NIT6130 Introduction to Research
Assignment 3 – Methodology
Semester 2, 2016
Due Date: 11:59pm, Friday, Week 9
Submission Requirement: submit online via a link in Assessment on VU Collaborate
Value: 25% of semester assessment
Objective:
The purpose of this assignment is to help students getting familiar with the process of identifying an appropriate methodology for their research projects. Students will review, analyse and summarize the existing methodologies reported in the collected literatures. From then, students will be able to work out their own methodology to be used to solve the research problems defined in previous assignment.
Tasks:
1. State your research problems and re-organize your collected literatures
a. Prepare a statement on your research problem
b. Try to structure the problem into a set of smaller sub-problems if possible
c. Organize the collected literatures according to the sub-problems defined
d. Record your work using the table below
Research Problem Sub-problem Collected Literature
Problem 1 Sub-problem 1 Literature 1
Literature 2 …
Sub-problem 2
…
Problem 2 Sub-problem n
…
2. Determine the types of methodology (qualitative or quantitative)
a. Compare and contrast the features of qualitative and quantitative methodologies
b. Decide what type of methodology you plan to applied in your project and justify your decision
3. Review, analyse and summarize the existing methodologies reported in the collected literatures
a. Select one sub-problem that you are going to work with. Get all the related literatures ready for further analysis.
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b. Take intensive reading to identify research problems and the methodologies used to solve the proposed problems
c. Rate the relevance of the literature to your sub-problem
d. Record your work using the table below
Literature # Research Problem Methodology Your Sub-problem Relevance
4. Propose your methodology
a. There are three common options to identify your methodology
i. to take use of any existing methodology from literature
ii. to use an existing methodology or a set of existing methodologies with your modification (major or minor)
iii. to proposal a novel methodology based on your own understanding if you cannot find any existing methodology from literature that can solve your research problem
b. determine which option that you would like to take and justify your reasons
c. List benefits and limitation of your methodology
d. Provide a framework of your methodology to show the main processes, steps and tasks to be taken (i.e. flowchart can help to show your framework) with detailed explanations
Marking criteria
Assessment Criteria: Mark
State your research problems and re-organize your collected literatures
• Prepare a statement on your research problem
• Organize literatures based on sub-problems identified
2
4
Determine the types of methodology
• Compare and contrast the features of qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Determine the type of methodology for your project with
justification
2
4
Review, analyse and summarize the existing methodologies 5
Propose your methodology
• Determine the option to identify your methodology with justification
• List benefit and limitation of your methodology
• Provide a framework of your methodology and explanation
2
2
4
Total 25
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