Research Methodology

Abstract

Research is at times mistaken for gathering information, documenting facts, and rummaging for  information (Leedy & Ormrod, 2001). Research methods are the techniques and procedures used to collect and analyze data in order to answer research questions and test a research hypothesis. There  are  several  different  types  of  research  methods,  each  with  its  own  strengths  andweaknesses.  Research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data in order to understand a phenomenon (Leedy & Ormrod). The research process is systematic in that defining the  objective,  managing  the  data,  and  communicating  the  findings  occur  within  established frameworks and in accordance with existing guidelines. The frameworks and guidelines provide researchers with an indication of what to include in the research, how to perform the research, and what types of inferences are probable based on the data collected. Research originates with at least one question about one phenomenon of interest. For example, what competencies might inhibit or enhance  the  accession  of  women  into  senior  leadership  positions  (Williams,  2005)?  Or,  what leadership factors might influence the retention choices of registered nurses? Research questions, such  as  the  two  preceding  questions,  help  researchers  to  focus  thoughts,  manage  efforts,  and choose the appropriate approach, or perspective from which to make sense of each phenomenon of interest. The three common approaches to conducting research are quantitative, qualitative, and mixed  methods.  The  researcher  anticipates  the  type  of  data  needed  to  respond  to  the  research  question. For instance, is numerical, textural, or both numerical and textural data needed? Based on this assessment, the researcher selects one of the three aforementioned approaches to conduct research. Researchers typically select the quantitative approach to respond to research questions requiring numerical data, the qualitative approach for research questions requiring textural data, and the mixed methods approach for research questions requiring both numerical and textural data.