Destitution: Sustain Africas Afloat - Research Paper Example

Applied Project Student’s Name Course Title Lecturer Date Abstract This applied project is on the topic of poverty in Africa. Much needs to be done to reduce mishandling and mismanagement of Africa’s resources so as to sustain food security. This paper explores the four stages of the applied project and presents the information as one paper. By examining literature to develop the statement of the problem and a justification for this research topic, this paper goes all the way to describe in detail how the results will be analyzed and presented. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Statement of the Problem 4 Literature Review 4 Research Design 6 Research Questions 7 Introduction 7 Elements of a good research question 7 Types of research questions 8 Variables and Sample Size 9 Introduction 9 Sampling and sample size 10 Data Collection and Presentation 11 Introduction 11 Presenting qualitative data 12 Conclusion 13 Research proposal topic Introduction The topic of interest is Poverty in Africa, which is mentioned everywhere be it on radio, in the TV, in books, journals, and in many international conferences. According to a report of Joint International Mission by RAPDA and FIAN, (2011), the situation is pathetic. The continent is suffering a severe from a serious food shortage. Studies curried out in the region by Joint International Mission by RAPDA and FIAN, (2011), show that Africa highly depends on agriculture, which is rainfall dependent to feed its population. There is an urgent need for something to be done to rectify this situation. Before evaluating the research idea, there is need to choose to transform it into a research hypothesis, which reads, African resources are sufficient to sustain Africa food security. This statement is positive and testable. That is managed well the resources in Africa can generate enough food that can feed the population of the continent. Statement of the Problem Germany, India, and China have populations that are higher above those of the African countries with the highest population, land as a resource in this regions is not too good as compared to that of the African continent. Therefore, this shows that it is only management of resources to feed the populations and there will be no more deaths resulting from hunger. The most adversely affected are the countries in East Africa, which have been faced by both drought and ethnic clashes at the same time. Somalia, Sudan, and Kenya are some of the nations in the region. The Government of Kenya (2007), published that starvation and food insecurity is one of the top calamities that needed attention otherwise the country will bury half of its population in the next five years. Literature Review More literature relating to poverty in Africa reveals that the former colonial masters have heaped the blame on institutionalization of colonial mentality in many post-colonialist states. Generally, Africans have been captured in thinking, such that today, majority of their philosophy of thought and ideologies do not solve the challenges facing them. The African and the Filipino has had a notion of development in its real sense interlaced with the Europeans. The influence of colonialism is so severe that the phenomenon has created an obstacle in the process of expanding African philosophy, whereby African scholars today are either not able to write in their native languages or able to translate fully their thoughts into the foreign languages they have decided to write in. Thus, the problem of language lingers on. To worsen the whole situation, the colonial masters have successfully given out the particular yardstick for measuring the authenticity of anything from Africa. This is neocolonialism or put in another language, colonial using the native man. Malnourishment and starvation is killing many in the third world. Over 500 million people are malnourished. In the third world Africa, starvation kills 10 million every year. Like of good dieting makes them susceptible to diseases. Disease is the other problem facing many post colonialism states. Curable diseases such cholera and diarrhea is killing more than the number of serous incurable pandemics like HIV AIDS and cancer. To conclude, it is obvious that the situation in this continent is far much worse and it seems time does not bring any hope to the people here. This proposal is written in the hope that it will help in alleviating poverty from the people living in Africa and most importantly, no child dies on the face of the earth as a result of hunger. Research Design The first thing is to give a brief definition of research. The word research is collecting of facts for the advancement of knowledge. It is therefore the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data in order to increase our understanding of the phenomena about which we are concerned in. A good research should address an important question and advance knowledge, i.e. it should contribute to knowledge that already exists. Looking at the research designs at hand, there are quantitative and qualitative designs, Quantitative data collection approach allows collection and analysis of numerical data. It describes, explains, predict of an existing problem, like for our case here control and management of resources in Africa to sustain Africa food security so that no more people born with equal right to life die because of starvation in Africa. However, looking at the situation, being a student with little resources available to help collect this numeric data, it is not possible to do a quantitative study. Qualitative therefore becomes the option. It allows collection, analysis, and interpretation of comprehensive narrations and visual i.e. non-numerical data to gain insight into particular about this particular problem. According to Billson, a professional research aimed at present status is accompanied by a number of unique challenges that must be addressed upon the decision to undertake such a project . To remain consistent in this process of research which is not simple, there is a need to place a desire of saving any child the agony of sleeping hungry or even dying of starvation. A multinations research might be demanding in terms of resources time and commitment but with the computers and internet, travelling can be avoided. Issues that surround research especially the design of