research methodology Assignment

 

1.    Citing examples, discuss the role of research in socio-economic development (10 Marks)

Socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and social life. In many cases, however, socio-economists focus on the social impact of a specific kind of economic change. Such changes might include displacement of people due to a closing factory, village-to-city migration, market manipulation and even the signing of trade treaties, etc.

The goal of a socio-economic study is generally to undertake an impact assessment and bring about socio-economic development, usually in terms of improvements in metrics such as GDP, life expectancy, literacy and/or levels of employment.

Role of research in our society

Knowledge expansion: We do research to find out more. The greatest usefulness of research we can say is the production of new knowledge over the existing one. Knowledge, then, is dynamic and growing.

Let’s imagine that since 1900 no research had been done, how would we live in the 21st century? We would still ride in wagons, infant mortality would be enormous, we would die from tuberculosis and measles, we would not have television and much less the Internet. I

Know the truth: Doubt and disagreement are the great promoters of many investigations. The knowledge of the truth, of how nature works, of how to explain our reality is largely the product of researchers dedicated to satisfying their questions.

From the investigations of Lynn Margullis (1938-2011) the endosymbiosis theory could be established as the origin of eukaryotic cells. She showed evidence that prokaryotic organisms established symbiotic relationships and from there arose eukaryotic algae and plants.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the sun and other stars. This fact was discovered by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979) in her astronomical research. Importance

Improve Life Quality: Electricity is essential in our daily routines. Less than 300 years ago it was a phenomenon unknown to most of the population. Starting with Benjamin Franklin’s famous experience of the lightning bolt and kite, going through the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison and the creation of electric generators, it is unthinkable to be able to live in our modern societies without electricity.

Explore history: The investigation in this case is based on investigating what the past was like and the events that led us to the present moment.

For example, the disappearance of the Mayan civilization is one of the greatest mysteries in history. Through archaeological searches, several theories have been proposed to explain what happened to the Mayan population hundreds of years ago. 

Fix errors: Many times we have made mistakes due to lack of research. One of the most regrettable recent cases is that of thalidomide. Due to lack of research on the effects of this drug on fetal development, thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women between 1956 and 1962 to reduce the discomforts of pregnancy.

Shortly thereafter, the use of thalidomide during pregnancy was found to affect arm and leg development in children. Thanks to this event, drug research on fetal growth became mandatory before its commercialization

Favor the progress of humanity: Humanity has benefited enormously from research work, mainly in the area of ​​health and hygiene.

Jonas Salk (1914-1995) was the doctor and researcher who discovered the vaccine against polio, a disease produced by a virus. In 1951, Salk injected dead polio viruses into volunteers, eliminating the danger of the person being infected. This vaccine stimulated the immune system to produce protective proteins, called antibodies. I

New discoveries: Contrary to what many believe, discoveries and inventions do not happen out of nowhere. Behind every invention or discovery there is a conscious search, in order to find improvements.

For example, bacteria defend themselves against viruses using small pieces of DNA called CRISPR. The discovery of the defense mechanisms of bacteria against viruses has led to the development of DNA editing techniques, known as CRISPR / Cas9. This technique has great potential in curing genetic diseases, cancer prevention and resistance against plant pests.

 

Role of research in economic development

        I.            Economic Planning and Development: Social research provides insights into consumer behavior, market preferences, and socioeconomic trends, enabling businesses and governments to make informed economic decisions and investments.

     II.            Sustainable Development Goals and Economies: It explores how economies are able to meet SDGs? What models (especially financial and market access models such as informal financing, close market access and social capital) are working on achieving SDGs.

  III.            Flexibility, agility and stability in economic growth: Economic growth is a complex system consisting of diverse components and activities, which are interacting and changing in different ways over time. Scholars have a chance to explore evolutionary processes and complex transformation in economic growth, with particular emphasis on the nature of flexibility, agility and stability. This will help policymakers to prioritize the public policies as well as accelerate growth strategies for their economies.

  IV.            Informed Decision-Making: Research findings enable decision-makers to make informed choices about resource allocation, investment priorities, and interventions that have a positive impact on both social and economic outcomes.

