What factors effect on customers’ satisfaction toward service quality of vus hcm

Abstract Purpose- This assignment focuses on evaluating what factors affects Customers’ satisfaction toward service quality of VUS HCM by using Serqual Model of service quality Design/m

RESEARCH PROJECT

(BMBR5103)

WHAT FACTORS EFFECT ON CUSTOMERS’

SATISFACTION TOWARD SERVICE QUALITY OF VUS

Advisor’s assessment

Advisor’s signature

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 4

Abstract 5

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 6

1.1 Introduction 6

1.2 – Research Aims 7

1.3– Research Question 7

1.4 – Justification and significant of the Study 7

1.5 – The Structure of the paper 8

1.6 – Conclusion 8

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 9

2.1 Introduction 9

2.2 Customer disconfirmation framework 10

2.3 Service quality and customer satisfaction 13

2.4 Measure service quality 15

2.5 Theoretical framework and hypothesis 16

2.6 Hypothesis 17

2.7 Conclusion 18

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 19

3.1 Introduction 19

3.2 Research Approach 19

3.3 Research design 23

3.4 Data collection methods 26

3.5 Validity 28

3.6 Reliability 29

3.7 Data analysis 29

3.8 Conclusion 30

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDING 32

4.1 Introduction 32

4.2 Demographics 32

4.3 Testing Reliability of the Scales 34

4.4 Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) 36

4.5 Total variance explained 37

4.6 Rotated component matrix 38

4.7 Pearson correlation coefficient analysis 38

4.8 Analysis of Multiple Linear Regressions 39

4.9 Verification of the suitability of the model 40

4.10 In Conclusions: 42

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 43

5.1 Introduction 43

5.2 Methodology of the Study and Data Analysis 43

5.3 Key Findings 43

CHAPTER SIX: RECOMMENDATION 44

REFERENCES 45

APPENDICES LIST 49

Acknowledgements

This master thesis represents the final accomplishment in order to graduate with a Master of Business Administration, from Open Malaysia University The topic was chosen based on my own interest and curiosity regarding what factors effects customers’ satisfaction toward service quality of VUS HCM I enjoyed working on this thesis and exploring how customer satisfaction arises in VUS HCM

I acknowledge that the research outcome would not have been possible had we not worked together as a team

First, I would like to thank the interviewees and respondents This study would not have been possible without their voluntary participation I especially appreciate that I gained respondents whom i did not know personally prior to this study Your support, openness, time, and willingness to help me was vital for my work

Second, i would like to thank my advisor Dr Bui Phi Hung for the continuous support, his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and knowledge for my study I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my research and study

Finally, we would like to thank my families and friends for supporting me to complete the research paper

Abstract

Purpose- This assignment focuses on evaluating what factors affects Customers’ satisfaction toward service quality of VUS HCM by using Serqual Model of service

quality

Design/methodology/approach: This research adopted quantitative research to

address the research questions Primary data were collected from 290 valid respons from a survey conducted in 17 VUS HCM campuses

Finding: The results found that significant relationship between the five dimensions

of service quality (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) and students’ satisfaction The finding generally indicates that the majority of students are satisfied with the service provided by VUS HCM In addition, the findings help VUS HCM make better strategic plan as to enhance student’s satisfaction in particular and it’s overall performance in general

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Since Vietnam joined The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which is a trade

agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New

Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, there are many foreign companies enter

Vietnam to open their business As a result, the demanding for English learning is

increasingly in Vietnam English centers’ customers are derived from all background, ages, and learning purposes In response to that need, there are a lot of English schools

or learning centers has been established and focus their product in training English

communication skills, Grammar in all levels, IELTs, TOFL as international English

proficiency certificate in Vietnam particularly in Ho Chi Minh City such as ILA,

VUS, Apollo English training center, etc

In today’s economy, customers demand better products, services, and value for their money In order to satisfy the customer’s requirement, companies have to understand customer feedback of their products or services Therefore, customer satisfaction

surveys are conducted constantly in order to understand the wishes and needs of

customers, thereby improving the quality of products and services

Beside that, in recent years more and more people consider that studying abroad or

