RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

(ACC 322)

DR.SUSAN PETER TERU

ASSIGNMENT
GROUP 7

QUESTION.

1. OUTLINE THE PRESENTATION OF COMPLETED

DEGREE PROJECT INCLUDING THE PRELIMINARY
PAGES.
2. IDENTIFY AND DISCUSS THE TYPES OF RESEARCH
YOU KNOW.
3. DISCUSS THE CONCEPT OF RESEARCH AND;
4. FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS

MATRIC NO:

1. 21/207ACC/400
2. 21207ACC/401
3. 21/207ACC/402
4. 21/207ACC/403
5. 21/207ACC/404
6. 21/207ACC/405

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7. 21/207ACC/406
8. 21/207ACC/407
9. 21/207ACC/408

10. 21/207ACC/409
11. 21/207ACC/410
12. 21/207ACC/411

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STANDARD PRELIMINARY PAGES ARE COMPRISED OF

THE FOLLOWING

Cover/Title page
Proposal
Declaration (if any)
Certification (If any)
Approval (if any)
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Table of contents
List of Tables (if any)
List of Figures (if any)
Abstract

COVER / TITLE PAGE

The cover page is comprised of the following sections:

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The title of the project work

The case study of the project / research work

The researchers / student’s name, starting with the surname and

registration number

The institution of study.

The year and month the project work was completed.

DECLARATION
This is where you state that the research work is original and was conducted
by you. Your full names, registration / Matriculation number, and project
supervisor should also be indicated.

CERTIFICATION

The certification page of a project report is where you confirm that the
research was carried out by you. The page should include the following:

a. Your full names (starting with your surname), registration number and
signature.

b. Your project supervisor’s name, signature and date.

c. The external examiner’s name, signature and date.

APPROVAL

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The approval page is similar to the declaration page. You basically state that
you did the research and it is void of plagiarism. The Page should also
contain the names and signatures of your supervisor, head of department
(H.O.D), and external examiner.

DEDICATION
The dedication page comes after the approval page. It is used to dedicate
the work to those that supported you during your studies. This page should
be brief.

If you want to recognize and acknowledge more people, do so in the

acknowledgement page which is the next page.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The acknowledgement page comes after the dedication page. This is where
you appreciate the people who directly or indirectly assisted you in carrying
out your research.

In writing your acknowledgement, be sure to mention only the people that

assisted you. You can address your project supervisor, colleagues, loved
ones and your parents/sponsors for their moral and financial support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A table of contents is a list of the parts of a book, research report or
document, organized in the order in which the parts appear.

The contents usually include the titles or descriptions of the first level
headers, such as chapter titles in longer works and often includes a second
level titles or section titles within the chapters and occasionally even third
level titles or subsections.

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 LIST OF TABLES FIGURES
This is required if you have two or more figures and tables in the project
report. All figures and tables in research report should be included in the
list.

ABSTRACT
An abstract is a clear, accurate and concise summary of a research. It is
usually written at the end of the research, after the rest of the project
report has been completed.

An abstract should be between 100 – 250 words and should get the reader
interested in the research paper. Knowing how abstracts are structured is
the first step towards writing an awesome abstract.

Some points to note

1. Be sure you have the correct month and year of graduation.

2. Preliminary pages are numbered in lower case roman numerals.

Below is an example of preliminary pages of a project report format:

A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ORGANIZATION

PERFORMANCE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR (A CASE STUDY OF TWO SELECTED
ESTABLISHMENT IN FCT ABUJA)

BY

———

———

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 A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING,
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA, —————

IN

PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF ———- IN ACCOUNTING

AUGUST, 2024

APPROVAL PAGE

This to certify that this project was written by ——– with REG NO: ——–
under the supervision of Mr. ——-, Department of Accounting, ———, in
partial fulfillment of the award of ———– in Accounting Under Faculty of
Management Science.

………………………….. ……………….

——————
Date

Project Supervisor

………………………….. ……………….

————–
Date

Head of Department

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 ………………………….. ……………….

