Social Sciences
Research Design
Research design refers to the overall plan or strategy for conducting a research study. It outlines the methods and procedures that will be used to collect and analyze data, as well as the rationale behind these choices. A well-designed research study is essential for ensuring the validity and reliability of the findings.
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10 Key excerpts on "Research Design"
eBook - ePubResearch Methodology
Techniques and Trends
- Umesh Kumar B Dubey, D P Kothari(Authors)
- 2022(Publication Date)
- Chapman and Hall/CRC(Publisher)
3 Research DesignDOI: 10.1201/9781315167138-33.1 Introduction to Research Design
Conceptualizing a Research Design is the important steps in planning a research study. The main function of a Research Design is to explain how we will find answers to the research question. For any investigation, the selection of an appropriate Research Design is crucial in enabling us to arrive at valid findings and conclusion. Research can be explained asRe + Search = Again + Explore. Different names known for Research Design are Research outline, Plan, and Set of proposal.This plan or design is generally vague and tentative in the beginning. As the study progresses and insights into it deepen it undergoes many modifications and changes. A series of decisions in working out of a plan include what, why, where, when, who, and how of the research.3.2 Meaning of Research Design
Research Design is a logical structure of an enquiry. The essence of the Research Design constitutes the given research question or theory, type of evidence required to answer the question or to test the theory in a convincing manner.Let us use an analogy to understand the term “Research Design.” While constructing a building, the first decision to be arrived at is whether we need a high-rise office building, a factory, a school, or a residential apartment, etc.Until this decision is made, we cannot sketch a plan layout and order construction material or set critical dates for completion of the project.Similarly, a researcher needs to have clarity on the research questions and then the Research Design will flow to the research questions. To ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial research questions as unambiguously as possible is the main function of a Research Design. We need to answer the research question, to test a theory, to evaluate a program, or to accurately describe some phenomenon for obtaining relevant evidence entails specifying the type of evidence.
eBook - PDFResearch Methods For Business
A Skill Building Approach
- Roger Bougie, Uma Sekaran(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
CHAPTER 7 103 Elements of Research Design LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing Chapter 7, you should be able to: 1. Explain what is meant by a Research Design. 2. Develop an appropriate Research Design for any given study. 3. Explain why a researcher might be constrained to settle for less than the ‘ideal’ Research Design. 4. Demonstrate awareness of the role of the manager in the area of Research Design. Up to now you have made a great effort to: • define the management problem; • define the research problem; • develop a research proposal; • conduct a critical review of the literature; • document your literature review; and • (in causal research) develop a theoretical framework and hypotheses. The next step is to design the research in such a way that the requisite data can be gathered and analyzed to answer your research questions to be able to arrive at a solution for the problem that catalyzed the research project. A Research Design is a blueprint or plan for the collection, measurement and analysis of data, created to answer your research empirical questions. The various issues involved in the Research Design and discussed in this chapter are shown comprehensively in Figure 7.1. As may be seen, issues relating to decisions regarding the research strategy (for instance, experiments, surveys, case studies), the extent to which the study is manip- ulated and controlled by the researcher (extent of researcher interference), location (i.e., the study setting), the level at which the data will be analyzed (unit of analysis), and temporal aspects (the time horizon) are integral to Research Design. These issues are discussed in this chapter. As shown in Figure 7.1, each component of the Research Design offers several critical choice points. Obviously, there is no single design that is superior in all circumstances. Instead, you will have to make choices and create a design that is suitable for the job at hand.
eBook - PDFResearch Methods For Business
A Skill Building Approach
- Uma Sekaran, Roger Bougie(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
CHAPTER 7 103 Elements of Research Design LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing Chapter 7, you should be able to: 1. Explain what is meant by a Research Design. 2. Develop an appropriate Research Design for any given study. 3. Explain why a researcher might be constrained to settle for less than the ‘ideal’ Research Design. 4. Demonstrate awareness of the role of the manager in the area of Research Design. Up to now you have made a great effort to: • define the management problem; • define the research problem; • develop a research proposal; • conduct a critical review of the literature; • document your literature review; and • (in causal research) develop a theoretical framework and hypotheses. The next step is to design the research in such a way that the requisite data can be gathered and analyzed to answer your research questions to be able to arrive at a solution for the problem that catalyzed the research project. A Research Design is a blueprint or plan for the collection, measurement and analysis of data, created to answer your research empirical questions. The various issues involved in the Research Design and discussed in this chapter are shown comprehensively in Figure 7.1. As may be seen, issues relating to decisions regarding the research strategy (for instance, experiments, surveys, case studies), the extent to which the study is manip-ulated and controlled by the researcher (extent of researcher interference), location (i.e., the study setting), the level at which the data will be analyzed (unit of analysis), and temporal aspects (the time horizon) are integral to Research Design. These issues are discussed in this chapter. As shown in Figure 7.1, each component of the Research Design offers several critical choice points. Obviously, there is no single design that is superior in all circumstances. Instead, you will have to make choices and create a design that is suitable for the job at hand.
