College: College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

Course Code: Stat 102

Course Title: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

MODULE 2 – Methods of Research

Introduction:

There are four kind of research designs, these are 1) historical method, 2) descriptive,
3) experimental and 4) case study. The historical design is focused in the past (what
was); in the descriptive design, the study is focused in the present condition (What is),
the experimental design is on the future (What will be) and the case study design is for
the past, present and future.

Intended Learning outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Differentiate research design and research method.

2. Criteria for choosing method of research to use.
3. Give example on the application of method of research used.

Discussion:

What is the difference between Research Design and Research Method?

Research design is a plan to answer your research question. A research method is a

strategy used to implement that plan. Research design and methods are different but
closely related, because good research design ensures that the data you obtain will help
you answer your research question more effectively. Research methods are specific
procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an
integral part of your research design.

Which research method should I choose?

It depends on your research goal. It depends on what subjects (and who) you want to study.
Let's say you are interested in studying what makes people happy, or why some students are
more conscious about recycling on campus. To answer these questions, you need to make a
decision about how to collect your data. 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 data collection methods you use depend on the type of data you need.

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 your  Can’t be analyzed statistically or
methods as you go to develop new generalized to broader
knowledge. populations.
 Can be conducted with small samples.  Difficult to standardize research.

Quantitativ  Can be used to systematically describe  Requires statistical training to

e large collections of things. analyze data.
 Generates reproducible knowledge.  Requires larger samples.

Most frequently used methods include:

1. Observation / Participant Observation

2. Surveys
3. Interviews
4. Focus Groups
5. Experiments
6. Secondary Data Analysis / Archival Study
7. Mixed Methods (combination of some of the above)

One particular method could be better suited to your research goal than others, because
the data you collect from different methods will be different in quality and quantity. For
 instance, surveys are usually designed to produce relatively short answers, rather than
the extensive responses expected in qualitative interviews. You can also take a mixed
methods approach, where you use both qualitative and quantitative research
methods.

Primary vs. Secondary data

Primary data is any original information that you collect for the purposes of answering your
research question (e.g. through surveys, observations and experiments). Secondary data is
information 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 your specific  More expensive and time-
research question. consuming to collect.
 You have control over the sampling and  Requires training in data
measurement methods. collection methods.

Secondary  Easier and faster to access.  No control over how data was
 You can collect data that spans longer generated.
timescales and broader geographical  Requires extra processing to
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 research  No control over confounding

subject without influencing it. variables.
 Accessible – you can gather more  Can’t establish cause and effect
data on a larger scale. relationships.
  Pros  Cons

Experimenta  More control over confounding  You might influence your research
l variables. subject in unexpected ways.
 Can establish cause and effect  Usually requires more expertise
relationships. and resources to collect data.

Research methods for collecting data

Research Primary or Qualitative or When to use

method 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 understanding of a topic.

group

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 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 methods
Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. You can use it to
interpret data that was collected:

 From open-ended survey and interview questions, literature reviews, case studies, 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.

Quantitative analysis methods

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.

Research methods for analyzing data

Research Qualitative or When to use

method quantitative?
Statistical Quantitative To analyze data collected in a statistically valid manner (e.g. from
analysis 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 Qualitative To analyze data collected from interviews, focus groups or textual
analysis sources.
To understand general themes in the data and how they are
communicated.
Content Either To analyze large volumes of textual or visual data collected from
analysis surveys, literature reviews, or other sources.
Can be quantitative (i.e. frequencies of words) or qualitative (i.e.
meanings of words).

What other factors should I consider when choosing one method over another?

Time for data collection and analysis is something you want to consider. An observation
or interview method, so-called qualitative approach, helps you collect richer information,
 but it takes time. Using a survey helps you collect more data quickly, yet it may lack
details. So, you will need to consider the time you have for research and the balance
between strengths and weaknesses associated with each method (e.g., qualitative vs.
quantitative).

Exercise:
Describe a situation and make justification wherein you could apply
1. qualitative method of research
2. quantitative method of research

Reflection:
Why should you select the method of research in your proposed project?

References:
BAUTISTA OK, ROSARIO TL, BAUTISTA RK. 2015. Technical Writing for Publication in Journals and for
Presentation

Method of Research and Thesis Writing

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-quantitative-research/

https://medium.com/@FlexMR/understanding-quantitative-vs-qualitative-research-
8f7cbf748765method

https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.htmlt%20with%20concluded%20facts.

https://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/soc2web/Content/phase05/
phase05_step03_deeper_qualitative_and_quantitative.htm

Prepared by: Noted:

DINAH E. ABUGHO SALVADOR S. SOQUILA, DVM

Teacher in-charge Dean, CAVM