External Examiner Date

DEDICATION
I dedicate this project work to Almighty God who is the author and finisher
of my faith.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is my earnest intention to express my profound gratitude to Almighty God
for His enabling grace and to all that have contributed or help in one way or
the other to the successful completion of my project.

I wish to express my gratitude to my Project Supervisor Mr/Mrs. ———-

who not only supervised in spite of his other pressing duties, was able to
read the whole scripts thoroughly and carefully made useful suggestions
and correction of my errors.

I wish to express my joy to Mr. and Mrs. ——– for their moral and financial
support in making my studies sweet. I remain indebted to my parents for
their invaluable support throughout the period of carrying out this research
work and my academic pursuit.

Finally, I thank ———– for being very good to me, and ———. May God
bless and reward you all for your understanding and patience. Also to my
Lecturers and HOD, I say thank you for impacting great knowledge into me.

ABSTRACT

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Organizations are set up to accomplish set goals and objective. People
therefore get together in an organization or the attachment of specific goals.
Their personal goals as well as the goals of the organization if they are
sufficiently motivated. This leadership becomes an essential factor towards
accomplishing these tasks. This study is therefore concerned with the
evaluation of leadership styles and organizational performances in the
private sector. The scope of the study is to analyze various leadership style
and motivational theories and the things that generally affects the workers
in effect on organization performance.

Based on this, the study tries to identify the leadership style common in the
private sectors in Abia State and to suggest the style that will be more
effective in running private organization. This research discussed on the
methodology by which the data contained in the research were collected.
The sources of data and the method of analyzing primary data such as
questionnaires, personal interviews and observations were applied. Also
secondary data such as textbook, journals, notes and other relevant
literatures were consulted. Simple percentage method was used in
analyzing the data collected.

Chapter four analyzed and interpreted the responses of the respondents

by using the tabular form for easy understanding the analysis, the
leader/manager who desired effective performance from his subordinates
should build into inducing employees to contribute meaningfully and
effectively to set organizational objectives.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

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Approval Page
Dedication
Acknowledgment

Abstract
Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study

1.2 Statement of Problems

1.3 Objective of the Study

1.4 Research Question

1.5 Research Hypothesis

1.6 Significance of Study

1.7 Scope of Study

1.8 Limitation of the Study

1.9 Definition of Terms

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of the Problem

2.2 Extensive Review

2.3 What others have done in the area.

2.3.1 How did they do it?

2.3.2 What were the research variable?

2.3.3 How were the variable measured?

2.3.4 What were the constraint?

2.3.5 What could be possibly be modified?

2.4 Style Flexibly

2.5 Summary of Literature Review

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 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Research Design

3.3 Population

3.4 Sampling Technique

3.5 Sample Size

3.6 Selection of Research Collection

3.7 Method of Data Collection

3.8 Sample Size

3.9 Sample Technique

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 CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF DATA

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Obtaining Relevant Information

4.3 Conduct of Study

4.4 Data Analysis

4.5 Research Findings

4.6 Writing up of Project Report

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 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary of Findings

5.2 Conclusion

5.3 Recommendations

References

Appendix

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 IDENTIFY AND DISSCUSS THE TYPES OF RESEARCH
YOU KNOW

TYPES OF RESEARCH

Fundamental and applied research are the two main research categories.
most research types can be traced back to being fundamental or applied,
depending on the study's goals.

1. Fundamental or Basic Research

Fundamental, also known as basic or theoretical, research is designed to

help researchers better understand certain phenomena in the world. It
looks at how things work but does not seek to find how to make them work
better. This research attempts to broaden your understanding and expand
scientific theories and explanations. Example: A company studies how
different product placements affect product sales. This study provides
information and is knowledge-based.

2. Applied Research

Applied research is designed to identify solutions to specific problems or

find answers to particular questions. It offers knowledge that is applicable
and implementable. Types of applied research include:

 Technological: This research looks for ways to improve efficiency in

products, processes and production.