    V.            Human Capital Development: Research on education, skills development, and employment trends informs strategies to enhance human capital, aligning workforce skills with industry needs and boosting economic productivity.

the role of research in socio-economic development

Human Capital Development: Research on education, skills development, and employment trends informs strategies to enhance human capital, aligning workforce skills with industry needs and boosting economic productivity.

Fix errors :Many times we have made mistakes due to lack of research. One of the most regrettable recent cases is that of thalidomide. Due to lack of research on the effects of this drug on fetal development, thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women between 1956 and 1962 to reduce the discomforts of pregnancy.

Economic Planning and Development: Social research provides insights into consumer behavior, market preferences, and socioeconomic trends, enabling businesses and governments to make informed economic decisions and investments.

Informed Decision-Making: Research findings enable decision-makers to make informed choices about resource allocation, investment priorities, and interventions that have a positive impact on both social and economic outcomes.

Knowledge expansion: We do research to find out more. The greatest usefulness of research we can say is the production of new knowledge over the existing one. Knowledge, then, is dynamic and growing.

New discoveries: Contrary to what many believe, discoveries and inventions do not happen out of nowhere. Behind every invention or discovery there is a conscious search, in order to find improvements.

2.Discuss key features of distinction between social science research and research in natural sciences (10 Marks)

Both research areas, social and scientific, are crucial in understanding the social and natural phenomena and generating new knowledge; however, there is difference between social research and scientific research in many aspects. The purpose of a research is to generate new knowledge. Scientists do research on the physical aspects of the world whereas social scientists conduct researches to analyze social behavior of human beings. In both cases, scientists use various methods to carry out their work and these methods vary based on the research. Social scientists use social research and this could be either qualitative or quantitative or both. Scientific research is used in natural sciences and the methods are mostly quantitative. However, both research areas are important in understanding the natural and social phenomena

What is Social Research

Social research is used to investigate the behavior of humans in the social life. Lately, the research methods of social sciences were developed to be more objective and scientific. As mentioned above, social research is either qualitative or quantitative or both. Qualitative approach can be seen in participant observation, communication with research participants, etc. This approach is related to the quality. The quantitative approach relies on statistical data and social phenomenon is analyzed through countable evidence. This is related to the quantity. At present, most social researchers use both these methods in their findings and the research field is stepping towards the objectivity. The most difficult thing related to social research is that sometimes the researcher’s personal feelings may get involved in the findings and the research may be subjective and biased. Nevertheless, with the new research methodologies now the situation has been changed. The findings are more or less objective in many social researches.

What is Scientific Research

Scientific research is connected with natural sciences like physics, chemistry, etc. In scientific research also, scientists try to generate new knowledge. Here, researcher investigates the phenomenon by using empirical and measurable techniques. Scientific studies are mostly accurate and they are objective. Scientific researches follow measurable analytical method and the specialty is that anybody can repeat the same research anytime. Also, if there are some modifications, scientist can change one or two variables and get the preferred result. Scientific research usually starts with a hypothesis and then the variables are tested in order to check whether the hypothesis is true or false. If it is true, then the hypothesis may become a theory and if proved to be false, it may leave out. When it comes to natural sciences, it is easy to do predictions and tests unlike in social sciences

What is the difference between Social Research and Scientific Research?

When we take both social and scientific research, we can see that both subject areas try to be more objective to get more accurate results. Also, in conducting the research, the researcher should be unbiased and he/she should follow a systematical and transparent path to get the intended result.

• If we look at the differences, we see that social research is difficult to repeat because the variables may change over the time whereas scientific research can be repeated many times if necessary.

• Also, the results of social research are subjected to change anytime with the change of considered variables whereas scientific research result lasts longer.

• Moreover, the social researcher has more chance to feel bias towards the subject area but in scientific research this chance is very low.

• Social researches take place within a society and scientific research takes place in a laboratory.

However, both research areas are crucial in understanding the social and natural phenomena and also they are significant in generating new knowledge in the world.

3.Citing examples, distinguish between conceptual, empirical and theoretical frameworks in research

A conceptual framework serves as a basis, for research by defining and organizing ideas and variables. It establishes connections between these ideas guiding the development of the research design. It also sets the scope of the study by defining its boundaries and parameters. For instance, if we were studying the impact of media on self-esteem the conceptual framework would outline concepts like social media usage, self-esteem well as potential factors that could influence them such as body image and social comparison.