working abroad would be a way for further development in Vietnam Many parents

hope their children have an opportunity to go abroad to pursue their studies

Passing IELTS, passing the TOFEL, passing other foreign language tests are

becoming a necessary channel which leading to study abroad or work abroad For

that reason language training institutions are gradually becoming a popular

educational industry in Vietnam This thesis will research on the factors affect to

customer’s satisfaction at VUS HCM concerning their service quality

1.2 – Research Aims

This dissertation aims to explore whether the level of customer satisfaction with VUS English training service center and find out the way for improvement This thesis will find out the factors that influence a customer’s level of satisfaction and assist the case company to analyze the current situation and find out any existing problems with VUS services

1.4 – Justification and significant of the Study

Watson et al (2015) argued that it often takes some time to build loyalty and make a profit from new customers, with resultant customer replacement costs being very high

In light of this, two thoughts justified this study: customer satisfaction alone does not build customer retention or customer lifetime value (Keiningham et al., 2007), and service quality and customer satisfaction are closely linked to customer retention and market share (Dong et al., 2015) The results will contribute to previous research that has analyzed the relationship between expectations and perceptions of service quality, while measuring service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer behavioral

intentions, and the relationships among these constructs Generally, the results will have far-reaching implications for all private education sector stakeholders that are involved in the delivery of education

1.5 – The Structure of the paper

This dissertation will follow a logical structure to systematically answer the research question It will begin with a literature review to give general knowledge surrounding the topic of stress It will also discuss and evaluate previous research to see where this dissertation will fit within the literature The dissertation will then go on to discuss the methodology used for this research It will highlight the methods used, the sample and the limitations of the research The findings will then be presented using tables and graphs to highlight the key points found Averages and correlations will be calculated to help form an answer to the research question There will then be a chapter to discuss what has been found and to relate it back to the existing literature This will allow the researcher to draw conclusions from the data Finally, there will

be a conclusion which will draw all of the data together to form an answer to the research question

1.6 – Conclusion

This chapter has introduced the research and outlined the aims and relevance of it It has discussed the scope of the research and created a research question that can be investigated The next chapter will present existing literature surrounding the question

“What factors affect customers’ satisfaction toward service quality of VUS HCM?” This will give background knowledge for the topic and will be informative about what has previously been investigated

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE

REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

In most of the studies in which researcher’s try out surveys of the customers’ use SERVQUAL instrument, which is one of the most widely used scales for the measurement of perceived service quality Several research studies found that the service quality gaps, and the relative importance of the five dimensions of service quality, were the same for students and staff, albeit with some specific differences Reliability was the most important dimension for all customers and the greatest improvement in service quality could be achieved through improved service reliability (Smith et al., 2007) In general, studies like Hanaysha etal (2011) indicates that five dimensions of service quality have significant impacts on the student satisfaction However, Khan et al (2011) found that responsiveness, empathy and reliability are also significantly related to service quality; similarly, reliability and empathy were also found with positive relationship with customer satisfaction but according to them, responsiveness was not significantly related to customer satisfaction Likewise, service quality is significantly related to customer satisfaction (Agbor, 2011) concludes in his findings Furthermore, previous research indicates that there is a significant relationship between dimensions of service quality i.e Reliability, Assurance, Responsiveness and Empathy with satisfaction of the customers while, Tangible was having an insignificant relation with student satisfaction Khan et a (2011) have also observed that higher the level of students’ satisfaction greater will be their willingness to put great efforts towards their studies Rasli et al (2011) are of the view that to achieve the dual goals of satisfaction and loyalty, service quality in the education sector especially in universities need to be evaluated from both the internal (customers) and external (service providers) perspectives) However, Swaner & Brownell (2009-2010) criticized this view and points that strength of evidence for these outcomes, however, is weakened by the limitations of existing research In today’s competitive environment, the education has not only become a main player of

the industry and need of the day but it is also an investment into national economy by the parents, whose children are enrolled in these national institutions Both in public

