CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY, METHODOLOGY AND APPROACHES
4.1 Introduction
Chapter three provided in-depth discussion of the theoretical perspective that guides this study, using the theoretical framework as a critical lens through which to view and analyse the study. Within this chapter, we undertook an extensive exploration of five distinct theories, rigorously assessing their applicability and relevance in the context of the present study. Therefore, the focus of chapter three is on presenting the research philosophy, methodology and approaches the researcher followed in an attempt to address the study’s research objectives. This chapter therefore provides an account on the methods, techniques, and procedures the researcher adopted in the selection of participants to accomplish this study’s ROs as outlined in Chapter 1.
Research is basically the systematic process through which the research plans, collects and analyse data in an attempt to comprehend the research phenomena (Leedy & Ormrod, 2001:4).
Structured into ten inter-related sections, the rest of the chapter is organised as follows: The next section focuses on the discussion of the different types of research designs and the chosen design. This will be followed by presentation of epistemological and philosophical lens underpinning the study in section 4.3. This is done through Saunders et al. (2009) research onion technique to account for the methodological flow and the design of the chapter. In section 4.4, research approaches and justification of the chosen one for the study are discussed. Section 4.5 focuses on the case study as a chosen strategy and how this links with philosophical lens of the study. The heart of the chapter is sections 4.6 and 4.7 which respectively present a discussion on methodological choices made in the study as well as the time horizon. These choices include the discussion of target population, sample, and applied technique to sample the research participants. Then follows the discussion of data collection instruments, procedures, and data analysis approaches in section 4.8. Six validity and reliability issues were covered in section 4.9, and these were followed by discussion of ethical issues pertaining to the study in section 4.10.
The second last section presented on the procedure on reporting of the results, while the last section provides for concluding remarks for the chapter.
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Mouton (2001:54) states that after the researcher completes devising and articulating the problem statement and objectives of the research, what follows next is to conceptualise the research design. According to Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (2009:58), through the research design, a general strategy applied by the researcher to solve a problem in research is detailed. This design is more of an architectural plan of the study and details a step-by-step outline and organisation of the research. It is not surprising that often the research design is confused with the research methodology in fact, the two concepts differ (Mouton, 2001:55).
Research design is a plan or blueprint of how the research was conducted. It sets the motion for methodological procedures (Saldana, 2011). Research design is like the house plan used by an architecture to illustrate the structure of the house. Figure 4.1 depicts a graphical presentation of how the chapter is structured through the methodological research design. Creswell and Plano Clark (2007:58) define a research design as a technique, procedure, or a way of structuring the research project to explain how data is collected, analysed, interpreted, and reported. Basically, this design is a pathway through which a research study is conceptualised and structured.
This therefore implies that a research design outlines the entire research process, from problem statement conceptualisation to reporting of research results (Creswell, 2014).
There are various types of research designs that researchers can choose from. For example, there is descriptive, explanatory, experimental and exploratory research design. The next four subsections differentiate between these research designs and expounds on the choice of the research design that I followed as a researcher.
4.2.1 Descriptive research design
The basics of descriptive research is that it proves a snapshot of a phenomenon under study. It is a type of research that paints a picture about the characteristics of the group or phenomenon under investigative process (Atmowardoyo, 2018). Descriptive research provides an accurate image of the characteristics of a specific individual, scenario, or group and provides researchers with a method to uncover new meaning or characterize an existing occurrence (Wollman, 2018).
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Figure 4.1: The methodological research design of the study Source: Own compilation
4.2.2 Explanatory research design
Explanatory research hypotheses explain the type and direction of the relationships being researched between or among variables (Wollman, 2018). When there is insufficient information, explanatory research is used to explain. It aids in the understanding of a specific topic, explains why a particular theory exists, and forecasts the future and its events (Seco, 2020). It explains the cause-and-effect relationship and delves into why patterns and trends exist that have not been investigated. The study is referred to as a casual study (Atmowardoyo, 2018).
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This descriptive model focused on the "what" of the research subject instead of the
"why." The descriptive research method focuses on describing the nature of a specific population rather than on "why" a specific thing happen (Rodrigues et al., 2021). In other words, it "explains" the research topic without clarifying "why" it happens (Ott et al., 2018).
4.2.3 Experimental research design
In an experimental research design, as opposed to correlational and descriptive research designs, the relationship between variables is evaluated following the researcher's manipulation or control in order to look at cause and effect linkages.
These kinds of study designs have great internal validity since they can connect causes and effects (Bhattacherjee, 2012).
4.2.4 Exploratory research design
The current study employed exploratory research due to its complexity and unexplored nature. Exploratory research design allows for preliminary data collection, hypothesis generation, and in-depth understanding of the local context, laying the groundwork for more structured research (Etican & Bala, 2018).