METHODOLOGY CHAPTER – IV
METHODOLOGY
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Method is a way of conducting research work, which is determined by the
nature of the problem. It is more general and includes all the techniques associated
with research. ‘‘Method refers to the formal structure of the sequence of acts
commonly denoted by instructions’’. It is also defined as ‘‘orderliness and
regularity or habitual practice of them in action’’ (Pathak, 2011).
Research methodology refers to the process, principles and procedures by
which we approach problems and seek answers. Methods are of prime importance
in a research process. They describe the various steps of the plan of attack to be
adopted in solving a research problem, such as the manner in which the problems
are formulated, the definition of terms, the choice of subjects for investigation,
analysis and interpretation of data, and the process of inferences and generalisation.
Basically, research methods are categorised as follows:
™ Historical research
™ Survey research
™ Causal-comparative research
™ Experimental research (Pathak, 2011)
Research is also categorised in terms of traditional methodology it employs.
The three different categories of research methods used in educational research are
qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods (Mertler & Charles 2011).
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METHODOLOGY 4.2 METHOD ADOPTED FOR THE STUDY
The method adopted for the present study was a mixed one in nature. The
method of Historical research employing the techniques of Documentary (content)
analysis was adopted for the study. Since the present research relies on narrative
data, the study is of a qualitative one.
4.2.1 NATURE OF THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH
History is a record of past events and movements. It is a complete
comprehensive, accurate and meaningful record of man’s achievement in the past.
The study of the past is important as the present is shaped by the past. The present
and the past will probably influence the future also. ‘‘Historical research is a
systematic process of searching for the facts and then using the information to
describe, analyse and interpret the past’’ (Wiersma & Jurs, 2009).
Historical research can be viewed in three different ways.
They are
™ Historical approach- which refer to the organisation of historical
facts in support of the view, concept to be developed.
™ Historical subjects- which refer to the biographies of great men,
monographs of places and sketches of ideals, thoughts, trends and,
™ Historical techniques- which refer to research that is conducted on
the basis of historical records and documents.
In historical research, there is no single, definable method of historical
inquiry. Certainly, individual researches vary in their approaches. Some search for
historical information until all sources appear to be exhausted, and then begin
organising and interpreting extensive notes. Others work on a ‘search and write’
cycle approaching the issue under the study from two or more perspectives.
Number of variations can be seen on specific procedures. Historical research tends
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METHODOLOGY to be a rather holistic process in which there is a considerable overlap of activities.
For example, interpretation runs throughout the process not only when making
value judgment about the authenticity of sources but also when deciding the
relevance of the sources. According to John W. Best ‘‘the historian must depend
upon the reported observation of others, often witnesses of doubtful competence
and sometimes of doubtful objectivity’’ (Best, 1977).
4.2.2 STEPS IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
In general, historical research involves the following five steps:
™ Selection of the problem
™ Formulation of hypotheses
™ Collection of data
™ Criticism of data
™ Interpretation of data and reporting of findings (Pathak, 2011).
4.2.3 PROCEDURE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH
The major processes involved in historical research are three. They are
1.
Collection of data with consideration of document and relics of primary and
secondary sources of bibliographical procedures, and of organisation of
materials.
2.
Criticism of data collected, including the process of external (lower) criticism
and internal (higher) criticism and
3.
The presentation of facts in readable form involving problems of organisation,
composition, exposition and interpretation.
The data for historical studies are collected from two sources namely:
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METHODOLOGY 4.2.3.1 Primary sources: These are actual witness to several events, such as
objects of the past, relics, photographs, artefacts, original letters and parliamentary
proceedings documents.
4.2.3.2 Secondary sources: These are the sources which are not actual
witness to the event but are the reports of the person observing the event. For
example books on history, description of accounts, statements made by a witness.