as well as in private sector, the quality of education is an important predictor of national development which is must be considered while devising strategies for attracting and retaining the students who want to get higher education (Malik et al., 2010) Bahadori et al (2011) also suggested that proper planning is needed to better serve employees and increase their communication skills, in order to help reduce the educational quality gap Kayastha (2011) shared similar views, and further asserts that

in their study they asked the students that how technology would impact their own learning, as a result they found that students perceive the use of technology positively Quality of service of educational institutions is a key determinant for customers before purchasing a product or any type of service that plays significant role in measuring the performance of product/service and the organization as well (Archambault, 2008) Thus quality education is also a challenge for the all the public and private sector This

is why many of the universities round the globe are putting their heads and efforts to deliver quality of educational services to their customers for their satisfaction Research studies undertaken mostly investigate the service quality of educational institutions especially higher education was successful in identifying the factor that determine the student satisfaction Ijaz et al (2011) however used a modified SERVQUAL instrument to evaluate the service quality of four business schools of public sector universities based on the student’s perceptions They found that, students who paid their own dues and fees had high expectations of service quality and were less satisfied as compared to the students whose dues/fee was paid by others Kayastha (2011) and Archambault (2008) however concluded in their independent studies that there is significant relationships between service performance and student satisfaction that will aid private, post-secondary institutions to predict and measure student satisfaction and retention Finally looking, at the performance aspect of students’ academic career, (Ahmed, et al., 2010) have observed that both student’s satisfaction and motivation are important for better performance of students

2.2 Customer disconfirmation framework

Since researchers have agreed on the importance of service quality in an organization (Jones and Mahmood, 2015; Tarí and Dick, 2016), however, they have not reached on the agreement of measuring customer disconfirmation and its contributors which is, whether customers’ expectations are confirmed Thus, this literature review begins by looking at the development of a customer disconfirmation framework Positive disconfirmation is defined as performance exceeds expectations” which means as satisfaction, and negative disconfirmation is defined as “expectations exceed performance” which refers to dissatisfaction (Bloemer and Dekker, 2007; Molinari et al., 2008; Mishra and Min, 2013) Customers with a high level of initial expectations are more difficult to satisfy during service delivery (Walker and Baker, 2000) The customer disconfirmation paradigm has four constructs:

First, Expectations reflect anticipated service performance Day(1977), Yüksel, A and Yüksel, F (2001) distinguished three types of expectations: those about the nature

of the service, those about the cost of and effort required for obtaining benefits from the service, and those about social benefits or social costs of the service

Second, performance has been used as a standard of comparison by which disconfirmation can be assessed (Briggs et al., 2016)

Third, disconfirmation is defined as a discrepancy between prior expectations and actual performance It is important to measure dissatisfaction separately from expectation and performance because disconfirmation is a construct that has independent and additive effects on satisfaction (Molinari et al., 2008; Chih et al., 2012)

Finally, satisfaction is an outcome of the purchase and use of a service resulting from the consumer’s comparison of the rewards and the costs of the purchase of the service (Homburg et al., 2006)

In addition, disconfirmation is linked with the overall quality of the service Overall quality (Q) consists of several dimensions that are measured as different scores or gaps between perceptions (P) and expectations (E): Q=P−E (Zeithamle et al., 1996; Gruber et al., 2009; Rood and Dziadkowiec, 2013; Aflaki and Popescu, 2014; Santos

et al., 2015; Tarí and Dick, 2016) The perception gap refers to the difference between the service provider’s perception of quality and the customer’s perception of quality Expectations are “desires or wants of consumers” (Parasuraman et al., 1988, p 17) that “serve as standards or reference points against which product performance is judged” (Zeithamlet al., 1993, p.1) A service quality gap occurs when service perceptions differ from expectations Perceived service quality is defined by the degree of discrepancy between customers’ expectations and their perceptions of the actual service delivered, in the same disconfirmation-type framework (Jones and Mahmood, 2015) Service quality levels are said to be high when perceptions of actual performance exceed expectations In order word, the customers received more than what they expected

