3.1 METHODOLOGY 3.1.1 Data Analysis the Time and Effort
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3.1 METHODOLOGY 3.1.1 Data Analysis The time and effort required for data analysis and interpretation depend on the study’s purpose and the methodology used. Every research must be carefully planned and performed according to specific guidelines. The validity and accuracy of the study, research and findings is essential. 3.1.2 Content Analysis Content analysis refers to any systematic procedure devised to examine the content of recorded information. It is a research technique for making replicable and valid references from data to their context. It is a systematic process, the content to be analysed is selected according to explicit and consistently applied rules. All content under consideration should be treated in the same manner. This method of study is extremely objective, the researcher’s personal biases and idiosyncrasies should not enter into the findings and if replicated by else, the results yielded should be the same. The operational definitions and rules for the classification of variables should be sufficiently comprehensive and clear to fully explain the sampling and categorisation methods. Content analysis is also primarily quantitative as the ultimate goal of it is the accurate representation of a body of messages. 3.1.3 Qualitative research It is a field of inquiry that crosscuts disciplines and subject matters. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The discipline investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed rather than large random samples. Qualitative research was one of the first forms of social studies during the 50s. In later years, qualitative research began to be used in several disciplines, and became a significant type of research in the fields of education studies, social work studies, women's studies, disability studies, information studies, management studies, nursing service studies, human service studies, psychology and communication studies. In the last thirty years the acceptance of qualitative research by journal publishers and editors has been growing. Prior to that time many mainstream journals were prone to publish research articles based upon the natural sciences and which featured quantitative analysis. Qualitative research is often used for policy and program evaluation research since it can answer certain important questions more efficiently and effectively than quantitative approaches. This is particularly the case for understanding how and why certain outcomes were achieved (not just what was achieved) but also answering important questions about relevance, unintended effects and impact of programs such as: Were expectations reasonable? Did processes operate as expected? Were key players able to carry out their duties? Were there any unintended effects of the program? Qualitative approaches have the advantage of allowing for more diversity in responses as well as the capacity to adapt to new developments or issues during the research process itself. While qualitative research can be expensive and time-consuming to conduct, many fields of research employ qualitative techniques that have been specifically developed to provide more succinct, cost-efficient and timely results. Rapid Rural Appraisal is one formalised example of these adaptations but there are many others. Study and analysis based on this kind of research process is referred to as Qualitative Analysis. It allows a researcher to view behaviour in a natural setting without the artificiality that sometimes surrounds experimental or survey research. These techniques tend to increase the researcher’s depth of the phenomenon under investigation. They are flexible and allow the researcher to pursue new areas of interest. The major disadvantage about this method however is that the sample sizes are sometimes too small and the reliability tends to pose a problem as it is possible to lose objectivity while working for data assimilation. 3.1.4 Quantitative Research It is the systematic scientific investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to natural phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Quantitative research is widely used in both the natural sciences and social sciences, from physics and biology to sociology and journalism. It is also used as a way to research different aspects of education. The term quantitative research is most often used in the social sciences in contrast to qualitative research. It is often an iterative process whereby evidence is evaluated, theories and hypotheses are refined, technical advances are made, and so on. Virtually all research in physics is quantitative whereas research in other scientific disciplines, such as taxonomy and anatomy, may involve a combination of quantitative and other analytic approaches and methods. Quantitative methods are research techniques that are used to gather quantitative data - information dealing with numbers and anything that is measurable. Statistics, tables and graphs, are often used to present the results derived from it. Quantitative analysis is more of a comparative study and often makes use of data collection methods like telephone, mail and internet surveys. Quantitative analysis requires that the variables or parameters under consideration be measured. It uses more standardised questions while comparing and the advantage here is that the usage of numbers allows greater precision in reporting results. 3.1.5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS OF RESEARCH Qualitative Quantitative The aim is to classify features, count The aim is a complete, detailed them, and construct statistical models description. in an attempt to explain what is observed. Researcher may only know roughly in Researcher knows clearly in advance advance what he/she is looking for. what he/she is looking for. Recommended during earlier phases of Recommended during latter phases of research projects. research projects. The design emerges as the study All aspects of the study are carefully unfolds. designed before data is collected. Researcher uses tools, such as Researcher is the data gathering questionnaires or equipment to collect instrument. numerical data. Data is in the form of words, pictures Data is in the form of numbers and or objects. statistics. Subjective - individuals’ interpretation Objective – seeks precise measurement of events is important ,e.g., uses & analysis of target concepts, e.g., uses participant observation, in-depth surveys, questionnaires etc. interviews etc. Qualitative data is more 'rich', time Quantitative data is more efficient, able consuming, and less able to be to test hypotheses, but may miss generalized. contextual detail. Researcher tends to become Researcher tends to remain objectively subjectively immersed in the subject separated from the subject matter. matter. 3.2 CONTEXT The understanding of visual representation and imagery in any form or language is very important in the construction of social elements, consciousness and to create awareness as well. Amongst the different senses, the one that creates the most recall and has a tremendous impact on the human brain is the sense of vision. In this manner, Films and television influence our perception, judgement and thought even if we are not really aware of it. Speech and dialogues add to the entertainment factor of the medium, however critics argue that the visual depiction can stand all alone in its merit and can be viewed universally as it has no barriers of language and the like. This is one of the primary reasons this topic was zeroed in upon as the area of study because it is essential that the power and strength of cinema, and its impact on the audience should not be lessened due to stereotypical characterisation, biased depiction or inefficient research before forming the narrative. In films made by the Europeans and Americans over the decades, a sense of superiority in terms of their way of living as compared to the lives of the people in other nations is very evident. This unnecessary ethnocentrism in their content has triggered off many debates and discussions amongst the most brilliant critics and academicians. This paper primarily looks at the way India and Indian culture as portrayed in movies by western film makers. It analyses the content scene by scene to identify common traits or similarities in the depiction of India, its people, language, beliefs and culture to recognise perhaps a trend in the method. The focus here is the treatment of the locales, music, colours, characters, practices and everyday life of Indians in western movies. 3.3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY The analysis of films through the examination of the cinematic units and the story plots is akin to looking for specific structures that hold the film together. The term structure here refers to those properties or parameters of the film that holds the entire narrative together. This is a attempt to move away from the traditional focus on the mere chronological progression of the film, with little attention being paid to the finer nuances like music, semiotics, set structure, placement of objects and other such details