MARIS TABALON LASCO, PhD

Assistant Professor
Method
• Research tool, a component of research
• Example for qualitative research method is the “interviews”
• the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyze data (for
example, experiments, surveys, and statistical tests).

Methodology
• A justification for using a particular research method
• Refers to the overarching strategy and rationale of your research project.
• It involves studying the methods used in your field and the theories or principles
behind them, in order to develop an approach that matches your objectives.
Research Design
Research design is the framework of research methods and
techniques chosen by a researcher. The design allows researchers to
hone in on research methods that are suitable for the subject matter
and set up their studies up for success.

The design of a research topic explains the type of research

(experimental, survey research, correlational, semi-experimental,
review) and also its sub-type (experimental design, research problem,
descriptive case-study).
Characteristics of Research Design
Neutrality
When you set up your study, you may have to make assumptions
about the data you expect to collect. The results projected in
the research should be free from bias and neutral. Understand opinions
about the final evaluated scores and conclusions from multiple
individuals and consider those who agree with the derived results.
Characteristics of Research Design
Reliability
With regularly conducted of research, the researcher involved
expects similar results every time. Your design should indicate how to
form research questions to ensure the standard of results. You’ll only be
able to reach the expected results if your design is reliable.
Characteristics of Research Design
Validity
There are multiple measuring tools available. However, the only
correct measuring tools are those which help a researcher in gauging
results according to the objective of the research.
The questionnaire developed from this design will then be valid.
Characteristics of Research Design
Generalization
The outcome of your design should apply to a population and not
just a restricted sample. A generalized design implies that your survey
can be conducted on any part of a population with similar accuracy.
 A researcher must have a clear understanding of the various types of
research design to select which model to implement for a study. Like research
itself, the design of your study can be broadly classified into quantitative and
qualitative.

Qualitative research determines relationships between collected data and

observations based on mathematical calculations. Theories related to a
naturally existing phenomenon can be proved or disproved using statistical
methods. Researchers rely on qualitative research methods that conclude
“why” a particular theory exists along with “what” respondents have to say
about it.

Quantitative research is for cases where statistical conclusions to collect

actionable insights are essential. Numbers provide a better perspective to
make critical business decisions.
Qualitative research methods vs quantitative research methods
The basic differences between qualitative research methods and
quantitative research methods are simple and straightforward. They differ
in:

• Their analytical objectives

• Types of questions asked
• Types of data collection instruments
• Forms of data they produce
• Degree of flexibility
Categories of research design
• Descriptive research design: In a descriptive design, a researcher is
solely interested in describing the situation or case under their
research study. It is a theory-based design method which is created by
gathering, analyzing, and presenting collected data.

• Experimental research design: Establishes a relationship between the

cause and effect of a situation. It is a causal design where one
observes the impact caused by the independent variable on the
dependent variable.
• Correlational research design: is a non-experimental
research technique that helps researchers establish a relationship
between two closely connected variables.

• Diagnostic research design: the researcher is looking to evaluate the

underlying cause of a specific topic or phenomenon. This method
helps one learn more about the factors that create troublesome
situations.
Four main types of Quantitative research
• Descriptive
• Correlational
• Causal-Comparative or Quasi-Experimental, and
• Experimental Research.
Survey Research
Survey Research is the most elementary tool for all sorts of quantitative
research techniques. The very most important purpose of the research
is to widely explain the characteristics of a particular group or a bunch
of population.

Descriptive Research
Descriptive research seeks to explain the current status of an identified
variable. The aim of descriptive research is to explain and interpret, the
current status of people, settings, conditions, or events.
Experimental Research
Experimental research, as the name suggests, is usually based on one
or more theories. It is based on one or more than one theory. It is called
true experimentation, uses the scientific method to establish the cause-
effect relationship among a group of variables that make up a study.
Multiple theories can be used to conduct this research. The
components of the experimental research design are prescribed below.
• A comparison group of participants who are randomly selected and
assigned to experimental and control groups.
• An independent variable, which can be referred to as the experimental
variable that can be applied to the experimental group.
• A dependent variable, which can be referred to as the effect or posttest
variable that can be measured in an identical manner for all groups.
Correlational Research
Correlational research is used to establish a relationship between two
close entities and to determine how one impacts the other. For this, a
researcher needs at least two separate groups. This type of research will
recognize trends and patterns in data, but it does not go so far in its
analysis to observe the different patterns.