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  Scientific: This research measures certain variables to predict
behaviors, outcomes and impact.

Example: A student working on a doctorate in education studies ways to

increase student involvement in the classroom. This research focuses on a
defined problem and is solution-based.

Video: Types of Research: Definitions and Examples

Data-informed decisions are critical to a successful business. Research is the
first step in collecting data. This video breaks down two main types of
research: applied and fundamental research.

Additional types of research

Here are additional types of research you may consider as you design your
research project:

3. Action Research

Action research refers to examining actions, assessing their effectiveness in

bringing about the desired outcome and choosing a course of action based
on those results. It is typically used in educational settings for teachers and
principals to perform a type of self-assessment and course
correction.Example: A teacher collects data about their methods of
teaching fifth-grade math. At the end of the first school quarter, they
discovered only 33% of students demonstrated proficiency in the concepts.
As a result, the teacher implements new methods for the second quarter.

4. Causal Research

Causal research, also called explanatory research, seeks to determine

cause-and-effect relationships between variables. It identifies how much
one variable may cause a change in the other. Causal research is important
for evaluating current processes and procedures and determining if and

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how changes should take place.Example: A business studies employee
retention rates before and after instituting a work-from-home policy after

six months of employment to see if the approach increases employee

retention.

5. Classification Research

Classification research seeks to identify and classify individual elements of a

group into larger groups or subgroups. Example: Researchers study an
animal species, placing them in defined categories based on shared
characteristics, such as:

 Body segmentation
 Type of habitat

 Reproductive methods
 Diet

6. Comparative Research

Comparative research identifies similarities and differences between two

individuals, subjects or groups. Example: A business owners reviews new
hire training documentation and discovers that new employees receive
much of the same information at orientation and in their initial
departmental training. The owner incorporates materials into one session
to allow more time for department-specific training.

7. Cross-Sectional Research

Cross-sectional, or synchronous, research studies a group or subgroup at

one point in time. Participants are generally chosen based on specific

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shared characteristics, such as age, gender or income, and researchers
examine the similarities and differences within and between groups. The
group is often used as a representation of a larger population. Example: A

company researches the sales techniques of its top 10% of salespeople and
compares them to those of its bottom 10%. This gives the company insights
into the most successful and least successful sales methods.

8. Deductive Research

Deductive, or theory-testing, research is the opposite of inductive research

and moves from the broad to the specific. Researchers choose a hypothesis
and test its accuracy through experimentation or observation.Example:
Researchers observed that 12 international corporations enacted in-house
carbon emissions standards in the same year. They use deductive research
to compare global emissions levels before and after the measures were
enacted.

9. Exploratory Research

Exploratory research examines what is already known about a topic and

what additional information may be relevant. It rarely answers a specific
question but instead presents

the foundational knowledge of a subject as a precursor to further research.

Often, exploratory research is applied to lesser-known issues and
phenomena.Example: You may consider what is currently known about the
success of yearlong maternity and paternity leave programs. Your research
includes gathering all relevant information and compiling it in an accessible
format that wasn't available previously. Your findings may reveal gaps in
knowledge, leading to additional studies in the future.

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10. Field Research

Field research occurs wherever the participants or subjects are or "on

location." This type of research requires on-site observation and data
collection. Example: A manufacturing plant hires an environmental
engineering firm to test the air quality at the plant to ensure it complies
with federal health and safety requirements. The researchers travel to the
plant to collect samples.

11. Fixed Research

Fixed research involves procedures determined ahead of time, such as how

often testing will take place, where it will take place, the number of
subjects and their types. The research depends on precise conditions and
compliance with predetermined protocols to reduce variables.
Experimentation is often fixed research. Example: A researcher wants to
test how different labels affect consumers' ratings of a sports drink.

Participants are given the same drink with various labels at the same time
and take a survey about taste and overall impressions. The timing of
providing each drink and the subsequent surveys are critical to the study's
validity.

12. Flexible Research

Flexible research allows procedures to change throughout the course of the

experiment. The different types of flexible research include:

 Case studies: Case studies are in-depth analyses and observations

about a specific individual or subject.

