1. INTRODUCTION
The research paper is about acquisition of specific research strategy skills that will apply for future studies, through critical examination of the case study. Identification of the research strategy to be used in masters-level dissertation is critical to accomplish the general aim of the research. It is absolutely decisive to adopt the appropriate method and design for the research. However, understanding of the specific research method and application to master’s level research is crucial to achieve success in master’s dissertation.
It is important that chosen method is relevant for certain research, because according to Walliman (2011, p.7), it will be able to convince the others that conclusions of research have some validity. Consequently, for Engineering Management master-level dissertation combination of two approaches, quantitative method for engineering and qualitative, such as in-depth method, for managerial part of the research can draw on strengths of each other, by cancelling out the weaknesses.
Good example of mixed method approach being used in case study “Social mobilization of climate change: University students conserving energy through multiple pathways for peer engagement” by Senbel, Douglas and Blair (2014). By critically exploration of the case study I consider if the adopted method used by the authors relevant and whether mixed method is applicable for my research or not.
2. Background. Brief summary of the case study
The case study is based on an cross sectional and experimental research, where 6500 students living on 20 residences across six university dorms in University of British Columbia from 7-25 of November 2011 participated in four competition challenges encouraging energy conservation , where competition called Do It In the Dark.
The aim of the research is to test the use of digital and social media I energy reduction competition and knowledge the reasons of motivations for participants. The research question is twofold, as a consequence, mixed method approach was applied.
Quantitative study collected data’s for time periods before during and after the experience. Qualitative questionnaire was used to analyse motivations for participation and saving energy. The results, of quantitative research, of control group reveal that the competition was successful, where the results of qualitative research showed that participants were motivated by the actions of their friend rather than strangers or competition scores.
3.
The nature of research is indicated by research philosophy. Specific philosophy leads to the specific paradigm, which determine how research is going to be conducted. Therefore, it is paramount for the researcher to consider the paradigm of the research, because Hammersley (2012) states, paradigm is a set of philosophical assumption about the research, about how it is going to be understood, aim and result of the research. However, it is puzzling when it comes to the mixed method, but understanding a research methodology helps to assume the philosophy of the research, which is according to Creswell and Piano (2011, p.92), “if the primary design is experimental, correlational, longitudinal, or focused on instrumental validation, then the researcher will most likely be working from post-positivist assumption as the overcharging paradigm”.
Gray (2014, p.23) identifies, post positivism is alternative theoretical perspective, where researchers can only approximate correctness of the research. Paradigm dictates direction of the research, as in a case study it is clear to observe post-positivistic perspective, where according to post-positivism researchers relied on science as the only reliable source of knowledge, experiment logically established to control variables through experimental manipulation, appropriate model of the experiment implemented for university students, quantitative method were applied, because it is only way to track any changes in outcome (Hammersley 2012).
As it mentioned above researchers used experimental methodology, especially quasi-experimental, because in the real world it is almost impossible to conduct absolutely experimental research, because it is problematic to find control groups, that fit in experimental terms (Gray 2012). Therefore, researchers took existing group of people, as university students, to make an attempt to compare behaviour of students who participated in multiple challenges of competition and who did not. As a rule, quasi-experimental research characterises with providing hypothesis, which the experiment seeks either to approve or contradict (Gray 2012). In this case, researchers made a hypothesis, where they said residences that will participate in experiment will achieve energy reduction comparing with other residence.
REFERENCE LIST:
1. Walliman, N. S. R., 2011. Research methods: the basics. London; New York: Routledge 2011.
2. Senbel, M., Douglas, N.V., Blair, E., 2014. Social mobilization of climate change: University students conserving energy through multiple pathways for peer engagement. Journal of Environmental Psychology, [e-journal] 38. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk> [Accessed 12 November 2015].
3. Gray, D.E., 2014. Doing research in the real world. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications.
4. Hammersley, M., 2012. Methodological Paradigms in Educational Research. [online] British Educational Research Association . Available at: <http://vle.anglia.ac.uk/modules/2015/MOD002395/TRI1-A-1/Documents/Topic%2002/Hammersley-Methodological%20Paradigms.pdf> [Accessed 16 November 2015].
5. Creswell, J. and Plano Clark, V., 2011. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. London: Sage.
6.