Historians, fully aware of the limitations of the data with which they have to
deal, have developed systematic means of evaluating such evidence .This evaluation
involves the dual process of establishing the authenticity of the source and also the
validity of its content. These are known as external and internal criticism, though
the terms lower and higher criticism are also used.
4.2.3.3 External Criticism: External criticism in historical research
evaluates the validity of the document that is, where, when, and by whom it was
produced (Wiersma & Jurs, 2009).
4.2.3.4 Internal Criticism: Internal criticism in historical research evaluates
the meaning, accuracy, and trust worthiness of the content of the document
(Wiersma & Jurs, 2009).
Through the external and internal criticism the investigator establishes
credibility and usefulness of the source.
4.3 DOCUMENTARY OR CONTENT ANALYSIS
In historical research the document analysis is done solely with past events.
The documents collected should be subjected to criticism to ascertain the
authenticity of the document and validity of the contents. The researcher’s
obligation is to establish the trustworthiness of all data collected form documentary
sources.
In the present study, the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of
the Holy Bible were taken as the primary source. Amongst the various versions of
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METHODOLOGY the Holy Bible available, the researcher collected the relevant primary data from the
‘New International Version of the Holy Bible’ because of its close association with
the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. The ‘New International Version of
the Holy Bible’ is accepted as a standard of reference in research for theological and
secular studies related to Jesus Christ. In addition to this version, the ‘Good News
Bible’ published by Bible Society of India was also referred for the study.
A number of books written by eminent writers on the ‘Life and Teachings of
Jesus Christ’ were chosen as the secondary source for the study.
Content analysis encompasses a group of techniques concerned with the
analysis of existing records. The researcher visited the Faith Theological Seminary,
Adoor, Kerala and had a firsthand glimpse of the original version of the Holy Bible
in Greek and Aramaic language. But due to the deficiencies in Greek and Aramaic
languages, the researcher relied on the New International Version of the Holy Bible
in English with the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the primary
source. The main secondary sources analysed are as under:
™ The Teachings of Jesus Christ by Branscomb, B Harvie. (1931).
™ The Life and Teachings of Christ by Pearlman, Myer. (1935).
™ The Life and Teaching of Christ by Wood, Stanley. (1941).
™ The Christian Teacher by Benson, Clarence H. (1950).
™ Jesus the Teacher by Price, J. M. (1954).
™ The Teachings of Jesus by Eddleman, H. Leo.(1955)
™ And He Gave Teachers by Hurst, Duane V. (1955).
™ Teaching for Results by Edge B. Findley. (1956).
™ The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ by Stewart S. James. (1965).
™ Teaching As Jesus Taught by Garlock, John. (1966).
™ The mind of Jesus by Barcley, William. (1976).
™ The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ by Clark, Dennis E. (1977).
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METHODOLOGY ™ The New Testament, Its Background, Growth and content by Metzger, Bruce
Manning. (1983).
™ Jesus Then and Now by Watson, David and Jenkins, Simon. (1987).
™ Life of Christ by Rev. James Stalker. (1990).
™ Jesus as Teacher by Pheme Parkins, (1991).
™ Jesus Christ: The Greatest Liberator by Robert, S. Samuel. (1998).
™ Discovering Jesus by Lum, Ada. (1999).
™ The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ by Rao, O.M. (2000).
™ Jesus My Teacher by Banerjee, Brojendra Nath. (2000).
™ Jesus Christ: His life and His Church by Barter, Margaret. (2000).
™ With Jesus in the Upper Room by Winter, David. (2001).
™ The work and words of Jesus by Hunter, A.M. (2001).
™ Jesus Christ: A Meditative Introduction by Kaniarakath, George. (2008).
™ Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Bendict XVI. (2007).
™ Jesus the Sadguru and His Discipleship by Singh, Emmanuel. (2010).
