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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
This chapter presents the method that will be used in conducting the study. It describes research methodology, the area of study, the study population and sampling design, sources of data, data collection, data collection procedure and instruments, data analysis tools and limitations to the study.
3.1 Study Design
This study will adopt a survey research design. A survey research design is a process of collecting information from a sample of people who have been selected to represent a defined target population. In survey research design, a researcher will collect information that describes, explores, and quantifies social phenomena, particularly issues, conditions and problems that are prevalent in the society at a particular point in time (Mugenda &Mugenda, 2012; Cooper & Schindler, 2011).
This study will adopt a survey design because it is easy and convenient to be conducted through interviews or questionnaire instruments, or both. In this study, both instruments, i.e. self-administered interview guides and questionnaires will be employed as appropriate. The approaches that will be adopted by the researcher include both quantitative and qualitative approaches as explained below; Quantitative Research Approach, this approach usually involves the collecting and converting of data into numerical form so that the statistical calculations can be made on it the reason for use of this approach is that quantitative research will help the researcher to gather information using constructed questionnaires with both closed and open ended questions which help in understanding a number of phenomena such as generalization prediction, impact on respondents, behaviors, performance and therefore quality data.
Qualitative Research Approach, this approach is associated with recording, analyzing and attempting to uncover the deeper meaning and significance of human behavior and experience, including contradictory beliefs, behaviors’ and emotions. Qualitative design will help in gathering and evaluating data on respondent’s preference, interpretation, attitude, opinions and behaviors.
3.2 Study Population
This study will target a total of 239 respondents from Uganda industrial research institute. This is because all these categories of respondents are believed to be knowledgeable about the extent to which workload affects employee performance. The study will specifically include the employees from different department specifically record managers, secretaries, administrators and other human resource staff.
3.3 Sample Size, Techniques and Selection
3.3.1 Sample size
Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), argue that it is impossible to study the whole targeted population and therefore the researcher shall take a sample of the population. A sample is a subset of the population that comprises members selected from the population. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table for sample size determination approach, a sample size of 148 employees was selected from the total population of 239 employees.
Table 1: Population, Sample size and Sampling technique
3.3.2 Sampling techniques
Random samspling and purposive sampling techniques will be employed; Random sampling technique is a process of selecting a sample that allows all members of the group or population to have an equal and independent chance of being selected for the sample. Purposive sampling technique refers to a process whereby the researcher selects a sample based on experience or knowledge of the group to be sampled.
Purposive Sampling
The reason for using this method will be to attain specific information aimed at by the researcher that may not be acquired through random sampling. This technique regards which item should be included or excluded in the sample rest basing on the researcher’s judgment and intuition. According Kothari (2010), purposive technique enables the researcher choose resonates basing on the fact that they have desirable characteristics and variables related to the issue being studied.. It also ensures only people with relevant information will be sampled. This technique will be used to select senior management employees of UIRI.
Purposive sampling method will be employed in investigating respondents among the accounting staff, managers, division heads, and regional heads implying that specific target respondents will be selected because they have specific knowledge and skills in the above topic. However, simple random sampling will also be used in selecting other staff especially the staff members and other blue cola staff. Using simple random sampling technique the respondents will be selected randomly without bias and this will be give equal chances to all the respondents.
Random sampling
The main reason for using this method is to avoid bias towards information acquisition especially among the lower staff, operational managers and supervisors among others.
This technique has the property that every possible combination of the objects in the population studied has an equal chance of being selected (Nduguru 2010). In this case, the researcher will include everyone in the study considering that all respondents have common observable characteristics.
3.5 Data Collection Methods and Sources
Data collection methods are an integral part of research design which involves selection of both qualitative and quantitative data (Amin, 2005). The study will employ both primary and secondary data collection approaches.
3.5.1 Secondary data Collection
Roston, (2001) defines secondary data as the data that is available, already reported by some other scholars. Secondary data will include policy documents and abstracts of the various scholars relating to the topic of discussion in question. Secondary data for this study will be got from sources like libraries, archived records of compliance practice and related organizations. This is because it might be readily available and easier to comprehend, as it comprises of extensively researched work.
3.5.2 Primary Data collection
According to Roston, (2001), primary data is that kind of data that has been gathered for the first time, it has never been reported anywhere. Short comings of secondary data sources such as out datedness and inadequacy in terms of coverage, will necessitate the use of primary sources for first hand data. Self-administered questionnaire will be used and this will enable the researcher to cover a large population quickly and at a reasonable cost.