ressearch aspect focusing on its componetns like the selection of participants, sampling and drafting guide to the study may require quite some commitment which can be easily tackled. Research Questions Introduction A research question can be defined as the question or questions posed that the research answers. It is usually a broad-based inquiry that is made as an open-ended question rather than a closed-ended question, unless for a specific reason, a closed-ended research question is needed . It is referred to as the thesis statement at the undergraduate level. Developing a research questions is one of the first steps taken by a researcher. To develop a strong research question, the researcher needs to brainstorm to identify the underlying themes of the research and then use these to develop several research questions and by tabling the pros and cons of each question, the researcher is able to choose the best questions which the research will answer. Elements of a good research question Among the elements of a research question, it must be useable, accurate and clearly defined. One of the major functions of a research question is that it guides the design of the study i.e. how the research will be conducted and reported. After final selection of the research questions, the researcher needs to refine the research questions before using them in their research proposal. The questions may need to be altered further during the finalization of the research proposal. There are other elements of a valid research question. One is that it should indicate the relationship between two or more variable which are an independent and a dependent variable. A good research question should clearly inter-relate the research question to the literature review and the problem or issue indicated in the study. Lastly, a good research question is “the overall focus of the study, it is the study’s goal” . Types of research questions There are two types of research questions, qualitative and quantitative research questions. Qualitative research questions raise a question in the form of ‘how’ and ‘why?’ while quantitative research questions raise a question in the form of ‘who?’, ‘what?’, ‘when?’ and ‘where?’. Quantitative research questions are interested in finding percentages, measures of central tendencies and other numerical measurements to analyze and describe the relationship between the independent and dependent variables while qualitative research questions are concerned with individual cases and provide greater depths and understanding of each case while looking only at the practical and pertinent information. The two research questions formulated for this study are: 1. Are African resources sufficient to sustain Africa’s food security? 2. Does mismanagement of Africa’s resources lead to food insecurity? Both are qualitative research questions and are testable, clearly defined, and accurate. The first one gives the relationship between African resources which is the independent variable and Africa’s food security which is the dependent variable. The second question also acquits all the elements of a good research question. By reviewing literature, primary data collection and secondary records, it is possible to measure it. This research question also defines the relationship between mismanagement of Africa’s resources and food security which are the independent and dependent variables respectively. Insight into a research question is given by a strong hypothesis. A good research question leads to a specific hypothesis which must be testable . During the research process, it will be possible to give a definitive answer to these research questions and this is what makes them applicable to this study. Variables and Sample Size Introduction A variable as anything that is liable or capable of change. It can be anything, for example, a value or characteristic. In research, variables are used to ascertain if changes to one aspect of the research does result in changes to another aspect . There are two distinct types of variables. The first type is dependent variables. As the name suggests, dependent variables are those which rely on another. In a more scholarly sense, a dependent variable is the variable which the experimenter measures. Since its findings count on another variable, the dependent variable cannot be self-sufficient. It has to be based upon another variable. The second type of variable is the independent variables. From its name, an independent variable is one which the experimenter cannot in any way alter or manipulate. In a research, all research questions and hypotheses should show the independent and dependent variable and the relationship between these two variables. From the first research question mentioned above, we can see that African resources and Africa’s food security are the two variables. Africa’s food security depends on African resources, thus the former is the dependent variable and the latter is the independent variable. It is possible to assess whether African resources are sufficient to sustain food security in Africa, so this becomes a befitting dependent variable. Since it is not possible to in any way influence or control African resource, this becomes a viable independent variable. In the second research question mismanagement of Africa’s resources and food insecurity are the two variables. In this case, food insecurity is the dependent variable since it relies upon mismanagement of Africa’s resources, which is the independent variable. Since there is absolutely no way to be able to manipulate or alter the mismanagement of Africa’s resources which makes this the independent variable but it is possible, to an extent, to measure the food insecurity, this makes this the dependent variable. Sampling and sample size A sample is a “subset of the population” . There are two main sampling techniques: probability and non-probability sampling. In probability sampling, the researcher knows the probability of any member of a population being included in the sample. Probability sampling is not necessarily random sampling. Probability sampling is best for quantitative research. There are several types of probability samples. One is simple random sampling. This is where the sample is selected at random. This research being a qualitative research works best with non-probability sampling since probability sampling can turn out to be quite expensive and