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  Ethnographic studies: Ethnographic studies are in-depth analyses and
observations of a group of people.

 Grounded theory studies: Grounded theory studies are designed to

develop theories based on carefully collected and analyzed data.

Example: A physician uses a case study methodology to follow a patient

through symptoms, treatment and recovery.

13. Inductive Research

Inductive research, also known as theory-building research, collects data

that may help develop a new theory about a process or phenomenon. It
examines observations and patterns and offers several hypotheses to
explain these patterns. Inductive research is often the first step in theory
generation and may lead to additional research, such as deductive research,
to further test possible hypotheses.Example: Researchers observed that
worldwide emissions declined when 12 international corporations enacted
in-house

carbon emissions standards in the same year. The researchers theorize that
worldwide emissions can be reduced significantly if international
corporations impose in-house emissions standards.

14. Laboratory Research

Laboratory research occurs in a controlled laboratory rather than in the

field. Often, the study demands strict adherence to certain conditions, such
as eliminating variables or timing conditions. Laboratory research includes
chemical experimentation and pharmacological research.Example: A
pharmaceutical company researches a new drug

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formula to determine if it would benefit diabetes patients. Researchers
closely monitor chemical interactions in laboratory settings before moving
to the next step.

15. Longitudinal Research

Longitudinal research focuses on how certain measurements change over

time without manipulating any determining variables. Types of longitudinal
research include:

 Trend study: Research examines population characteristics over time.

 Cohort study: Research traces a sub population over time.
 Panel study: Research traces the same sample over time.

Example: A researcher examines if and how employee satisfaction changes

in the same employees after one year, three years and five years with the
same company.

16. Mixed Research

Mixed research includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The results
are often presented as a mix of graphs, words and images. Example: A car
manufacturer asks car buyers to complete a survey after buying a red or
white sedan. Questions focus on how much the color impacted their
decision and other opinion-based questions.

17. Policy Research

Policy research examines the effects of current government or social

policies or predicts the potential effects of proposed policies related to the
distribution of resources. Policy researchers often work within government
agencies and conduct the following types of studies:

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  Cost analysis
 Cost-benefit analysis
 Program evaluation
 Needs analysis

Example: An agency may research how a policy for vaccine distribution will
affect residents in rural areas. The outcome may change where the
government sets up free shot clinics.

18. Qualitative Research

Qualitative research involves non-numerical data, such as opinions and

literature. It uses descriptions to obtain the meanings and feelings involved
in a situation. Businesses often use qualitative research to determine
consumer opinions and reactions. Examples of qualitative research may
include:

 Focus groups
 Surveys
 Participant comments
 Observations
 Interviews

Example: A marketing organization presents a new commercial to a focus

group before airing it publicly to receive feedback. The company collects
non-numerical data the opinions of the focus group participants to make
decisions.

19. Quantitative Research

Quantitative research depends on numerical data, such as statistics and

measurements, to investigate specific questions, like who, what, where or

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when. The results are usually presented in tables or graphs. Types of
quantitative methods include:

 Survey research

 Descriptive research
 Cor-relational research

Example: A car manufacturer compares the number of sales of red sedans

compared to white sedans. The research uses objective data the sales
figures for red and white sedans to draw conclusions.

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 DISCUSS THE CONCEPT OF RESEARCH

Meaning of Research
Term ‘Research’ is composed of two syllables “Re” and “Search”. ‘Re’, is a
Latin term which means again, afresh or repeatedly. Search means try to
find out something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly.
Research is the systematic study of facts with intent to seek knowledge on
the basis of which certain decision can be made or valid conclusion may be
drawn. Fact has been defined under the Indian Evidence Act as “Fact means
and includes anything, state of things, or relation of things, capable of being
perceived by the senses; any mental condition of which any person is
conscious. Research is a process whereby any fact(s) are repeatedly,
carefully and systematically investigated by the researcher to know the
truth. The definite sets of methods, steps and procedures are followed to
get accurate, true and reliable outcomes of any research. Goode defines
research as, “Research is ideally the careful unbiased investigation of
problem based in so far as possible upon demonstrable facts and involving
refined distinction, interpretation and usually some generalization.
According to Gina Wisker “Research is about asking and beginning to
answer questions, seeking knowledge and understanding of the world and
its processes, and testing assumptions and beliefs.” “The systematic
investigations into and study of materials, sources etc., in order to establish
facts and reach new conclusions. An endeavour to discover new or to
collate old facts by the study of a subject or by a course of critical
investigation.

