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Classification of Research by Method

This document classifies and describes different types of research methods. It distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods are used to describe current conditions, study relationships between variables, and investigate cause-and-effect. Specific quantitative methods discussed include survey research, correlational research, causal-comparative research, experimental research, and single-subject research. Each method is designed to answer different types of research questions.

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206 views

Classification of Research by Method

This document classifies and describes different types of research methods. It distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods are used to describe current conditions, study relationships between variables, and investigate cause-and-effect. Specific quantitative methods discussed include survey research, correlational research, causal-comparative research, experimental research, and single-subject research. Each method is designed to answer different types of research questions.

Uploaded by

vitaloka siwi utami
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH BY METHOD

A research method comprises the overall strategy followed in collecting and analyzing data.
Although there is some overlap, most research studies follow a readily identifiable strategy. The
largest distinction we can make in classifying research by method is the distinction between
quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative and qualitative research, in turn, include
several distinct types or methods, each designed to answer a different kind of research question.

 Quantitative Approaches

Quantitative research approaches are applied to describe current conditions, investigate


relations, and study cause-effect phenomena. Survey research is often designed to describe
current conditions. Studies that investigate the relations between two or more variables are
correlational research. Experimental studies and causal-comparative studies provide information
about cause-effect outcomes. Studies that focus on the behavior change an individual exhibits as
a result of some intervention fall under the heading of single-subject research.

 Survey Research

Survey research determines and reports the way things are; it involves collecting
numerical data to test hypotheses or answer questions about the current status of the subject of
study. One common type of survey research involves assessing the preferences, attitudes,
practices, concerns, or interests of a group of people. A preelection political poll and a survey
about community members’ perception of the quality of the local schools are examples.

Survey research data are mainly collected through questionnaires, interviews, and
observations. survey research sounds very simple, there is considerably more to it than just
asking questions and reporting answers. Because researchers often ask questions that have not
been asked before, they usually have to develop their own measuring instrument for each survey
study. Constructing questions for the intended respondents requires clarity, consistency, and tact

 Correlational Research

Correlational research involves collecting data to determine whether, and to what degree,
a relation exists between two or more quantifiable variables. A variable is a placeholder that can
assume any one of a range of values; for example, intelligence, height, and test score are
variables.

The purpose of a correlational study may be to establish relations or use existing relations
to make predictions. For example, a college admissions director may be interested in answering
the question “How do the SAT scores of high school seniors correspond to the students’ first-
semester college grades?” If students’ SAT scores are strongly related to their first-semester
grades, SAT scores may be useful in predicting how students will perform in their first year of
college. On the other hand, if there is little or no correlation between the two variables, SAT
scores likely will not be useful as predictors.

Correlation refers to a quantitative measure of the degree of correspondence. The degree


to which two variables are related is expressed as a correlation coefficient, which is a number
between 1.00 and 1.00. Two variables that are not related have a correlation coefficient near
0.00. Two variables that are highly correlated will have a correlation coefficient near 1.00 or
1.00

 Causal–Comparative Research

Causal–comparative research attempts to determine the cause, or reason, for existing


differences in the behavior or status of groups of individuals. The cause is a behavior or
characteristic believed to influence some other behavior or characteristic and is known as the
grouping variable. The change or difference in behavior or characteristic that occurs as a result—
that is, the effect—is known as the dependent variable. Put simply, causal-comparative research
attempts to establish cause-effect relations among groups. A weakness of causal-comparative
studies is that, because the cause understudy has already occurred, the researcher has no control
over it. For example, suppose a researcher wanted to investigate the effect of heavy smoking on
lung cancer and designs a study comparing the frequency of lung cancer diagnoses in two
groups, long-time smokers and nonsmokers.

 Experimental Research

In experimental research, at least one independent variable is manipulated, other relevant


variables are controlled, and the effect on one or more dependent variables is observed. True
experimental research provides the strongest results of any of the quantitative research
approaches because it provides clear evidence for linking variables. As a result, it also offers
generalizability or applicability of findings to settings and contexts different from the ones in
which they were obtained.

 Single-Subject Research

Rather than compare the effects of different treatments (or treatment versus no treatment)
on two or more groups of people, experimental researchers sometimes compare a single person’s
behavior before treatment to the behavior exhibited during the experiment. They may also study
a number of people together as one group, rather than as individuals. Single-subject experimental
designs are those used to study the behavior change that an individual or group exhibits as a
result of some intervention or treatment. In these designs, the size of the sample—the individuals
selected from a population for a study—is said to be one.

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