inefficient for qualitative research. Some non-probability sampling techniques include convenience sampling where a particular sample is selected because it is easily accessible by the researcher. Convenience sampling coupled with simple random sampling will be used. Another sample is the snowball sample who is the respondents that are most relevant to the research topic. The topic being about Poverty in Africa, the most appropriate respondents are those with in-depth knowledge of Africa. Therefore for the respondents, people that are relevant to the topic and at easiest reach will be chosen and among those, the sample at random by using random numbers. Sample size is given by Fischer’s method. Using this method, 384 is the sample size. However, due to financial and logistical constraints, a sample size of 200 will be used. A variable being anything that is liable or capable of change is very important in the research since this is the concept that is being measured by the researcher. Data Collection and Presentation Introduction Research is conducted for many reasons, one of which is to collect data. The data collected needs to be represented appropriately. There are different ways of presenting the data. There is descriptive statistics where a description of the shape, measures of central tendency (mean, mode and median) and variability are given. Descriptive statistics serve to summarize the salient features of the numerical data and pick up any data entry error e.g. 3 genders, etc. Descriptive statistics also help to distinguish subjects, determine the distribution of variables and evaluate assumptions for statistical tests i.e. normality. Descriptive statistics are typically used for quantitative research and it is aimed at summarizing the data set . Descriptive statistics are not built on probability, rather real results are used. The second type of data analysis is analytic or inferential statistics where we look at the relationship between two or more variables. The role of inferential statistics is to determine the pattern and strength of association among the variables. Inferential statistics also help to test the hypotheses of the study. Inferential statistics are also referred to as inductive statistics and they are used to establish or gain insight on the population which the data represents. When presenting any statistical inference, it is necessary to have some assumptions. These assumptions should be generally accepted and relevant. In qualitative research, largely inferential statistics are used. Presenting qualitative data When working with inferential statistics, there are parameters that create a representation of the whole population. There are some limitations of inferential statistics. The first limitation is that the date is not fully measured and thus the researcher cannot be quite confident that the values are indeed correct. The second limitation is that inferential statistics require the researcher to use assumptions which may lead to some uncertainty to the whole process and the results . There are many ways of presenting qualitative data. One is through quotations and basic tables. Quotes should show a pattern in the data. For example in this research, one of the responses expected concerns whether Africa’s resources are sufficient to sustain Africa’s food security is that many would say that they are sufficient, it is just an issue of mismanagement. Another method of presenting qualitative data is using maps and diagrams such as a social map of an area generally representing the variety of responses received from a particular region. Photographs and cartoons are also used to represent qualitative data. A common saying states that “A picture tells more than a thousand words” and thus photos would provide a graphical images. Narratives are also used to describe qualitative data. Using narratives, the researcher describes in detail the results obtained. In the research on Poverty in Africa, inferential statistics will be used to describe data collected to answer the qualitative research questions. There are two research questions for the topic as described above. In the first research question, the data would need to respond to whether resources available in Africa are sufficient to sustain Africa’s food security. By looking at secondary data and collecting some primary data from respondents and key informants, it will be possible to find the general pattern in their answers and generalize it and by taking some assumptions, it will be easy to find out if the resources available in Africa are sufficient to sustain Africa’s food security. In the second research question on whether mismanagement of resources present in Africa lead to food insecurity, primary data and other secondary data will be used and the display of the data will be done using narratives, quotes, flow charts and other data representation methods such as maps and diagrams. Conclusion The applied project is on the topic of poverty in Africa and it is a qualitative study. There are two research questions each independent and dependent variables. By answering these two questions through the results of the study, it will provide a satisfactory answer to the research questions and this will come a long way in helping to alleviate poverty in Africa through improved management of African resources. The research results will be presented by finding the general pattern in the data in order to be able to use assumptions to effectively give a representation of the results through graphs, charts, tables and photos. References Andrews, R. (2003). Research questions. London, UK: Continuum International Publishing Group. Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: an investigative approach. London: SAGE. Billson, J. M. (2006). Multination research Guide for Academic researchers (2nd ed.). Barrington, RI: Skywood Press. Fuller, W. A. (2009). Sampling statistics. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons. Huberman, M. A., & Miles, M. B. (1994). The Qualitative Researcher's Companion. London: Sage Publications. Sue, J., Price, C. J., & Straker, L. (1998). The researching therapist: a practical guide to planning, performing, and communicating research. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences. White, P. (2009). Developing research questions: a guide for social scientists. Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan.  Read More

