Chapter One:

The Selection of a Research Design

RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
Third Edition
John W. Creswell
Table of Contents of Book
Part I: Preliminary Considerations
1. The Selection of a Research Design
2. Review of the Literature
3. The Use of Theory
4. Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations

Part II. Designing Research

5. The Introduction
6. The Purpose Statement
7. Research Questions and Hypotheses
8. Quantitative Methods
9. Qualitative Procedures
10. Mixed Methods Procedures
Chapter Outline
The Three Types of Designs
Three Components Involved in a Design
Philosophical Worldviews

The Postpositivist Worldview

The Social Constructivist Worldview

The Advocacy and Participatory Worldview

The Pragmatic Worldview
Strategies of Inquiry

Quantitative Strategies

Qualitative Strategies

Mixed Methods Strategies
Research Methods
Research Designs as Worldviews, Strategies, and Methods
Criteria for Selecting a Research Design
The Research Problem
Personal Experiences
Audience
The Three Types of Designs
Three types
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Mixed methods research

Research design
Plan or proposal to conduct research
Intersection of:
Philosophical worldviews
Strategies of inquiry
Research methods
Four Worldviews for Research
Postpositivism Constructivism
Determination Understanding
Reductionism Multiple participant meanings

Empirical observation and Social and historical construction

measurement
Theory verification Theory generation

Advocacy/Participatory Pragmatism
Political Consequences of actions
Empowerment issue-oriented Problem-centered

Collaborative Pluralistic

Change-oriented Real-world practice oriented

Strategies of Inquiry
Quantitative Qualitative Mixed Methods
Experimental Narrative Sequential
designs research Concurrent
Non- Phenomenology Transformative
experimental Ethnographies
designs, such as Grounded
surveys theory studies
Case study
Research Methods
Quantitative Mixed Qualitative
Methods Methods Methods
Pre-determined Both pre-determined Emerging methods
Instrument-based and emerging methods Open-ended questions

questions Both open- and Interview, observation,

Performance, attitude, closed-ended questions document, and audio-
observational, and Multiple forms of data visual data
census data drawing on all Text and image
Statistical analyses possibilities analyses
Statistical Statistical and text Themes, patterns

interpretation analyses interpretation

Across databases

interpretation
Research Designs as Worldviews,
Strategies, and Methods
Tend to or Qualitative Quantitative Mixed Methods
typically... Approaches Approaches Approaches
Use these Constructivist/ Post-postivist Pragmatic
philosophical Advocacy/ knowledge claims knowledge claims
assumptions Participatory
knowledge claims

Employ these Phenomenology, Surveys & Sequential,

strategies of inquiry grounded theory, experiments concurrent, &
ethnography, case transformative
study, & narrative

Employ these Open-ended Closed-ended Both open- and

methods questions, emerging questions, pre- closed-ended
approaches, text or determined questions, both
image data approaches, numeric emerging and
data predetermined
approaches, & both
quantitative and
qualitative data and
analysis
Research Designs as Worldviews,
Strategies, and Methods (cont.)
Tend to or Qualitative Quantitative Mixed Methods
typically... Approaches Approaches Approaches
Use these Positions him- or herself Tests of verifies theories Collects both
Collects participant or explanations quantitative and
practices of qualitative data
meanings Identifies variables to
research, as the Focuses on a single study Develops a rationale for

researcher concept or phenomenon Relates variables in mixing

Brings personal values questions or hypotheses Integrates the data at

into the study Uses standards of different stages of inquiry

Studies the context or validity and reliability Presents visual pictures

setting of participants Observes and measures of the procedures in the

Validates the accuracy information numerically study
Employs the practices of
of findings Uses unbiased

Makes interpretations of approaches both qualitative and

the data Employs statistical
quantitative research
Creates an agenda for procedures
change or reform
Collaborates with the

participants
Criteria for Selecting a Research
Design
The Research Problem
An issue or concern that needs to be addressed (see Chapter 5)
If the problem calls for
Explanation or theory testing: Quantitative
Exploration or understanding: Qualitative
One approach alone is inadequate: Mixed methods

Personal Experiences
Training, preferences, time, resources

Audience
Advisors, journal editors, graduate committees, etc.
Chapter One:
The Selection of a Research Design

RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
Third Edition
John W. Creswell