WRITING CHAPTER 3: THE METHODOLOGY

Our consultants are skilled in both quantitative and qualitative methods and can
assist students choose and defend an appropriate research design.
The purpose of the methodology chapter is to give an experienced investigator enough information to replicate the
study. Some advisors do not understand this and require students to write what is, in effect, a textbook. A
research design is used to structure the research and to show how all of the major parts of the research project,
including the sample, measures, and methods of assignment, work together to address the central research
questions in the study. The chapter should begin with a paragraph reiterating the purpose of the study. The
following subjects may or may not be in the order required by a particular institution of higher education, but all of
the subjects constitute a defensible methodology chapter.
Appropriateness of the Research Design
This section is optional in some institutions, but required by others. Specify that the research for the dissertation is
experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, causal-comparative, quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, or
another design. Be specific. The designated approach should be defended by contrasting and comparing it with
alternate methods and rejecting those that do not meet the
needs of the study. This section should not be a textbook description of various research designs, but a
focused effort to match a rational research design with the purpose of the study.
Research Design
A qualitative study does not have variables. A scientific study has variable, which are sometimes mentioned in
Chapter 1 and defined in more depth in Chapter 3. Spell out the independent and dependent, variables. An
unfortunate trend in some institutions is to repeat the research questions and/or hypotheses in both Chapter 1 and
Chapter 3, a needless redundancy. Sometimes an operational statement of the research hypotheses in null form is
given to set the stage for later statistical inferences. In a quantitative study, state the level of significance that will
be used to accept or reject the hypotheses.
Pilot Study
In a quantitative study, a survey instrument that is researcher designed needs a pilot study to validate the
effectiveness of the instrument, and the value of the questions to elicit the right information to answer the primary
research questions in. In a scientific study, a pilot study may precede the main observation to correct any problems
with the instrumentation or other elements in the data collection technique. Describe the pilot study as it relates to
the research design, development of the instrument, data collection procedures, or characteristics of the sample.
Setting and Participants
In a quantitative study, describe the geographic location where the study will take place, cite recognizable
landmarks such as a nearby urban city. Describe the participant pool.
In a qualitative study, the decision regarding the number of participants in a study becomes a reflection the studys
purpose. Ten to twelve participants may prove sufficient in qualitative inquiries involving the understanding of
experiences and perceptions of participants. A successful purposeful sample in a phenomenological study could
range from 1 to 40. Sample size is based on the total number of potential participants. The required sample size
should be determined through a power analysis. Such an analysis uses the alpha level and the population effect
size (the estimated effect of the independent variable within the target population) to estimate the number of
participants needed to demonstrate an existing effect. Typically, researchers strive for a power of .80, which refers
to an 80% certainty that an existing effect will be found in the sample. The effect is the difference in perceived
effectiveness between mediums.
Instrumentation
In a qualitative study, the instrument used to collect data may be created by the researcher or based on an
existing instrument. If the instrument is researcher created, the process used to select the questions should be
described and justified. If an existing instrument is used, the background of the instrument is described including

who originated it and what measures were used to validate it. If a Likert scale is used, the scale should be
described. If the study involves interviews, an interview protocol should be developed that will result in a consistent
process of data collection across all interviews. Two types of questions are found in an interview protocol: the
primary research questions, which are not asked of the participants, and the interview questions that are based on
the primary research questions and are asked of the participants. Instruments should be placed in an appendix, not
in the body of the text. Most qualitative studies include both a demographic survey to develop a picture of the
participants, and an interview protocol. If the instrument is researcher created, a pilot study should be conducted
to test the instrument.
In a scientific study, the instrumentation used to collect data is described in detail, which may include an illustration
of the setup.
Procedure
Fully describe how the data were collected. In a qualitative study, this is the section where most of the appendices
are itemized, starting with letters of permission to conduct the study and letters of invitation to participate with
attached consent forms. This is also the place where any study involving human subjects must state that it is
compliant with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Code of Federal Regulations, 45 CFR
46.102(2009). A paragraph must be inserted that states the study is deemed to be one of minimal risk to
participants and that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research will not be
greater than any ordinarily encountered in daily life, or during the performance of routine physical or psychological
examinations or tests. In a quantitative study, this section will detail when and how the data were collected.
Data Processing and Analysis
In both qualitative and quantitative studies, the precise method of how the data were processed and then analyzed
is described. Increasingly, in qualitative studies, data collection and analysis is accomplished by using any one of
several data collection and analysis tools available on the Internet such as SurveyMonkey. Internet services are
fast and accurate, and produce data that can be quickly incorporated in Chapter 4.
Ethical Considerations
In a qualitative study, the procedures for the protection of human participants should be stated. This section is
nearly identical in all qualitative studies, which makes it subject to identification as plagiarism when submitted to a
mechanical plagiarism tool. Ethical concerns are important, particularly in reference to planning, conducting, and
evaluating research. The study should present minimal risk to participants pertaining to experimental treatment or
exposure to physical or psychological harm. Care should be taken to ensure that the participants fully understood
the nature of the study and the fact that participation is voluntary. A statement should be made that
confidentiality of recovered data will be maintained at all times, and identification of participants will not be
available during or after the study.
Internal and External Validity
Validity is the criteria for how effective the design is in employing methods of measurement that will capture the
data to address the research questions. There are two types of validity: internal, and external. Internal validity in
quantitative studies refers to the studys ability to determine cause and effect.
Internal validity is a confirmation of the correctness of the study design. Internal validity can be assured in both
qualitative and quantitative studies with pilot testing of the proposed survey instrumentation to assure that the
instrument is clear and unambiguous. Pilot testing of instruments is a procedure to enable the researcher to make
modifications to an instrument based on results.
External validityis the extent to which the results of the study can reflect similar outcomes elsewhere, and can be
generalized to other populations or situations. Regardless of whether a self-designed or validated instrument is
used to collect data, or whether it is a qualitative or quantitative study, how validity will be assured must be stated.
How the study is conducted and reported is illustrative of the validity and reliability and should align with the
theoretical framework in Chapter 1. Triangulation of the results enhances the validity of findings. Triangulation
validates the methodology by an examination of the results from several perspectives
Summary

