Research methodology is often described as the blueprint of your research. I think of it as a melting pot of methods.
The key to writing the methodology chapter well is to relate every theoretical aspect you discuss to your own study.
One of the biggest challenges that students make when writing this chapter is not relating methodology theory to their own research.
The focus of the methodology chapter of your dissertation is on your study, how you have done it, or intend to do it, and why. Here, you present the details of the empirical side of your study.
Here is how you can do this:
First, justify your research approach by explaining why it is suited to your study. Don’t present a textbook description of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research.
Second, explain why your chosen study design is suited to the objectives of your research and its advantages over other designs. Don’t just describe the various study designs straight from a methodology textbook without relating them to the objectives of your study.
Third, describe the sampling method you’ve chosen, and why it is ideal for addressing the purpose of your research. Again, don’t describe the entire categorisation of sampling methods straight from a textbook.
Fourth, describe your data collection methods in relation to the main and secondary research questions of your study.
Finally, describe the data analysis methods that you’re using and why they are suited to answering your research questions.
So, the takeaway message here is that you need to relate all aspects of the methodology you are using for your study to research methodology principles, and vice versa.
And importantly, you need to provide references to your methodology sources throughout your chapter. But each time mention them in relation to your research.
