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Nine Basic Methods of Research

The document outlines 9 basic methods of research: historical, descriptive, developmental, case/field, correlational, causal-comparative, true experimental, quasi-experimental, and action research. Each method is defined by its purpose and examples are provided to illustrate how each method is applied. The methods progress from more observational approaches like historical and descriptive to more rigorous experimental designs like true experimental and quasi-experimental that attempt to establish causal relationships between variables.

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Temístocles Muñoz López
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449 views4 pages

Nine Basic Methods of Research

The document outlines 9 basic methods of research: historical, descriptive, developmental, case/field, correlational, causal-comparative, true experimental, quasi-experimental, and action research. Each method is defined by its purpose and examples are provided to illustrate how each method is applied. The methods progress from more observational approaches like historical and descriptive to more rigorous experimental designs like true experimental and quasi-experimental that attempt to establish causal relationships between variables.

Uploaded by

Temístocles Muñoz López
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nine Basic Methods of Research1

http://www.drkenhunt.com/papers/methods.html
Source: Issac, S. & Michael, W.B. (1981) Handbook in Research and Evaluation. (Edits, San Diego)

1. HISTORICAL
Purpose
To reconstruct the past objectively and accurately, often in relation to the tenability of an
hypothesis.

Examples
A study reconstructing practices in the teaching of spelling in the United States during
the past 50 years; tracing the history of civil rights in the United States education since
the civil war; testing the hypothesis that Francis Bacon is the real author of the works of
Shakespeare.

2. DESCRIPTIVE
Purpose
To describe systematically a situation or area of interest factually and accurately.

Examples
Public opinion surveys, fact-finding surveys, job descriptions, surveys of the literature,
documentary analyses, anecdotal records, critical incident reports, test score analyses,
normative data, description of the type and age of computers in rural schools.

Note
Policy makers often rely on this type of research to inform their decisions.

3. DEVELOPMENTAL
Purpose
To investigate the patterns and sequences of growth and/or change as a function of
time.

Examples
A longitudinal growth study following an initial sample of 200 children from six months of
age to adulthood; a cross -sectional growth study investigating changing patterns of

1
Preparado por el Dr. Temístocles Muñoz como material del curso de Desarrollo de la Investigación
Original I, del Doctorado en Ciencias de la Educación, Generación 2011.
intelligence by sampling groups of children at 10 different age levels; a trend study
projecting the future growth and educational needs of a community from past trends and
recent building estimates; Terman's studies of high IQ children.

4. CASE and FIELD


Purpose
To study intensively the background, current status, and environmental interactions of a
given social unit: and individual, group, institution, or community.

Examples
The case history of a child with and above average IQ, but with severe learning
disabilities, an intensive study of a group of teenage youngsters on probation for drug
abuse; an intensive study of a gifted student who is having emotional problems.

5. CORRELATIONAL
Purpose
To investigate the extent to which variations in one factor correspond with variations in
one or more other factors based on correlation coefficients.

Examples
To investigate relationships between reading achievement scores and one or more the
variables of interest; a factor-analytic study of several intelligence tests; a study to
predict success in college based on intercorrelation patterns between college grades
and select high school variables.

Keep in Mind
Correlation does not equal causation

6. CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE or EX POST FACTO


Purpose
To investigate possible cause-and-effect relationships by observing some existing
consequences and searching back through the data for plausible causal factors.

Examples
To identify factors related to the drop-out problem in a particular high school using data
from records over the past ten years; to investigate similarities and differences between
such groups as smokers and nonsmokers, readers and non readers, or delinquents and
nondelinquents, using available data.
7. TRUE EXPERIMENTAL
Purpose
To investigate possible cause-and-effect relationships by exposing one or more
experimental groups to one or more treatment conditions and comparing the results to
one or more control groups not receiving the treatment (random assignment being
essential).

Examples
To investigate the effectiveness of three methods of teaching reading to first grade
children using random assignments of children and teachers to groups and methods; to
investigate the effects of a specific tranquilizing drug on the learning behavior of boys
identified as hyperactive using random assignment to groups receiving three different
levels of the drug and two control groups with and without a placebo, respectively;
Solomon four-group design.

Note

Very difficult to implement due to logistical and ethical problems.

8. QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL
Purpose
To approximate the conditions of the true experiment in a setting which does not allow
the control and or manipulations of all relevant variables. The researcher must clearly
understand what compromises exist in the internal and external validity of his design
and proceed within these limitations.

Examples
Most so-called field experiments, operational research, and even the more sophisticated
forms of action research which attempt to get at causal factors in real life settings where
only partial control is possible; e.g., an investigation of the effectiveness of any method
or treatment condition where random assignment of subjects to methods or conditions is
not possible.

9. ACTION
Purpose
To develop new skills or new approaches and to solve problems with direct application
to the classroom or other applied setting.

Examples
An inservice training program to help teachers develop new skills in facilitating class
discussions; to experiment with new approaches to teaching reading to bilingual children
to develop more effective counseling techniques for underachievers.

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