Research Design - Komal
Research Design - Komal
Research Design - Komal
Entrepreneurship University
ASSIGNMENT -1
Topic: Research Design Concept and
Importance in Research
Subject- Research Methodology and
Intellectual Property Rights
Komal Chaudhary
M.Tech TE {2022 Batch}
I - Semester
Research Design
Definition
Research design is the framework of research methods and techniques chosen by a
researcher to conduct a study. The design allows researchers to sharpen the
research methods suitable for the subject matter and set up their studies for success.
Data collection
Measurement
Analysis
The research problem an organization faces will determine the design, not vice-
versa. The design phase of a study determines which tools to use and how they are
used.
Qualitative research
It determines relationships between collected data and observations based on
mathematical calculations. Statistical methods can prove or disprove theories
related to a naturally existing phenomenon. Researchers rely on qualitative
research methods that conclude “why” a particular theory exists and “what”
respondents have to say about it.
Quantitative research
It is for cases where statistical conclusions to collect actionable insights are
essential. Numbers provide a better perspective for making critical business
decisions. Quantitative research methods are necessary for the growth of any
organization. Insights drawn from complex numerical data and analysis prove to be
highly effective when making decisions about the business’s future.
You can further break down the types of research design into five categories:
The independent variables are manipulated to monitor the change it has on the
dependent variable. Social sciences often use it to observe human behaviour by
analysing two groups. Researchers can have participants change their actions and
study how the people around them react to understand social psychology better.
Correlational Used to test whether (and how strongly) variables are related
Variables are measured without influencing them
With descriptive and correlational designs, you can get a clear picture of
characteristics, trends and relationships as they exist in the real world. However,
you can’t draw conclusions about cause and effect (because correlation doesn’t
imply causation).
Correlational design example you could use a correlational design to find out if the
rise in online teaching in the past year correlates with any change in test scores.
But this design can’t confirm a causal relationship between the two variables. Any
change in test scores could have been influenced by many other variables, such as
increased stress and health issues among students and teachers.
Experiments are the strongest way to test cause-and-effect relationships without the
risk of other variables influencing the results. However, their controlled conditions
may not always reflect how things work in the real world. They’re often also more
difficult and expensive to implement.
The table below shows some common types of qualitative design. They often have
similar approaches in terms of data collection, but focus on different aspects when
analysing the data.
Case study Detailed study of a specific subject (e.g. a place, event, organization,
etc).
Data can be collected using a variety of sources and methods.
Focuses on gaining a holistic understanding of the case.
In research, a population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions
about, while a sample is the smaller group of individuals, you’ll actually collect
data from.
For example, will you focus on people from a specific demographic, region or
background? Are you interested in people with a certain job or medical condition,
or users of a particular product?
The more precisely you define your population, the easier it will be to gather a
representative sample.
Sampling methods
Even with a narrowly defined population, it’s rarely possible to collect data from
every individual. Instead, you’ll collect data from a sample.
For practical reasons, many studies use non-probability sampling, but it’s
important to be aware of the limitations and carefully consider potential biases.
You should always make an effort to gather a sample that’s as representative as
possible of the population.
In these types of design, you still have to carefully consider your choice of case or
community. You should have a clear rationale for why this particular case is
suitable for answering your research question.
For example, you might choose a case study that reveals an unusual or neglected
aspect of your research problem, or you might choose several very similar or very
different cases in order to compare them. Choose your data collection methods
Data collection methods are ways of directly measuring variables and gathering
information. They allow you to gain first-hand knowledge and original insights
into your research problem.
You can choose just one data collection method, or use several methods in the
same study.
Survey methods
Surveys allow you to collect data about opinions, behaviours, experiences, and
characteristics by asking people directly. There are two main survey methods to
choose from: questionnaires and interviews.
Questionnaires Interviews
Observation methods
Observations allow you to collect data unobtrusively, observing characteristics,
behaviours or social interactions without relying on self-reporting.
Observations may be conducted in real time, taking notes as you observe, or you
might make audio visual recordings for later analysis. They can be qualitative or
quantitative.
Media & Collecting a sample of texts (e.g. speeches, articles, or social media posts) for
communication data on cultural norms and narratives
Physical sciences Using scientific instruments to collect data on things like weight, blood
Field Examples of data collection methods
If you’re not sure which methods will work best for your research design, try
reading some papers in your field to see what kinds of data collection methods they
used.
Secondary data
If you don’t have the time or resources to collect data from the population you’re
interested in, you can also choose to use secondary data that other researchers
already collected—for example, datasets from government surveys or previous
studies on your topic.
With this raw data, you can do your own analysis to answer new research questions
that weren’t addressed by the original study.
Using secondary data can expand the scope of your research, as you may be able to
access much larger and more varied samples than you could collect yourself.
However, it also means you don’t have any control over which variables to
measure or how to measure them, so the conclusions you can draw may be limited.
Operationalization
Some variables, like height or age, are easily measured. But often you’ll be dealing
with more abstract concepts, like satisfaction, anxiety, or
competence. Operationalization means turning these fuzzy ideas into measurable
indicators.
Example to measure teachers’ satisfaction with online learning tools, you could
create a questionnaire with a 5-point rating scale.
You may also choose to use or adapt existing materials designed to measure the
concept you’re interested in—for example, questionnaires or inventories
whose reliability and validity has already been established.
Reliability Validity
For valid and reliable results, your measurement materials should be thoroughly
researched and carefully designed. Plan your procedures to make sure you carry
out the same steps in the same way for each participant.
Sampling procedures
As well as choosing an appropriate sampling method, you need a concrete plan for
how you’ll actually contact and recruit your selected sample.
Data management
It’s also important to create a data management plan for organizing and storing
your data.
Will you need to transcribe interviews or perform data entry for observations? You
should anonymize and safeguard any sensitive data, and make sure it’s backed up
regularly.
Keeping your data well-organized will save time when it comes to analysing it. It
can also help other researchers validate and add to your findings. Decide on your
data analysis strategies
On its own, raw data can’t answer your research question. The last step of
designing your research is planning how you’ll analyse the data.
Using descriptive statistics, you can summarize your sample data in terms of:
Approach Characteristics
There are many other ways of analysing qualitative data depending on the aims of
your research. To get a sense of potential approaches, try reading some qualitative
research papers in your field.