Research Design Chapter 5 Quiz

Chapter 5: Formulating the Research Design

• Research design involves taking a research question and objectives and turning them into a project. This considers strategies, choices, and time horizons.
• Research projects can be categorized into exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory studies. They can be either cross-sectional or longitudinal studies.
• Multiple research strategies can be combined in one project
• The opportunities created by using multiple methods need to be considered.
• The validity and reliability of results is key.
• Access and ethical considerations are extremely important to research design.
• Important considerations when formulating a research design include:
  • Clear objectives derived from the research question.
  • Identification of reliable sources of data collection.
  • Consideration of constraints and ethical issues.
  • Justifiable reasons or rationale for your choice of research design.
  • Understanding the importance of your decisions in research and attaining methodological coherence throughout the research process.
  • Explaining quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research designs, and making appropriate choices between methods.
  • Explaining the differences between exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative research designs.
  • Recognizing main research strategies and making choices to maintain coherence in research design.
  • Understanding the time considerations needed for various research designs.
  • Assessing and considering ethical issues in the research design.
  • Evaluating research quality criteria and the effect on the research design process.
  • Acknowledging the constraints and role of the researcher.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the importance of decisions in research design and the need to maintain methodological coherence.
• Classify research design methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed) and select accordingly.
• Differentiate between exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative research.
• Choose appropriate research strategies for coherence, considering time constraints.
• Identify and address ethical issues in research.
• Evaluate research quality criteria to inform your design.
• Consider the researcher's role and constraints in the design process.

The Process of Research Design

• Research choices
• Research strategies
• Time horizons

Research Design and Tactics: The Research Onion

• Different research philosophies shape approaches to research design.
• Research strategies like experiments, surveys, case studies, grounded theory, ethnography, and archival research are part of research methodologies.
• Various research techniques and procedures are used during the process.

Research Design

• The design requires clear objectives stemming from the research question.
• Defining efficient data collection methods.
• Considering limitations and ethical implications.
• Justifying the chosen design approach.

Classification of Research Purpose

• Exploratory research: Useful for exploring unknown topics; open-ended questions are helpful.
• Descriptive research: Aims to understand events, people, and situations accurately.
• Explanatory research: Focuses on the causal relationships between variables.

Research Strategies

• Experiment
• Action research
• Grounded theory
• Survey
• Ethnography
• Case study
• Archival research

An Experiment

• Defining a theoretical hypothesis
• Selecting samples from known populations
• Randomly assigning samples
• Implementing a planned intervention
• Measuring dependent variables
• Controlling other variables

A Classic Experiment Strategy

• Control group
• Experimental group
• Time (t0, t+1)
• Dependent variable is measured before intervention (t0) and after intervention (t+1)

Survey: Key Features

• Frequently uses a deductive approach.
• Popular in business research.
• Often perceived as authoritative.
• Data collection involves quantitative methods.
• Quantitative analysis of data.
• Representative sample size required.
• Researcher can be independent and use structured methods (observations, interviews).

Case Study: Key Features

• In-depth inquiry into real-life situations.
• Rich understanding of context.
• Triangulation of multiple data sources.
• Categories include single/multiple cases and holistic/embedded cases (Yin, 2003).

Action Research: Key Features

• Promotes organizational learning and practical outcomes.
• Practitioner involvement (research IN action).
• Researcher becomes part of the organization.
• Focus on promoting change.
• Possible dual focus (research aim vs. needs of sponsor) (Schein, 1999).

The Action Research Spiral

• A cyclical process involving diagnosis, planning, action, and evaluation (continuously).

Grounded Theory: Key Features

• Methodological approach, inquiry method, and research outcome.
• Theory development through induction and deduction.
• Predicts and explains behavior.
• Theory develops from data (observations) and is interpretative, not solely logico-deductive.

Ethnography: Key Features

• Study of cultures/social groups.
• Aims to explain and describe the world inhabited by the researcher.
• Extended time period.
• Naturalistic (observational).
• Participant observation.

Archival Research: Key Features

• Uses documents and archives as data sources.
• Focused on the past.
• Constrained by the data availability.

The Role of the Practitioner-Researcher: Key Features

• Easier access to data/participants due to researcher's familiarity.
• Potential bias from familiarity and existing assumptions.
• Careful negotiation needed given the dual role.
• Researcher as part of the organization.

Multiple Research Methods

• Choice of a single vs multiple or mixed methods.
• Multi-method (quantitative, qualitative) studies, and mixed methods research/model.

Reasons for Using Mixed Method Designs

• Triangulation
• Facilitation
• Complementarity
• Generality
• Aid interpretation
• Study different aspects
• Solving a puzzle

Types of Variables

• Independent: Manipulated to measure impact on dependent variable
• Dependent: Variable that changes in response to manipulated IVs
• Mediating: Explains relationship between independent and dependent variables
• Moderator: Affects the relationship between independent and dependent variable (different magnitudes)
• Control variables: Kept constant to prevent influence on relationship
• Confounding: Extraneous, difficult to observe variable influencing IV-DV inference

Time Horizons

• Cross-sectional: Data collected at one point in time.
• Longitudinal: Data collected over an extended period.

Credibility of Research Findings

• Reliability: Consistency of results.
• Validity: Accuracy of measuring what's intended.
• Generalizability: Extent results can be applied to different populations.
• Avoiding logical flaws and false assumptions.

Research Design Ethics

• The research design should not cause harm, embarrassment, or disadvantage to the researched population.

Test your knowledge on Chapter 5 of research design, focusing on formulating effective research strategies, understanding various study types, and recognizing ethical considerations. This quiz will help you solidify your understanding of how to turn research questions into actionable projects.