Ph.D Research methodology, philosophy, approach, design and process (Chapter 3)

1. TRANSFORMING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (L&D)
PRACTICES INTO A STRATEGIC, VALUE-ADDING BUSINESS
SOLUTION: A CONCEPTUAL AND BUSINESS-MINDED
FRAMEWORK
PH.D RESEARCH
COLLOQUIUM PRESENTATION (CHAPTER 3)
29 JULY 2016
CHARLES COTTER
STUDENT NUMBER: 21512884

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW - CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH
DESIGN, PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
• The research philosophy;
• The research approach;
• The research design;
• The research process;
• The data collection approach and -analysis;
• The research instrument: Questionnaire;
• The research sample – process and methods and
respondents;
• The statistical method and process;
• Reliability and Validity and
• Ethical conduct, considerations and research rigour.

3. RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT
AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• Research problem statement:
 “Learning and Development practices exhibit the inability to actively contribute to business
performance at a strategic level”
• Research objectives:
 To determine the current strategic levels of L&D impact
 To determine the priority factors driving strategic L&D; the current state of L&D readiness to
deliver these strategic factors and determine the differential i.e. the capability gap index
 To construct an internationally-relevant and multi-disciplinary applicable, Strategic Business
Management-aligned, Learning and Development measurement tool (scorecard)
 To develop business-valued processes to transform and re-position the L&D function to
become a strategic business partner

4. IDENTIFIED FACTORS OF STRATEGIC
L&D
• #1: Strategic mind-set and alignment with business
goals
• #2: Evidence-based, business metrics and predictive
analytics
• #3: Learning architecture and design
• #4: Learning structures and roles
• #5: Enhanced skills set of L&D professionals

5. IDENTIFIED FACTORS OF STRATEGIC
L&D
• #6: Extended learning, knowledge management
and change to “skills building” L&D approach
• #7: Utilisation of social and e-learning (70-20-10
model)
• #8: Learning organization culture
• #9: Top management support and line manager
engagement, contribution and involvement

6. DEVELOPMENT OF SUB-FACTORS AND
RELATED QUESTIONNAIRE
• The nine (9) characteristics/factors of Strategic
L&D and their respective sub-factors will form the
base line of designing and developing a
comprehensive questionnaire.
• The number of identified sub-factors per factor
range from 4 to 17.
• The Ph.D researcher may have to rationalize
some of these sub-factors, prior to the
finalization and distribution of the questionnaire.

7. RESEARCH ONION (SAUNDERS et.al,
2012)

8. RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY
• According to Bajpai (2011), research philosophy deals with the source, nature and development of
knowledge.
• According to Galliers (1991), a research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a
phenomenon should be gathered, analysed and used.
• The term epistemology (what is known to be true) as opposed to doxology (what is believed to be
true) encompasses the various philosophies of research approach. The purpose of science, then, is
the process of transforming things believed into things known: doxa to episteme.
• Within the scope of business studies, in particular, there are four main research philosophies:
 Positivist (sometimes called scientific) and
 Interpretivist (also known as anti-positivist)
 Pragmatism
 Realism

9. POSITIVISM
• According to Babbie (2005), a positivistic paradigm assumes that researchers can scientifically discover the rules
that govern social life.
• As a philosophy, positivism adheres to the view that only “factual” knowledge gained through observation (the
senses), including measurement, is trustworthy.
• In positivism studies the role of the researcher is limited to data collection and interpretation through objective
approach and the research findings are usually observable and quantifiable. Positivism depends on quantifiable
observations that lead themselves to statistical analysis.
• According to Crowther & Lancaster (2008), in positivism studies the researcher is independent from the study and
there are no provisions for human interests within the study.
• As a general rule, positivist studies usually adopt a deductive approach, whereas an inductive research approach is
usually associated with a phenomenology philosophy.
• Furthermore, positivism relates to the viewpoint that researcher needs to concentrate on facts, whereas
phenomenology concentrates on the meaning and has provision for human interest.
• Independent means that you maintain minimal interaction with your research participants when carrying out your
research.” In other words, studies with positivist paradigm are based purely on facts and consider the world to be
external and objective.
• Refer to the five (5) principles of positivism

10. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES
• Refer to Table 3.1: Comparison of research philosophies by
Data collection methods
• Refer to Table 3.2 for a comparative analysis of positivism
and social constructionism.
• The choice of a specific philosophy for a research is
impacted by practical implications.
• In light of the comparative analyses (Tables 3.1 and 3.2) and
for due consideration of the research problem, purpose
and objectives; the nature, scope and type of research, a
positivistic research philosophy will be utilised.

11. DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH APPROACH
• According to Wilson (2010:7), a deductive approach
is concerned with “developing a hypothesis (or
hypotheses) based on existing theory, and then
designing a research strategy to test the hypothesis”
• It has been stated that “deductive means reasoning
from the particular to the general.

12. INDUCTIVE RESEARCH APPROACH
• According to Neuman (2006), inductive reasoning begins with
detailed observations of the world, which moves towards
more abstract generalisations and ideas.
• According to Bernard (2011:7), inductive research “involves
the search for pattern from observation and the development
of explanations – theories – for those patterns through series
of hypotheses”

13. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
RESEARCH APPROACH
• Refer to Table 3.3: Comparison between
deductive and inductive research approaches
• Refer to Table 3.4: Comparative Analysis of
deductive and inductive research approaches
• In light of the comparative analyses (Tables 3.3
and 3.4) and for due consideration of the
research problem, purpose and objectives; the
nature, scope and type of research, a deductive
research approach will be followed.

14. RESEARCH DESIGN
• Exploratory research aims to explore specific aspects of the research area and
does not aim to provide final and conclusive answers to research questions.
• In exploratory research the researcher may even change the direction of the study
to a certain extent, however not fundamentally, according to new evidences
gained during the research process.
• Conclusive research can be divided into two categories, namely: descriptive
and causal.
• Descriptive research design describes specific elements, causes, or phenomena in
the research area, whereas causal research design is conducted to study cause-
and-effect relationships.
• “Conclusive research is more likely to use statistical tests, advanced analytical
techniques, and larger sample sizes, compared with exploratory studies.
Conclusive research is more likely to use quantitative, rather than qualitative
techniques” (Nargundkar, 2008:39)

15. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
RESEARCH DESIGN
• Refer to Table 3.5: Major differences between exploratory
and conclusive research design
• In light of the comparative analysis (Table 3.5) and for due
consideration of the research problem, purpose and
objectives; the nature, scope and type of research, a
conclusive research design will be followed.
• This research design engages the Ph.D researcher in an
intensive examination of issues and L & D data in order to
determine the strategic value and impact of L&D
management practices on organisational business
performance (descriptive and causal).

16. THE RESEARCH PROCESS
• Step 1: Selecting methods of data collection
• Step 2: Collecting the primary data
• Step 3: Data analysis
• Step 4: Reaching conclusions
• Step 5: Completing the research
• Source: http://research-methodology.net/research-
methods/ compiled by John Dudovskiy

17. PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION
• Primary data collection methods can be divided into two groups, namely:
 Quantitative
 Qualitative
• Quantitative research methods describe and measure the level of occurrences on the basis of
numbers and calculations. Moreover, the questions of “how many?” and “how often?” are often
asked.
• Quantitative data collection methods are based in mathematical calculations in various formats.
Methods of quantitative data collection and analysis include questionnaires with closed-ended
questions, methods of correlation and regression, mean, mode and median
• Qualitative research is closely associated with words, sounds, feeling, emotions, colours and other
elements that are non-quantifiable.
• Qualitative studies aim to ensure greater level of depth of understanding and qualitative data
collection methods include interviews, questionnaires with open-ended questions, focus groups,
observation, game or role-playing, case studies etc.

18. SECONDARY DATA COLLECTION
• Secondary data is a type of data that has already been
published in books, newspapers, magazines, journals,
online portals etc.
• There is an abundance of data available in these
sources about the research area in business studies,
regardless of the nature of the research area.
• Therefore, application of appropriate set of criteria to
select secondary data to be used in the study plays an
important role in terms of increasing the levels of
research validity and reliability.

19. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND CHOICE OF DATA
COLLECTION APPROACH AND METHODS
• Refer to Table 3.6, for the main differences between qualitative and
quantitative research methods.
• The choice between quantitative or qualitative methods of data collection
depends on the area of research and the nature of research aims and objectives.
• This Ph.D research project predominantly will use a primary/quantitative data
collection approach.
• Secondary data collection will be used for the Literature Review (Chapter 2).
• Surveys will provide the Ph.D researcher a picture of what many people think or
report doing (the sample group), this picture is then generalised to the larger
population.
• The primary research method that will be used is a structured questionnaire
comprised of a significant number of closed-ended questions.

20. THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT:
QUESTIONNAIRE
• Subject to a comprehensive literature study, the 9 foremost
characteristics/factors of Strategic L&D were identified.
• From these characteristics, respective sub-factors were identified. These
sub-factors will serve as the basis of the construction of an itemized (92)
questionnaire.
• Refer to Annexure 1.
• A five point Likert-type scale will be utilised, ranging from a descriptor of
1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.
• The Ph.D researcher will apply the Cronbach’s alpha test, with an
acceptable alpha range 0.7-0.8, to measure the internal consistency
(reliability) of the Likert scale.

21. THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT:
QUESTIONNAIRE
• The researcher will use guidelines by Babbie (2005) as a checklist to ensure the
proper and correct formulation of research questions/items as well as the
construction thereof.
• The researcher opted to utilise the questionnaire as the only method of data
collection.
• The questionnaire will also be tested with a pilot group before distribution to the
larger research population. A smaller, sample (twenty) representatives of the
targeted respondents comprised of trusted, business associates will receive the
Survey Monkey online questionnaire link and be requested to complete the
survey questionnaire.
• Their feedback will serve as the basis of quality assurance; testing of the user-
friendliness, time to complete and accuracy. Modifications and adjustments to the
questionnaire will be made, if required.
• Refer to Table 3.7: Analysis of questionnaire

22. DATA ANALYSIS
• Data analysis for quantitative studies involves critical analysis and interpretation of figures and
numbers, and attempts to find rationale behind the emergence of main findings.
• Comparisons of primary research findings to the findings of the literature review are critically
important for both types of studies – qualitative and quantitative.
• In quantitative data analysis, the researcher is expected to turn raw numbers into meaningful data
through the application of rational and critical thinking. The same figure within data set can be
interpreted in many different ways; therefore it is important to apply fair and careful judgment.
• Refer to Table 3.8 for a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of three popular
quantitative data analysis software, namely: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access and SPSS.
• In light of the comparative analysis (Table 3.8) and for due consideration of the research problem,
purpose and objectives; the nature, scope and type of research, a combination of Excel
Spreadsheets and SPSS software will be utilised for the analysis of collected quantitative data.
• The Ph.D researcher will ensure meticulous and accurate data administration practices. All data
integrity will be verified; data stored safely and backed-up periodically.

23. SAMPLING PROCESS AND METHODS
• The process of sampling in primary data collection involves the
following stages:
 Defining target population;
 Choosing sampling frame;
 Determining sampling size;
 Selecting a sampling method and
 Applying the chosen sampling method in practice.
• Sampling methods are broadly divided into two categories, namely:
 Probability
 Non-probability
• Refer to Table 3.9, for a comparative analysis and the advantages
and disadvantages of sampling techniques:

24. SAMPLING METHODS

25. CHOICE OF TYPE OF RESEARCH
SAMPLE
• Convenience sampling (also known as availability sampling) is a specific type
of non-probability sampling method that relies on data collection from population
members who are conveniently available to participate in research study (survey).
• Refer to the advantages of convenience sampling.
• Purposive sampling
• Owing to accessibility constraints and the issue of confidentiality, a purposive and
convenience sample group/size, of approximately 9 700 Business and L & D
Managers and Professionals/practitioners, will be drawn and sourced from various
business contacts, databases, networks and social media platforms e.g. LinkedIn,
Twitter and business references from multiple industries, both locally and
internationally.
• The majority of these respondents will be based in South African, but will also
represent the African, North American, Australian, Asian and European continents.

26. RESPONDENTS
• Respondents will be representative of public and private sectors and cross-industries.
• Positions: Respondent industries will be representative of both the public and private sectors
 L&D and Training managers;
 Trainers;
 Training administrators and skills development facilitators;
 Line/business managers; and
 Academics/subject matter experts
• Form of communication: These respondents will be contacted directly by means of electronic mail
through the completion of a self-administered questionnaire and on-line survey through Survey
Monkey.
• Reach: The total reach of this research project will be in excess of 8 800 contacts., drawn
predominantly from the following two business platforms:
 LinkedIn (5 200 connections) and
 Twitter (4 500 followers)
• Response rate: The anticipated response rate is 5% and, consequently, a total sample group of 440
respondents are expected to participate in the Ph.D research survey.

