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PhD Psychology
Course Title : Psychological Testing & Assessment
Course Instructor : Dr Najia Zulfiqar
Assignment Name:
Quantitative & Mixed Research Design
Submitted by : Qurrat-ul-ain
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Research Design
A research design is simply the framework or plan for a study that is used as a guide
in collecting and analysing the data. It is a blueprint that is followed in completing a
study. Research design is the blue print for collection measurement and analysis of
data. Actually it is a map that is usually developed research Design is a kind of
blueprint that
we prepare before actually carrying out research.
• Research Design is the strategic plan of the project that sets out the broad
structure of the research.
• Research design is the framework of research methods and techniques chosen by
a researcher.
• A Research Design is simply a structural framework of various research methods
as well as techniques that are utilised by a researcher to guide the research.
Definitions:
“Research design is a master plan specifying the methods and procedures for
collection and analysing the needed information.”
William Zikmund
“Research design is the plan, structure and strategy of investigation conceived so as
to obtain answers to research questions and to control variance.”
Kerlinger
Thus we can say that a research design is the arrangement of condition for collection
and analysis of data in a manner that aims to generalize the findings of the sample
on the population.
Purpose of a Research Design:
Research designs are used for the following purposes;
(i) To minimize the expenditure: Research design carries an important
influence on the reliability of the results attained .It therefore provides a
solid base for the whole research. This makes the research as effective as
possible by providing 3 19 maximum information with minimum spending
of effort, money and time by preparing the advance plan of all about the
research.
(ii) To facilitate the smooth scaling: Research design is needed because it
facilitates the smooth scaling of the various research operations, thereby
making research as efficient as possible yielding maximal information with
minimal expenditure of effort, time and money.
(iii) To collect the relevant data and technique: Research design stands for
advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting the relevant
data and the techniques to be used in their analysis, keeping in view the
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objective of the research and the availability of staff time and money. Poor
preparation of research design upset the entire project.
(iv) To provide blue print for plans: Research design is needed due to the fact
that it allows for the smooth working of many research operations. It is like
blue print which we need in advance to plan the methods to be adopted for
collecting the relevant data and techniques to be used in its analysis for
preparation of research project. Just as for better economical and
attractive construction of a house need a blue print and a map of that,
similarly we needs a blue print or a design for the smooth flow of operation
of research.
(v) To provide an overview to other experts: A research design provides an
overview of all the research process and with the help of the design we
can take the help and views of experts 20 of that field .The design helps
the investigator to organize his ideas , which helps to recognize and fix his
faults.
(vi) To provide a direction: A research design provides a proper or particular
direction to the other executives and others who are helping us into the
process. The researcher studies available, literature and learns about new
alternative approaches.
Research Process:
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Types of research (Fundamental, Applied and Action)
Quantitative Research:
Quantitative research aim to measure numeric figures, quantity, amounts, used
extensively in field of economics and commerce. Quantitative research refers as
systematic empirical investigation of phenomena quantitative data and their
relationship.
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QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN
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In Quantitative Research Design, a researcher examines the various variables while
including numbers as well as statistics in a project to 85% analyse its findings.
The use of graphics, figures, pie charts is the main form of data collection
measurement and meta-analysis (it is information about the data by the data).
Quantitative research is a way of collecting numerical research or data which then
can be converted into useable statistics.
• It uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research.
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Survey Research Design
A survey design provides a quantitative or numeric description of trends, attitudes, or
opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population.
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Experimental Research
Experimental research is a scientific approach to research, where one or more
independent variables are manipulated and applied to one or more dependent
variables to measure their effect on the latter.
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Pre-Experimental design
Pre-experiments are the simplest form of research design. In a pre-
experiment either a single group or multiple groups are observed subsequent to
some agent or treatment presumed to cause change.
Generally uses only one group for treatment which makes
observation simple and easy.
Validates the experiment in the preliminary phase itself.
Pre-experimental design tells the researchers how their intervention
will affect the whole study.
Purpose of Pre-Experimental design
Its a research design in which the same assessment measures are given to
participants both before and after they have received a treatment or been exposed to
a condition, with such measures used to determine if there are any changes that
could be attributed to the treatment or condition.
Types of Pre-experimental Designs
Assuming now you have a better understanding of what the whole pre-experimental
design concept is, it is time to move forward and look at its types and their working:
One-shot case study design
1. This design practices the treatment of a single group.
2. It only takes a single measurement after the experiment.
3. A one-shot case study design only analyses post-test results.
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The one-shot case study compares the post-test results to the expected results. It
makes clear what the result is and how the case would have looked if the treatment
wasn’t done.
