Research Methods and Designs

Types of Research

• Qualitative Research: focuses on non-numerical data, explores attitudes, behaviors, and motivations, and seeks to understand phenomena in depth.
• Quantitative Research: focuses on numerical data, seeks to quantify and generalize findings, and uses statistical analysis to identify patterns and trends.

Research Designs

• Experimental Design: manipulates one or more variables, measures the effect, and controls for extraneous variables.
• Quasi-Experimental Design: lacks control over extraneous variables, but attempts to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• Survey Research: collects data through self-report measures, such as questionnaires or interviews.
• Case Study: in-depth examination of a single case or a small number of cases.
• Content Analysis: analyzes texts, images, or videos to identify patterns and themes.

Data Collection Methods

• Primary Data: collected directly by the researcher through experiments, surveys, or observations.
• Secondary Data: collected from existing sources, such as literature reviews, databases, or archives.
• Observational Methods: participant observation, non-participant observation, and case studies.
• Self-Report Methods: surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups.

Data Analysis Techniques

• Descriptive Statistics: summarizes and describes the basic features of the data.
• Inferential Statistics: makes inferences about a population based on a sample of data.
• Thematic Analysis: identifies and codes patterns and themes in qualitative data.
• Content Analysis: quantifies and analyzes the content of texts, images, or videos.

Research Ethics

• Informed Consent: participants are aware of the research purpose, risks, and benefits.
• Privacy and Confidentiality: protects participants' personal information and ensures anonymity.
• Deception: avoids deceiving participants, unless necessary for the research purpose.
• Risk and Harm: minimizes risks and harm to participants.

Research Quality and Validity

• Internal Validity: ensures that the research design and methods are sound and free from bias.
• External Validity: generalizes the findings to the target population.
• Reliability: ensures consistency in the measurement and data collection process.
• Objectivity: minimizes researcher bias and ensures a neutral perspective.

Types of Research

• Qualitative Research explores attitudes, behaviors, and motivations through non-numerical data, aiming to understand phenomena in-depth.
• Quantitative Research focuses on numerical data, seeking to quantify and generalize findings, and using statistical analysis to identify patterns and trends.

Research Designs

• Experimental Design manipulates one or more variables, measures the effect, and controls for extraneous variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• Quasi-Experimental Design lacks control over extraneous variables but attempts to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• Survey Research collects data through self-report measures, such as questionnaires or interviews.
• Case Study involves an in-depth examination of a single case or a small number of cases.
• Content Analysis analyzes texts, images, or videos to identify patterns and themes.

Data Collection Methods

• Primary Data is collected directly by the researcher through experiments, surveys, or observations.
• Secondary Data is collected from existing sources, such as literature reviews, databases, or archives.
• Observational Methods include participant observation, non-participant observation, and case studies.
• Self-Report Methods involve surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups.

Data Analysis Techniques

• Descriptive Statistics summarizes and describes the basic features of the data.
• Inferential Statistics makes inferences about a population based on a sample of data.
• Thematic Analysis identifies and codes patterns and themes in qualitative data.
• Content Analysis quantifies and analyzes the content of texts, images, or videos.

Research Ethics

• Informed Consent ensures participants are aware of the research purpose, risks, and benefits.
• Privacy and Confidentiality protects participants' personal information and ensures anonymity.
• Deception should be avoided, unless necessary for the research purpose.
• Risk and Harm should be minimized to protect participants.

Research Quality and Validity

• Internal Validity ensures the research design and methods are sound and free from bias.
• External Validity allows for generalization of findings to the target population.
• Reliability ensures consistency in the measurement and data collection process.
• Objectivity minimizes researcher bias and ensures a neutral perspective.