Research Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Methodology - Essay ExampleFinally, one has to phone line what one is likely to conclude in terms of the research problem and ones hypothesis (an early conclusion in other words). each this goes into a brief and concise introduction, to be termed Introduction and/or Abstract, of the proposed research. To illustrate the research process thus described, I shall in the following relieve the perspective of anthropology, the science of culture, as an example of a an inductive, empirical social science with appropriate methods to tackle social science research questions Literature appraise Having thus described the contents of the proposal, one now turns to these items, one by one, beginning with a focused analysis of relevant literary sources and notions in pronounce to answer the research question. The review reflects the state of the art regarding knowledge of the research topic. The review will highlight various issues that are particularly relevant to firmness of purp ose the identified research problem. Setting and Sample Next, one describes the background and/or sample size. Depending upon ones choice of research problem one describes the setting which, when social science research is conducted, may be a community (e.g., affluent, middle-class, poor), an institution (e.g., a school, a bank), a neighbourhood, street corners, a slum, etc. (Hannerz, 2007). found upon this choice, a sample is defined. One may want to work with a small, large, partial or complete sample, a random selection, a certain quota or a representative sample. The economic anthropologist Polly Hill studied cocoa faming and development in southern Ghana. She used maps and air photography to define her sample (Hill, 1963). This may seem an extreme choice, but it isnt for an anthropologist conducting research in a non-Western setting. Methodology 1. Induction-Deduction Research, the search for knowledge and problem-solving, is a process whereby one continually adds to knowled ge (Ellen, 1984). By this understanding, research is an ongoing process. There are, however, certain procedures to be followed and standards to be adhered to, be they of an inductive (experimental arriving at a theory based on facts) or deductive (facts are organized to match theory) nature. Based on this division, one arrives at a positivistic and relativistic stance, resulting in a contrast of explanation (deduction, positivism) and understanding (induction, relativism) (Manners and Kaplan, 1968 Alexander, 1983 Gellner, 1985). Within anthropology and with its emphasis on induction and empirical research, the contrast betwixt induction and deduction has been conceptualized as two modes of dubiousness that are opposed to one another. The renowned anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski advocated 90 years ago long-term immersion in the research site chosen and the use of a set of qualitative methods, considered suitable to such an approach (Malinowski, 1922). Since the nineteen twentie s and Malinowskis statement, the tension of deduction and induction is thought of as contrast between the natural sciences, such as biology, insisting on distance, and the human and social sciences stressing the value of experience-nearness. The contrast has been exemplified by the different emphases placed upon