3.6 Data Collection Instrument
3.6.1 Structured Questionnaire
The questionnaire will be used on the basis that the variables under study cannot be observed for instance the views, opinions, perceptions and feelings of the respondents. The questionnaires will be equally used because the information will be collected from a large sample in a short period of time because most respondents can read and write (Sekaran, 2003). Personally administered questionnaires will be used to draw information regarding compliance practice. The questionnaires will be open and closed ended with a likert scale on five anchors. The researcher will choose the questionnaire as an instrument because the study will be virtually descriptive and the tool is an easy method of data collection. Respondents respond honestly because of anonymity. It’s also time saving and cost effective.
3.6.2 Interview Guide
Qualitative data will be collected from the informants using interviews. The interview guide will be structured. The interviews will be held with administrators and take approximately thirty to sixty minutes. These are noted to be the best tools for getting first hand information /views, perceptions, feelings and attitudes of respondents. Both formal and informal interviews will be used to get maximum information from the different respondents to participate in the research.
3.6.3 Documentary Analysis Checklist
This instrument will contain a list of documents that will be reviewed to obtain the necessary secondary data in revere to the study objectives, questions and hypothesis.
This method will enable the researcher to obtain secondary information on the Workload and employee performance by carefully studying written documents and visual information which will include official correspondents, text books, news papers or articles, it will be a critical examination of the study related to the issue under investigation. This will be used to triangulate the data collected using questionnaire and interviews. Documents like the correspondence between the different documents.
3.6.4 Observation check list
Observation check list will be used in assessing analyzing the workload and employee performance.
3.7 Data validity and reliability
3.7.1 Validity
Data analysis in this study will focus on data validity and reliability. To establish the validity of the questions, pre-testing will be done amongst the selected categories of respondents. Their comments will be incorporated in the final instruments to suit the data requirement of the study. The final amended research instruments will be reviewed jointly by the researcher and the supervisor.
3.7.2 Reliability
Reliability will be checked using the test –retest practice advocated for by Amin (2005). In other words, the questions will be put to course mates and their comments noted, they will then be presented to the respondents and their views will be compared with those of the course mates. On receipt of the questionnaires, manual editing will be done, followed by coding. Frequency count of different variables will be done and this will give the number of occurrences and percentages out of total occurrences.
3.8 Data collection Procedure
The researcher after designing and pre-testing data collection tools will obtain a letter from Uganda management institute introducing her to the authorities of URII
Upon being allowed she will contact some respondents to build rapport with them and make appointments. Then she will be back on an appointed date and administer questionnaires assisted by a research assistant.
Then questionnaires will be filled and collected, while those that will not complete will be collected later as agreed with respondents. During the time of administering questionnaires, the researcher will also contact key informants and make appointments with them for an interview.
3.9 Research Variables and their Measurements
The variable of the study will be measured on a five point Likert scale ranging from 1- strongly disagrees to 4-Strongly agree. The choice of this measurement will be that each point on the scale carries a numerical score which will be used to measure the opinions of respondents and it will be the most frequently used and summated scale in the study of business and social attitude.
3.10 Data Processing and Analysis
After receiving the filled questionnaires from the field, a data entry capture template will be designed in Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS), which will be used for data entry. For exploratory factor analysis, frequency distributions, percentages and cross tabulations will be ran to summarize the respondent’s views on the questions under study.
3.10.1 Qualitative Data Analysis
Qualitative data, such as findings out of interviews of respondents, will be put into meaningful and exhaustive categories. Content analysis will be the main method of analyzing the data collected (Miles & Huberman, 2004). The Data will be classified into categorical variables. Therefore, data will be analyzed thematically. In using this form of analysis, major themes will be identified and classified. The researcher will examine the collected and identified information that will be relevant to the research questions and objectives, (Mbabazi, 2008).
3.11 Limitations of the study
The research may be hampered by the following challenges.
Non responses
The researcher will also experience a problem of non-response from respondents who will be given the questionnaires to fill. However, the researcher will assure the respondents that any information given will be treated with maximum confidentiality.
Cost
The researcher will experience a problem of limited finances with respect to this study. Costs regarding this limitation included transport, printing and photocopying of relevant materials. However, the researcher has to borrow some money from relatives, friends and use it sparingly so as to overcome the cost constraint.
Time
The researcher will experience time constraint in data collection, analyzing of data and in final presentation of the report. However, the researcher will overcome this problem by ensuring that the time element was put into consideration and that all appointments agreed upon with respondents shall be fully met.
