Research methods in IT

MJ

BIT 3104 RESEARCH METHODS IT

 

DATE: DECEMBER 2017                                                                            TIME: 2 HOURS

Instructions: Answer Question 1 and Any Other Two Questions.

 

QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)

  1. What is philosophical paradigm in research                     (2 marks)
  2. Distinguish between positivist/post-positivist and interpretivist/constructivist research paradigms                                                                                            (4 marks)
  3. Compare and contrast applied research and basic research        (4 marks)
  4. Explain the importance of research methodology in research studies          (2 marks)
  5. Illustratively, discuss the role of a philosophical dimension in conceptualizing, designing and executing a research undertaking in any field of scientific enquiry         (6 marks)
  6. Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research approaches          (4 marks)
  7. i) What is scientific method?                      (2 marks)
  8. ii) Using a diagram describes generally the logical structure of scientific method used in developing new theories (6 marks)

QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)

  1. Explain the following methods of computer science
  2. Theoretical methods              (3 marks)
  3. Experimental methods                                                                          (3 marks)
  • Computer Simulation              (3 marks)

 

  1. Demonstrate your understanding of the statement that “conducting scientific research requires two sets of skills – theoretical and methodological”             (5 marks)
  2. Using suitable examples differentiate between natural and social science research                                                                                                                                                   (4 marks)
  3. Alluding to the suitability for each in a relevant study area of your choice, differentiate between experiment and survey research methods                                       (4 marks)

QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)

  1. Theories are laws the cornerstone in any research work. Elaborate on the importance of theory in basic and applied researches                                               (5 marks)
  2. Using examples of your choice differentiate between research methods and research methodology                                                                               (5 marks)
  3. With examples drawn from computer science distinguish between theory and experiment                                                                                           (5 marks)
  4. Describe the following data analysis techniques        (5 marks)
  5. Descriptive statistics
  6. Inferential statistics

 

QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS)

Because of the importance of human activities in software development, many of the research  methods that are appropriate to software engineering are drawn from disciplines that study  human behaviour, both at the individual level (e.g. psychology) and at the team and organizational levels (e.g. sociology).

  1. a) Identify and describe in detail any four classes of possible empirical research methods that you believe are relevant to software engineering scientific studies (12 marks)
  2. Define the term research problem and discuss three factors influencing selection of research problem in scientific research             (8 marks)
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