Question 1:

Scenario:

Your community is grappling with a distressing issue, and the local authorities have been diligently attempting to recognize, comprehend, and find viable solutions to address it. However, their efforts have proven fruitless, leading the municipality to invite you to conduct research aimed at alleviating the problem and facilitating the community’s adjustment. Your initial task is to select a research design that will enable you to delve into the firsthand experiences of community members and collect their personal narratives regarding this matter. Examiner’s own work

1.1. Using the above-stated scenario, identify a research design evident in the scenario and outline the steps applicable within the social science field associated with the identified research design. (19 marks)

1.2 Sampling is a very imperative aspect in any research, expatiate and provide core advantageous factors of sampling. (8 marks)

Question 2 (14 marks)
You are an intern at Vumbhu Consultancy Company, Your supervisor is confused on which research design to adopt for his project. As one of his assistants, he then requests you to write comparative notes on the quantitative and qualitative research approaches. With the above-mentioned scenario, compare the two types of research designs mentioned. (14 marks).

Question 3 (13 marks)
Read the following scenario and answer the question/s that follows:

In 2020, Linda was selected as a participant by a research company for a study on the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine. All participants, including Linda, received a uniform dosage of what they believed to be the vaccine. However, unbeknownst to Linda and her group of participants, they were actually administered a water substance, instead of the actual vaccine. The research aimed to observe Linda’s response and compare it to the group she was grouped with, who mistakenly thought they had also received the vaccine.
Examiners own work

3.1 Critically discuss the experimental design depicted in the above scenario.
(13 marks)

Question 4 (30 marks)

Think about a research topic you may want to investigate, or you think need further investigation in future and use that topic to answer the following question.

Drawing from the content covered in your prescribed courseware, thoroughly delineate various types of probability and non-probability sampling methods. In your response, highlight a sampling method that is appropriate for the topic you were asked to contemplate earlier, and briefly discuss why this particular sampling method is relevant to your chosen topic? (26 marks)

Differentiate between needs assessment survey and gatekeepers. (4 marks)

Question 5 (18 marks)

Deliberate on the importance of literature review in a research project. (14 marks)

Researchers commonly use the acronym SMART to aid them in selecting relevant indicators. Give a full representation of the SWAR acronym identified above. (4 marks)

Answers to Above Questions on Research Methods

Answer 1: An analysis of the above scenario indicates that the most suitable research design that is applicable to it is qualitative research design. This particular research design is useful in gaining in depth understanding about the issue, and the given scenario requires an in-depth exploration of the community members’ personal narrative and experiences related to the issue.

Get completed answers on the above questions on research methods and statistics as offered by the Student Life Saviour South Africa experts.