Analyzing and Evaluating Different Research Methodological Approaches - Coursework Example

Analyzing and Evaluating Different Research Methodological Approaches Executive summary Research methodologies were investigated by looking at the various research journal articles. Specifically, methodologies of this paper were looked. Investigation also looked at the standards that high ranking journals look in deciding which studies to be published. Introduction Journals and journal articles play a major role in modern knowledge management. Not only are they used for knowledge proliferation, they are also used for taking snapshots of the available knowledge at any given time. With regard to taking snapshots of the available knowledge, they provide information about what was known about a specifictopic at a specific time (Joseph, 2013). In these journals, researchers use various methodologies in order to accomplish their research. The known mythologies are the quantitative and the qualitative methodologies. As Eliud (2012) argues, researchers can also use a mixed method which means that they will use both the quantitative and the qualitative methods to do their research (Sofaer, 2002). The difference between the two major categories of methodologies is the kind of data they use. They also use different kinds of approaches to carry out their research. Journals that rank high in the ABS ranking sic as rank 3 and above are very strict with the way in which the researchers apply these methods. Strict sampling methods are also observed (Berg, 2013). This paper will look at how researchers use these methodologies while carrying out their studies. Literature review of research methodologies As Blumberg, Copper and Schindler (2011) say, qualitative research seeks to look at the how and why of human behavior such as decision making in humans. As a result it seeks to use smaller samples that are a representative of the larger population. According to Gray (2009), qualitative research does not use a lot of empirical evidence but uses qualitative data gathered from the sample in order to understand phenomena. In this regard, it is relevant to research in social sciences and not in pure science research. The authors seek to make sure that they have as much a good sample in the study as it is possible (Hart, 2001). As Jankowicz (2005) argues, the success of any qualitative research is highly dependent on the quality of the sample. In this regard, the quality of the sample refers to how much the sample is a representative of the larger population that is being investigated. Qualitative research therefore depends mainly on focus groups and individual interviews for information collection. Researchers can also use participation or observations to collect information. On the other hand, quantitative research uses a lot of empirical evidence in its study. This type of study is usually done in pure sciences. Quantitative is data intensive and uses a lot of empirical data. In some cases, qualitative research can be seen as a precursor for a quantitative research (Myers, 2009). In such an instance, researchers can do a qualitative research to form a basis for an upcoming quantitative. In some instances, researchers may want to carry out studies using both methodologies. This kind of study is called a mixed method study and uses both the qualitative and the quantitative study method (Taylor, 2005). The need to use a mixed method can arise when the nature of the phenomena being investigated requires that both quantitative and qualitative data. Sometimes this is necessary in order for the best understanding of the phenomena (Isaac, 2012). Sampling the participants For each of these methodologies, there are various types of sampling that can be used for them to have a cohort to use in the study (Quinn, 2015). As Newman (1998) argues, there are no specific sampling methods that are ideal for any one of these methodologies and the choice of a sampling method is always determined by the nature of the study and the circumstances that surround the research study (Smith, 2007). As Bernard (2011) says, random sampling is one of the main and the surest method of sampling in research. In this kind of research, any member of the population has an equal chance of being in the sample. This is however a difficult method to use when the population is too big. It is also used when and where the general population is being investigated (Willig, 2013). It is therefore not a good sampling method to use in cases when a certain demographic part of the population is the one being investigated. For instance, if the research is aimed at investigating certain phenomena about young people of below age 30, this can be a hard sampling method to use because not everybody in the population is a young person. Systemic sampling is also another method that researchers use in creating a sample for their study (Thomas, 2003). As (Smith, Harre, & Langenhove, 1995) unlike the random sampling, the systemic sampling brings in one more level of seriousness in order to try and be as unbiased as possible. This sampling method is called the Nth sampling method since the full list of all the possible candidates is used and every Nth candidate is chosen to be part of the sample. For this sampling method to work, it the list used to identify the Nth candidate must not be ordered in any predetermined way such as alphabetical order. When used this way, this sampling method is almost as good as the random sampling method (Larkin, 2009). Stratified sampling method is also another method for sampling (Walliman, 2011). The method is used in where stratums are needed to be investigated in the study. Stratus can be managers, or non managers, students or non students. As Zikmund and William (2003) says, once the stratums have been identified, random sampling can then be used to identify the number of participants who will be involved from each stratum. This is important because the sample that will be arrived at is most representative of the population (Partington, 2002). This sampling method is considered to be superior to the random sampling because it meant that the end sample will not lack some aspects other data being sought. For instance, if a random sampling a stratified sampling method was to be used in a case where workers in a firm are being investigated, it would be possible to have a sample that does not have one or more of the subsets of data, such s for managers, or non managers (Perri & Bellamy, 2012). This is however not possible in the stratified method. Convenience sampling can also be used in research studies. The researchers use a convenient method where