RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. INTRODUCTION
Research, the literal meaning is investigation to obtain some clues again and again until the real facts are obtained. It does mean that it is a continuous and time-consuming exercise, which cannot be performed during a limited span of time. Thus, a careful search or enquiry into the subject to discover facts by investigation is known as research. However, research is defined by Leedy [1] as ‘the systemic process of collecting and analyzing information (data) in order to increase the understanding of the concerned phenomenon’. So, research is a systematic and continuous process in which a step by step progress is required, since it follows a gradual development to the subject to get final conclusions or recommendations.
However, this study will elaborate research characteristics, identification of various research problems, and implementation of research through science and technology based education in the developing/islamic society.
2. RESEARCH CHARACTERISTICS
Research has got eight special characteristics, which are listed below:
(i) Research originates with a question or a problem,
(ii) Research requires a clear articulation or expression of a goal,
(iii) Research follows a specific plan or procedure,
(iv) Research usually divides the principal problem into more manageable sub-problems,
(v) Research is guided by the specific problem, question or hypothesis,
(vi) Research accepts certain critical assumptions (which are underlying theories and ideas),
(vii) Research requires the collection and interpretation of data in attempting to resolve the problem, and
(viii) Research is, by its nature, cyclical or more exactly the spiral or helical.
3. RESEARCH PLAN
There are a lot of steps involved when planning to carry out a research. The first step would be to identify a research problem that is to select a research topic which is ‘do-able or solvable’ and appropriate for the society and as a whole for the country. The title of a problem statement is either one or two lines idea that clearly identifies what the researchers are trying to investigate, test, solve, produce, respond to or find out. However, the researchers should not choose a topic, which has only theoretical values and has no practical importance in the society. Because; research is associated with technological development, which needs money or grant or fund to conduct tests or experiments. The money or fund provider must see the outcome of the research whether it is saleable or marketable to the society or not. So, researchers must always be very careful about this first step, that is, selection of the appropriate topic or title for the research.
3.1 The Road to Research
Research has various routes and these can be summarised as follows:
(i) Starting with a broad area of interest,
(ii) Narrowing the question down to one that can
reasonably be studied in a research project,
(iii) Formulating a hypothesis or a focus question,
(iv) Direct measuring or observing of the question of interest,
(v) Understanding by analyzing it in a variety of ways,
(vi) Formulating some initial conclusions,
(vii) Generalizing the final conclusions or recommendations from the experimental results.
Fig. 1 shows the various steps of research, whereas Fig. 2 shows how these steps are interconnected to each other.
Fig. 1, Shows various steps of research
Fig. 2, Shows various steps related to research problem.
3.2 Stages of Research
Once we have a manageable research problem, we must then devise a ‘research procedure’. This is because; every research follows a specific plan or procedure. Table 1 shows various steps of research methodology.
Table 1, Various steps of research methodology.
1. Project Title
2. Introduction/Objective
3. Literature Review/Review of Previous Works
4. Experimental Set-up
5. Experimental Techniques/Procedures
6. Results/Observations
7. Data Analysis/Discussions
8. Concluding Remarks/Recommendations
9. Suggestions for Further/Future Works
10. References: Follow the style either
American Psychological Association (APA)
OR Modern Language Association (MLA)
3.3 Research Objectives
Some of the following objectives should be met by the research project when a researcher is planning to do the research:
(i) To develop and improve the intellectual ability,
(ii) To increase the creativity and evaluation skills,
(iii) To increase purposeful activity (study of one’s own activity and the motives of others),
(iv) To contribute the knowledge acquired through research to the society in a better way,
(v) To serve (benefit) the society or ummah by solving the problem through research,
(vi) To be included as a researcher and to keep him/herself alive through research publications, etc.