Figure 1 shows the service quality gap model, developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, is an important customer satisfaction framework Gap analysis offers a good way to assess and improve the quality problems of the company As seen in the model, gap 5 between customer expectations and customer perceptions is the core

of the gap model Expectations are the reference point’s customers have coming in

to a service experience Perceptions reflect the service as actually received Other four gaps belong to the service provider (Fitzsimmons 2006, 131)

Gap 1-Understanding gap is the distance between what customers expect and what managers think they expect It results from management’s lack of full understanding about what the customers need and expect from service It can be closed by improving market research, fostering better communication between management and its contact employees, and increasing direct interactions between managers and customers to improve understanding (Fitzsimmons 2006, 131)

Gap 2-designing gap arises from the lack of development between management perception and service quality specification Managers are not committed enough to utilize the knowledge of customer needs and expectations as the basis for defining and specifying service quality standards Strategies for closing this gap include setting goals and standardizing service delivery tasks (Fitzsimmons 2006, 131)

Gap 3-conformance gap indicates the gap between actual delivery of the service and service quality specifications It results from several reasons such as lack of teamwork, poor employee selection and inadequate training Closing this gap by ensuring that service performance meets service standards through clarifying employee roles, ensuring that all employees understand the importance of their jobs, providing employees with technical training, training employees about interpersonal skills for dealing with difficult customers, encouraging teamwork (Gap Analysis 2010)

Gap 4- communication gap refers to the gap between what is actually service delivered and what is promised in external communications It arises from lack of information provided to contact personnel and exaggerated promises Solution for this gap is to integrate planning and implementation of marketing communication with the actual operative part (Fitzsimmons 2006, 131)

Gap 5-customer satisfaction gap is the gap between customer expected service and perceived service Expected service is shaped by word-of-mouth, personal needs and past experience Perceived service is a product of service delivery and external communications to customers It can be effectively closed by minimal promise and maximum performance (Gap Analysis 2010)

Figure 1: Service quality Gap model (Fitzsimmons 2006, p.131)

2.3 Service quality and customer satisfaction

Customers evaluate service quality throughout the service process Service quality image is affected by expectations and a service company’s image and service experience (figure 2) Customers form a quality image of services when they compare service experiences with their expectations Customers do not care about shortcomings when customers’ expectations and image of the company are positive When customers have negative expectations, they will be sensitive to enhance their previous attitudes Expectations consist of customer’ previous experiences, values and needs; other customers’ experience and opinions; advertising and other marketing operations of company Service experience includes service output, interaction quality and the quality of the service surrounding Service surrounding

of the company affects customers’ first impression Contact personnel, technical equipment and other customers influence the quality of interaction relationships All of these three parts which are expectations, service experience and company’s image are connected to each other (Lahtinen & Isoviita 1994, 114-116)

Figure 2: The elements of service quality (Lahtinen & Isoviita 1994, 115)

Moreover, Aghamolaei and Zare (2008) have done a research on service quality in a university Their questionnaire was designed according to the SERVQUAL framework (to be discussed shortly), and measured students’ perceptions and

expectations of service quality along five service dimensions (reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness)

Their results indicated that negative quality gaps meant that students expected better service than what they perceived they had received Adikaram et al (2015) analyzed service quality and customer satisfaction in another higher educational environment They highlighted that service quality was positively correlated with customer satisfaction

2.4 Measure service quality

Parasuraman et al (1985) defined service quality as a gap between what customers expect and what they perceive when they receive the service They introduced a model called SERVQUAL (a “gap” model) which provides the basis for measuring customer satisfaction with a service Parasuraman et al.’s (1988) SERVQUAL instrument has been the foundation on which all other work on this topic has been built (Rood and Dziadkowiec, 2013) It was used in this study as well onlagić and Fazlić (2015) traced the evolution of Parasuraman et al.’s (1985) model of service quality from its original ten determinants to the latest version of the model It now consists of five determinants (Table 1) which make up their SERVQUAL instrument Parasuraman et

al (1991) found “reliability” to be the most critical dimension of service quality Reliability refers to the outcome or “what” dimension of service performance, and typically represents the essential service (Calabrese and Corbò, 2015) The four other dimensions of service quality address the service delivery process which is the “how” dimension of service: tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy

2.5 Theoretical framework and hypothesis

Based on the theory framework of Servqual of Parasuraman et al, and the previous studies of Hanaysha et al (2011) on service quality and students’ satisfaction at higher learning institutions, the research was conducted on SURVQUAL in education sector The dependent variable of the study was satisfaction of student, whereas independent variables include Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, and Tangibles I would like use a model study as illustrated in figure 3-research framework below:

Figure 3: Research framework

This study has adopted the dimensions used in Parasuramans SURVQUAL in which they found the relationship between service quality dimensions as independent

variable on the student satisfaction which is taken as dependent variable in this case Hanaysha et al (2011) reliability is the most important service quality dimensions and plays significant role in customer (student satisfaction) while providing them the superior quality in service, likewise, Beaumont (2012) argued that until or unless the educational sectors empathies the intrinsic condition of the student they will never full fill their expected level of satisfaction to the students In higher education, the motivation of the student is highly debated topic because over all the reputation and growth of that institute is dependent on the student performance (see for example, Ahmed, et al., 2010) Thus understanding all the reliability factors helps the educational institutions to retain the students inside the premises of educational institutions and this automatically leads to develop the professional academic environment (Malik et al., 2010) All the five dimensions of service quality have their importance in educational sector and playing the vital role in the student satisfaction; whenever there is any kind of lack in the service quality dimension, it will ultimately affect the student’s satisfaction negatively

2.6 Hypothesis

Hypothesis In this research, i would like to follow five hypotheses as suggested by Beaumont & Goatman (2012)

H1: There is a significant relationship between reliability and student satisfaction

Reliability refers to the ability to carry out the promised service suitably and precisely

H2: There is a significant relationship between responsiveness and student satisfaction

Responsibility refers to the readiness to help customers and provide prompt service

H3: There is a significant relationship between assurance and student satisfaction

Assurance refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to promote confidence and trust

H4: There is a significant relationship between empathy and student satisfaction

Empathy refers to care and attention to individual company provides to its customers

H5: There is a significant relationship between tangibles and student satisfaction

Tangibles refer to bodily facilities, tools, and staff outer shell

2.7 Conclusion

In order to measure customers’ satisfaction, most of the researchers has applied the SERVQUAL model theory of Parasuraman to measurement of perceived service quality However, there is still gap in the servqual model theory, the service quality gap model was developed by Parasuraman it is an important customer satisfaction framework to find the solution for customers’s satisfaction by overcome the gap of the service quality gap model theory Moreover, based on the servqual model theory, in this research also apply the five hyphotheses which was suggested by Beaumont & Goatman (2012)

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The previous chapter provided a critical analysis of the existing literature on SERVQUAL model theory on customers’ satisfaction and how to measure the service quality As a result, the purspose of this chapter is to justify different approaches undertaken to design the study in order to address the research question of “what

factors affect to customer’s satisfaction toward quality of VUS HCM?” Finally, this

chapter will the method of data collection and analysis, as well as the validity and

reliability of the study being conducted

3.2 Research Approach

Research approaches are plans and the procedures for research that span the steps from broad assumptions to detailed methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation This plan involves several decisions It involves which approach should be used to study a topic Informing this decision should be the philosophical assumptions the researcher bring to the study which calls research design, and specific research methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation The selection of a research approach is also based on the nature of the research problem or issue being addressed, the researchers’ personal experiences, and the audiences for the study This

in this part, research method, research designs are the keys terms that represent a perspective about research that presents information in a sucessive way from broad constructions of research to the narrow procedures of methods

According to Clifford Woody, “research comprised defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis of suggested, solutions, collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusions, and at last carefully listing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.” Actually, many researchers do research for various purposes Rajendar Kumar (2008, 2) states the main purpose of research is to discover answers to questions

through and application of scientific procedures It is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered so far (Kumar 2008, 1-3)

Research approaches fall into two categories: inductive and deductive

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” ( Wilson, J., 2010)

It has been stated that “deductive means reasoning from the particular to the general