• Correlational research sometimes considered a type of descriptive

research as no variables are manipulated in the study.
• Cause and effect are not the basis of this type of observational research.
• Examples of correlational research include the relationships between the
types of activities of mathematics classrooms and the achievement of
students, the relationship between diet and anxiety.
Casual-Comparative Research
Casual-Comparative research is employed to conclude the cause-effect
equation between two or more variables, where one variable depends on the
opposite experimental variable. An independent variable is not manipulated by the
experimenter, and the effects of the independent variable is on the dependent
variable are measured.
• This sort of analysis is not restricted to the applied mathematics of two variables
but extends to analyzing different variables and groups.
• Casual-Comparative research is a method that works on the process of
comparison.
• Once analysis and conclusions are made, deciding about the causes should be
done fastidiously, as other different variables, each far-famed and unknown,
might still have an effect on the result.
• Examples of this type of research include the effect of preschool attendance on
social maturity at the end of the first grade, the impact of drugs on a teenager.
Qualitative Research Designs
• Phenomenological Studies
• Ethnographic Studies
• Grounded Theory Studies
• Historical Studies
• Case Studies
• Action Research Studies
Phenomenological Studies ( Saturation Level)
Phenomenological studies examine human experiences through the
descriptions provided by the people involved. These experiences are
called lived experiences. The goal of phenomenological studies is to
describe the meaning that experiences hold for each subject.
Ethnographic Studies
Ethnographic studies involve the collection and analysis of data about
cultural groups. Agar (1986) described ethnography as “encountering
alien worlds and making sense of them” (p. 12). He further stated that
ethnographers try to show how actions in one world make sense from
the point of view of another world.
Grounded Theory Studies
• Grounded theory is a qualitative research approach developed by two
sociologists, Glaser and Strauss (1967). Grounded theory studies are
studies in which data are collected and analyzed and then a theory is
developed that is grounded in the data.
Historical Studies
Historical studies concern the identification, location, evaluation, and
synthesis of data from the past. Historical research seeks not only to
discover the events of the past but to relate these past happenings to the
present and to the future. Leininger (1985) wrote, “Without a past, there is
no meaning to the present, nor can we develop a sense of ourselves as
individuals and as members of groups” (p. 109).
Case Studies
• Case studies are in-depth examinations of people or groups of people.
A case study could also examine an institution, such as hospice care for
the dying. The case method has its roots in sociology and has also
been used a great deal in anthropology, law, and medicine.
Action Research Studies
Action research is a type of qualitative research that seeks action to improve practice
and study the effects of the action that was taken (Streubert & Carpenter, 2002). Solutions
are sought to practice problems in one particular hospital or health care setting. There is no
goal of trying to generalize the findings of the study, as is the case in quantitative research
studies. In action research, the implementation of solutions occurs as an actual part of the
research process. There is no delay in implementation of the solutions.
Participatory action research (PAR)
Participatory action research (PAR) is a special kind of
community-based action research in which there is collaboration
between the study participants and the researcher in all steps of the
study: determining the problem, the research methods to use, the
analysis of data, and how the study results will be used. The participants
and the researcher are co-researchers throughout the entire research
study. According to Kelly (2005), PAR provides an opportunity for
involving a community “in the development and assessment of a health
program” (p. 65).
 Mixed method / design
• 1. Explanatory Sequential mix method –
quantitative research design then qualitative
research.
• 2. Exploratory Sequential mix method –
qualitative research design –then quantitative
• 3. Convergent mix method – simultaneous
gathering of both quanti and quali
Research Locale
This discusses the place or setting of the study. It describes in
brief the place where the study is conducted. Only important features
which have the bearing on the present study are included.

Participants of the Study

A research participant, also called a human subject or an
experiment, trial, or study participant or subject, is a person who
voluntarily participates in human subject research after giving
informed consent to be the subject of the research.
Sampling Design

• Sampling design is a mathematical function that gives you the

probability of any given sample being drawn.

• Since sampling is the foundation of nearly every research project, the

study of sampling design is a crucial part of statistics, and is often a
one or two semester course. It involves not only learning how to
derive the probability functions which describe a given sampling
method but also understanding how to design a best-fit sampling
method for a real life situation.
 Sampling Design
• Sampling design can be very simple or very complex. In the simplest, one
stage sample design where there is no explicit stratification and a member of
the population is chosen at random, each unit has the probability, n/N of
being in the sample, where:
n is the total number of units to be sampled,
N is number of units in the total population.
Other types of design include:
• Systematic sample: all members of a population are listed in order and
samples are chosen at defined intervals
• Stratified sample: the population is first divided into strata and then samples
are randomly selected from the strata (for example, divide a population
between men and women, then randomly select a given number of men and
a given number of women)
Sampling Design
• Cluster strata: a population is divided into clusters and first clusters are
randomly selected, then random members of the selected clusters are
sampled. (for instance, first randomly select a number of classes, then,
from the class lists of those classes, randomly sample a number of
students)

The sampling method chosen will depend on the situation and

priorities of the researcher. Sometimes, non-probability sampling
methods will be chosen; for example, convenience sampling, where the
sample is simply those easily reached and observed.
 Collaborative Work
•Proceed on crafting your group research
plan, chapter 1 and 2, then decide on
what research design that will be
appropriate to your research plan.
End of Lesson 3
References
Online reference
• https://www.scribbr.com/frequently-asked-questions/method-vs-
methodology/
• https://www.questionpro.com/blog/research-design/
• https://www.educba.com/types-of-quantitative-research/
 References
Mohadjer, Krenzke, & Kerckhove (2018). Technical Report. Chapter 4. Survey
of Adult Skills (PIAAC), OECD.
http://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/Technical%20Report_Part%204.pdf on

Maastricht University (2018). Course Catalogue.

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/meta/325263/sampling-design

Raymo, J. (2018). Sample Design.

https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~jraymo/links/soc357/class8_F09.pdf