倫敦商學院留學生essay指導寫作-Research Methods

 

Suggested Text 

Saunders, M., Thornhill, A. and Lewis, P. (2003). Research methods for business students, 3rd Edition, London: Pitman.

In particular chapters 1, 2 & 4

 

Useful Website

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/ Then click on  ‘The Knowledge base’ section 

 

 

CORE CONCEPT

Research can be distinguished from data gathering in that research is theory dependent and is conducted in order to generate knowledge.

 

The research aim(s) and objective(s) 

The research objective is perhaps the most essential element of a piece of research. If this is not clear from the very start, you definitely run the risk of getting lost. It is essential that all students are aware of the difference between a research question and a research objective;

 

A Research Question - The specific purpose stated in the form of a question.

 

A Research Objective - A clear statement of the specific purposes of the study, which identifies the key study variables (and possible interrelationships) and the nature of the population of interest. 

 

Types of Research Question 

 

Descriptive research – Research for which the purpose is to produce an accurate representation of persons, events or situations. 

 

Exploratory research – Research that aims to seek new insights into phenomena, to ask questions and to assess the phenomena in a new light. This is often conducted in emerging areas of study or when re-visiting existing areas in a new light

Explanatory research – research that focuses on studying a situation or a problem in order to explain the relationships between variables. Can be Relational, i.e. designed to look at the relationships between two or more variables or Causal, i.e. designed to determine whether one or more variables causes or affects one or more outcome variables.

本研究的目的（S）和目的（的）

本研究的目的是一篇研究的最基本的元素。如果這是不清楚，從一開始，你肯定迷路的風險。所有的學生都知道的一個研究問題和研究目的之間的區別是很重要的；

一個研究問題的具體目標，以問題的形式表示。

研究目的：明確特定的研究目的，確定研究的關鍵變量（和可能的相互關系）和人口的利益的性質。

類型的研究問題

描述性研究–研究的目的是生產人員的精確表示，事件或情況。

探索性研究，旨在為–現象的新的見解，問問題，在一個新的評估光現象。這是經常進行的研究的新興領域，或當重新訪問現有的地區在一個新的光

解釋性研究–研究，重點研究了一種情況或問題為了解釋變量之間的關系。可關聯，即設計看兩個或兩個以上的變量或因果關系，即設計確定一個或多個變量的原因或影響一個或多個結果變量。

 

Research Approaches 

 

Deductive approach

Theory testing – it involves the development and testing of a theory or hypotheses. 

A hypothesis is a testable proposition about the relationship between 2 or more events or concepts. A researcher generally will begin by thinking up a theory about a topic of interest. This topic is then narrowed down into more specific hypotheses that can be tested. Data or observations are collected  to address the hypotheses. This ultimately leads to being able to test the hypotheses with specific data -- a confirmation (or not) of the original theories.

 

Inductive Approach 

Theory building – the development of a theory as a result if the observation of empirical data

Inductive reasoning works in the opposite way from deduction, moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. In inductive reasoning, the researcher begins with specific observations and measures, seeks to detect patterns and regularities in order to formulate some tentative hypotheses that can be explored in order to finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.

 

Research Strategies 

 

General plan of how the researcher will go about answering the research question(s)

 

Possible strategies

• Experiment 

• Survey

• Case study

• Grounded theory

• Ethnography

• Action research

 

In deciding upon your research strategy it is important to consider the following;

Time horizon – cross-sectional or longitudinal 

Access – Can you gain access to the respondents / information you require

Ethics – type of information being collected and the level of knowledge/consent of respondents

 

Limitations – every research strategy will have limitations and it is important to be aware of these at the outset. It is important, at the same time be sure that this approach has less limitations than other approaches, i.e. you must be able to justify why you have chosen this approach over other approaches.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

Units of analysis

One of the most important ideas in a research project is the unit of analysis. The unit of analysis is the major entity that you are analyzing in your study. For instance, any of the following could be a unit of analysis in a study: 

• individuals 

• groups 

• An organisation or organisation(s)

• Artifacts (books, art, photos, newspapers) 

• geographical units (town, census tract, state) 

• social interactions (dyadic relations) 

Types of Data 

 

Qualitative Data - involves analysis of data such as words (e.g., from interviews), pictures (e.g., video), or objects (e.g., an artifact).

 

Quantitative Data – numerical data or data that can be usefully quantified, i.e expressed as numbers

 

Data Analysis techniques will be dependent on the type of data collected and the question you want to answer. It is important to consider how your data will be analysed before you collect it

定性數據涉及的數據如話語分析（例如，從訪談），圖片（例如，視頻），或對象（例如，一個神器）。

定量數據–數值數據或數據，可以有效地量化，即表示為數

數據分析技術將依賴于數據收集和你想回答問題的類型。重要的是要考慮如何您的數據將被分析之前您收集的

 

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