3.4 Literature review
Review of previous literature is a well organized critical appreciation of relevant and related research papers. It is conceptually integrated within the logic of proposed investigation. It is a critical evaluation of the studies, research reports, scholarly or broad spectrum of writings that bear directly or indirectly upon researcher’s effort. It is also a discussion with several friends (in absentia) about what they have written in relation to what the researchers plan to do. However, literature review has some definite goals, which are listed below:
(i) To demonstrate a familiarity with a body of knowledge and establish credibility,
(ii) To show the path of prior research and how a current topic is linked to it,
(iii) To integrate and summarise what is known in that area,
(iv) To learn from other investigators and stimulate new ideas to enrich the current project.
Thus, literature review gives the researchers some important perspectives to see what has already been done by others and where the present research is going to start. Finally, reviewing summarises as ‘SQR3+E’, where
S = ‘Survey’ the previous work,
Q = ‘Question’ everything that previous author wrote,
R = ‘Read’, think and understand,
R = ‘Recall’ the passages by summarising them,
R = ‘Revise’- go over the material again, and
E = ‘Evaluate’ as to the following terms:
(i) Variables,
(ii) Hypothesis,
(iii) Measurement, and
(iv) Analysis.
3.5 Research Category
Research can be categorized as follows:
1. Exploratory: In this type of studies, researchers are about to venture some ill-defined or uncharted territory in a particular area. Exploratory studies can also be considered as ‘heuristic’ as it aims at discovering something new using trial and error. For instance, “Single mothers in universities” can be an exploratory topic/subject/field.
2. Descriptive: The population census is an excellent example of descriptive studies. The goal of the census is to describe accurately a wide variety of the country’s population, their religion, ethnicity, age, occupation and so on. Computation of crime rates of different cities, the marketing that describes about potential customers, is other examples of descriptive studies.
3. Explanatory: Explanatory study is based on ‘why’ of the research problem. It is different from descriptive studies as for instance, the reporting of the frequency of attendance in a mosque is descriptive; however, reporting why some people attend and some do not is explanatory. One can approach the research problem of ‘crime’ from two perspectives: when reporting the crime rate of a country is descriptive; identifying variables that explain why some cities have higher crime rate is explanatory.
3.6 Research Types
Three types of research activity applicable to Research and Development (R&D) section, which are recognized as follows:
a. Basic research: Any theoretical or experimental research conducted to develop hypotheses or theories to acquire new knowledge. This may be following two types:
(i) Pure basic research: It is an experimental and theoretical research undertaken to acquire new knowledge without looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge for the resreachers.
(ii) Strategic basic research: It is an experimental and theoretical research undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed into specified broad areas in the expectation of useful discoveries. It provides the broad base of knowledge necessary for the solution of recognized practical problems.
b. Applied research: To explore the possibility of applications in the form of devices and processes. It is an original research undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view. It is undertaken either to determine possible used findings of the basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and predetermined objectives.
c. Experimental development: It is a systematic research, which can use existing knowledge gained from research or practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those already produced or installed.
3.7 Procedure for data collection and their analyses
Once the researchers identify their research type, they need to go for collecting data. And the procedure for collecting one’s data should also be systematic based on the category of studies. There are two procedures for collecting one’s data: (1) quantitative and (2) qualitative. These two procedures do not only help the researchers to collect their data but also help in analyzing them. Table 2 gives an idea defining various sub-categories in these procedures:
Table 2: Summary of quantitative and qualitative studies.
Quantitative Study Qualitative Study
1. Survey method is used when studying a group’s attitudes, opinions and/or characteristics. In survey studies researchers usually send questionnaires, for instance if one wants to measure the people’s attitude towards a new product s/he can use this method.
2. Experiment
3. Case study is an approach that centers on one or few individuals. They can be ‘longitudinal,’ that is, the researchers may study his/ her subjects for a long period of time. 1. Ethnography is a methodology originally began in anthropology, however, later it has been accepted by many researchers in the fields of other social sciences. On the basis of ‘participant observation’ researchers study certain phenomena within a particular organization, say, school or entertainment centre or among an ethnic group, etc.
2. In an In-depth Interviewing (differs from survey interviewing) the researchers ask more open-ended questions rather than close-ended.