non probabilistic method is used t sample the population. The researchers identify and choose the participants based on how convenient it is to get them (Black, 2003). As a result, this kind of sampling is not usually a very good one for comprehensive studies and so it is used for the preliminary studies. Apart from these sampling methods, there are other sampling methods but which are used very rarely. According to Bowerman, OConnell, and Murphree, (2009), these include judgment sampling, quota sampling and snowball sampling. These sampling methods are usually non probabilistic sampling and are only used when and where it is absolutely necessary. For instance, snowball sampling is used in cases where the participants are very rare and it can be very difficult, or even cost prohibitive to use this sampling (Denicolo and Becker, 2011). Data collection All the available sampling methods have to use one or more of the available for data collection. Interviews are usually very good for qualitative studies. The quantitative studies however mostly use surveys and questionnaires in order to make sure that quantitative data is collected. With regard to using these methods to collect data, researchers have to be very careful in order to ensure there are no loopholes in the data collection methods. For instance, interview question and questioners can be tested before the actual study in order to ensure that any hitches that may come up are detected already and collected. The researchers can for instance test the survey question with a preliminary study or they can get just a few participants to be able to test these materials. Coding the data The data being collected must be in such a way that coding will be possible. Because most studies are done using hard copy materials and the participants enter data into hard copy materials such as printed questionnaires. Data coding is an important part of carrying out a study. Due to the mundane nature of this part of research, the researchers may outsource this part of the job to other people. However, as Field (2013) argues there is always a risk to this because if the people hired to do the data coding do not do it in the right way, this will affect the way in which statistical analysis is going to be done (Pallant, 2013). This as OLeary (2010) says, can affect the validity of the data. Validity of studies Before the researchers are able to go into the research, they have to test the study for two types of validity of the study (Ridley, 2011). As Yin (2009) says, the first validity test is the internal validity test which is geared towards making sure that the study method that is being used is consistent and will provide data that is reliable. Reliability has to be a key point in that if it is not, it will then mean that the results will not be reliable. In some cases, the validity of the study set to be cared out by a researcher or a group of researchers can be tested by their peers. The second kind of validity that has to be tested is the external validity. As Collis and Hussey (2009) say, the external validity is geared towards making sure that the methodology whihc will be utilized in the study will be able to replicate in other studies. Researchers always create method for the study that can be replicated. In other words, they have to use a method that anyone who was not in the study can be replicate anywhere else. In this case, they have to include a methods part in their research paper (Davies, 2007). In almost any journal article, the third chapter is always the methodology part. In this section, the researchers describe the method they used to carry out the research (Anderson, 2009). In this chapter, they are trying to explain to their audience how they carried out the study. This can be the essay part of any development of a journal article. Citation and Citation Impact Factors As has been discussed by Easterby, Thorpe and Jackson (2012), journals are a way to proliferate the knowledge in the field and disciplines that they belong to. This means that citations are very important for these journals and the articles that are featured in them. High ranking journals use strict citing methods in order to make sure that they are referring to their peers in carrying out the research. Citation Impact Factors is one of the ways in which ranking of journals are done. In this regard, ranking with regard to citing in journal articles must follow certain standards such as the referencing methods that are appropriate. The cited works also need to provide relevant information. Citation Impact Factors is measured at the literature review part o the study. In any of the methodologies, the researchers have to use a literature review chapter, which in most cases is the second chapter in the research paper that are developed from any study. In this literature review section, the authors must use proper citing in order to create proper citing and make sure that the quality of the paper is achieved. Methodology This study was done by reviewing the various journal articles and looking at their structure and the way the researchers carried out the studies. Patterns were identified and analyzed in terms of the methods and the sampling methods that they used. At the same time, a lot of academic materials such as journals and academic books were consulted. These were journals that discussed the ways in which business research is cried out. Furthermore, there are some more data that were identified with regard to the way academic journals carry out their quality assurance standards. For instance, the Association of Business Schools (ABS) ranking was consulted. Discussion analysis and evaluation It is very clear that researchers who publish their studies in the most highly ranked journals must follow certain standards in order to make sure that they have achieved highest quality. There are some critical choices that they have to make in order for them to achieve this. The first choice is with regard to the methodology they are going to use in their study. Additionally, they have to make some other choices such a s the sampling method to use. These researchers must also use proper citation in their literature review section. Literature review is more important in qualitative studies in social sciences such as economics. Reference list: Blumberg, B., Copper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. (2011) Business Research Methods. London: McGraw-Hill. Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2009) Business Research: A practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students (3rd edition). 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