RESEARCH DESIGN, RESEARCH INSTRUMENT, AND RESEARCH METHOD
Research Designs
1. 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. This allows a researcher to provide insights into the
why and how of research. Descriptive design helps others better understand the need for the research. If
the problem statement is not clear, you can conduct exploratory research.
2. Experimental research design: 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. For example, one monitors the influence of an
independent variable such as a price on a dependent variable such as customer satisfaction or brand
loyalty. It is a highly practical research design method as it contributes to solving a problem at hand.
The independent variables are manipulated to monitor the change it has on the dependent variable. It is
often used in social sciences to observe human behavior by analyzing two groups. Researchers can
have participants change their actions and study how the people around them react to gain a better
understanding of social psychology.
3. Correlational research design: Correlational research is a non-experimental research design
technique that helps researchers establish a relationship between two closely connected variables. This
type of research requires two different groups. There is no assumption while evaluating a relationship
between two different variables, and statistical analysis techniques calculate the relationship between
them.
A correlation coefficient determines the correlation between two variables, whose value ranges
between -1 and +1. If the correlation coefficient is towards +1, it indicates a positive relationship
between the variables and -1 means a negative relationship between the two variables.
4. Diagnostic research design: In diagnostic 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.
This design has three parts of the research:
· Inception of the issue
· Diagnosis of the issue
· Solution for the issue
5. Explanatory research design: Explanatory design uses a researcher’s ideas and thoughts on a
subject to further explore their theories. The research explains unexplored aspects of a subject and
details about what, how, and why of research questions.
Research Instrument
Survey Questionnaires
Tests
Face-to-face Interview Questionnaires
• Structured Interviews - Simply put, it is a verbally administered questionnaire. In terms of
depth, it is surface level and is usually completed within a short period. For speed and
efficiency, it is highly recommendable, but it lacks depth.
• Semi-structured Interviews - In this method, there subsist several key questions which cover
the scope of the areas to be explored. It allows a little more leeway for the researcher to
explore the subject matter.
• Unstructured Interviews - It is an in-depth interview that allows the researcher to collect a
wide range of information with a purpose. An advantage of this method is the freedom it gives
a researcher to combine structure with flexibility even though it is more time-consuming.
Research Method
Quantitative Research Method
Qualitative Research Method