How to Write a Dissertation Methodology | Chapter 3 Research Methodology
The methodology is a key part of a dissertation that explains what you intend to do or the research methods used to conduct your study. It is written in future tense when it is part of the dissertation proposal and in the past tense when it is part of the complete dissertation when you have actually undertaken the research. The methodology describes the philosophical underpinnings of the chosen research methods and why they were selected. Hence, all choices should have a clear academic justification explaining why you are using certain methods and linked back to the literature. The dissertation methodology chapter usually includes the sections described below.
Structure of a Dissertation Methodology
Introduction
The dissertation methodology should start with a brief introduction highlighting the research problem being investigated, purpose, general research methodology, and structure or organization of the chapter. You may also restate the research questions and hypotheses in this section.
Research Design
In this section, you should explain in great detail the research philosophy or paradigm and overall research approach you are using, as well as justify their use over other similar research methodologies. Common research paradigms are positivism, constructivist/interpretivism, critical/transformative, and pragmatic. On the other hand, research approaches include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research. Also, you should identify, explain, and provide justification for the specific research design chosen for the study while revealing its merits and demerits. Common research designs include experimental, quasi-experimental, survey, causal-comparative, action research, survey, case study, and phenomenological study. Lastly, you should define the dependent, independent, or moderating variables for your research and explain why they are being studied. You may also include the conceptual framework of your study in this section if it was not done in the introduction chapter.
Population and Sample
In this section, you should identify and describe the population targeted in your study and its characteristics. The population is the entire group of people or things of interest that you wish to investigate and form the basis from which the sample is drawn. Also, you should describe the sampling frame, sampling technique, and the actual sample size and give good academic reasons for your choice. Sampling techniques can either probability or non-probability sampling. Probability sampling techniques are used when you want to ensure a fair presentation and generalization of findings to the general population. Examples of probability sampling include simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling. These sampling designs are preferred when a sample size that is representative of the general population is needed. In non-probability sampling, the elements in a population do have an equal chance of being chosen and included in the sample. Hence, the sample is not representative of the population and the findings from the study cannot be generalized to the general population. Non-probability sampling designs include purposive sampling and convenience sampling.
Data Collection Methods and Instrumentation
The section should provide a clear description of the research methods chosen for collecting data and instruments. The methods for obtaining data may include surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observation techniques. Instruments are research tools that are used to facilitate data collection such as questionnaires, interview protocol, and checklist. The data collection instruments should be developed based on specific research objectives or research questions to ensure they are relevant to the research problem. In this section, you should therefore describe the instruments, whether they are standardized or researcher-developed instruments, structure or organization, nature of the research items, scales, scoring procedures, validity and reliability, and administration procedures.
Data Collection Procedures
Here, you should describe in detail the procedures used in collecting data including pilot studies and actual research procedures. A detailed description of the steps taken in conducting research is needed for replicability. Hence, this section should be described very clearly so that another researcher can follow the procedures used to reach similar conclusions without difficulty. You should provide a complete account of the data collection process including the design and development of the research instruments, pilot testing, administration in terms of scheduling of the participants or subjects, distribution and collection of the instruments, timing, and instructions given to the participants.
Data Analysis Methods
The section identifies and describes the techniques used in data analysis to obtain information needed to answer the research questions. The analytical framework may vary between the research questions; hence, you should explain how the data obtained under each research question will be analyzed. Qualitative data should be summarized and categorized according to common themes (referred to as thematic analysis) and presented in frequency distribution tables. Other qualitative methods of analysis used include content analysis, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis. Quantitative data analysis approaches should be described in terms of descriptive statistics and/or inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics include frequencies, measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode), and measures of central dispersion (range, variance, and standard deviation). Inferential statistics involve the measurement of relationships and differences between or among variables and include correlation, regression, and analysis of variance among others. You should also describe the data analysis tools that will be used such as Excel, SPSS, STATA, R, or SAS. Also, you should describe how the data will be presented in terms of tables, graphs, or charts.
Chapter Summary
The chapter should end with a summary of the key points discussed in the methodology section. Also, you can introduce the next chapter here by giving an overview of what will be covered in the findings chapter.
Expert Help with Dissertation Methodology
Many students face challenges in choosing the methodology and appropriate research methods for their dissertation. The supervisor or dissertation chair may suggest broad ideas on the methodology that you may use in your research but they do not offer much help when you are not sure on the best approach to address the research questions. A good way to start is to visit the library and look for standard research method textbooks in your field. Such books help in identifying your broad research philosophy and guide you in choosing related methods. Alternatively, you can hire a research methodology expert to guide or help with this chapter. Writing the research methodology can be rather a difficult task and you may find yourself wondering “can I hire someone to write my methodology chapter?” Project Editing Help offers reliable assistance with structuring your research methodology to ensure it is linked back to your research questions and objectives and previous research. Our experts have aided thousands of scholars to set their research in the context of appropriate theoretical underpinnings. We help with developing the conceptual framework to map out how the variables for your study might relate to each other. This framework is then used to plan the best research approach for your research study. Our expert writers will help to choose and discuss the most appropriate research methods for your study. We provide a clear academic rationale for all choices made and link back to literature explaining why the specific methods are being used, including the research approach, data collection, data analysis, and tools or instruments. Feel free to contact us when you need assistance with writing your dissertation chapter three. Our services are affordable, available around the clock, and our writers are ready and willing to help. Also, our writing services are affordable, of premium quality, and we guarantee 100% satisfaction. We also guide on how to go about the data collection process, including interviewing, administering the questionnaire, conducting focus groups, observations, and gathering secondary data.