4.4 TECHNIQUE USED FOR THE STUDY: INTERVIEW
The interview is a form of oral questionnaire. Instead of writing the
response, the interviewee gives the relevant information verbally through a face-toface relationship. The researcher prepared an interview schedule of eleven questions
pertaining to the topic ‘Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ’. The use of idiomatic,
technical, ambiguous, indefinite and inferential terms was avoided. Hence the
questions were free from diverse interpretation and the respondents could answer
without any external help. The questions were arranged in a well organised manner
which avoided complexity.
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METHODOLOGY In order to counteract and forestall the possibility of misleading and
irrelevant answers being given, the interview schedule was given to three experts.
According to their direction four questions were modified and one question was
rejected. Thus the final form of the interview schedule of ten questions was
prepared. The list of experts is given as Appendix I
The interview schedule prepared is given as Appendix II
4.5 SAMPLE SELECTED FOR THE STUDY
The researcher interviewed fifteen eminent personalities who had indepth
knowledge on the subject to obtain data regarding their perceptions on the ‘Life and
Teachings of Jesus Christ’. The list of these eminent personalities is given as
Appendix III.
4.6 COLLECTION OF DATA
Since the research is of historical nature, the investigator visited the
following educational institutions and libraries for data collection.
™ Department of Philosophy- University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
™ University of Kerala- Central Library, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram.
™ Loyola College Library, Thiruvananthapuram.
™ Kerala United Theological Seminary, Kannanmoola, Thiruvananthapuram.
™ Department of History- University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
™ The Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam, Kerala.
™ Believers Church Theological Seminary, Tiruvalla, Kerala.
™ Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma Memorial Library- Titus II Teachers College,
Tiruvalla, Kerala.
™ Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Memorial Library- The Orthodox Theological
Seminary, Kottayam, Kerala.
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METHODOLOGY ™ Faith Theological Seminary, Adoor, Kerala. (Ebenezer Library and Research
Centre)
™ India Bible College Library, Kumbanad, Kerala.
™ Ebenezer Bible College, Kaduthuruthy, Kerala.
™ India Bible College and Seminary Library, Othera, Kerala.
™ Mount Tabor Training College Library, Pathanapuram, Kerala.
™ Mangalam College of Education Library, Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala.
4.7 CRITICISM OF DATA
The data collected was subjected to historical criticism comprising of
external and internal criticism.
External and internal criticism was conducted on the primary source (four
gospels) with cross reference. Internal criticism was also conducted on the
secondary sources which is elaborated and presented in the analysis chapter.
4.8 INTERPRETATION OF DATA
The data collected from both the primary and secondary sources were
systematically arranged, analysed and edited in order to arrive at a definite
conclusion. Historical criticism was done with the collected data. This helped the
researcher to proceed in the right path. Thematic organisation was more appropriate
than chronological organisation for the present study. Hence the researcher resorted
to it for classification. Semi structured interview was used for collecting the data.
The researcher in person interviewed fifteen eminent personalities who are
competent in the subject and collected data pertinent to the study. The interviewees
were very cooperative and authoritative in the subject and their answers were
recorded in black and white.
Since the present research involved a number of biblical references (primary
source) the investigator has given chapter end references for clarity and easy access.
This style is also followed in chapter V, Analysis and Interpretation.
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METHODOLOGY 4.9 CONCLUSION
This chapter provides the details regarding the methodology adopted for the
study, the details of primary and secondary sources, sample selected for the study
and the procedure of data analysis and interpretation.
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METHODOLOGY REFERENCES
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3. Mertler, C. A., & Charles, C. M. (2012). Introduction to Educational Research.
(7th ed.). Noida: Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. p 24.
4. Mohan, R., & Parameswaran, E. G. (2008). Research Methods in Education.
New Delhi: Neelkamal Pubications Pvt. Ltd.
5. Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (2009). Research Methods in Education an
Introduction. (9th ed.). New Delhi: Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. pp 254,
262.
6. Pathak, R.P. (2011). Research in Education and Psychology. New Delhi:
Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. pp 139, 142.
7. Parkash, R. (2007). Historical Research in Education. New Delhi: Common
Wealth Publishers.
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