- Sondra Brandler, Camille P. Roman, Gerald J. Miller, Kaifeng Yang, Gerald J. Miller, Kaifeng Yang(Authors)
- 2007(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
6.4 CONCLUSION Research Design is the creative phase of a research project. It involves transforming what may have begun as only a general interest or a vague concern into a speci fi c research problem and questions compelling enough to justify the effort of producing and consuming research, and speci fi c enough to be answered with a claim supported by a well-reasoned argument. It also involves devising a set of procedures by which you can answer that question correctly (as measured by validity, accuracy, precision, elimination of competing descriptions or explanations, and so on) and persuasively within the limits of time, money, and human resources available for the task. Research Design is for many of us the most dif fi cult aspect of research. But the cumulative wisdom of scientists and other systematic researchers has produced a body of technical knowledge that can provide us with the resources at least to make the problem of designing research a solvable one. It is worth the effort, because beginning with a good Research Design increases the likelihood of producing a fi nished research argument that is demonstrably correct, compelling but appropriately quali fi ed, and useful — that is, one that makes a difference that justi fi es all the bother. My major emphasis in this chapter has been that understanding the roles of research problems, questions, propositions, evidence, and warrants in forming a valid and robust argument is an essential starting point for the design of research. The process of designing a particular instance of research should begin by formulating a question (or a tentative claim) based on a problem that is demonstrably relevant to the interests of the researcher and the researcher ’ s audience (dissertation committee, instructor, professional colleagues, boss, citizens who need to be alerted), so that the answer to the question (or the justi fi cation of the claim) will be genuinely useful, persuasive, and correct.
eBook - ePubResearch Design & Method Selection
Making Good Choices in the Social Sciences
- Diana Panke(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
1 Introduction: The Basics of Social Science Research DesignsThis chapter introduces the most important elements of Research Designs in the social sciences, each of which will be discussed at greater length in the subsequent chapters. In addition, it explains the differences between deductive and inductive approaches to constructing a research project, and the differences between explanatory and interpretative Research Designs, as well as those that exist between x-centered and y-centered research projects.This introduction gives an overview of the basic social science elements and key concepts of explanatory Research Designs. Accordingly, it is recommended for first-time researchers as well as graduate students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and scholars of the social sciences that seek to refresh their knowledge about the basics of social science research. Chapter 2 –8 explain the various choices graduate students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and scholars of the social sciences can make in the course of designing a deductive, explanatory research project and which choices are best suited for a particular project.This book can be used in two ways. First, it offers guidelines on how to set up a social science research project that is deductive and explanatory in character from start to finish using a step-by-step approach.
eBook - PDF- Colin Robson(Author)
- 2024(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
Government funders in the United Kingdom and in the United States appear to be particularly interested in experimental designs that use randomized controlled trials. Other social scientists, and quite a few clients who commission studies, consider designs that involve the statistical analysis of sample survey data to be the only possible approach. This chapter: • develops a framework for designing a real-world study that links purpose, conceptual framework, research questions, methods, and sampling strategy; • sensitizes the reader to the issues involved in selecting a research strategy; • introduces experimental and non-experimental fixed-design strategies; • presents flexible-design strategies seen as particularly appropriate for real-world research, case studies, ethnographic studies, and grounded theory studies; • covers a range of mixed designs, which incorporate both fixed- and flexible-design elements; • emphasizes that it is advisable to read the other chapters in Part II before making decisions about strategy; and • concludes by considering the trustworthiness of research findings and its relation to the Research Design. G E N E R A L D E S I G N I S S U E S 9 3 As stressed in the previous chapter, the strategies and tactics you select in carrying out a piece of research depend very much on the type of research question you are trying to answer. Hakim (2000), in one of the few books that focus on design issues across a range of social science disciplines, makes a comparison between designers of research projects and architects, then goes on to extend it, suggesting that those who actually carry out research projects are like builders. In small-scale research, the architect-designer and the builder- researcher are, typically, one and the same person. Hence the need for sensitivity to design issues: this quality will avoid the research equivalent of speculative builders putting up many awful houses without the benefit of architectural expertise.
eBook - PDFEnhancing Library and Information Research Skills
A Guide for Academic Librarians
- Lili Luo, Kristine R. Brancolini, Marie R. Kennedy(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Libraries Unlimited(Publisher)
The annotated bibliography (under Further Readings) will advance your knowledge about the nuts and bolts of each Research Design, research method, and sampling plan. Once you have decided which method to employ in your study, you can refer to the bibliogra- phy for details on how to best implement it. 62 Enhancing Library and Information Research Skills Research Design Research Design deals with a logical problem, not a logistical problem (Yin, 2014). De Vaus (2001) states that “the function of a Research Design is to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible” (p. 9). He uses an analogy to explain that Research Design is like a blueprint to a construction project. When constructing a building, the architects must first figure out the type of building required, its uses and the needs of the occupants, and then develop a blueprint to guide the building process. These decisions—what building materials to order and how much—all rely on the blueprint. In a research study, the Research Design is like a blue- print that guides the data collection and analysis process. The blueprint guides your planning, prompting you to ask yourself questions such as, “What research method should I use for data gathering? What sampling plan should I imple- ment for selecting potential study participants from the population?” Answers to such questions are derived from the Research Design. While the research question determines what evidence is needed in the study, the Research Design is the blueprint that directs you on the evidence-gathering journey. In academic library research, the four most frequently used Research Designs are cross-sectional design, longitudinal design, experimental/quasi-experimental design, and case studies. The following sections describe each of these designs.
