LESSON 1 – RESEARCH METHODS

Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your
research methods is an integral part of your research design. When planning your methods, there
are two key decisions you will make.

First, decide how you will collect data. Your methods depend on what type of data you need to
answer your research question:

• Qualitative vs. quantitative: Will your data take the form of words or numbers? • Primary vs.
secondary: Will you collect original
data yourself, or will you use data that
has already been collected by
someone else?

• Descriptive vs. experimental: Will

you take measurements of
something as it is, or will you
perform an experiment?

Second, decide how you will analyze the

data.
• For quantitative data, you
can use statistical analysis
methods to test relationships
between variables.

• For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis to interpret patterns and
meanings in the data.

METHODS FOR COLLECTING DATA

Data is the information that you collect for the purposes of answering your research question. The
type of data you need depends on the aims of your research.

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data

Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the type of knowledge you
want to develop.

For questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study something that can’t be
described numerically, collect qualitative data.
If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or your research involves
hypothesis testing, collect quantitative data.

Pros Cons

Qualitative • Flexible – you can often adjust • Can’t be analyzed statistically,

your methods as you go to and not generalizable to
develop new knowledge. broader populations.

• Can be conducted with small • Difficult to standardize research,

samples. at higher risk for research bias.

Quantitative • Can be used to systematically • Requires statistical training to

describe large collections of analyze data.
things. • Requires larger samples.
• Generates reproducible
knowledge.

You can also take a mixed methods

approach, where you use both qualitative
and quantitative research methods.

Primary vs Secondary Research

Primary research is any original data that
you collect yourself for the purposes of
answering your research question (e.g.
through surveys, observations and experiments). Secondary research is data that has already been
collected by other researchers (e.g. in a government census or previous scientific studies).
If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary data. But if
you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or identify patterns on a
large scale, secondary data might be a better choice.

Pros Cons

Primary • Can be collected to answer • More expensive and time

your specific research consuming to collect.
question.

• You have control over the • Requires training in data

sampling and measurement collection methods.
methods.

Secondary • Easier and faster to access. • • No control over how data was
You can collect data that spans generated.
longer timescales and broader • Requires extra processing to
geographical locations. make sure it works for your
analysis.

Descriptive vs Experimental Data

In descriptive research, you collect
data about your study subject without
intervening. The validity of your
research will depend on your sampling
method.

In experimental research, you

systematically intervene in a process
and measure the outcome. The
validity of your research will depend
on your experimental design.

To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variable, precisely
measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variables. If it’s practically and
ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions about cause and effect.

Pros Cons

Descriptive • Allows you to describe your • No control over confounding

research subject without variables.
influencing it. • Can’t establish causality.
• Accessible – you can gather
more data on a larger scale.

Experimental • More control over • You might influence your

confounding variables. research subject in unexpected

• Can establish causality. ways.

• Usually requires more expertise

and resources to collect data.

Research Method Primary or Qualitative or When to use

Secondary? Quantitative?

Experiment Primary Quantitative To test cause-and-effect

relationships.

Survey Primary Quantitative To understand general

characteristics of a
population.

Interview/Focus Primary Qualitative To gain more in-depth

Group understanding of a topic.

Observation Primary Either To understand how

something occurs in its
 natural setting.

Literature Review Secondary Either To situate your research in an

existing body of work, or to
evaluate trends within a
research topic.

Case Study Either To gain an in-depth

understanding of a specific
group or context, or when
you don’t have the resources
for a large study.

Methods for Analyzing Data

Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you collect and how you prepare it for
analysis.

Data can often be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, survey responses
could be analyzed qualitatively by studying the meanings of responses or quantitatively by
studying the frequencies of responses.

Qualitative Analysis Method

Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. You can use it to
interpret data that was collected:
 • From open-ended surveys and interviews, literature reviews, case studies, ethnographies,
and other sources that use text rather than numbers.

• Using non-probability sampling methods.

Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the researcher’s judgement, so you have
to reflect carefully on your choices and assumptions and be careful to avoid research bias.

Quantitative Analysis Method

Quantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand frequencies, averages and
correlations (in descriptive studies) or
cause-and-effect relationships (in
experiments).

You can use quantitative analysis

to interpret data that was collected either:

• During an experiment.
• Using probability sampling
methods.

Because the data is collected and

analyzed in a statistically valid
way, the results of quantitative
analysis can be easily standardized and
shared among researchers.

Examples of Data Analysis Methods

Research Method Qualitative or When to use
Quantitative?

Statistical Analysis Quantitative To analyze data collected in a

statistically valid manner (e.g. from
experiments, surveys, and
observations).

Meta-Analysis Quantitative To statistically analyze the results of

a large collection of studies.

Can only be applied to studies

that collected data in a
statistically valid manner.
Thematic Analysis Qualitative To analyze data collected from
interviews, focus groups, or
textual sources.

To understand general themes in the

data and how they are communicated.

Content Analysis Either To analyze large volumes of textual

or visual data collected from
surveys, literature reviews, or other
sources.

Can be quantitative (i.e. frequencies

of words) or qualitative (i.e.
meanings of words).