27. THE STATISTICAL METHOD AND
PROCESS – DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
• Gravetter & Wallnau (2002) define descriptive statistics as statistical
procedures that are used to summarise, organise and simplify data.
• According to Trochim (2006), descriptive statistics form the basis of
quantitative data analysis and offer researchers sample data summaries
across one variable (univariate) and simply describe what the data shows
and easily translates results into a distribution of frequency and
percentages and overall averages.
• The strength of descriptive statistics is its ability to collect, organize and
compare vast amounts of discreet categorical and continuous non-discreet
(numerically infinite) data in a more manageable form.
• The different descriptive statistics used in the proposed, Ph.D study
include:
 Frequency distributions/percentages
 Means and Standard deviations

28. THE STATISTICAL METHOD AND
PROCESS – INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
• Gravetter & Wallnau (2002) state that inferential statistics consist of
techniques that allow the researcher to study samples and then
make generalisations about the populations from which they were
selected.
• According to Trochim (2006), inferential statistics are trying to reach
conclusions that extend beyond the groundwork data summaries
provided by descriptive statistics.
• The inferential statistics used in the proposed Ph.D research study
include analysis of variance (ANOVA). In general, the purpose of
ANOVA is to test for significant differences between means.
ANOVA is similar to the t-test, but this is used when there are more
than two groups to compare.
• ANOVA testing will be utilised to draw inferences regarding the sub-
group comparisons of the research sample on the subscale scores.

29. THE STATISTICAL METHOD AND
PROCESS – MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS
• Gravetter & Wallnau (2002) state that multivariate statistics is a
subdivision of statistics encompassing the simultaneous observation and
analysis of more than one outcome variable.
• Multivariate statistics concerns understanding the different aims and
background of each of the different forms of multivariate analysis, and
how they relate to each other.
• The practical implementation of multivariate statistics to a particular
problem may involve several types of univariate and multivariate analyses
in order to understand the relationships between variables and their
relevance to the actual problem being studied.
• Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is simply an ANOVA with
several dependent variables. That is to say, ANOVA tests for the difference
in means between two or more groups, while MANOVA tests for the
difference in two or more vectors of means.

30. RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
• There are 3 types of reliability:
 Stability;
 Representative and
 Equivalence
• There are four types of measurement validity:
 Face;
 Content;
 Criterion and
 Construct
• For the purpose of this Ph.D study, a pilot test will be conducted requesting feedback and by asking
a panel of subject matter experts for their review, to achieve face and content validity.
• Criterion-related validity is irrelevant to this study.
• In order to achieve construct validity, a factor analysis will be performed, which seeks to determine
whether the original, 9 sub-factors/scales of Strategic L & D should be utilised.

31. ETHICAL CONDUCT, CONSIDERATIONS
AND RESEARCH RIGOUR
• Defining ethics and ethical conduct
• EthicSA (2004) five core concepts capture the essence of ethics
• Ethical standards prevent against the fabrication or falsifying of data and
therefore, promote the pursuit of knowledge and truth which is the
primary goal of research (Centre for Innovation in Research and Teaching,
2016)
• Ethical considerations
• Analysis and reporting
• Institutional Review Boards (IRB)
• Professional Code of Ethics

32. RESEARCHER COMPLIANCE
 The principle of voluntary participation of respondents;
 The principle of no harm to respondents;
 Guarantee of respondent anonymity;
 Guarantee of respondent confidentiality;
 Guard against respondent deception;
 Practice the values of honesty, objectivity, integrity, respect for intellectual property, social responsibility,
confidentiality, non-discrimination and guarding against plagiarism;
 Avoiding the use of offensive, discriminatory, or other unacceptable language in the formulation of the
research Questionnaire and other correspondence and communication with research respondents and
 Apply informed consent.
• Furthermore, the Ph.D researcher will comply with the duty and obligation to the community of
researchers, through the accurate analysis and reporting of research findings.
• The researcher will avoid misconduct during the research process and the Ph.D thesis will be free
from contradictions.

33. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
• Summary of key points
• Conclusion
• Questions
• The way forward