If a causal relationship or link seems to be implied by a particular theory or case example, it might be true in many cases A deductive design might test to see if this relationship or link did obtain on more general circumstances” (Gulati, PM, 2009) Deductive approach can be explained by the means of hypotheses, which can be derived from the propositions of the theory In other words, deductive approach is concerned with deducting conclusions from premises or propositions

Deduction begins with an expected pattern “that is tested against observations, whereas induction begins with observations and seeks to find a pattern within them” (Babbie, E R., 2010)

Deductive research approach explores a known theory or phenomenon and tests if that theory is valid in a given circumstances It has been noted that “the deductive approach follows the path of logic most closely The reasoning starts with a theory and leads to a new hypothesis This hypothesis is put to the test by confronting it with observations that either lead to a confirmation or a rejection of the hypothesis” (Snieder, R & Larner, K.,2009)

Moreover, deductive reasoning can be explained as “reasoning from the general to the particular” (Pelissier, R., 2008), whereas inductive reasoning is the opposite In other words, deductive approach involves formulation of hypotheses and their subjection to testing during the research process, while inductive studies do not deal with hypotheses in any ways

In studies with deductive approach, the researcher formulates a set of hypotheses at

the start of the research Then, relevant research methods are chosen and applied to

test the hypotheses to prove them right or wrong

Generally, studies using deductive approach follow the following stages:

1 Deducing hypothesis from theory

2 Formulating hypothesis in operational terms and proposing relationships between

two specific variables

3 Testing hypothesis with the application of relevant method(s)

4 Examiningthe outcome of the test, and thus confirming or rejecting the theory

5 Modifying theory in instances when hypothesis is not confirmed…

On the other hand, Inductive approach starts with the observations and theories are

proposed towards the end of the research process as a result of observations (Goddard,

W & Melville, S., 2004) Inductive research “involves the search for pattern from

observation and the development of explanations – theories – for those patterns

through series of hypotheses” (Bernard, H.R., 2011) No theories or hypotheses would

apply in inductive studies at the beginning of the research and the researcher is free in

terms of altering the direction for the study after the research process had commenced

It is important to stress that inductive approach does not imply disregarding theories

when formulating research questions and objectives This approach aims to generate

meanings from the data set collected in order to identify patterns and relationships to

build a theory; however, inductive approach does not prevent the researcher from

using existing theory to formulate the research question to be explored (Saunders, M., Lewis, P & Thornhill, A., 2012) Inductive reasoning is based on learning from experience Patterns, resemblances and regularities in experience (premises) are observed in order to reach conclusions (or to generate theory)

In application of inductive approach in research, inductive reasoning begins with detailed observations of the world, which moves towards more abstract generalisations and ideas (Neuman, W.L., 2003) When following an inductive approach, beginning with a topic, a researcher tends to develop empirical generalisations and identify preliminary relationships as he progresses through his research No hypotheses can be found at the initial stages of the research and the researcher is not sure about the type and nature of the research findings until the study

is completed

As it is illustrated in figure 4 below, “inductive reasoning is often referred to as a

“bottom-up” approach to knowing, in which the researcher uses observations to build

an abstraction or to describe a picture of the phenomenon that is being studied” (Lodico, M.G., Spaulding, D.T &Voegtle, K.H., 2010)

Figure 4: Inductive approach model

Generally, the application of inductive approach is associated with qualitative methods of data collection and data analysis, whereas deductive approach is perceived

to be related to quantitative methods

Alzheimer (2009) pointed out following main approach of research approachs

First, Qualitative research is an approach for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem The process of rearch

involves emerging questions and proceture, data typically collected in the participant’s setting, data analysis inductively building from particulars to general themes, and the researcher making interpretations of the meaning of the data The final written support

a way of looking at research that honors an inductive styles, a focus on individual meaning, and the importance of findings rendering the complexity of a situation

Second, Quantitative research is generally associated with the positivist/postpositivist paradigm It usually involves collecting and converting data into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be made and conclusions drawn

