Research Methodology

Chapter 8
Research Methods - Part I
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 List of Contents

 Introduction To Research Methods  Data Collection Methods

• Definition • Experimental Method
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative • Control Group and Experimental Group
• Descriptive vs. Experimental  Types of Experimental Methods
 Primary vs. Secondary Data • Lab Experiment
• Definition • Field Experiment
• Sources of Primary & Secondary Data • Quasi Experiment
 An introduction to Research Methods

 Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing

data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of
your research design.
 When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make.
 First, decide how you will collect data.
 Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer
your research question:
 Qualitative vs. Quantitative: Will your data take the form of words
or numbers?
 Primary vs. Secondary: Will you collect original data yourself, or
will you use data that has already been collected by someone else?

 Descriptive vs. Experimental: Will you take measurements of

something as it is, or will you perform an experiment?
 Second, decide how you will analyze the data.
 For quantitative data, you can use statistical analysis methods to test
relationships between variables.
 For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis
to interpret patterns and meanings in the data.
 Let’s look at these type of data in detail
 Types of Data
 Data is the information that you collect for the purposes of answering
your research question.
 The type of data you need depends on the aims of your research.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative data

 Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the

type of knowledge you want to develop.
 For questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study
something that can’t be described numerically, collect qualitative data.
 If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or
your research involves hypothesis testing, collect quantitative data.
You can also take a mixed methods approach, where you use both
qualitative and quantitative research methods.
 Primary vs. Secondary Data

 Primary data is any original information that you collect for the purposes
of answering your research question (e.g., through surveys, observations
and experiments).
 Secondary data is information that has already been collected by other
researchers (e.g., in a government census or previous scientific studies).
 If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to
collect primary data.
 But if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical
trends, or identify patterns on a large scale, secondary data might be a
better choice.
 Descriptive vs. Experimental Data

In descriptive research, you collect data about your study subject without
intervening.
The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method.
In experimental research, you systematically intervene in a process and
measure the outcome.
The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design.
To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent
variable, precisely measure your dependent variable, and control
for confounding variables.
If it’s practically and ethically possible, this method is the best choice for
answering questions about cause and effect.
Data Collection
Methods
 1. Experimental Method

 To understand the experimental method, firstly we need to be familiar

with the term ‘variable.’
 A variable is an event or stimulus that varies, and its values can be
measured.
 It is to be noted that we can not regard any object as a variable; in
fact, the attributes related to that object are called variables.
 For example, A person is not a variable, but the height of the person is
a variable because different people may have different heights.
 In the experiment method of data collection, we mainly concern with
two types of variables, i.e., independent variables and dependent
variables.
 Experimental Method…

 If the value of the variable is manipulated by the researcher to observe

its effects, then it is called the independent variable, and the variable
that is affected by the change in the independent variable is called the
dependent variable.
 For example, if we want to study the influence of alcohol on the
reaction time and driving abilities of the driver, then the amount of
alcohol that the driver consumes is the independent variable, and the
driving performance of the driver is called the dependent variable.
 Experimental methods are conducted to establish the relationship
between the independent variable (cause) and dependent variables
(effect).
 Experimental Method…

 The experiments are conducted very carefully, and any variables other
than the independent variable are kept constant or negligible so that an
accurate relationship between the cause and effect can be established.
 In the above example, other factors like the driver’s stress, anxiety, or
mood (extraneous variables) can interfere with the dependent variable
(driving ability).
 It is difficult to avoid these extraneous variables; extraneous variables are
the undesired variables that are not studied under the experiments, and
their manipulation can alter the results of the study, but we should always
try to make them constant or negligible for accurate results.
 Control Group and Experimental Group

 Experiments generally consist of several research groups that are broadly

categorized into control groups and experimental groups.
 The group that undergoes the manipulation of the independent variable is
called the experimental group, whereas the group that does not
undergoes the independent variable manipulation, but its other factors or
variables are kept the same as the experimental group, is called a control
group.
 The control group basically acts as a comparison group as it is used to
measure the changes caused by the independent variable on the
experimental group.
 Control Group and Experimental Group…

 For example, if a researcher wants to study that how does the

conduction of exams affects the learning ability of the student, then,
here, the learning ability of the student is the dependent variable and
exams are the independent variable.
 In this experiment, some lectures will be delivered to the students of the
same class and of nearly the same learning abilities (based on their
previous exam scores or other criteria), and then the students are
dividing into different groups, one group is not subjected to give the
exams, while the other group has to give the exam of what they have
learned in the lesson.
 Control Group and Experimental Group…

 The group of students that were not subjected to give the exams is
called the control group, and the group of students that were
subjected to give the exams is called the experimental group.
 The number of experimental groups can be more than one based on
how often does the exams are conducted for each group.
 At the end of the experiments, the researcher can find the results by
comparing the experimental group with the control group.
 Types of Experimental Method

 Some major types of the experimental method include,

i. Lab Experiments:

 It is difficult to conduct some experiments in natural settings as many

extraneous variables can become a problem for the research.
 So, researchers conduct the experiments in a controlled manner in
laboratories or research centers.
 It is easy to manage the independent and dependent variables in the
controlled settings.
 Example of Lab Experiment

 If the researcher wants to study the effect of different kinds of music like
pop, classical, etc., on the health of the patients, then the researcher will
conduct this study in a room rather than in a natural environment as it’s
easy to keep extraneous variables constant in the closed settings.
 Here, music is the independent variable and health is the dependent
variable.
 If the same experiment is conducted outside the lab, then extraneous
variables like sunlight, weather, noise, etc., may interfere with the study
and manipulate the results of the research.
 ii. Field Experiments

 Field experiments are studies using experimental design that occur

in a natural setting.
 The context in which the experiment is conducted changes. Instead
of a laboratory setting, the experiment is carried out in the field, or
the real world.
 Sometimes, lab experiment results face criticism for their lack of
generalizability as they are not conducted in real-life settings.
 Field experiments are conducted in the natural environment and
real-life settings like schools, industries, hospitals, etc., so they are
more ecologically valid than lab experiments.
 Field Experiment Example

 If we want to study whether classroom learning or open

environment learning is the best teaching method for students,
the researcher would prefer the field experiment over the lab
experiment.
 However, in field experiments, it is very difficult to control the
undesired or extraneous variables, which makes it difficult to
establish an accurate cause-effect relationship.
 Moreover, they consume more time than the lab experiments.
 iii. Quasi Experiments

 In lab experiments or fields experiments, sometimes, it is difficult to

manipulate some variables due to ethical issues or other constraints.
Quasi-experiments are conducted in this situation.
 In quasi-experiments, the researcher studies that how does a single or
many independent variables impact the dependent variable but without
manipulating the independent variable.
 For instance, if the researcher wants to study the effect of terrorism or
bomb blasts on the children who have lost their families, then it is difficult
to create this situation artificially, so researchers use the quasi-
experiments approach.
 iii. Quasi Experiments…
 Here, the researcher selects the independent variable instead of
manipulating it and compare it with the dependent variable.
 The researchers will take a group of children who have lost their
families (experimental group), and the children who suffered the
bomb blast but did not lose their families (control group), and by
comparing both these groups, the researcher can analyze the
effect of terrorism on the children who lost their families.