Malnourishment and starvation is killing many in the third world. Over 500 million people are malnourished. In the third world Africa, starvation kills 10 million every year. Like of good dieting makes them susceptible to diseases. Disease is the other problem facing many post colonialism states. Curable diseases such cholera and diarrhea is killing more than the number of serous incurable pandemics like HIV AIDS and cancer. To conclude, it is obvious that the situation in this continent is far much worse and it seems time does not bring any hope to the people here.

This proposal is written in the hope that it will help in alleviating poverty from the people living in Africa and most importantly, no child dies on the face of the earth as a result of hunger. Research Design The first thing is to give a brief definition of research. The word research is collecting of facts for the advancement of knowledge. It is therefore the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data in order to increase our understanding of the phenomena about which we are concerned in.

A good research should address an important question and advance knowledge, i.e. it should contribute to knowledge that already exists. Looking at the research designs at hand, there are quantitative and qualitative designs, Quantitative data collection approach allows collection and analysis of numerical data. It describes, explains, predict of an existing problem, like for our case here control and management of resources in Africa to sustain Africa food security so that no more people born with equal right to life die because of starvation in Africa.

However, looking at the situation, being a student with little resources available to help collect this numeric data, it is not possible to do a quantitative study. Qualitative therefore becomes the option. It allows collection, analysis, and interpretation of comprehensive narrations and visual i.e. non-numerical data to gain insight into particular about this particular problem. According to Billson, a professional research aimed at present status is accompanied by a number of unique challenges that must be addressed upon the decision to undertake such a project .

To remain consistent in this process of research which is not simple, there is a need to place a desire of saving any child the agony of sleeping hungry or even dying of starvation. A multinations research might be demanding in terms of resources time and commitment but with the computers and internet, travelling can be avoided. Issues that surround research especially the design of ressearch aspect focusing on its componetns like the selection of participants, sampling and drafting guide to the study may require quite some commitment which can be easily tackled.

Research Questions Introduction A research question can be defined as the question or questions posed that the research answers. It is usually a broad-based inquiry that is made as an open-ended question rather than a closed-ended question, unless for a specific reason, a closed-ended research question is needed . It is referred to as the thesis statement at the undergraduate level. Developing a research questions is one of the first steps taken by a researcher. To develop a strong research question, the researcher needs to brainstorm to identify the underlying themes of the research and then use these to develop several research questions and by tabling the pros and cons of each question, the researcher is able to choose the best questions which the research will answer.

Elements of a good research question Among the elements of a research question, it must be useable, accurate and clearly defined. One of the major functions of a research question is that it guides the design of the study i.e. how the research will be conducted and reported. After final selection of the research questions, the researcher needs to refine the research questions before using them in their research proposal. The questions may need to be altered further during the finalization of the research proposal.

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