- Joined
- Feb 17, 2026
- Messages
- 17
University Examinations 2014/2015FIRST YEAR FIRST SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREEOFMASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCECCS 5105: RESEARCH METHODS IN COMPUTER SCIENCEDATE: SEPTEMBER 2015 TIME: 3 HOURS
M
CCS 5105: RESEARCH METHODS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
- Thread starter MEDSEMESTER
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2026
- Messages
- 17
QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)a) Differentiate between the following types of research. (4 marks)(i) Basic research and applied research(ii) Quantitative and Qualitative research.b) Under what circumstance would you recommend(i) A probability sample (2 marks)(ii) A stratified sample (2 marks)(iii) A cluster sample (2 marks)c) Differentiate between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics explaining situationswhere each is applied in research. (4 marks)d) Discuss the following as used in measurement.(i) Test for validity (3 marks)(ii) Test for reliability (3 marks)e) Given a research title “Factors influencing growth of e-commerce in Kenya”(i) Identify independent and dependent variables in the above topic. (3 marks)Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2008 Certified Foundation of Innovations Page 2(ii) Write at least three (3) probable specific objectives of the research. (3 marks)(iii) Will you use a case study or a survey or experiment? Justify your answer. (4 marks)QUESTION TWO (15 MARKS)a) A Master of Science Computer Science student has come up with a better method forlinking mobile phone payment system and card payment system transactions. Assist thestudent to
i) Write an appropriate title for the research project. (2 marks)(ii) Write the problem statement (2 paragraph) (3 marks)(iii) Write the research hypothesis statements (2 marks)(iv) Draw the conceptual framework. (3 marks)b) Use an example in computer science to illustrate situations that will require the use of acase study. (5 marks)QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS)A school administrator is interested in whether character-education video games in conjunctionwith the traditional weekly school assemblies, improves the behavior of her students. She wantsto compare the inappropriate acts of one group of students who are given the opportunity to playthe video games to the number of inappropriate acts of students who simply attend the weeklyschool assemblies, at the end of two months. Design a research study for the administrator,improving on her original ideas for the study, while considering possible threats to internal andexternal validity. Specifically discuss how you would collect data, the strengths and weaknessesof the research design, and the most appropriate analysis for the collected data. (15 marks)QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS)A software engineering researcher would wish to investigate the relationship between size,encapsulation and complexity of an object oriented application to its reliability.a) Use a Goal definition template to identify the research objects, subjects, purpose, qualityof focus, perspective and context. (3 marks)Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2008 Certified Foundation of Innovations Page 3b) Will the researcher use a survey/Case study/Experiment? Justify your answer. (4 marks)c) Identify the variables in the research to be measured then indicate the most appropriatemeasurement scale for each variable and briefly discuss their validity and reliability. (4 marks)d) Which are the most appropriate statistical tools for this research? Justify your answer. (4 marks)QUESTION FIVE (15 MARKS)Consider the process of conducting a hypothesis test about a population parameter. Using thefollowing table, which shows the cross-classification of your test decision and the true state ofthe null hypothesis, answer the following questions;TRUTHTest Decision Ho True Ho FalseReject HoNot Reject Hoa) Explain in words the concepts of type-I error rate, type-II error rate, and power instatistically precise terms as they relate to the four cells of the table (5 marks)Suppose that a directional z-test is used with alpha = 500 to testHo: μ equal to 500Ha: μ greater than 500Where μ = 50 and N = 100.b) Sketch the sampling distributions for the sample mean for when μ = 500 and for when μ= 490 on a common axis. (4 marks)c) Assuming that the truth is μ = 490, shade in and label the appropriate regions on yourfigure in part (b) that correspond to the four cells of the table. (3 marks)d) Explain (or demonstrate with another graph) how the sketch would change if the samplesize was decreased. (3 marks)
i) Write an appropriate title for the research project. (2 marks)(ii) Write the problem statement (2 paragraph) (3 marks)(iii) Write the research hypothesis statements (2 marks)(iv) Draw the conceptual framework. (3 marks)b) Use an example in computer science to illustrate situations that will require the use of acase study. (5 marks)QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS)A school administrator is interested in whether character-education video games in conjunctionwith the traditional weekly school assemblies, improves the behavior of her students. She wantsto compare the inappropriate acts of one group of students who are given the opportunity to playthe video games to the number of inappropriate acts of students who simply attend the weeklyschool assemblies, at the end of two months. Design a research study for the administrator,improving on her original ideas for the study, while considering possible threats to internal andexternal validity. Specifically discuss how you would collect data, the strengths and weaknessesof the research design, and the most appropriate analysis for the collected data. (15 marks)QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS)A software engineering researcher would wish to investigate the relationship between size,encapsulation and complexity of an object oriented application to its reliability.a) Use a Goal definition template to identify the research objects, subjects, purpose, qualityof focus, perspective and context. (3 marks)Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2008 Certified Foundation of Innovations Page 3b) Will the researcher use a survey/Case study/Experiment? Justify your answer. (4 marks)c) Identify the variables in the research to be measured then indicate the most appropriatemeasurement scale for each variable and briefly discuss their validity and reliability. (4 marks)d) Which are the most appropriate statistical tools for this research? Justify your answer. (4 marks)QUESTION FIVE (15 MARKS)Consider the process of conducting a hypothesis test about a population parameter. Using thefollowing table, which shows the cross-classification of your test decision and the true state ofthe null hypothesis, answer the following questions;TRUTHTest Decision Ho True Ho FalseReject HoNot Reject Hoa) Explain in words the concepts of type-I error rate, type-II error rate, and power instatistically precise terms as they relate to the four cells of the table (5 marks)Suppose that a directional z-test is used with alpha = 500 to testHo: μ equal to 500Ha: μ greater than 500Where μ = 50 and N = 100.b) Sketch the sampling distributions for the sample mean for when μ = 500 and for when μ= 490 on a common axis. (4 marks)c) Assuming that the truth is μ = 490, shade in and label the appropriate regions on yourfigure in part (b) that correspond to the four cells of the table. (3 marks)d) Explain (or demonstrate with another graph) how the sketch would change if the samplesize was decreased. (3 marks)