Example In the study examining the factors affecting customer satisfaction, the concept of strategy provides a good understanding of the main points of the study by showing the relationship between variables such as service quality, price, customer expectations and trust.

On the hand an empirical framework refers to how research methods and data collection are practically implemented. It involves gathering data and evidence to either support or challenge hypotheses or research questions. This framework includes aspects like research design, sampling methods, techniques, for collecting data and procedures for analyzing it. In our examples context an empirical framework would involve determining sample sizes selecting participants, administering surveys or conducting experiments and analyzing any data collected.

Example To understand the effects of exercise on cardiovascular health, participants recommend the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including the content of exercise, measurement of cardiovascular system symptoms (such as blood testing). pressure, cholesterol level) and statistical data method

Lastly a theoretical framework encompasses theories, models or concepts that provide an understanding and explanation of the research topic at hand. It offers a lens through which research questions are explored. Theoretical frameworks may be derived from existing literature. Developed specifically for a study.

In our example we can use theories such, as comparison, self-concept and social influence to understand how social media usage impacts an individual’s self-esteem.

Example A theoretical framework that draws on feminist theory and human capital theory to explain the factors that contribute to the wage gap in a research project to investigate the gender pay gap A basis for interpreting the research. . A broader perspective.

 

4.Distinguish between research designs suitable for quantitative research and those suitable for qualitative research (10 Marks)

Qualitative and quantitative research are two broad categories of research methods used in various fields, including social sciences, psychology, market research, and more. They differ in terms of purpose, method, data sources, and data analysis. Here's a breakdown of their distinctions:

Purpose:

Qualitative Research: The primary purpose of qualitative research is to gain an in-depth understanding of underlying reasons, motivations, and opinions. It aims to explore and describe complex phenomena, often focusing on the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of individuals or groups. It seeks to uncover insights and generate theories from the data.

Quantitative Research: Quantitative research, on the other hand, is focused on numerical data and aims to establish patterns, relationships, and cause-and-effect connections among variables. Its purpose is often to generalize findings to a larger population and to measure phenomena in a standardized and objective manner.

 

Method:

Qualitative Research: Qualitative research employs methods such as interviews, focus groups, observations, case studies, and open-ended surveys. Researchers use these methods to collect non-numerical data in the form of text, audio, or video, capturing rich and detailed information about the subject of study.

Quantitative Research: Quantitative research relies on structured data collection methods, such as surveys with closed-ended questions, experiments, or systematic observations. The data collected is numerical in nature, allowing for statistical analysis and numerical representation of findings.

Data Sources:

Qualitative Research: Data sources in qualitative research often involve human participants, and the data is typically gathered through direct interaction with them. This could include interviews, focus groups, participant observations, and field notes.

Quantitative Research: In quantitative research, data sources can vary from human participants to collected data from surveys, experiments, and existing databases. The data is usually structured and can be easily quantified.

Data Analysis:

Qualitative Research: Qualitative data analysis involves interpreting and making sense of the data in a subjective and context-dependent manner. Researchers use techniques like thematic analysis, content analysis, or grounded theory to identify patterns, themes, and insights from the data.

Quantitative Research: Quantitative data analysis involves the use of statistical methods and numerical representations to analyze data objectively. Researchers use statistical software to analyze the data, calculate averages, correlations, regression, and draw conclusions based on the statistical significance of the results.

In summary, qualitative research aims to explore and understand complex phenomena in depth using non-numerical data, while quantitative research aims to quantify and establish relationships between variables using numerical data. Each approach has its strengths and limitations, and the choice between qualitative and quantitative methods depends on the research questions and objectives. In some cases, researchers might even combine both methods (mixed-methods research) to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject under investigation.

 

References

Doré N. I., & Teixeira A. A. (2021). Empirical literature on economic growth, 1991–2020: Uncovering extant gaps and avenues for future research. Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies.

Grossman G. M., & Krueger A. B. (1995). Economic growth and the environment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110(2), 353–377.

Levine R. (1997). Financial development and economic growth: Views and agenda. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(2), 688–726

Levine R., & Zervos S. (1998). Stock markets, banks, and economic growth. American Economic Review, 88, 537–558.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2017). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. Sage Publications.

Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson.