study guide: short learning programme in …and multivariate analysis of variance, multiple...

STUDY GUIDE: SHORT LEARNING PROGRAMME IN RESEARCH DESIGN

Compiled by

Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. L. Theron

Prof. I.P. Khumalo Prof. M. Grosser

Prof. W. Nell

RESEARCH FOCUS AREA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 2. LOCATION AND SCHEDULE ........................................................................................ 2 3. GENERAL OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................ 3 4. LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ................................................ 3 5. RECOMMENDED STUDY MATERIAL ........................................................................... 5 6. DETAILED COURSE CONTENTS AND OBJECTIVES ....................................................... 6

6.1 Study Unit 1: Introduction to Science and Research ......................................... 6 6.2 Study Unit 2: Research Questions and Programmes in Optentia ...................... 7 6.3 Study Unit 3: The Research Process at NWU ..................................................... 7 6.4 Study Unit 4: Basic Aspects of Research ............................................................ 8 6.5 Study Unit 5: Literature and Resources ............................................................. 8 6.6 Study Unit 6: Basics of Qualitative Research ..................................................... 9 6.7 Study Unit 7: Basics of Quantitative Research................................................. 10 6.8 Study Unit 8: Basics of Mixed Methods Research ........................................... 10 6.9 Study Unit 9: Introduction to SPSS .................................................................. 10 6.10 Study Unit 10: AdvancedData Analysis ............................................................ 11 6.11 Study Unit 11: Writing and publishing research .............................................. 12

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1. INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this course! Postgraduate – and increasingly even undergraduate – study requires that a student be able to conduct rigorous and cutting edge research and to communicate the research and the research results in a clear, transparent and understandable manner. This requires that students know how to plan, organise, conduct and communicate research, in other words that students are familiar with the basics of research methodology. This course is intended as an introduction to applicable research methodology for postgraduate students in the social sciences. The aim is to provide a quick overview of research methods (techniques), how to improve scientific thinking and writing, and how to communicate research findings. This study guide provides the following information:

Course objectives, learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

Contents, study units and study unit objectives.

Recommended study materials. Note that this short learning programme (SLP) has a dedicated webpage to provide support to learners. Short videos, slideshows, learning material, syntaxes, and exercises are all available on the following webpage: http://www.optentia.co.za/education.php Learners who registered for the SLP can click on “Research methodology” to find the material. You will need a password, which is available from the Administrative Support Office of Optentia. Contact Marinda Malan ([email protected]) to obtain the password. If you have any queries, please contact the course organiser: Prof. Ian Rothmann Optentia Research Focus Area Email: [email protected] Website: www.optentia.co.za Tel: (016) 9103433

http://www.optentia.co.za/education.php

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.optentia.co.za/

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2. SCHEDULE

DAY / TIME / ROOM TOPIC LECTURER

Day 1 08:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30 – 12:00 12:00 – 13:00 13:00-14:00 14:00 – 15:00 15:00 – 15:30 15:30 – 17:00

Study Unit 1 Coffee/Tea Study Units 2 and 3 Study Unit 4 Lunch Study Unit 4 (cont.) Coffee/Tea Study Unit 4

Prof. M. Grosser Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. J. Hoffman Prof. J. Hoffman Prof. J. Hoffman / Prof. I.P. Khumalo

Day 2 08:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30 – 13:00 13:00 – 14:00 14:00 – 15:00 15:00 – 15:30 15:30 – 17:00

Study Unit 5 Coffee/Tea Study Unit 6 Lunch Study Unit 6 Coffee/Tea Study Unit 6

Prof. I.P. Khumalo Prof. W. Nell Prof. W. Nell Prof. W. Nell

Day 3 08:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30 – 13:00 13:00 – 14:00 14:00 – 15:00 15:00 – 15:30 15:30 – 17:00


Prof. W. Nell Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. M. Nel

Day 4 08:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30 – 13:00 13:00 – 14:00 14:00 – 15:00 15:00 – 15:30 15:30 – 17:00


Ms E. Bothma Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. S. Rothmann

Day 5 08:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30 – 13:00 13:00 – 14:00 14:00 – 15:00 15:00 – 15:30 15:30 – 16:30


Ms E. Bothma Prof. S. Rothmann Prof. I.P. Khumalo

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3. GENERAL OBJECTIVES

The general objectives of this course are:

To familiarise the student with the dimensions and methods of research.

To orient the student to make an informed choice from the large number of research designs and associated methodologies available.

To enable the student to formulate and present a good research proposal.

To familiarise the student with the nature of research and scientific writing.

To empower the student with the knowledge and skills they need to undertake a research project and to write a scientific article.

4. LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA The learning outcomes and assessment criteria for the 11 study units are shown in the table below.

LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

To define research and describe the research process and research methods.

Indicate and justify an appropriate research method and process to be followed in research.

To understand the research context within the Faculty of Humanities.

Identify an appropriate sub-programme of research within the Faculty in which your research programme will be located.

To understand the processes and requirements for conducting successful research at the NWU.

Fulfil the requirements of the basic regulations and Guide for Postgraduate research with respect to starting and completing research.

To know how to apply the basic aspects of the research process in order to plan and execute a research project that adheres to ethical principles.

Plan a research project on a topic relevant to your subject area and write a draft research proposal for this research project.

To effectively use the library and its resources in gathering information related to the research project.

Find two international journal articles relevant to your topic of research; two national journal articles relevant to your topic of research; two newspaper articles relevant to your topic of research; two dissertations, and two theses relevant to your topic of research.

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To conduct a good literature review that would lead to the identification of a research gap and writing a synthesis regarding the conceptual/theoretical framework that underpins a research study.

Use the sources you found in the library, and write a synthesis (1 A4 page) to summarise the gist of the conceptual framework on which your research topic will focus.

To understand qualitative research and data collection methods and apply qualitative research principles to execute trustworthy qualitative research.

Analyse a published qualitative study and comment on the rationale for using the qualitative approach, data-collection methods, sampling strategy, data analyses and trustworthiness of the design.

To understand the process of sampling, the use of questionnaires as data-gathering instruments, how a survey is carried out in terms of process and method, the uses of surveys and to be able to capture their own data.

Carry out power analyses and sampling for study, design a questionnaire to answer specific research questions, select a research design most appropriate to the research questions, and do data capturing in an appropriate software programme.

To understand quantitative research and data collection methods and apply quantitative research principles to execute valid and reliable quantitative research.

Analyse a published quantitative study and comment on the suitability and rationale for using the quantitative approach, the strategy of inquiry, the methods for data collection, the sampling strategy, how reliability and validity were ensured and the procedures used for data analyses.

To understand mixed method research and data collection methods and apply mixed method research principles to execute rigorous mixed method research.

Analyse a published mixed method study and comment on the suitability and rational for using the mixed method approach, the strategies of inquiry, the methods for data collection, the sampling strategies, how reliability and validity and trustworthiness were guaranteed and the procedures used for data analyses.

To use software to conduct large-scale qualitative content analyses.

Use Atlas.ti to conduct large-scale qualitative content analyses.

To use SPSS to conduct statistical analyses.

Determine assumptions of statistical analyses; summarise data by computing descriptive statistics, determine relationships between variables by computing correlations and regression equations; compare means of populations; compute non-parametric statistics and interpret test statistics; assess the construct validity and reliability of a questionnaire/test.

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To be able to use SPSS and Mplus to perform multivariate statistical analyses, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, one-way and multivariate analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis, logistic regression analysis, structural equation modelling, mediation and moderation effects and measurement invariance.

Select the correct statistical techniques for a specific research design, study population, apply SPSS and Mplus to perform the analyses, apply guidelines to assess effects, report results correctly in tables, and interpret results correctly OR Use a predetermined dataset and perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, multiple regression analyses, mediation and moderation effects, and measurement invariance testing and interpret these.

To be able to review and publish scientific articles.

Evaluate the quality of scientific articles according to specific criteria.

To be able to write a research proposal.

Write a research proposal according to the guidelines.

5. RECOMMENDED STUDY MATERIAL The following textbooks and articles are recommended for the course. The texts will not only be useful for this particular programme, but are useful reference guides that will be of value throughout postgraduate studies and beyond.

Aguinis, H., & Vandenberg, R. J. (2014). An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Improving research quality before data collection. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 569-595.

American Psychological Association. (2010). APA Publication Manual (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Byrne, B. M. (2012). Structural equation modeling with Mplus: Basic concepts, applications and programming. New York: Routledge.

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (4th ed.). London, United Kingdom: SAGE.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Kruschke, J. K., Aguinis, H., & Joo, H. (2012). The time has come: Bayesian

methods for data analysis in the organizational sciences. Organizational

Research Methods, 15, 722-752.

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén

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Raykov, T., & Marcoulides, G.A. (2011). Introduction to psychometric theory. New York, NY: Routledge.

Thyer, B. A. Quasi-experimental research designs. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact. Chichester, West-Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

Van de Schoot, R., & Depaoli, S. (2014). Bayesian analyses: Where to start and what to report. The European Health Psychologist, 16(2), 75-84.

Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2012). Structural equation modeling: Applications using Mplus. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.

Extensive lecture notes will be provided during the course. These should be used in conjunction with the prescribed textbooks where indicated, as well as with supplementary and recommended study material which will be reserved in the Library. 6. DETAILED COURSE CONTENTS AND OBJECTIVES 6.1 Study Unit 1: Introduction to Science and Research Presenter: Prof. M. Grosser On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Define research and distinguish between basic and applied research.

Explain what research is and what research is not;

Describe the relationship between research and science.

Explain the planning, design and process of research.

Distinguish between scientific paradigms such as positivism interpretivism/ socio-constructivism (qualitative research) and pragmatism (mixed methods) and falsification.

Explain what is meant by “epistemology”.

Understand the broad developments in the philosophy of science.

Distinguish between induction and deduction.

Discuss what is meant by the concepts of “validity”, trustworthiness”, “rigour” and distinguish between different forms of validity.

Know what a hypothesis is, and state the difference between one and two-tailed hypotheses and distinguish between facts, theories and hypotheses.

Interpret the basic terminology of research such as variables, data, research questions, unit of analysis.

Discuss some of the most common fallacies in research.

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Basic Study Material:



Gough, N. (2002. Blank spots, blind spots and methodological questions in postgraduate research. Paper presented at the Postgraduate Research Conference, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, 4-6 October.

Ruttkamp, E. (2006). Philosophy of science: Interfaces between logic and knowledge representation. South African Journal of Philosophy, 25(4), 275-289.

6.2 Study Unit 2: Research Questions and Programmes in Optentia Presenter: Prof. S. Rothmann On completion of this study unit the student must be able to

Paraphrase the approach towards the management of research at NWU

Choose research questions being focused on at Optentia Research Focus Area.

Discover where his/her planned research study will best fit in.

Identify prospective supervisors/promoters for his/her study. Basic Study Material:

Research summary of the Optentia Research Focus Area

Recommended reading: Webpage : www.optentia.co.za 6.3 Study Unit 3: The Research Process at NWU Presenter: Prof. S Rothmann, Mrs A. Smith On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Explain processes to be followed when enrolling, registering and proceeding with a postgraduate degree at the NWU

Identify the requirements in terms of the research proposal required for a degree through research.

Explain how to relate to a supervisor/promoter and what the expected roles of each are in the research process.

Describe the regulations with regarding submission, examination of a dissertation and/or thesis.

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Know how to technically prepare a dissertation/thesis for submission.

Argue the ethical issues and requirements for ethical approval that might be relevant in his or her study.


The Guide to Postgraduate Research (North-West University)

Basic regulations of the North-West University with respect to postgraduate studies (A-rules).

6.4 Study Unit 4: Basic Aspects of Research Presenters: Prof. J. Hoffman On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Know by which qualities research is best characterised;

Distinguish between quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches to research by describing their distinct characteristics

Describe the research process and cycle;

Acquire research language for conducting qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research studies;

Write a research proposal (including a problem statement, research questions, research objectives, research designs, sampling techniques, data analysis techniques, how validity and reliability or trustworthiness will be guaranteed, and ethics arrangements).



6.5 Study Unit 5: Literature and Resources Presenter: Prof. I.P. Khumalo On completion of this study unit, the student must be able to:

Effectively use the library and its resources in gathering information related to the learner’s research project.

Understand and apply the principles of conducting and writing a good literature review.

Identify and elaborate on the conceptual and theoretical framework that underpins a research project;

Identify a gap in a particular field of research that would lead to the generation of new knowledge;

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Use Endnote to compile a reference list.


Boote, D. N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6):3-15.

Note: Evaluation At the end of the library visit, the learners should find:

Two international journal articles relevant to their topic of research.

Two national journal articles relevant to their topic of research.

Two newspaper articles relevant to their topic of research.

Two dissertations and two theses relevant to their topic of research. 6.6 Study Unit 6: Basics of Qualitative Research Presenters: Prof. W. Nell On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Explain what the qualitative research approach entails in terms of characteristics and research approaches.

Contrast different methods to gather data in qualitative research.

Understand the requisite steps for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative studies.

Understand and apply different content analysis methods to analyse qualitative data.

Know how to interpret findings in qualitative research.

Critically comment on the complexities of ethics in qualitative research.



Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact. Chichester, West-Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

6.7 Study Unit 7: Basics of Quantitative Research Presenters: Prof. S. Rothmann On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

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Formulate a research question/s to guide the execution of a quantitative research study.

Write a purpose statement for the execution of a quantitative research study.

Select and motivate the choice of a quantitative research strategy to answer a specific research question.

Select and motivate the choice of quantitative data collection methods to answer specific research questions.

Explain and evaluate the different processes of sampling in quantitative research, and successfully carry out and motivate the sampling of participants for quantitative research projects.

Evaluate the uses of questionnaires as data-gathering instruments and design a questionnaire for a quantitative research project.

Summarise how a survey is carried out in terms of process and method.

Explain the uses of surveys and be able to select a research design most appropriate to the questions the learner wants to answer.

Explain by means of practical examples how reliability and validity of the research design and data collection methods will be ensured in a quantitative study.

Conduct a power analysis for a research project to determine the size of a sample required for a specific project.

Capture data, clean the dataset and screen for outliers. Basic Study Material:


Thyer, B. A. Quasi-experimental research designs. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

6.8 Study Unit 8: Basics of Mixed Method Research Presenter: Prof. M. Nel On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Select and motivate the choice of a particular mixed method design to answer a specific research question.

Select and motivate the choice of particular research strategies to answer a specific research question.

Explain and motivate the sampling strategies used to successfully carry out the sampling of the participants for the research project.

Explain and motivate the data collection strategies to perform the data collection of a mixed methods study successfully.

Explain by means of practical examples how to guarantee reliability/validity and trustworthiness in the context of a mixed method study.

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Comment on the types and suitability of data analysis procedures that could be utilised in the context of a mixed method study.



6.9 Study Unit 9: Introduction to SPSS Presenters: Prof. S. Rothmann, Mrs. E. Bothma, Dr A. van Rensburg On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Determine assumptions of statistical analyses.

Use SPSS to conduct statistical analyses.

Summarise and describe data by computing descriptive statistics, compiling frequency tables and drawing graphs.

Determine relationships between variables by computing correlations and regression equations.

Compare means of populations by using t-tests, ANOVA and post hoc comparisons.

Determine the effects of more than one factor and correction of co-variables by interpreting ANOVA and ANCOVA tables.

Compute non-parametric statistics and interpret test statistics.

Assess the construct validity and reliability of a questionnaire/test using SPSS. Basic Study Material


6.9. Study Unit 10: Advanced Uses of SPSS and Mplus Presenters: Prof. S. Rothmann, Mrs. E. Bothma, Dr A. van Rensburg On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

Select the correct statistical techniques for a specific research design and study population.

Identify the assumptions of multivariate statistics (including canonical analysis, multiple regression analysis, logistic regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance).

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Apply SPSS to perform multiple regression analysis, logistic regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance.

Apply guidelines to assess the practical significance of results.

Explain confidence intervals.

Evaluate the use of null hypothesis testing in the social sciences.

Evaluate measurement and structural models in Mplus using different estimators and different types of data and interpret the output correctly.

Test the configural, metric, scalar and structural invariance of a measure.

Compute different types of reliability (e.g. alpha coefficients, composite reliability) and explain the assumptions of different types of reliability.

Evaluate mediation and moderation effects by using Mplus. Basic Study Material



Byrne, B. M. (2012). Structural equation modeling with Mplus: Basic concepts, applications and programming. New York: Routledge.


Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Kruschke, J. K., Aguinis, H., & Joo, H. (2012). The time has come: Bayesian methods for data analysis in the organizational sciences. Organizational Research Methods, 15, 722-752.

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

Raykov, T., & Marcoulides, G. A. (2011). Introduction to psychometric theory. New York: Routledge.

Van de Schoot, R., & Depaoli, S. (2014). Bayesian analyses: Where to start and what to report. The European Health Psychologist, 16(2), 75-84.

Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2012). Structural equation modeling: Applications using Mplus. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.

6.11 Study Unit 11: Writing and publishing research Presenters: Prof. I.P. Khumalo On completion of this study unit the student must be able to:

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Describe the considerations when judging a scientific article.

Assess scientific articles according to specific criteria.

Discuss important considerations regarding the presentation, review and publication of scientific articles.

Basic study material


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