Types of Research Design

Types of Research Design

• Two main categories: qualitative and quantitative research

• Qualitative research focuses on quality, essence, and understanding, using methods like phenomenology and symbolic interaction. Associated with fieldwork, ethnography, and naturalistic observation, it emphasizes discovery and description. Design is flexible and evolving, and settings are natural. Small, nonrandom samples are used, with the researcher as the primary instrument. Data collection includes interviews and observations. The analysis is inductive, by the researcher, with holistic and comprehensive findings.

• Quantitative research focuses on quantity and measurable aspects, involving positivism and logical empiricism. It aims for prediction, control, confirmation, and hypothesis testing. The design is predetermined and structured. Settings are artificial, and large, random samples are used. Researchers use inanimate instruments (tests, surveys). Data analysis is deductive, using statistical methodologies and resulting in precise, narrow, reductionist findings.

Qualitative Research

• Procedures are determined during and before the research.
• Design emerges step-by-step.

Types of Qualitative Research

• Ethnographic designs include observation, interviews (narrative research), and document analysis.
• Analytical designs study the past, such as historical research (contexts and trends) or conceptual analysis.

Quantitative Research

• Experimental research investigates cause-and-effect relationships.
• One or more independent variables are manipulated, while the dependent variable is measured.
• Intervention is pre-determined by the investigator, and the design allows for maximum control.

Threats to Internal Validity

• Selection of subjects
• History
• Maturation
• Testing
• Attrition
• Instrumentation

Threats to External Validity

• Population validity
• Personological variables
• Ecological validity

Essentials for Research Design

• Reliable measurement
• Repeated measurement
• Description of the conditions
• Baseline and treatment conditions
• Control condition
• Single-variable rule

Types of Quantitative Research

• Non-experimental (descriptive, correlational, ex-post facto, survey)
• Experimental
• Case-study

Descriptive Research

• Tells what something is

Correlational Research

• Examines relationships between two or more variables without manipulation.
• Identifies associations or patterns, not cause-and-effect.
• Looks at how variables change together.

Limitations of Correlational Research

• Can't identify cause-and-effect
• Less rigorous than experimental research
• Prone to identify spurious relationships
• Relationships are often arbitrary and ambiguous
• Encourages a shotgun approach to research

Types of Correlational Research

• Simple Correlational Studies
• Prediction Studies
• Shotgun Approach

Ex-post Facto Study

• Translates to "after the fact."
• Studies something that has already occurred.
• The independent variable cannot be manipulated.
• Explores potential effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

Survey Research Design

• Data collected by asking structured questions in questionnaires or interviews.
• Allows researchers to gather insights into people's thoughts, behaviors, and experiences.
• Often used to gather information from a larger population.

Experimental Research Types

• True Experimental Designs: Randomized controlled trials, independent measures, repeated measures, matched pairs.
• Quasi-Experimental Designs: Regression discontinuity design

Randomized Controlled Trial

• Best type of study if possible.
• Different participants in each group.
• Each group has a different condition.
• Randomly assigned to a group

RCT - Independent Groups Example

• Mental training (MT) can increase endurance performance.
• Goal was to identify the minimum dose required for performance improvements.
• Study used a randomized, between-group pre-test/post-test design.

RCT - Repeated Measures

• Same participants in each condition.
• Reduces individual differences (extraneous variables).
• Fewer people needed.
• Order effects may exist

RCT RM - No counterbalancing

• Participants undergo the control and treatment conditions.

RCT RM - Counterbalancing

• Participants undergo the control and treatment conditions. Conditions are ordered differently for different participants.

RCT RM Crossover Design

• Participants experience all conditions of the study in a randomized order.
• Includes a washout period between conditions.

Other Types of Research

• Case report
• Detailed account of a patient's diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
• Part of medical progress.
• Can provide ideas for new research, especially with unusual cases.
• Not considered traditional research.

This quiz explores the two primary categories of research design: qualitative and quantitative. Learn about the methodologies, data collection techniques, and analysis used in each type, emphasizing their unique characteristics and applications. Perfect for students looking to deepen their understanding of research methods.