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RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design provides the glue that holds the research project together. A design is used to
structure the research, to show how all of the major parts of the research project: the samples or
groups, measures, treatments or programs, and methods of assignment work together to try to
address the central research questions. There are many definitions of research design, but no
single definition imparts the full range of important aspects.

Research design constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis of

data.
Research design aids the researcher in the allocation of limited resources by posing

crucial choices in methodology.

Research design is the plan and structure of investigation so conceived as to obtain
answers to research questions. The plan is the overall scheme or program of the research.
It includes an outline of what the investigator will do from writing hypothesis and their

operational implication to the final analysis of data.

Research design expresses both the structure of the research problem the framework,
organization or configuration of the relationships among variables of a study and the
plan of investigation used to obtain empirical evidence on those relationships.

These definitions differ in detail, but together they give the essentials of research design:

An activity and time-based plan.

A plan always based on the research question.
A guide for selecting sources and types of information.
A framework for specifying the relationship among the studys variables.
A procedural outline for every research activity.

Thus in a nutshell, a research design provides a framework for the collection and analysis of
data. A choice of research design reflects decisions about priority being given to a range of
dimensions of the research process. These include the importance attached to:

Expressing causal connections between variables.

Generalizing to larger groups of individuals than those actually forming part of the

investigation.
Understanding behaviour and the meaning of that behaviour in its specific context.

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Having a temporal (i.e. over time) appreciation of phenomena and their interconnections.

There are five main research designs:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Experimental design.
Cross-sectional/survey design.
Longitudinal design.
Case study design.
Comparative design.

note on descriptive research design

1) Experimental Design
The purpose of an experiment is usually to detect or confirm causal relationships and to quantify
them. The experimenter begins by developing a theoretical model of the phenomena of interest
and specifies a clear definition of the research question. However, because of the causal nature of
experimental research, very precise hypothesis need to be formulated which involve the
identification of the independent, dependent and extraneous variables. All concepts need to be
both clearly defined and correctly put into operation so that they can be reduced to

measurable variables. The dependent variable represents the phenomenon that is to

be explained while the independent variables are the factors that explain the phenomenon.
Experiments differ from other research strategies in that their implementation involves
intervention by the researcher beyond that required for measurement. Experimentation involves
the manipulation of one or more variables, labelled the independent variables, by the researcher
in such a way that their effect on a second variable, called the dependent variable, can be
determined. A group in which the independent variable is manipulated is called a treatment
group. A control group is one in which the independent variable remains unaltered.
There are two types of experiments: field and laboratory. A field experiment is carried out in the
natural environment in which events normally occur, with treatments given to one or more
groups. A laboratory experiment is done in an artificial setting where controls and manipulations
can be more effectively carried out. These two types of experiments differ with respect to
validity. Field experiments are conducted when external validity is of major concern and
laboratory experiments are used when internal validity is central to the investigation. External
validity refers to the applicability of the experimental results to situations external to actual
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experimental context whereas internal validity refers to the ability of the experiment to
unambiguously show relationships.
2) Cross-sectional design
The cross-sectional design is often called a social survey design, but the idea of the social survey
is so closely connected in most peoples mind with questionnaires and structured interviewing
that the more generic-sounding term cross-sectional design is more preferable. A cross-sectional
design entails the collection of data on more than one case and at a single point in time in order
to collect a body of quantitative or quantifiable data in connection with two or more variables,
which are then examined to detect pattern of association. Thus it represents a snapshot of one
point in time.
Researchers employing a cross-sectional design are interested in variation. That variation can be
in respect of people, organization etc. In cross-sectional research design, data on the variables of
interest are collected more or less simultaneously. When an individual completes a questionnaire
which may contain several variables, the answers are supplied at essentially the same time. This
contrasts with an experimental design. Thus, in the classical experimental design, someone in the
experimental group is pre-tested, then exposed to the experimental treatment, and then posttested. Days, weeks, months, or even years may separate the different phases. In order to
establish variation between cases, it is necessary to have a systematic and standardized method
for gauging variation. With a cross-sectional design it is only possible to examine relationships
between variables. There is no time ordering the variables, because the data on them are
collected more or less simultaneously and the researcher doesnt manipulate any of the variables.
3) Longitudinal Design
The longitudinal design represents a distinct form of research design that is typically used to map
change in business and management research. Longitudinal studies are repeated over an
extended period. The advantage of a longitudinal study is that it can track changes over time. It is
common to distinguish two types of longitudinal design: the panel study and the cohort study. In
longitudinal studies of the panel variety, the researcher may study the same people over time.
Other longitudinal studies, such as cohort groups, use different subjects for each sequenced
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measurement. While longitudinal research is important, the constraints of budget and time
impose the need for cross-sectional analysis.
4) Case study design
The basic case study entails the detailed and intensive analysis of a single case. Case study
research is concerned with the complexity and particular nature of the case in question. The case
study approach is very popular and widely used research design in business research, and some
of the best-known studies in business and management research are based on this design. The
most common use of the term case study associates the case study with geographical location,
such as a workplace or organization. What distinguishes a case study from other research designs
is the focus on a bounded situation or system.
must b in depth
5) Comparative design
Comparative design simply put, entails the study using more or less identical methods of two or
more contrasting cases. It embodies the logic of comparison, in that it implies that we can
understand social phenomena better when they are compared in relation to two or more
meaningfully contrasting cases or situations. The comparative design may be realized in the
context of either quantitative or qualitative design.
thinks to look for
types of r/ship we have
types of expeditions
levels or scales of measurements(normal,interval,orchid n ratio
difference btwn qualitative n quantitative
spurous correlation
regression
frequency distribution
probability sampling n non probability sampling
time series analysis(moving average method, freehand method, high low method, exponential
smothenin
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extraneous variable n
internal n external validity

Mr. G. Wamae

CMS 203: Research Methodology