Module-3 RM355: Research Design (RD)
Meaning of Research Design
What is Research Design?
RD is blueprint of research study
Includes research methodologies / tools / techniques to conduct studies
Contains essential details of a project
Helps to provide structure & direction to research leading to favorable results
Need for RD
Minimizes inaccuracy
Increases reliability and validity (Efficiency)
Reduces time
Helpful-in testing hypothesis
Provides direction to research
FEATURES OF RESEARCH DESIGN
There are mainly 4 characteristics and 4 Basic Principles of Research Design.
4 Characteristics of RD
NEUTRALITY
The results should be free from bias and neutral.
Discuss and get evaluated your conclusion with experienced, multiple individuals and
consider those who agree with your research’s results
RELIABILITY
Research design to ensure always the same results every time the experiment is performed
VALIDITY
The validity of a research design is used to calculate the expected results and to estimate the
truthfulness of the result.
GENERALI-ZATION
The results obtained from the research should be applicable to a population and not just to a
limited sample
(Key characteristic of research design)
4 Basic Principles of RD
1. Principle of Flexibility: Allowance to minor changes during conducting of
experiments - flexible to changes
2. Principle of Timeliness: Studies need to be completed in specified time-fram- report
in time
3. Principle of Replication: The research studied can be copied by others provided they
follow steps specified and get same results
4. Principle of Objective: The researcher should not be subjective and has to be
objective so that the results are also specific and clear; it should not be emotional and
subjective in nature
Effective Research Design
It is possible by effective control of variables of study/
MAXMINCON Principle:
MAXimize systematic Error
MINimize error of variance
CONtrol intervening, extraneous and confounding variables
MAXimizing Systematic Variance in experiments: Proper manipulation of experimental
conditions to ensure high variability in independent variable (where the researcher actually
manipulates the independent variable and measures its impact on the dependent variable)
MINimizing Error Variance (Measurement Error): Minimizing the part of variability in
scores that is caused by error in measurement.
Sources of error variance:
Poorly designed measurement instruments (instrumentation error)
Error emanating from study subjects (e.g., response error)
Contextual factors that reduce a sound/accurate measurement
How to Minimize Error Variance?
Error of Variance arises from Poorly designed measurements, error from subjects (samples)
response and contextual factors. Also from errors of instruments, personal (experimenter’s
personal errors). They can be minimized by:
Increase validity and reliability of measurement instruments.
Measure variables under as much ideal conditions as possible.