TOOLS OF RESEARCH

* Research Tool – is a specific mechanism or strategy the researcher uses to collect, manipulate, or interpret data. * Research Methodology – is the general approach the researcher takes in carrying out the research project, to some extent, this approach dictates the particular tools that the researcher selects.
THE SIX GENERAL TOOLS OF RESEARCH 1. The library and its resources
For thousands of years, the library served primarily as a repository of books and manuscripts. It was, for the most part, only a slowly expanding universe of knowledge, one that could be comfortably contained within masonry walls.
In the 20th century, the role of the library changed. An explosion of information occurred. Research altered …show more content…

Sometimes a numerical code is assigned to nominal variables (e.g. 1 = female, 2 = male) but the code does not imply order.

B. Ordinal Scale of Measurements
An ordinal scale extends the information of a nominal scale to show order, i.e. that one unit has more of a certain characteristic than another unit. For example, an ordinal scale can be used * to rank job applicants from the best to the worst, * to categorise people according to their level of education, or * to measure people's feelings about some matter using a measure like ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘neutral’, ‘disagree’, ‘strongly disagree’. C. Interval Scale of Measurements
Interval scales are not simply ordinal. They give a deeper meaning to order. An interval scale is a scale of measurement in which the magnitude of difference between measurements of any two units is meaningful. If weights are measured in kilograms (kg), then the difference in weights between two people whose weights are respectively 82kg and 69kg is the same as that between people whose respective weights are 64kg and 51kg. That is, the 'intervals' are the same (13kg) and have the same meaning. Further, someone who weighs 100 kilograms is twice as heavy as someone who weighs 50 kilograms. Consequently, most interval scales are also meaningful on a ratio scale.

D. Ratio Scale of Measurements
A ratio scale