Ambo Institute of Technology

Research methods and presentation

Lecture 01

M. Mamo & Electrical and Computer

Negasa B.
Bayisa K. Engineering Department
Terminology

TECHNOLOGY:

• Technology is the process by which humans modify nature to meet their needs
and wants.

• "...the know-how and creative processes that may assist people to utilise tools,
resources and systems to solve problems and to enhance control over the
natural and made environment in an endeavor to improve the human condition."
(UNESCO, 1985).

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Engineering

• “The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures,

machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly
or in combination;
• or to construct or operate the same with full awareness of their design;
• or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions;
• all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life
and property.”
American Engineers' Council for Professional Development

• Science aims to understand the "why" and "how" of nature.

• Engineering seeks to shape the natural world to meet human needs and wants.

• Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that has never
been.
Theodore von Kármán

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Innovation

• The introduction of something new, a new way of doing something, the

successful exploitation of new ideas.

• Invention - an idea made manifest

... the first occurrence of an idea for a new product or process

• Innovation - ideas applied successfully

... the first attempt to carry it out into practice
• Incremental innovation - where something is adapted or modified.
• Radical innovation - which involves completely new ideas.

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Science – some characteristics

• Science is empirical: Science relies on experience more than authority, common

sense, or logic.
• Science is objective: Objectivity means that same conclusion should be
arrived if same observation is made.
• Science is self-correcting: Because science is empirical, new evidences
may contradict the old ones.
• Science is progressive: Because science is empirical and self-correcting, it
is also progressive.
• Science is tentative: Science never claims to have the whole truth. New
information may make current knowledge obsolete.

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Hypothesis

Hypothesis
• This is an educated guess based upon observation. It is a rational explanation of
a single event or phenomenon based upon what is observed, but which has not
been proved.
• A hypothesis is basically a(n educated) guess.
– It is a possible answer to the problem or question.
• A hypothesis is testable and falsifiable

• A hypothesis is an explanation for a phenomenon which can be tested in

some way which ideally either proves or disproves the hypothesis. For the
duration of testing, the hypothesis is taken to be true, and the goal of the
researcher is to rigorously test the terms of the hypothesis.

• When a hypothesis passes the test it is adopted as a theory (or thesis) as it

correctly explains a range of phenomena but it can, at any time, be falsified by
new experimental evidence.

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Thesis

Thesis
• A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove.

• "a position or proposition that a person (as a candidate for scholastic honors)
advances and offers to maintain by argument.“
[Webster's 7th New Collegiate Dictionary].

• A defense presents evidence for a thesis.

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Scientist vs Engineer

• A scientist sees a phenomenon and asks “why?” and proceeds to research the
answer to the question.

• An engineer sees a practical problem and wants to know “how” to solve it and
“how” to implement that solution, or “how” to do it better if a solution exists.

• A scientist builds in order to learn, but an engineer learns in order to build.

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Research

• The systematic process of collecting and analyzing information (data) in order

to discover new knowledge or expand and verify the existing one (e.g. theory -
law)
• The purpose of research is to discover solutions to problems through the
application of scientific procedures

• The research process must :

– Be undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies.
– Use procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested
for their validity and reliability.
– Be designed to be unbiased and objective.
• Subjectivity: an integral part of your way of thinking that is conditioned by
your educational background, discipline, philosophy, experience and skills.
• Bias: a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something.
[Kumar 2005]

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Research characteristics

To qualify as research the process must have the following characteristics:

• Controlled – in exploring causality in relation to two variables, the study must be
set in a way to minimise the effects of other factors affecting the relationship.
• Rigorous – be extremely attentive to details in ensuring that the procedures
followed to find answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified.
• Systematic – the procedures adopted to undertake an investigation follow a
certain logical sequence ... Different steps cannot be taken in a hazardous way.
• Valid and verifiable – whatever is concluded on the basis of the findings must be
correct and can be verified by the researcher and others.
• Empirical – any conclusions drawn are based upon hard evidence gathered from
information collected from real-life experiences or observations.
• Critical – critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods employed.
[Kumar 2005]
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Concept, Indicator, Variable

• Concepts are mental images or perceptions

– their meanings vary from individual to individual.

• Variables or indicators are measurable (with varying degrees of accuracy).

• Measurability is the main difference between a concept and a variable.

• In order to assess research results it is important for the concepts to be

converted into variables or indicators as they can be subjected to measurement

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Types of research – Viewpoint of application

Classification of research

• Pure basic research

– is experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without
looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge.
– its main objective is to generate theoretical and scientific laws of nature.
• Applied research
– is original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific
application in view. It is undertaken either to determine possible uses for the findings of
basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and predetermined
objectives.
– aims at finding an immediate solution for pressing practical problem facing an
industrial/business organization or a society.
• Experimental development
– is systematic work, using 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.

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Types of research – Viewpoint of objectives

• Descriptive research
– Attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon,
service, etc. E.g. Structure of a system, organization, etc.
• Correlational research
– To discover or establish the existence of a relationship / association /
interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation. E.g. What is the
relationship / impact / effect of <this> in <that>.
• Explanatory research
– Attempts to clarify or explain why and how there is a relationship between two
aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
• Exploratory research
– When the objective is to explore an area where little is known or to investigate
the possibility of launching a particular research study.

[Kumar, 2005]

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Types of research – Strategies of inquiry

• Quantitative research
– to determine the extent of a problem, issue, or phenomenon
• Survey research: Studies samples
• Experimental research: To determine impacts or influences

– is the systematic and scientific investigation of quantitative properties and

phenomena and their relationships.
– Its objective is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and
hypotheses pertaining to natural phenomena.
– Example:
• Analysis of Output Voltages of Transformers & Status of Transformers’
Auxiliary Components

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Types of research – Strategies of inquiry

• Qualitative research
– to explore the nature of a problem, issue, or phenomenon
– Data are often in the form of descriptions (words, pictures), not numbers
• Ethnography
... Studies an intact “cultural group” in a natural setting over a prolonged
period of time
• Grounded theory
... Derives a general, abstract theory of a process, action, or interaction
grounded in the views of participants
• Case studies
… Exploring in depth an event, activity, process or entity
• Phenomenological research
.... Trying to understand the meaning of a phenomenon as perceived by
the actors that “lived it”
• Narrative research
... Based on the analysis of stories / narratives

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