Personality Characteristics, Attitude and Emotional Intelligence among Secondary Level Teachers

Text Sample:

Chapter 3 Methodology & Procedure:

Research methodology is a way to systematically investigate the research problem. It gives various steps in conducting the research in a systematic and a logical way. It is essential to define the problem, state objectives and hypothesis clearly. The research design provides the details regarding what, where, when, how much and by what means enquiry is initiated. Every piece of research must be planned and designed carefully so that the researcher precedes a hear without getting confused at the subsequent steps of research. The researcher must have an objective understanding of what is to be done, what is to be done, what data is needed, what data collecting tools are to be employed and how the data is to be statistically analyzed and interpreted. There are a number of approaches to the design of studies and research projects all of which may be equally valid.
A researcher before formulating a research design should contemplate on it thoroughly keeping in view the demands of the selected problem. A objectively and suitable designed technique for the completion of various research steps is the basic requirement for a research problem. Thus research plan is specifically conceived and executed to bring empirical evidence. The design of the research is the actual blue print of ensuring research. A well conceived design adequately planned and executed helps greatly in permitting to rely both on observations and inferences.
Research designs have been defined by different social scientists in different ways. All these definitions emphasize systematic methodology in collecting accurate information for interpretation. Selltize et al., (1959) indicates that, "research design are closely linked to investigators objectives, accordingly they specify that research design are expletory descriptive and/or experimental in nature". According to Ackoff Russel (1961) research design is, "Planning various phases and procedures relating to the formulation of research effort".
Similarly Van Delen (1973) has drawn the attention of researchers towards the appropriate frame work to be adopted in a research design. He has remarked, "Research is often confused, as floundering process rather than logical, orderly one. An investigator does not tackle one step at a time; complete the process and then move on to the next step. He may tackle the steps out of the order, shuffle back and forth between the steps or work on two steps more or less simultaneously". Martin Bulmer (1974) has said that, "research design is the specification of the problem, conceptual definitions, derivation of hypothesis to test and defining a population to be studied". According to Henry Manheim (1977), "Research design not only anticipates and specifies the seemingly countless decisions connected with carrying out data collection, processing and analysis, but it presents a logical basis for these decisions".
Kerlinger (1983) has rightly remarked; "Research designs set up the frame work for adequate tests of the relations among variables. Design tells us in a sense, what observation to make, how to make them and how to analyze the quantitative representation of the observations. A design tells us what type of statistical analysis to use. Finally, an adequate design outlines possible conclusions to be drawn from the statistical analysis". William Zikmund (1988) has described research design as, "master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information". Miller (1989) has defined research design, "as the planned sequence of the entire process involved in conducting a research study".
The present study has been completed through the descriptive method of research. This method has been the most popular and widely used method of research in social science and education. The descriptive method is designed to obtain pertinent and precise information concerning the current status of phenomena and also draw valid conclusions from the facts discovered. They are restricted not only to fact finding but may often result in the formulation of important principles of knowledge and solution significant problems concerning local, state, national and international issues. Descriptive studies investigate phenomena in their natural setting. Their purpose is both immediate and long range. Descriptive research helps to explain educational phenomena in terms of condition are relationships that exist, opinions that are held by the students, teachers, parents and experts processes that are going on. [.].
A Brief Orientation to the 16PF Test:

The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) is an objectively scorable test devised by basic research in psychology to give the most complete coverage of personality possible in a brief time. The test was designed for use with individuals aged 16 and above. Forms A, B, C, and D, which are the subject of this manual, are most appropriate for individuals whose educational level is roughly equivalent to that of the normal high school student. Form E is designed for individuals with marked educational and /or reading deficits. A separate manual for the 1 6PF, Form E, is available through IPAT.
The 16PF can be scored by hand or by computer, and various types of answer sheets are available for this reason. Additionally, extensive computer interpretation services described in Section 6 of this Manual is available through IPAT.
A more intensive description of the scientific and statistical properties of the test is given in the handbook for the 16 PF. The present Manual is a brief, practical guide, handy for those actually giving and scoring the test.
Comprehensive coverage of personality rests upon measurement of 16 functionally independent and psychologically meaningful dimensions isolated and replicated in more than 40 years of factor analytic, research on normal and clinical groups. Test users may need a little practice to get used to handling as many as 16 traits, but the expanded possibilities understanding and predicting behavior will more than compensate. For the effort involved. The personality factors measured by the 1 6PF are not just unique to the test but, instead, rest within the context of a general theory of personality. Nearly 10 years of empirical, factor-analytic research preceded the first commercial publication of the test in 1949. Since this time, five major revisions of items and many additional improvements, such as supplementary validity scales, have been incorporated into the 16PF. These 16 dimensions of scales are essentially Independent. Any item in the test contributes to the score on one and only one factor so that no dependencies were introduced at the level of scale construction. Moreover, the experimentally obtained correlations among the 16 scales are generally quite small so that each scale provides some new piece of information about the person being tested.
1. That the test is embedded within the broader fabric or network of general psychological theory.
2. That in its present form the test rests upon an empirical foundation of more than 36 factor-analytic investigations dealing with the 16Pf primaries and at least 100 more analyses in which verification of the instrument structure occurred as a by-product of the main research thrust.
3. That the psychometric properties of the scales (e.g., reliabilities, validities, etc.) have been explored and reported for a variety of samples and conditions; and:

4. That research findings involving the test (reported in numerous books and articles) provide the test user with a rich base of criterion evidence in industrial, clinical, social, and educational psychology.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEST:

Arrangement of Questions:

Ten to 13 items are provided for each scale in Form A and Form B. In Form C and Form D, there are eight items for the factor B scale, seven items for the motivational distortion scale and six items for each of the remaining scales. The questions are arranged in roughly cyclic order determined by a plan to give maximum convenience in hand scoring situations and to ensure variety and interest for the examinee.
Method of Answering:

Three alternative answers are provided for each of the questions, since the two alternative "forced-choice" situations, for bidding any "middle-of-the road" compromise, tends to force a distorted distribution and may produce aversions to the test on the part of the examinee. This is particularly the case with adults of average or higher intelligence for whom Forms A, B, C, D are designed. With children, or with less intelligent, less competent or culturally deprived adults, a two-choice design appears better, and such a design is used in the "low-literate" scales of the 16PF constructed for use with such populations (Form E).