Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences

Exploring Research Methodology: Principles, Processes and Practical Applications in Scientific Inquiry

Mohammad Ekramul Hassan — 2026-04-13

Research methodology is a scientific investigation of principles, procedures, and strategies in conducting research in different fields. It is defined as a step-by-step, rational process and is employed in solving a research problem. A good researcher must be aware of the methods of research or the techniques for research, and they should also know the methodological context within which the techniques are being used. A researcher must be able to construct indices or statistical tests, to compute measures such as the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, or chi-square, or to carry out some research methods. And a researcher must be positioned such that they can determine which of these methods are applicable in a specific setting, what those implications are, and why they have to be employed. This study aims to explore research methodology by examining its underlying principles, procedures, and strategies used in conducting systematic and scientific research. This study is descriptive in nature and is based on secondary data collected from books, journals, and academic sources. This paper explores qualitative and quantitative approaches, research design, hypothesis formulation, and data analysis techniques, emphasizing methodological appropriateness and reliability.

The study concludes that researchers must be aware of the assumptions that underlie various techniques and the criteria for deciding which methods are suitable for a particular research problem. This underscores the necessity of designing a methodology that is specifically tailored to the research problem at hand, as methodological requirements may vary across different problems.

Cultural Heritage Literacy among Tertiary Social Studies Majors in Northern Philippines

Marjorie B. Sumagit — 2026-03-23

In culturally diverse societies like the Philippines, cultural heritage literacy is an essential part of social studies education. This study explored the knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors about physical and intangible cultural heritage and investigated variations when categorized based on specific academic and demographic factors of the Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies students. A researcher-made questionnaire based on UNESCO's cultural heritage framework was used in the study following the descriptive-comparative research design. Results showed that the respondents' cultural heritage literacy was generally low to moderate, with a greater emphasis on values and appreciation rather than critical skills and active heritage activities. When the data gathered is categorized according to year level and exposure to heritage-related courses and activities, significant differences were observed, particularly among students with greater academic progression and prior heritage exposure. The results indicated that curriculum experiences and academic levels contribute to the differences in the students’ heritage knowledge. The study underscores the need to strengthen heritage-based pedagogical integration in Social Studies teacher education programs to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of cultural heritage within localized institutional contexts.

Understanding Generational Differences in Work Values: Evidence from Faculty in Chinese Private Universities

Wenyan Yao — 2026-03-31

Aims: This study examines the characteristics of work values among lectures from different generations in private universities and to explore the generational differences in these values. Additionally, it examines the characteristics of work values among employees of different genders, marital statuses, and levels of education.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among faculty members from three private universities in Guangxi, China (N = 332).

Place and Duration of Study: Three private universities in Guangxi, China; between September–December 2025.

Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 332 lecturers from private universities to examine the characteristics of their work values and to explore generational differences in work values among teachers from different generations.

Results: A total of 332 respondents were included in the analysis. ANOVA results indicated significant generational differences in two dimensions of work values. Specifically, the mean score for comfort and security increased from Generation X (M = 3.745, SD = 0.621) to Generation Y (M = 3.837, SD = 0.560) and Generation Z (M = 3.926, SD = 0.694) (F = 3.180, p = 0.043). Tukey post-hoc analysis showed that Generation Z scored significantly higher than Generation X (p = 0.050). For ability and growth, Generation Y reported the highest score (M = 3.866, SD = 0.839), followed by Generation Z (M = 3.781, SD = 0.838) and Generation X (M = 3.721, SD = 0.731) (F = 3.082, p = 0.047), with a significant difference between Generation X and Generation Y (p = 0.042). No significant generational difference was observed for status and independence (F = 0.403, p = 0.669).

Conclusion: Generation Z reported the highest score in the comfort and security dimension, whereas Generation Y showed the highest score in ability and growth. For the status and independence dimension, Generation Z again recorded the highest mean score.

Additionally, gender, marital status, and level of education significantly influence work values. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the work value orientations of faculty members from different generational cohorts and provide practical implications for administrators of private universities to formulate more targeted management strategies. However, as this study relies on cross-sectional data, it is unable to capture the dynamic changes in work values across Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z over time.

Shylock’s Identity Positioning in The Merchant of Venice: A Study Based on Interpersonal Function Theory

Zhu Qianpiao — 2026-04-06

The Merchant of Venice is one of the most successful works of the great English playwright William Shakespeare, and the character Shylock is one of the most vivid and controversial characters in the play. Scholarly debate surrounding Shylock has remained consistently dynamic. This paper takes Shylock as research object, and employs Halliday’s interpersonal function theory in Systemic Functional Linguistics as framework. Combining a large number of dialogue descriptions with analyzable mood and modality types, this paper counts the frequencies of different mood types and modal auxiliaries. Then by comparing and analyzing the different identity positioning of Shylock, the summary of the changing trends of different characters of Shylock constructed by Shakespeare in the play is carried out. The study finds that Shylock mainly uses declarative mood and medium-value modal auxiliaries, while interrogative, exclamatory mood and high-value modals surge in the climax, constructing his triple identities: a usurer, a cold-blooded father, and a resister. This research provides a new linguistic quantitative approach for literary character analysis and deepens the interpretation of Shylock’s image.

After Field-Study: University Graduates’ Attitudes and Ties toward Rural Areas in Japan

Shiro Horiuch — 2026-04-18

Background and Aims: Rural areas in Japan face severe depopulation, aging, and economic decline as people and resources concentrate in major cities like Tokyo. To elucidate the effects of field-study (FS) programs in rural Japan on the relationship between host residents and graduates, this study examines how FS are organized through collaboration between local governments and universities, how graduates interpret their influence after graduation, and whether such programs generate continuing relationships with host communities.

Study Design: This study adopts a qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Kansai region of Japan, covering 6 rural areas and 4 universities. Interviews were carried out between April 2022 and March 2023.

Methodology: Data were collected through interviews with 15 civil staffs and stakeholders in rural areas that hosted students, 7 professors at universities that sent students, and 36 students / graduates who had participated in FS in rural areas (in total n = 58). The interviews were analyzed to examine how local government and university formed partnerships, how participants understood FS, and whether graduates later maintained ties with host communities.

Results: Partnerships between local governments and universities were often initiated through personal networks rather than formal planning. Civil staff valued students’ interaction with residents and the energy they brought to local activities, whereas university professors emphasized student growth. Graduates reported that FS contributed to communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and broader perspectives on work and life. Only a small number had moved to rural areas after graduation. A larger number remained in urban areas while maintaining ties with host communities through revisits, ongoing contact, collaboration, or emotional attachment.

Conclusion: FS appears to contribute more clearly to graduates’ development and to sustained relationships with rural communities (kankeijinko) than to immediate rural settlement or migration. Its significance therefore lies less in directly increasing rural in-migration than in creating educational and relational ties between urban-based young people and rural areas.