3. Focus Group Interviewing is designed to explore for instance the attitudes of a certain 6 to 12 body member group.
4. Hermeneutics is the critical theory of interpretation.
However, the difference between Quantitative and Qualitative Studies is shown in Table 3. Researchers must know the differences between these two ways of collecting and analyzing one’s data in order to choose the right one for his/ her types of study.
Table 3: Difference between quantitative and qualitative studies.
No. Quantitative Study No. Qualitative Study
1. Positivism: using the methods of empirical sciences considering that scientific knowledge is both accurate and certain. 1. Phenomenology: An approach or “an attempt to recover a fresh perception of existence, one unprejudiced by acculturation8. In other words phenomenological method demands ‘collecting and analyzing data in ways that do not prejudice the researcher’s subjective character’.
2. Single reality 2. Multiple realities.
3. Value free 3. Value laden (included)
4. Deductive 4. Inductive
4. BRAIN STORMING IN RESEARCH AND THINKING
SKILLS
Safy mentioned in his book- “Indeed the Holy Qu’ran makes it abundantly clear that it consists of ‘signs (ayah)’ whose understanding is contingent (conditional) on the process of thinking, contemplating (survey with eyes or mind) and reasoning”.
There are plenty of issues in social sciences that can be approached from an Islamic perspective and from their results the people or the ummah can be benefited a lot. So what is the first requirement in posing a research problem, that is, we must have to have a ‘questioning mind’ to know about something. In the Holy Qu’ran, there are about 1200 interrogative marks (?) as Allah is asking us (those who are wise) to think over His creation.
Therefore, the idea of ‘thinking skills’ has a practical use in focusing attention on ‘knowing how’ rather than ‘knowing what’ – on learning how to learn. If learning is making sense of experience, and thinking is how we learn, then improving researchers’ thinking will help them to make more sense of learning and of life. Thinking skills reflect the fact that the mind is made up of many capacities, not just an empty vessel to be filled, but a set of living processes that need to be developed through experience, education and training.
Thinking skills that support learning for research is as follows:
(i) Information processing skills,
(ii) Enquiry skills,
(iii) Reasoning skills,
(iv) Creative thinking skills,
(v) Evaluation skills.
4.1 Information processing skills
Information processing skills enable researchers to relate the following:
(i) Locate, collect and recall relevant information,
(ii) Interpret information to show that they understand the relevant concepts and ideas,
(iii) Analyze the information
4.2 Enquiry skills
Enquiry skills enable researchers to relate the following:
(i) Ask relevant questions,
(ii) Pose and define problems,
(iii) Plan what to do and how to do,
(iv) Predict outcomes, test conclusions and improve ideas.
4.3 Reasoning skills
Reasoning skills enable researchers to relate the following:
(i) Give reasons for opinions,
(ii) Draw inferences and make deductions,
(iii) Use precise language to explain what they think
(iv) Make judgements and decisions informed by reasons or evidence.
4.4 Creative thinking skills
Creative thinking skills enable researchers to relate the following:
(i) Generate and extend ideas,
(ii) Suggest possible hypotheses,
(iii) Be imaginative in their thinking,
(iv) Look for alternative innovative outcomes.
4.5 Evaluation skills
Evaluation skills enable researchers to relate the following:
(i) Evaluate information that they have been given,
(ii) Judge the value of what they read, hear and do,
(iii) Develop criteria for judging the value of their own and others work or ideas,
(iv) Have confidence in their judgements.
5. RESPONSIBILITY OF A RESEARCHER
It is the responsibility of a researcher to perform the following tasks:
(i) Disclose the ‘analysis-related’ information in the research proposal,
(ii) Present the information simply and clearly in the Thesis or Dissertation report,
(iii) Clarify and defend the proposal and the report with experimental evidences and
(iv) Finally, publish the results (new findings) in the Journal.
6. RESEARCH PUBLICATION- A GUIDELINE FOR THE RESEARCHER
In order to publish research article, a researcher must follow the following guidelines:
(i) Whatever research work we do, we must publish it,
(ii) It is not wise to leave work in an inconclusive or
unfinished state,
(iii) There is no benefits in doing good research, if it
does not get into literature,
(iv) All research work should always be forwarded to
the publication site rather than getting lost the work,
(v) Publication is easier if research work is done in a
team (know-who) and the techniques are known
(know-how).
