Research Design: Choosing a Type of Research Design | Scribbr 🎓

Scribbr
16 Apr 202105:20
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThis video script introduces the fundamental concepts of research design, distinguishing between qualitative and quantitative approaches. It delves into the two main types of quantitative designs—descriptive and correlational, and experimental and quasi-experimental—highlighting their use in measuring variables and testing cause-and-effect relationships. The script also explores qualitative research, emphasizing its flexibility and creativity, and outlines common types such as case studies and ethnographies, which focus on in-depth understanding of specific contexts. Phenomenological, narrative, and grounded theory research are mentioned as varied qualitative methods. The video aims to guide viewers in selecting the appropriate research design for their studies.

Takeaways
  • 🔍 **Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research**: The decision between qualitative or quantitative research shapes the overall approach and methodology of the study.
  • 📊 **Quantitative Research Designs**: These can be divided into descriptive, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs, each serving different research purposes and focusing on measuring variables and understanding relationships.
  • 📈 **Descriptive and Correlational Designs**: Used to observe and measure variables without interference, allowing for the examination of characteristics, trends, and relationships in the real world.
  • 🔬 **Experimental Designs**: Involve manipulating an independent variable to measure the effect on a dependent variable, providing strong evidence of cause-and-effect relationships.
  • 🧬 **Quasi-Experimental Designs**: When random assignment is not possible, these designs compare pre-existing groups differing on an independent variable to infer causal relationships.
  • 🎨 **Qualitative Research Approach**: This method is less rigid and focuses on gaining a rich, detailed understanding of a specific context or phenomenon, allowing for creativity and flexibility in research design.
  • 📚 **Case Study Design**: Involves in-depth examination of a subject (like an organization or event) to gather comprehensive data and can be compared across multiple case studies.
  • 🌐 **Ethnographic Design**: Focuses on understanding the culture of a social group or organization through immersion and participation, aiming to provide a detailed account of social dynamics and interactions.
  • 🎓 **Other Qualitative Designs**: Include phenomenological research, narrative research, and grounded theory, each with a unique approach to data interpretation and understanding.
  • 🤔 **Research Design Selection**: The choice of research design should align with the research question and objectives, and the appropriate design should be selected to effectively address the study's goals.
  • 👥 **Participant Selection**: The next step in the research process involves identifying the target population and selecting participants who are most relevant to the research focus.
Q & A
  • What are the two main types of quantitative research design?

    -The two main types of quantitative research design are descriptive and correlational designs, which aim to measure variables and understand relationships between them without manipulating them.

  • What is the primary focus of a descriptive research design?

    -A descriptive research design focuses on systematically measuring variables to observe and document characteristics and trends as they exist in the real world without making any causal inferences.

  • How does a correlational research design differ from a descriptive design?

    -While both descriptive and correlational designs measure variables without influencing them, a correlational design specifically tests whether variables are related to each other, unlike descriptive design which only focuses on measuring variables.

  • What are the limitations of drawing conclusions about cause and effect in correlational designs?

    -In correlational designs, it's hard to draw conclusions about cause and effect because other factors may influence the results, making it difficult to establish a direct causal relationship between variables.

  • How does an experimental research design differ from descriptive and correlational designs?

    -An experimental research design involves manipulating an independent variable and measuring the outcome of a dependent variable while controlling other factors, which allows for testing of cause-and-effect relationships, unlike descriptive and correlational designs that only measure variables without manipulation.

  • What is a quasi-experimental research design and when is it used?

    -A quasi-experimental research design is used when researchers aim to identify causal relations but cannot or don't want to randomly assign participants to different groups. Instead, they rely on existing groups or pre-existing conditions to form groups for comparison.

  • What are two common types of qualitative research design?

    -Two common types of qualitative research design are case studies and ethnographies, both of which involve taking a deep dive into a narrowly defined subject to gain a rich, detailed understanding of a specific context or phenomenon.

  • How does a case study design differ from an ethnographic design?

    -A case study design involves choosing a specific subject and gathering detailed data on it, while an ethnographic design involves gathering data about the culture of a specific social group or organization by immersing oneself in and often directly participating in the community.

  • What is phenomenological research and how does it aim to understand a phenomenon?

    -Phenomenological research aims to understand a phenomenon or event by describing participants' lived experiences, focusing on their perspectives, emotions, and behaviors in specific situations without making any assumptions or imposing preconceived ideas.

  • How does grounded theory approach qualitative data analysis?

    -Grounded theory takes a systematic approach to qualitative data analysis, using the data collected to develop new theories and hypotheses, aiming to understand the underlying patterns and explanations for observed phenomena.

  • What factors should be considered when deciding on a research design?

