Designing Research
Developing a Research Question, and choosing a type of Research Design
Finalized Research Question:
Rooted in Literature (Research Gap)
Relationship between Variables
Theoretical Proposition (Thesis)
Empirically Testable (Answerable)
Concise, Complex, Arguable
Research Question & Theory
Research Question Example
Topic: China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI)
Research Aim: Does the BRI create dependency?
Lit Review: Theory of debt traps
Research Question: Have BRI projects created the conditions necessary for debt traps in SE Asia?
Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
Quantitative:
Quantity = Cases/Observations
Data: Variables consistently measured/coded across cases
Qualitative:
Contextual Observations
Complex or ill-defined variables
Within Case Analysis