7. Research Oriented Engineering Education
In order to increase the power of thinking or searching power for common mass, education system and its curriculum must be creative. This is particularly important for science and technology based learning. For technological development of a society, first priority should be given to science, engineering and technological education. And as such, all engineering disciplines must be first accredited by some authority say, the Board of Engineers or Institutions of Engineers of a country for a period of few years. Then evaluation of the education system must be done and self criticism is required to improve the system. However, if the programme goes well then reaccreditations for another term say for five years can be made
During this long period, major changes in the course curriculum must be made comparing with other universities in the world and it needs reviewing of the syllabus. The curriculum review and evaluation is a natural process towards its refinement and development. The changes should be proposed based on the feed backs from following:
(i) The external examiners,
(ii) The alumni association,
(iii) The industry where graduates are working,
(iv) The engineering professional society and
(v) The lecturers teaching the courses.
Due to these changes, the quality and relevance of the courses will improve to fit well with the fast changing fields of engineering and technology. It is felt that as a consequence of the specific changes in the course curriculum, the graduates would be upgraded, up to date and become better competent to deal with major engineering challenges in their professional careers.
7.1 Industrial Training and Management
7.2 Engineering ethics, Safety and Environment
7.3 Green Engineering
7.4 Engineering Curriculum Structure
8. Conditions for Sustainable Research
In order to go ahead with research or in other words, sustainable growth for research in any organization, the creation of research environment is very important. It is to be done within the campus and it must provide necessary facilities for the staff and the graduate students. The facilities must include technical support such as laboratory equipments or instruments, necessary raw materials for conducting experiments, modern library with computers, books, journals as well as some recreational facilities such as sports centre, common rooms, accommodation for single and married researchers, etc. In order to attract foreign students or researchers, each university must have some low cost family quarters as well as nursing schools for their children.
However, implementation of research in any organization is a very difficult task or business. That is why, the higher learning institutes (say, Universities) or training centres must recruit the best people (intellectuals) who are really dedicated and wish to contribute to the organization and as a whole to the society by carrying out research spontaneously. At the same time, there should have a body in the Government say, Science and Technology Division or Industrial Research Council, who will select best graduates for higher studies and research and send them to the Universities with graduate scholarship. After completing the Master’s programme, he will be recruited in the research institute or in the University. However, doing research should be spontaneous and for this, the organization must create the research atmosphere. Spontaneous research is always valuable and brings new ideas and innovations, since people do it out of self-interest. The intellectuals, those who are involved in teaching and learning need to do research, because it improves their intellectual capabilities. However, when, it is not spontaneous, the policy makers (employers) can enforce certain conditions upon their employees so that they are compelled to do the research for their existence in the organization. These conditions for sustainable research may be called either pressure criteria or encouragement criteria, are listed below:
(a) The company can recruit employee and keep him in probation period, perhaps for one or two years so that the employee can start research, otherwise the post will not be permanent. IIUM in Malaysia and BUET in Bangladesh both have got this type of provision. Within three years of joining as B. Sc Engineer, all lecturers must start M.Sc and after completing the said degree, their posts will be permanent (Pressure criteria).
(b) If there is no research within the probation period, there will be no yearly incentive or increment (Pressure criteria).
(c) By providing some incentives to the researchers, say on monthly basis such as technical pay or research allowance as long as he is associated with a particular research project. Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation (BRTC) unit of the BUET has this type of arrangement (Encouragement criteria).
(d) Extra bonus to the researchers can be given according to research performance in the previous year. As for example, a researcher can get an extra bonus for publishing three or four articles in the conference proceedings or publishing one research article in the Journal per year (Encouragement criteria).
(e) Researchers can go to the overseas conferences for presentation of their research outputs (Encouragement criteria).
(f) Renewal of the contract or promotion to the higher post can be based on the research activities in the organization (Pressure criteria), etc.