eBook - PDFThe Global Turn
Theories, Research Designs, and Methods for Global Studies
- Eve Darian-Smith, Philip C. McCarty(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- University of California Press(Publisher)
Other disciplines include methods that are more qualitative in that they rely more on subjective observations, emphasizing the researcher’s own insight and interpretation (interviews, participant observation). What constitutes an appropriate Research Design differs across fields and disciplines that foreground some research questions over others. This is not to imply that one Research Design is more empirical or scientific than another, only that certain disciplines regard some evidence as more sig-nificant than other kinds of evidence. This claim to being more scientific is often based on the argument that the evidence used is more objective than other kinds of evidence. But it is important to remember that all data sets are limited by the research methodology that produced the data (Stiglitz, Sen, and Fitoussi 2010; Darian-Smith 2016). 84 g l o b a l r e s e a r c h d e s i g n In a similar way, some disciplines are more conscious of the role of the-ory in shaping their research questions and Research Design than other disciplines, which may cling to the idea that they are impartial observers and doing “objective” scholarship. The latter disciplines claim that data drives theoretical advances rather than theory driving what kind of data is collected in the first place. But most researchers understand that what is really going on is a dynamic interaction between new theories, appropri-ate designs, rigorous methods, and empirical findings, and that one schol-arly approach is not more empirical or intellectually superior than another. Despite the differences between more quantitative and more qualita-tive methodological approaches, it is very important to recognize that both types of research rely on empirical observations and logical analysis of evidence to support their central arguments and conclusions.
eBook - PDF- Earl Babbie(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
While social researchers have been using mixed modes of inquiry for a long time, this approach has begun attracting more atten-tion and, more important, more actual use in recent years. I think you can expect to see more mixed modes in the future and may utilize this approach yourself. ■ ■ HOW TO DESIGN A RESEARCH PROJECT You have now seen some of the options available to social researchers in design-ing projects. I know there are a lot of pieces, and the relationships among them may not be totally clear, so here’s a way of pulling the parts together. Let’s assume you were to undertake research. Where would you start? Then, where would you go? Although Research Design occurs at the begin-ning of a research project, it involves all the steps of the subsequent project. This discussion, then, provides guidance on how to start a research project and gives an overview of the topics that follow in later chapters of this book. Figure 4-7 presents a schematic view of the traditional image of research. I present this view reluctantly, because it may suggest more LO8 of a step-by-step order to research than actual practice bears out. Nonetheless, this idealized overview of the process provides a context for the specific details of particular components of social research. Essentially, it is another and more-detailed picture of the scientific process presented in Chapter 2. At the top of the diagram are interests, ideas, and theories, the possible beginning points for a line of research. The letters (A, B, X, Y, and so forth) represent variables or concepts such as prejudice or alienation . Thus, you might have a general interest in finding out what causes some people to be more prejudiced than others, or you might want to know some of the consequences of alienation. Alternatively, your inquiry might begin with a specific idea about the way things are. For example, you might have the idea that working on an assembly line causes alienation.
eBook - PDFSustainable Development in Science Policy-Making
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research's Policies for International Cooperation in Sustainability Research
- Anna Schwachula(Author)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- transcript Verlag(Publisher)
4 Research Design and methodology 4.1 Scientific model and approach Research paradigms can be defined as “the basic belief system that guides the in-vestigator, not only in choices of method but also in ontologically and epistemo-logically fundamental ways” (Guba and Lincoln 1994: 105). Data collection methods, type of data generated, data analysis and the scientific paradigm that the research is based on have to be congruent: Based on dif ferent assumptions of science and reality, each paradigm employs dif ferent methodologies and thus generates dis-tinct data (Berg 2001). In addition, data can provide information towards di f ferent research questions, depending on the researcher’s theoretical and normative back-ground. The close interrelation between data and theory is often not discussed ad-equately in scientific literature (Baur 2009: 12; see also: Ritchie and Spencer 1994). For this reason, I point to my understandings in this section. My research was embedded in a constructivist perspective, which makes it necessary to consider the positionality of the researcher and the people to be re-searched (Yanow 2006). Grounded in the constructivist paradigm, I made use of qualitative social research methods: I was interested in the nature of science pol-icy for cooperation with developing countries and emerging economies as my re-search subject. I focused on the “meanings, concepts, definitions, characteristics, metaphors, symbols, and descriptions” (Berg 2001: 3), rather than on their statis-tical occurrence. In an interpretative approach, I addressed my research topic by collecting data which seemed most suitable to reveal the perceptions of the inter-viewees and participants (Krumm 2009).
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