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Research is an intensive and purposeful search for knowledge and
understanding of social and physical phenomenon. It is an unbiased
scientific activity undertaken to establish some fact, theory or principal. In
common parlance it is a moment from known to unknown. It is a voyage for
knowledge. Every research action is the outcome of inquisitiveness of
researchers. Inquisitiveness is the mother of all investigation to gain
knowledge.

Inquisitiveness stimulates from the dissatisfaction of mind. If man is

dissatisfied as to the state of anything it may be his possessed knowledge,
information or existing principle, appreciation or rejection of principle or
theory by researcher, society or group. Research is not merely reading or
writing a book, it is a thoughtful scientific process. If something is added
with logic it may be also a research and if something is subtracted from a
research with logic, it may also be a research. Research is a continuum
process. Research is an original contribution to the existing stock of
knowledge making for its advancement. It is the pursuit of truth with the
help of study, observation, comparison and experiment. In easy words,
searching of knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding
solution to a problem is research. Every research is started with certain
objectives and ultimately concluded by truth.

Research is the conscientious study of an issue, problem, or subject. It is a

useful form of inquiry designed to assist in discovering answers. One can
visualize the fact that a detailed study is required in each practical situation
for better results. Any effort which is directed to such study for better
results is known as research. In other words, a research is an organized set
of activities to study and develop a model, procedure or technique to find
the results of a realistic problem supported by literature and data such that
its objectives are optimized and further make recommendations /
interferences for implementations

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 FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS
What is a Hypothesis?

The current community of psychologists believe that the best approach to

understanding behaviour is to conduct scientific research. To be classed as
scientific research, it must be observable, valid, reliable and follow a
standardized procedure.One of the important steps in scientific research is
to formulate a hypothesis before starting the study procedure.

The hypothesis is a predictive, testable statement predicting the outcome

and the results the researcher expects to find.

The hypothesis provides a summary of what direction, if any, is taken to

investigate a theory.In scientific research, there is a criterion that
hypotheses need to be met to be regarded as acceptable.If a hypothesis is
disregarded, the research may be rejected by the community of psychology
researchers.

Researchers must follow certain steps to formulate testable hypotheses when

conducting research.

Overall, the researcher has to consider the direction of the research, i.e. will
it be looking for a difference caused by independent variables? Or will it be
more concerned with the correlation between variables?

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All researchers will likely complete the following.

 Investigating background research in the area of interest.

 Formulating or investigating a theory.
 Identify how the theory will be tested and what the researcher expects
to find based on relevant, previously published scientific works.

Formulation of Hypothesis - Key Takeaways

 The current community of psychologists believe that the best

approach to understanding behaviour is to conduct scientific research.
One of the important steps in scientific research is to create a
hypothesis.
 The hypothesis is a predictive, testable statement concerning the
outcome/results that the researcher expects to find.
 Hypotheses are needed in research to provide a summary of what
the research is, how to investigate a theory and what is expected to
be found, and to provide an answer to the research question so that
the hypothesis can be used for later data analysis.
 There are requirements for the formulation of testable hypotheses.
The hypotheses should identify and operationalise the IV and DV. In
addition, they should describe the nature of the relationship between
the IV and DV.
 There are different types of hypotheses: Null hypothesis, Alternative
hypothesis (this is also known as the non-directional, two-tailed
hypothesis), and Directional hypothesis (this is also known as the
one-tailed hypothesis).

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