Further more, Quantitative research is an approach for testing objective theories by examine the relationship among variable These variables, in turn, can be measured, typically on instruments, so that numbered data can be analyzed using statistical procedures The final written report has a set structure consisting of introduction, literature and theory, methods, results and discussion Like qualitative research, those who engage in this form of inquiry have assemptions about testing theories deductively, building in protecting agaist bias, controlling for alternative explanations, and being able to generalize and replicate the fidning

Final, Mixed methods research is an approach to inquiry involving collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, integrating the two forms of data, and usin distinct designs that may involve philosophical assumptions and theoretical frameworks The core assumption of this form of inquity is that the combination of qualitative and quanllitative approachs provides a more compete understaning of a research problem than either approach alone

3.3 Research design

The researcher not only selects a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods study to condect, the inquire also decides on a type of stydy within these three choices Research designes are types of inquiry within qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches that provide specific direction for procedures in a research design Others have called them strategies of inquiry (Denzin and lincoln, 2011)

1 Quantitative designs include true experiments and the less rigorous

experiments and quasi-experiments It applied behavioral analysis or signle-subject experiments in which an experimental treatment is administered over time to a single individual or a small number of individuals (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007; Neuman & McCormick, 1995) One type of nonexperimental quantitative research is causual-comparative research in which the investigaror compares two or more groups

in terms of a cause (or independent variable) that has already happened Another nonexperimental form of research is the correlational design in which investigators use the correlational statistic to describe and measure the degree or relationsip between two or more variable or sets of scores (Creswell, 2012) These designs have been elaborated into more complex relationships among variables found in techniques

of structural equation modeling, hierarchial linear modeling, and logistic regession More recently, quantitative strategies have invovled complex experiements with many variable and treatments e.g factorial designs and repeated measure designs) They have also included elaborate structural equation models that incorporate causal paths and the identification of the collective strength of multiple variables Rather than discusss all of these quantitative approaches I will focus on two designs: surveys and

experiments

a) Survey research provides a quantitative or numberic description of

trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studing a sample of that population It includes cross-sectional and longitudinal studies using questionnaires or structured interviews for data collect with the intend of generallzing from a sample to a population (Fowler, 2008)

b) Experimental research seeks to determine if a specific treatment

influences an outcome The researcher assesses this by providing a specific treatment

to one group scored on an outcome Experiments includes true experiments, with the randon assignment of subjects to treatment conditions, and quasi-experiments that use nonrandomized assignments (keppel, 1991) Included within quasi-experiments are single-subject designs

2 Qualitative design

Qualitative design includes the following strategies:

A Narrative research is a design of inquiry from the humanities in which the researcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals to provide stories about their lives (Riessman, 2008) This information is then often retold or restories by the researcher into a narrative chronology.Often, in the end, the narrative combines views from the participant’s life with those of the researcher’s life in a collaborative narrative (Clandinnin & Connelly, 2000)

B Phenomenological research is design of inquiry coming from philosophy and psychology in which the researcher describes the lived experiences of individuals about a phenomenon as described by participants This description culminates in the essence of the experiences for serveral individuals who have all experienced the phenomenon This design has strong philosophical underspinning and typically involves conducting interviews (Glorhl, 2009; Moustakas, 1994)

C Grounded theory is a design of inquiry from socialogy in which the researcher derives a general, abstract theory of a process, action, or interaction grounded

in the views of participants This process involves using multiple stages of data collection and the reflnement and interlationship of categories of information (Charmaz, 2006; Corbin & Strauss, 2007)

D Ethnography is a design of inquiry coming from anthropology and sociology in which the researcher studies the shared patterns of behaviors a prolongedperiod

of time Data collection often involves observations and interviews

E Case studies are a design of inquiry found in many fields, especially evaluation,

in which the researcher develops an in-depth analysis of a case often a program, event, activi, procee, or one or more individuals Cases are bounded

by time and activity, and researchers collect detailed information using a variety of data collection procedures over a sustained period of time (Stake,

1995, Yin, 2009,2012)

3 Mixed Methods Designs

Mixed method involves combining or integration of qualitative and quantitative research and data in a research study Qualitative data tends to be open-ended without