Summarize the research design and prepare the reader for the next chapter.

Measuring Plant Growth

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To capture enough data on the overall health of your plants, we recommend that you record at least one final weight
measure, one measure of root health, and all of the observation measurements that pertain to the type of plant you
are using.

Weighing Plants: Fresh vs. Dry Weight

Measuring Fresh Weight: While you can technically measure the fresh weight of plants without harming
them, the simple act of removing a plant from its growing "medium" can cause trauma and affect the
ongoing growth rate and thus your experiment. Measuring the fresh weight of plants is tricky and should
probably be saved as a final measure of growth at the end of the experiment. Here is the process for
measuring fresh weight:

1.

Remove plants from soil and wash off any loose soil.

2.

Blot plants gently with soft paper towel to remove any free surface moisture.

3.

Weigh immediately (plants have a high composition of water, so waiting to weigh them may lead to
some drying and therefore produce inaccurate data).

Measuring dry weight: Since plants have a high composition of water and the level of water in a plant will
depend on the amount of water in its environment (which is very difficult to control), using dry weight as a
measure of plant growth tends to be more reliable. You can only capture this data once as a final measure at
the conclusion of your experiment.
1.

Remove the plants from the soil and wash off any loose soil.

2.

Blot the plants removing any free surface moisture.

3.

Dry the plants in an oven set to low heat (100 F) overnight.

4.

Let the plants cool in a dry environment (a Ziploc bag will keep moisture out) - in a humid
environment the plant tissue will take up water. Once the plants have cooled weigh them on a
scale.

5.

Plants contain mostly water, so make sure you have a scale that goes down to milligrams since a
dry plant will not weight very much.

Root Mass
Root mass is recommended as a final measurement as the plant must be removed from its growing medium in order
to capture accurate data. There are quite a few different methods for measuring root mass depending on the type and
structure of the roots

Grid intersect technique:

1.

Remove the plant from the soil.

2.

If you are working with thin or light roots, you may want to dye the roots using an acidic stain.

3.

Lay the roots on a grid pattern and count the number of times the roots intersect the grid.

Trace the roots on paper, measure each of the tracings, and calculate root length from the tracings.

Count the number of roots.

Measure the diameter of the root. This is especially useful for root vegetables such as beets, carrots,
potatoes, etc. that have a large root.

Root Shoot Ratio

Roots allow a plant to absorb water and nutrients from the surrounding soil, and a healthy root system is key to a
healthy plant. The root:shoot ratio is one measure to help you assess the overall health of your plants. Your control
group of plants will provide you with a "normal" root:shoot ratio for each of your plant types, any changes from this
normal level (either up or down) would be an indication of a change in the overall health of your plant. It is important
to combine the data from the root:shoot ratio with data from observations to get an accurate understanding of what is
happening with your plants. For example, an increase in root:shoot ratio could be an indication of a healthier plant,
provided the increase came from greater root size and NOT from a decrease in shoot weight. To measure the
root:shoot ratio:
1.

Remove the plants from soil and wash off any loose soil.

2.

Blot the plants removing any free surface moisture.

3.

Dry the plants in an oven set to low heat (100 F) overnight.

4.

Let the plants cool in a dry environment (a Ziploc bag will keep moisture out) - in a humid environment the
tissue will take up water. Once the plants have cooled weigh them on a scale.

5.

Separate the root from the top (cut at soil line).

6.

Separately weigh and record the root and top for each plant. (Dry weight for roots/dry weight for top of plant
= root/shoot ratio)

7.

The root/shoot ratio can be calculated for each treatment.

8.

Plants contain mostly water, so make sure you have a scale that goes down to milligrams since a dry plant
will not weight very much.

Observation
There are many different features of a plant that can be measured through observation to determine the extent of
plant growth/health. The following table describes some of the measures that you can make and also recommends
how frequently you should make these observations during the course of your experiment.