Thesis Chapter 3 Sample | Dissertation Methodology Sample

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3.0 Methodology

The methodology involves describing the steps, procedures, and methods taken by the researcher to answer the research questions based on the researcher’s philosophy of how best to approach the topic of exploring employees' reasons for participation and non-participation, as well as contributing factors around participation in an on-site workplace gym. The methodology provides information on the research philosophy and epistemological stances that the researcher adopted, as well as the methods utilized by the researcher in collecting and analyzing data for the pilot study. Besides, information regarding the research participants and how they were recruited, as well as ethical issues addressed by the researcher in conducting the pilot study, is provided. The methodology is subdivided into the following sections: research philosophy, epistemological basis, research design, population and participants, data collection procedures, data analysis methods, and ethical considerations.

3.1 Research Philosophy

Sanders et al. (2007) argued that the research process can be represented as an onion. Several layers of the onion must be consistently employed when conducting research. A research philosophy is the most crucial part of the research onion (Al-Zefeiti and Mohammad 2015). A research philosophy and design must be considered before data collection or analysis, which are the core of the onion, are conducted (Al-Zefeiti and Mohammad 2015). According to Al-Zefeiti and Mohammad (2015), a research philosophy refers to the beliefs or ideas regarding the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Besides, it refers to the development of knowledge in a particular field. The association between knowledge and the process by which the knowledge is developed is one of the main things considered that influences the selection of a specific research philosophy (Al-Zefeiti and Mohammad 2015). According to Ryan (2018), the most commonly used research philosophies are positivism, interpretivism, and critical theory. The interpretivism research philosophy will be adapted by the researcher for the current pilot study. This is because the methods of how the study will be conducted will fall in line with the research philosophy of interpretivism and the epistemological basis for constructivism. The interpretivism philosophy is the most suitable philosophical stance for this research since qualitative data will be analysed. Furthermore, in-depth investigations where small samples are used can be discussed using an interpretivism philosophy (Ryan 2018). The implication for an interpretivist philosophy on the choice of methods is choosing data collection techniques that can capture individual perceptions of employees with a qualitative approach.

The research philosophy of interpretivism for this pilot study, which plays a part in the development of the methods, is that of ‘intuitive knowledge’ as being an acceptable source of knowledge (Dudovsky 2018), because the possibility of low participation rates in on-site workplace gyms can be further explored.  Dudovsky (2018) explains that intuitive knowledge is based more on individuals’ beliefs and feelings rather than on facts.  For this pilot study, it is important to gain employees’ first-hand expressed beliefs of the reasons for their participation to better understand those reasons and answer the research question of the study.

3.2 Epistemological basis for the research

The epistemological basis for the pilot study is constructivism, where it is the researcher’s belief that acceptable knowledge for this study is the subjective meanings of employees’ views and their expressed reasons, and the underlying factors that contribute to their participation or non-participation in the on-site workplace gym.  This will be determined based on constructivism, which is one branch of epistemology commonly used in business research (Dudovsky 2018, p. 37). Constructivist researchers mainly focus on the process of interactions between individuals as well as the specific context in which people live and work (Creswell, 2014). The current study examines the work context by specifically addressing the on-site workplace gym. Addressing a specific context where individuals live or work is important in order to understand the historical and cultural settings of the participants (Creswell, 2014).  The study focuses on understanding the organisational culture of ensuring employee wellness through various wellness programs and support.

Little research has been done on why employees may participate or fail to participate in an on-site workplace gym; as a result, through constructivism, the truth behind the matter can only be found by seeking information from the employees. This is because constructivist research individuals seek to understand the world they live and work in by developing subjective meaning of their experiences (Creswell 2014). The meanings are considered to be directed towards certain objects or things and are further considered to be varied or multiple (Creswell 2014).  In this case, the study seeks to understand the aspect of participation in an on-site workplace gym based on the views and experiences of individuals in the workplace environment/ world. The on-site workplace gym is the direct object where the meanings of the experiences of the employees are derived. For one to comprehend the employees’ behaviour, it is paramount to be familiar with their experience (Dudovsky 2018). This can only be accomplished by involving the employees directly and understanding their perceptions. This is because the goal of a constructivist research is to rely as much as possible on the perspectives of participants regarding the situation being studied (Creswell, 2014). A constructivist researcher intends to make sense/ interpret the meanings other individuals have regarding their world, where they inductively generate a theory or pattern of the meanings rather than starting with a theory, as is the case with postpositivist research. Since there is less literature on the topic and no quantitative data can be collected to answer the research question, constructivism is the best epistemological basis for this research. The lack of information brings about the need for broader and general interview questions so that participants can construct the meaning of a situation. The more open-ended the questionnaire is, the better for the researcher to better understand participants' perspectives, which is supported by a constructivist research (Creswell 2014). Besides, constructivism is often combined with interpretivism and is typically viewed as an approach to qualitative research (Creswell 2014).

3.3 Research Design and Approach

A research design is considered as a procedure of inquiry (Creswell,2013) as well as a blueprint used by a researcher in conducting a research study where he/she exercise maximum control of the factors that may render the study invalid (Burns and Grove, 2009). The pilot study adopted a qualitative design as it was qualitative in nature. The qualitative research design was based on an inductive interview approach.  Numerous researchers use qualitative research design to explore and understand the meanings that individuals attribute to various problems (Creswell, 2014). Researchers usually adapt the qualitative design to explore the behaviours, experiences, views, and perspectives of people, which is the case in the current pilot study. The current study looks to understand the perspectives and experiences of employees regarding their participation or non-participation in an on-site workplace gym (Creswell, 2014).

Since the study obtains interview textual data from participants instead of numerical data, a qualitative research design is the most suitable. This is because ii is different from a quantitative research design, which is usually characterized by the use of numerical data in measuring study variables, presenting results, and making conclusions (Creswell, 2014). The qualitative research design adopted supports all the methods and procedures that the researcher uses in conducting the pilot study, such as the use of the thematic analysis technique to analyse the interview data obtained. Besides, the design provided the opportunity for the researcher to interact with the participants to understand their perspectives and experiences, creating meaning from the interview data that was co-created.  The adoption of a qualitative design further allowed the researcher to be flexible and open towards the data, through the analysis process of describing, explaining, and interpreting the research data. The process of allowing the data to speak for itself is a distinctive characteristic of a qualitative method of inquiry and analysis that the researcher employed (Cao 2007).

Being that the pilot study was exploratory in nature, it created an opportunity to take more of a grounded theory approach from the start, rather than starting with preconceived notions and theories on the topic. It was important because it allowed the researcher to see what emerged from the data.  The strategy of using in-depth interviews coincides with the research philosophy and choice of methods (Saunders et al., 2012, as cited in Dudovsky, 2018).

Using an inductive approach in the research process for conducting the literature review and preparing the question directly from the literature allows the pilot study to explore employee perspectives, reasons, and related factors that may contribute to addressing the problems of employee participation in an on-site workplace gym, as the data emerge.

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