Example:
A team leader wants to implement a new soft skills program in the firm. The
employees can be measured at the end of the first month to see the improvement in
their soft skills. The team leader will know the impact of the program on the
employees.
One-group pretest-posttest design
1. Like the previous one, this design also works on just one experimental group.
2. But this one takes two measures into account.
3. A pre-test and a post-test are conducted.
As the name suggests, it includes one group and conducts pre-test and post-test on
it. The pre-test will tell how the group was before they were put under treatment.
Whereas post-test determines the changes in the group after the treatment.
This sounds like a true experiment, but being a pre-experiment design, it does not
have any control group.
Example:
Following the previous example, the team leader here will conduct two tests. One
before the soft skill program implementation to know the level of employees before
they were put through the training. And a post-test to know their status after the
training.
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Now that he has a frame of reference, he knows exactly how the program helped the
employees.
Static-group comparison
1. This compares two experimental groups.
2. One group is exposed to the treatment.
3. The other group is not exposed to the treatment.
4. The difference between the two groups is the result of the experiment.
As the name suggests, it has two groups, which means it involves a control group
too.
In static-group comparison design, the two groups are observed as one goes
through the treatment while the other does not. They are then compared to each
other to determine the outcome of the treatment.
Example:
The team lead decides one group of employees to get the soft skills training while
the other group remains as a control group and is not exposed to any program. He
then compares both the groups and finds out the treatment group has evolved in
their soft skills more than the control group.
Due to such working, static-group comparison design is generally perceived as
a quasi-experimental design too.
Advantages of Pre-experimental Designs
1. Cost-effective due to its easy process.
2. Very simple to conduct.
3. Efficient to conduct in the natural environment.
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4. It is also suitable for beginners.
5. Involves less human intervention.
6. Determines how your treatment is going to affect the true experiment.
Disadvantages of Pre-experimental Designs
1. It is a weak design to determine causal relationships between variables.
2. Does not have any control over the research.
3. Possess a high threat to internal validity.
4. Researchers find it tough to examine the results’ integrity.
5. The absence of a control group makes the results less reliable.
This sums up the basics of pre-experimental design and how it differs from
other experimental research designs. Curious to learn how you can use survey
software to conduct your experimental research, book a meeting with us.
Q UASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS
Quasi-experimental designs are similar to true experiments, but they lack random
assignment to experimental and control groups. Quasi-experimental designs have
a comparison group that is similar to a control group except assignment to the
comparison group is not determined by random assignment. The most basic of these
quasi-experimental designs is the non equivalent comparison groups
design (Rubin & Babbie, 2017). The non-equivalent comparison group design looks
a lot like the classic experimental design, except it does not use random assignment.
In many cases, these groups may already exist. For example, a researcher might
conduct research at two different agency sites, one of which receives the
intervention and the other does not. No one was assigned to treatment or
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comparison groups. Those groupings existed prior to the study. While this method is
more convenient for real-world research, it is less likely that that the groups are
comparable than if they had been determined by random assignment. Perhaps the
treatment group has a characteristic that is unique–for example, higher income or
different diagnoses–that make the treatment more effective.
Quasi-experiments are particularly useful in social welfare policy research. Social
welfare policy researchers often look for what are termed natural experiments, or
situations in which comparable groups are created by differences that already occur
in the real world. Natural experiments are a feature of the social world that allows
researchers to use the logic of experimental design to investigate the connection
between variables. For example, Stratmann and Wille (2016) were interested in the
effects of a state healthcare policy called Certificate of Need on the quality of
hospitals. They clearly could not randomly assign states to adopt one set of policies
or another. Instead, researchers used hospital referral regions, or the areas from
which hospitals draw their patients, that spanned across state lines. Because the
hospitals were in the same referral region, researchers could be pretty sure that the
client characteristics were pretty similar. In this way, they could classify patients in
experimental and comparison groups without dictating state policy or telling people
where to live.
WHAT IS MIXED METHODS RESEARCH?
Mixed methods research is a procedure for collecting, analysing and “mixing” both
quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study or a series of studies to
understand a research problem. -Creswell & Plano Clark(2011) The purpose of
this form of research is that both qualitative and quantitative research, in
combination, provide a better understanding of a research problem or issue than
either research approach alone.
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