9. Importance of Science, Engineering and Technology Based Education from Islamic Perspective
An engineer is responsible for creating a mirror image of the fact and the reality in order to make an authentic model of any object out of different materials that exist in the nature. He is obliged to understand the science behind it and the manner of its application. The scientific knowledge comes through reasoning and senses. It is therefore, required for the engineer to use all sources, i. e., the Divine, intellectual and sensorial knowledge for integrating revealed and scientific knowledge in order to understand them rightly and apply them properly in the real world.
The search for a Qur’anic approach to science and engineering stems from Allah’s commandment to seek advancement in knowledge, “O my Lord! Advance me in knowledge” (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Ta Ha - 20:114), and to pay due attention to the vision of Revelation, the Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the main source of knowledge and guidance. Allah (swt) says: “This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt” (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Baqarah - 2:2) and “Nothing have We omitted from the Book” (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al An’am - 6:38).
The Qur’an is the Holy religious book and It is hardly considered as a science and engineering based book in the modern world. However, It provides indispensable principles, ideas, concepts and processes circumscribing examples of engineering sciences that require exploration and careful consideration. When we go through first five verses of Surah Al-Alaq (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Alaq - 96:1-5) where It says “Proclaim! (or read or recite or rehearse) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created - ; Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood; Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful - ; He Who taught (the use of) the Pen - ; Taught man that which he knew not.” Analyzing these verses, we get some scientific and technical words such as clot of congealed blood where Allah (swt) mentions about the mechanisms of creation of the mankind and definitely relates to some information about medical sciences. At the same time, when we talk about the word Pen, it refers to something about writing materials, which again relate to paper. However, the paper is an important engineering material and the main body of the pen usually consists of polymeric material, the nib of the pen is the metallic material and the ink is the viscous fluid material. All these engineering materials and their processing techniques are required to know for the man to manufacture paper and pen.
The Supreme Authority Allah (swt) is The Greatest Manufacturer Who has created the whole Universe uniquely (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al A’raf - 7:54 and The Holy Qur’an, Surah Yunus - 10:3), and Adam - the Man and Eve - the Woman his wife (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Baqarah – 2:30–39, The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al A’raf - 7:11-19, The Holy Qur’an, Surah Ta Ha - 20: 115-127 and The Holy Qur’an, Surah Sad - 38:71-85). Their sons and daughters are the manufacturers of lovely earthly belongings to make their lives happy, comfortable, prosperous and sometimes miserable.
The term ‘manufacturing’ is derived from two Latin words: Manus means Hand and Factus means Making. The combination makes the full word Manufactus (Manufacture) means things made by hand (Groover, 2002). Allah (swt) has given us two strong hands to work and make things with them. Thus, in order to produce something, we must work with hands, apply our brain (know-how) + spend time + add money (value). As a result, the starting raw materials are less expensive, but when we apply brain (technological know-how), spend time and money on them, the useable end products become more valuable. The starting raw materials are usually given by Allah (swt) and made them available in the nature. The following example can be cited in this context.
The impure grade of cast iron or pig iron is an extremely important raw material used in manufacturing steel, and this steel is an invaluable manufactured structural material used everywhere in the world. In order to produce pig iron in the blast furnace, following four basic raw materials are required: iron ore, oxygen (from air), metallurgical coke (manufactured from coal) and flux (such as limestone). All these basic raw materials to manufacture this important engineering material, i.e. steel are available in the nature, which have been given by Allah (swt). The Ummah must be grateful to Him for these endless bounties, which He created and made available in this Universe for the benefit of the mankind.
Thus, the Holy Qur’an is not only the book of religions, but It is also the informatics book of Science and Technology where all sorts of philosophical, astronomical, scientific and technological information have been given to the mankind by Allah (swt) through His Messenger Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
10. Reward for a Researcher
Research is an extremely valuable, stimulating, challenging and satisfactory task for any intellectual who wants to contribute to the society for the benefit of mankind. Therefore, the whole universe is grateful to a researcher for solving a problem for the sake of humanity and I think that’s the best reward for a researcher.