    -Factors to consider when deciding on a research design include the type of data you plan to collect (qualitative or quantitative), your research aims, and your research questions, which will heavily influence your choice of research design.

Outlines
00:00
📊 Introduction to Research Design

This paragraph introduces the viewer to the process of selecting a research design after deciding on the type of research (qualitative or quantitative). It outlines the main types of quantitative designs, including descriptive and correlational designs which aim to measure variables and understand their relationships without influencing them, and experimental and quasi-experimental designs which are used to test cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating variables and controlling other factors. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding these designs to shape the research effectively.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Research Design
Research Design refers to the structured approach or plan that researchers follow to investigate a specific question or problem. It is crucial in both qualitative and quantitative research as it shapes the methodology and analysis process. In the video, the main theme revolves around helping the viewer understand and choose the appropriate research design for their study, whether it's qualitative or quantitative.
💡Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research is a systematic method of inquiry that uses numerical data and statistical analysis to explore and answer questions or hypotheses. It aims to quantify variables and establish relationships between them. In the video, two main types of quantitative designs are discussed: descriptive and correlational, as well as experimental and quasi-experimental designs, each with its purpose and methodology.
💡Descriptive Design
Descriptive Design focuses on systematically measuring variables without influencing them, allowing researchers to observe and record characteristics, trends, and relationships as they exist in the real world. An example from the video is using this design to measure the rise in online teaching and its potential correlation with changes in test scores, without manipulating any variables.
💡Correlational Design
Correlational Design is used to test whether variables are related to each other, examining if changes in one variable are associated with changes in another. The video illustrates this with the example of determining if an increase in online teaching correlates with changes in students' test scores, without implying causation.
💡Experimental Design
Experimental Design involves manipulating an independent variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable while controlling other factors to establish cause-and-effect relationships. The video provides the example of testing a new online teaching method's impact on test scores by randomly assigning students to different teaching methods.
💡Quasi-Experimental Design
Quasi-Experimental Design is used when random assignment is not possible, involving the comparison of pre-existing groups that differ on an independent variable. The video describes a scenario where a teacher has independently implemented a new method, and the outcomes of her class are compared with those using the standard method.
💡Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of a specific context or phenomenon through non-numerical data, such as words, observations, and images. It is flexible and allows for creativity in research design. The video discusses qualitative designs like case studies and ethnographies, emphasizing their role in rich, detailed exploration of subjects.
💡Case Study
A Case Study design involves an in-depth investigation of a subject, such as an organization, event, or place, to gather detailed data and understand its complexities. The video suggests doing a case study on a high school or comparing schools with different demographic profiles to understand their online learning experiences.
💡Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative research method that involves immersing oneself in a specific social group or organization to study its culture, beliefs, habits, and social dynamics. The video describes an ethnographic study where the researcher joins and observes a school over time to understand student-teacher interactions in online and offline environments.
💡Phenomenological Research
Phenomenological Research aims to understand a phenomenon or event by describing participants' lived experiences, focusing on how individuals interpret and make sense of their experiences. The video mentions this as one of the qualitative designs that can be chosen to deeply explore a particular aspect of human experience.
💡Narrative Research
Narrative Research examines the stories people tell to understand how they perceive and make sense of their experiences. It focuses on the narratives and personal accounts that individuals use to construct meaning. The video briefly touches on this approach as a qualitative design method for understanding experiences through the stories people share.
Highlights

Deciding between qualitative and quantitative research is the initial step in shaping your research.

Quantitative research designs are categorized into descriptive and correlational, and experimental and quasi-experimental types.

Descriptive and correlational designs measure variables without influencing them, observing real-world characteristics and relationships.

A descriptive design focuses on systematically measuring variables without altering them.

Correlational designs test if variables are related to each other, such as the potential correlation between online teaching and test scores.

Experimental designs involve manipulating an independent variable to measure the outcome of a dependent variable while controlling other factors.

Random assignment of subjects into groups is a key feature of experimental designs to test cause-and-effect relationships.

Quasi-experimental designs compare outcomes of pre-existing groups differing on an independent variable, such as comparing classes with different teaching methods.

Qualitative research designs are less rigid and focus on gaining a rich understanding of specific contexts or phenomena.

Case study designs involve selecting a specific subject and gathering detailed data on it for in-depth analysis.

Ethnographic designs require immersing oneself in a specific social group or organization to understand its culture and dynamics.

Phenomenological research aims to understand a phenomenon by describing participants' lived experiences.

Narrative research examines stories to understand how people perceive and make sense of their experiences.

Grounded theory uses qualitative data to develop new theories and hypotheses in a systematic approach.

The selection of participants and the methodology for choosing them is a crucial next step in research design.

Transcripts
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