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The Research Process Elements of Research Design

This document outlines key elements of research design including defining research design, its essential components, and features of a good design. It discusses the different types of research studies including exploratory, descriptive, and hypothesis testing. It also explains key terms used in research design such as dependent and independent variables, extraneous variables, and experimental and non-experimental research. The overall purpose is to provide guidance on structuring an effective research design.

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47 views19 pages

The Research Process Elements of Research Design

This document outlines key elements of research design including defining research design, its essential components, and features of a good design. It discusses the different types of research studies including exploratory, descriptive, and hypothesis testing. It also explains key terms used in research design such as dependent and independent variables, extraneous variables, and experimental and non-experimental research. The overall purpose is to provide guidance on structuring an effective research design.

Uploaded by

sadia.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Research Process

Elements of Research Design


By
Dr. AFTAB
Department of Management Science Abasyn University
Peshawar
Course Objective
• The Research Design
• The Research Design Should be Include
• The research may have four parts
• Elements of Research Design
• Features of a Good Design
• Purpose of The Study
• Exploratory Study
• Descriptive Study
• Hypothesis Testing
• Type of Investigation
• Explanation of Key Terms in Research Design
The Research Design
Research design means the basic outline or blue
print of a research work, which helps to collect
the proper data, to analyze those data to find out
a research out come. Research design can be
considered as the advance planning of a study,
which should be very efficient in nature and
should help the researcher to avoid misleading
path to get the correct conclusion of the study.
The Research Design
• Many definitions of research design:
 Constitutes the blueprint for collection,
measurement, and analysis of data
 Aids the researcher in the allocation of limited
resources by posing crucial choices in methodology
 The plan and structure of investigation so conceived
as to obtain answers to research questions
 Express both the structure of the research problem
and the plan of investigation used to obtain
empirical evidence on those relationships
The Research Design (Cont’d)
The essentials of research design:
 An activity- and time-based plan
 A plan always based in the research question
 A guide for selecting sources and type of
information
 A framework for specifying the relationships
among the study’s variables
 A procedural outline for every research activity
The Research Design (Cont’d)
• Issues relating to decisions regarding:
 The purpose for the study
 Study setting
 Type of investigation
 Extent of researcher Interference
 Time horizon
 Unit of analysis
The Research Design (Cont’d)
• Issues relating to decisions regarding (Cont’d):
 Sampling design
 Data collection methods
 Measurement
 Data analysis
The Research Design Should be Include

 What is the study all about?

 What is the significance of the study?

 Who will be benefited?

 When and where the research will be conducted?

• Etc…
The research may have four parts….
 Sampling design–It deals with the method of selecting
sample to be observed in the research.
 Observational design–It relates to the conditions
under which the observation are being made.
 Statistical design- It concerns with questions of how
many items are to be observed and how the gathered
data is to be analyzed.
 Operational design- It deals with the technique by
which the procedure specified in the sampling,
statistical and observational design can be carried out.
Elements ofResearch Design
 Clear statement of research problem
 Clear objectives
 Literature review
 The population to be studied
 The sample to be studied
 Procedures and techniques to be used for
gathering
 information
 Methods to be used in processing and
analyzing the data
Features of a Good Design
 Carry an advanced clear picture of the study
 Flexible in nature
 Appropriately designed
 Efficient in functioning
 Economical and affordable to conduct
 Well organized for better result
 Completion within the time frame
 Minimizing biasness
 Maximizing reliability of the data
Purpose of The Study
• The Nature of Studies:
• Exploratory Study
• Descriptive Study
• Hypothesis Testing (Analytical and Predictive)
Exploratory Study
• Exploratory Study is undertaken when not much
is known about the situation at hand, or no
information is available on how similar problems
or research issues have been solved in the past
• Exploratory study:  Serving in or intended for
exploration or discovery
I.e. The manager of a multinational corporation is curious to know if the work ethic
values of employees working in Prince Hassan Industrial City would be different from
those of Americans. That city is a small city, and no information about the ethic values
of its workers. Also, the work ethic values mean be different to people in different
cultures
The best way to study the above situation is by conducting an exploratory study, by
interviewing the employees in organizations in Irbid area.
Descriptive Study
• Is undertaken in order to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of the
variables of interest in a situation.

• Descriptive study: Carried out as a way to determine and be able to describe the
characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation characteristics of the
variables of interest in a situation.

• For instance, a study of a the Research Methods 200 class in terms of the percentage of members who are in their senior ( will be in the
graduation stage), gender, composition, age groupings, number of semesters left until graduation, can be considered as descriptive in nature.

• In addition, descriptive studies are undertaken in organizations to learn about and


describe the characteristics of a group of employees, as for example, the age,
education level, job status, and length of service.
Hypothesis Testing (Analytical and Predictive)

• Studies that engage in hypotheses testing usually explain the


nature of certain relationships, or establish the differences
among groups or the independence of two or more factors in a
situation.
• Hypotheses testing is undertaken to explain the variance in the
dependent variable or to predict organizational outcomes.

A marketing manager wants to know if the sales of the company will increase
if he doubles the advertising dollars. Here, the manager would like to know
the nature of the relationship between advertising and sales by testing the
hypothesis: If advertising is increased, then sales will also go up.
Type of Investigation
• Causality Research Design: A causal study is an
inquiry to understand the cause of one or more
problems.
• A correlational study: Is an inquiry to find out the
key variables linked to the problem.
A causal study question:
• Does cigarette smoking cause cancer?
• A correlational study question:
• Are cigarette smoking and cancer associated?
Or
• Are cigarette smoking, consuming alcohol, and chewing tobacco related to cancer?
• If so, which of these contributes most to the variance in the dependent variable?
Explanation of Key Terms in Research Design
• Dependent and Independent variables- Variable means factor. A variable free from any
influence is called dependent variable. Independent variable always has to depend on the
dependent variable. As height increases due the increase of age. So here the dependent
variable is height and the independent variable is age. Height depends upon age

• Extraneous variables- All the extra un connected variables other than dependent and
independent variables are called extraneous variables

• Control – Control in research always tries to minimize the influence or effect of


extraneous variable for smooth running of the study.

• Confounded relationship- When the dependent variable is not free from the influence of
extraneous variable, the relationship between the dependent and independent variable is
said to be confounded by an extraneous variable. In a nutshell it can be said the confused
relationship may hamper the authentic out come of the research work
• Research hypothesis-It is prediction or assumption on the research out come
before doing a study.

• Experimental and non experimental hypothesis –In experimental research


hypothesis testing, the independent variable is manipulated. On the other
hand if independent variable is not manipulated, that is called non
experimental research hypothesis testing

• Treatments- Here experimental and control groups are examined.

• Experiment- Examining the truth is known as experiment.

• Experimental units- The predetermined plots, where different treatments are


used

• Principle of replication- The experiments should be repeated more than once

• Principle of randomization – It is called “chance”.

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