SPRING 2024
RESEARCH METHODS (STA630)
ASSIGNMENT NO. 1
Due date: 29th April 2024 Total marks: 10
Topic: Important characteristics of scientific methods
Objective of the Assignment:
To familiarize the students with the important characteristics of scientific methods.
Learning Outcome:
After attempting this activity, students will be able to comprehend and apply the characteristics
of scientific methods in real-time scenarios. They will also be able to answer questions in their
exams related to characteristics of scientific methods.
Scenario
Zarah, a team lead of the marketing department at a renowned social media company,
arranges a brainstorming session with her social media team. The discussion focuses on
generating innovative ideas to enhance user satisfaction with the mobile app.
The team suggested conducting an online survey to gather valuable feedback directly
from users. They designed a comprehensive survey containing close-ended questions that
covered topics such as app usage patterns, useful features, user preference, ease of use, and
suggestions for improvement. Additionally, open-ended questions were also included in the
survey to capture qualitative insights.
Excited about the potential feedback, Zarah and her team actively monitor user responses
from the survey. They are confident that this information will be instrumental in upgrading and
improving the mobile app.
REQUIREMENTS:
Which five important characteristics of the scientific method, as outlined in your research
methodology course, are addressed in the provided scenario, and which ones are either not met or not
discussed? Justify your answer as well.
Met () / Not Met (❌) with
Characteristic
justification
Empirical
The scenario
involves gathering
data directly from
users through an
online survey,
which provides
empirical
evidence.
Verifiable
The data collected
from the survey
can be verified by
comparing it with
other sources or
by conducting
similar surveys in
the future
Cumulative
The survey
responses can be
accumulated over
time to build a
comprehensive
understanding of
user preferences
and trends.
Deterministic The scenario does
not explicitly
mention the use
of controlled
variables or
experimental
conditions to
establish causality.
Statistical Generalization
Statistical
Generalization| ✔️
| The survey
results can be
analyzed
statistically to
draw conclusions
about the broader
user population's
preferences and
behaviors
Note: The solution should be provided in the following table. Failure to provide the
answer as suggested will result in a deduction of marks.
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
• Students are advised to study the whole text carefully.
• Try not to include any irrelevant material in the solution.
• Try to come up with precise and original answers.
• Any act of plagiarism like copy paste from internet will result in ZERO marks.
• Assignments reaching after the due date would not be considered.
• Make sure to upload the solution file before the due date on VULMS.
• Any submission made via email after the due date will not be accepted.
FORMATTING GUIDELINES:
• Use the font style “Times New Roman” or “Arial” and font size “12”.
• It is advised to compose your document in MS-Word format.
• Use black font color only.
RULES FOR MARKING:
Please note that your assignment will not be graded or graded as Zero (0), if:
• It is submitted after the due date.
• The file you uploaded does not open or is corrupt.
• It is in any format other than MS-Word or Open Office; e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, PDF etc.
• It is cheated or copied from other students, internet, books, journals etc.
24 hours extra/ grace period after the due date is usually available to overcome
uploading difficulties. This extra time should only be used to meet the emergencies and
above- mentioned due dates should always be treated as final to avoid any
inconvenience.
Good Luck!