The research paper is about acquisition of specific research strategy skills that will apply for future studies, through critical examination of the case study. Identification of the research strategy to be used in masters-level dissertation is critical to accomplish the general aim of the research. It is absolutely decisive to adopt the appropriate method and design for the research. However, understanding of the specific research method and application to master’s level research is crucial to achieve success in master’s dissertation.
It is important that chosen method is relevant for certain research, because according to Walliman (2011, p.7), it will be able to convince the others that conclusions of research have some validity. Consequently, for Engineering Management master-level dissertation combination of two approaches, quantitative method for engineering and qualitative, such as in-depth method, for managerial part of the research can draw on strengths of each other, by cancelling out the weaknesses.
Good example of mixed method approach being used in case study “Social mobilization of climate change: University students conserving energy through multiple pathways for peer engagement” by Senbel, Douglas and Blair (2014). By critically exploration of the case study I consider if the adopted method used by the authors relevant and whether mixed method is applicable for my research or not.
2. Background. Brief summary of the case study
The case study is based on an cross sectional and experimental research, where 6500 students living on 20 residences across six university dorms in University of British Columbia from 7-25 of November 2011 participated in four competition challenges encouraging energy conservation , where competition called Do It In the Dark.
The aim of the research is to test the use of digital and social media I energy reduction competition and knowledge the reasons of motivations for participants. The research question is twofold, as a consequence, mixed method approach was applied.
Quantitative study collected data’s for time periods before during and after the experience. Qualitative questionnaire was used to analyse motivations for participation and saving energy. The results, of quantitative research, of control group reveal that the competition was successful, where the results of qualitative research showed that participants were motivated by the actions of their friend rather than strangers or competition scores.
3.
The nature of research is indicated by research philosophy. Specific philosophy leads to the specific paradigm, which determine how research is going to be conducted. Therefore, it is paramount for the researcher to consider the paradigm of the research, because Hammersley (2012) states, paradigm is a set of philosophical assumption about the research, about how it is going to be understood, aim and result of the research. However, it is puzzling when it comes to the mixed method, but understanding a research methodology helps to assume the philosophy of the research, which is according to Creswell and Piano (2011, p.92), “if the primary design is experimental, correlational, longitudinal, or focused on instrumental validation, then the researcher will most likely be working from post-positivist assumption as the overcharging paradigm”.
Gray (2014, p.23) identifies, post positivism is alternative theoretical perspective, where researchers can only approximate correctness of the research. Paradigm dictates direction of the research, as in a case study it is clear to observe post-positivistic perspective, where according to post-positivism researchers relied on science as the only reliable source of knowledge, experiment logically established to control variables through experimental manipulation, appropriate model of the experiment implemented for university students, quantitative method were applied, because it is only way to track any changes in outcome (Hammersley 2012).
As it mentioned above researchers used experimental methodology, especially quasi-experimental, because in the real world it is almost impossible to conduct absolutely experimental research, because it is problematic to find control groups, that fit in experimental terms (Gray 2012). Therefore, researchers took existing group of people, as university students, to make an attempt to compare behaviour of students who participated in multiple challenges of competition and who did not. As a rule, quasi-experimental research characterises with providing hypothesis, which the experiment seeks either to approve or contradict (Gray 2012). In this case, researchers made a hypothesis, where they said residences that will participate in experiment will achieve energy reduction comparing with other residence.
REFERENCE LIST:
1. Walliman, N. S. R., 2011. Research methods: the basics. London; New York: Routledge 2011.
2. Senbel, M., Douglas, N.V., Blair, E., 2014. Social mobilization of climate change: University students conserving energy through multiple pathways for peer engagement. Journal of Environmental Psychology, [e-journal] 38. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk> [Accessed 12 November 2015].
3. Gray, D.E., 2014. Doing research in the real world. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications.
4. Hammersley, M., 2012. Methodological Paradigms in Educational Research. [online] British Educational Research Association . Available at: <http://vle.anglia.ac.uk/modules/2015/MOD002395/TRI1-A-1/Documents/Topic%2002/Hammersley-Methodological%20Paradigms.pdf> [Accessed 16 November 2015].
5. Creswell, J. and Plano Clark, V., 2011. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. London: Sage.
6.