to add to an
organized body of scientific knowledge and does not
necessarily produce results of immediate practical
value.
The driving force in basic research is a researcher’s
motivation/curiosity or interest to expand human
knowledge.
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 Cont’d…
The major aims of basic research include:
 Obtaining and using empirical data to formulate, expand, or evaluate
theory;
theory and
 Discovery of knowledge solely for the sake of knowledge.

Hence, basic research may take any of the following forms:

 Discovery: where a totally new idea or explanation emerges from
empirical research which may revolutionize thinking on that
particular topic.
 Innovative : where a new technique or method is created.
 Reflection : where an existing theory, technique or group of ideas is
re-examined possibly in a different organizational or social context.

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 Cont’d…
Applied research:
Applied research is designed to solve practical
problems of the modern world, rather than to
acquire knowledge for only knowledge's sake.
It is problem-oriented.
The purpose of applied research is about testing
theories, often generated by pure science, and
applying them to real situations, to improve the
human condition practically.
Applied scientific research can be about finding out
the answer to a specific problem, such as ‘Is global
warming avoidable?’ or ‘Does a new type of
medicine really help the patients?’
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 Descriptive / Explanatory research
Descriptive research
… sets out to describe and to interpret “what is”.
The researcher try's to answer questions like;
 What was happening?
 How was this happened?
 Who involve in this research?
 What is happening?
Descriptive research involves a variety of methods:
 Surveys

 Correlation studies
 Observation studies

 Case studies

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 Cont’d…
Explanatory
•When we have an issue that is already known and have a
description of it, we might begin to wonder “why
things are the way they are”.
•So, the purpose of explanatory research is to clarify why
and how there is a relationship between two aspects of a
situation.
•This type of research is involved in explaining why
something happens, and assessing causal relationships
between variables.
Thus, explanatory or analytical research aims to
understand phenomena by discovering and measuring
causal relations among them.

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 Types explanatory research
Experimental research
In its simplest form, experimental research involves
comparing two groups on one outcome measure to
test some hypothesis regarding causation.
In experimental research, the researcher intentionally
manipulates one variable to measure its effect on the
other.

Ex-post-facto research/Retrospective studies

Ex-post-facto in research means after the fact or
retrospectively
Investigates a phenomenon, situation, problem or issue
that has happened in the past.
They are usually conducted either on the basis of the data
available for that period or on the basis of respondents’
recall of the situation.
For example: investigating the reasons why fatal
traffic accident is increasing in Ethiopia
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 Exploratory Research
Exploratory research is conducted when there are few or no
earlier studies to which references can be made for
information.
It is conducted because a problem has not been clearly defined.
Its purpose is to gain background information and better
understand and clarify a problem.

The results of exploratory research are not usually useful for

decision-making by themselves, but they can provide significant
insight into a given situation.

Exploratory research helps to:

 determine the best research design,
 develop hypotheses, develop questions to be answered,
 understand how to measure a variable,
 determine data collection method, and
 determine selection of subjects.
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 Qualitative /Quantitative research
Qualitative research
….an inquiry based on information derived from
understanding of the behavior of people and institutions, their
values, rituals, symbols, beliefs, emotions.
It involves non-numerical data or data in the form of
“words” , such as opinions and literature.
Involves in-depth interviews, group discussions, artifact
studies, projective techniques, and observations without
formal measurement.
Quantitative research,
research
…based on information derived from surveys, experiments,
and administrative records.
Here the data are in the form of “numbers” and it is mainly
expressed in numbers, graphs and tables 29
Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
The emphasis of Quantitative Qualitative research is more
research is on collecting and subjective in nature than Quantitative
analyzing
analysing numerical data; research and involves examining and
It concentrates on measuring the reflecting on the less tangible aspects
scale, range, frequency etc. of of a research subject, e.g. values,
phenomena. attitudes, perceptions.
This type of research, although
Although this type of research can be
harder to design initially, is usually
highly detailed and structured and easier to start, it can be often difficult
results can be easily collated and to interpret and present the findings;
presented statistically. the findings can also be challenged
Quantitative research, on the more easily.
other hand, is more concerned with Qualitative research is concerned
questions about: with finding the answers to questions
how much? How many? How which begin with:
often? To what extent? etc. why? How? In what way?

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Other types of Research
Cross-sectional Research:
Cross-sectional research is usually the simplest and
cheapest way of research.
In this research, the researcher observes a problem at
a single point of time.
Its disadvantage is that we cannot measure a change
or processes.
Longitudinal Research:
Longitudinal research involves the study of a problem
or the same body of phenomenon over a period of
time(for a sequence of periods). The basic three types
of longitudinal researches are Time series(trend),
panel study and cohort analysis.
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 cont’d…
Predictive Research: Predictive research goes
further by forecasting future phenomena, based on
the interpretations suggested by explanatory research.
It aims to generalize from the analysis by predicting
certain phenomena on the basis of hypothesized
general relationships.
Time series research is a longitudinal study in
which the same type of information is collected on a
group of people or other units across multiple time
periods. Researchers can observe stability or change
in the features of the units’ or can track conditions
over time.

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 cont’d…
The panel study: is a powerful type of longitudinal
research. In this research, researcher observes exactly
the same people, group, or organization across time
periods.
A cohort analysis: is similar to the panel study, but
rather than observing the exact same people, a
category of people who share a similar life experience
in a specified time period is studied. The focus is on
the cohort, or the category, not on specific individuals.
Commonly used cohorts include all people born in the
same year. (called birth cohorts), all people hired at
the same time, all people who graduate in a given year.
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Stating a Research problem
Literature Review
Research Design

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