METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, we define the methodological design as the strategy used to verify.
a hypothesis or a group of hypotheses, in summary, is the description of how it will be carried out
research and we developed the elements of the methodological design: types of study, areas of
study, universe and sample, data collection methods and instruments, tabulation plan
and analysis and procedures.

We also developed the study positions:

a. Exploratory.
b. Descriptive: simple, comparative,
c. Correlational.
d. Explanatory
e. Analytical designs: case-control and cohort.
f. Retrospective, prospective, and retro-prospective studies.
g. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.
The chapter ends with experimental studies; types of experimental designs and designs.
factorials.

Definitions
• The strategy used to test a hypothesis or a group of hypotheses.
• The determination of the strategies and procedures that will be followed to respond to
problem and test the hypothesis.
• The action plan of the researcher to achieve the objectives.
• In general, it can be stated that the methodological design is the description of how it will be conducted.
conduct the research.
• When selecting and presenting a design, the aim is to maximize validity and reliability.
information and reduce errors in the results.
• Reliability refers to the consistency, coherence, or stability of the information.
collected.
• Validity refers to the degree to which what is intended to be measured is actually measured.

Elements of the methodological design

 Methodological Design
Type of
Study

Area of
study

University
sample

Methods and
instruments
of collection of
data
Tabulation plan
analysis

Procedure
ntos

Type of study in the research

• Exploratory studies are usually conducted when the objective is to examine a topic.
the little-studied research problem or one that has not been addressed before.
• Descriptive studies aim to specify the important properties of people,
groups, communities, or any other phenomenon that is subjected to analysis. Since the
From a scientific point of view, to describe is to measure. In a descriptive study, a selection is made.
a series of questions and each one is measured independently, but like this
to describe is to investigate.
• Estudios correlaciónales,tenen como propósito medir el grado de relación que existe
between two or more concepts or variables (in a particular context). The utility and the
The main purpose of correlational studies is to know how a
concept or variable knowing the behavior of other related variables. It is
to try to predict the approximate value that a group of individuals will have in a
variable, a part from the value they have in the variable or related variables.
• Explanatory studies go beyond the description of concepts or phenomena or of the
establishment of relationships between concepts; they are aimed at answering the causes
of physical or social events. As its name indicates, its interest lies in explaining
why a phenomenon occurs and under what conditions it happens, or why two or more
variables are related.

The study plan is preliminarily defined from the stage of identification and formulation of the
problem; however, each stage of the research process provides elements that
They serve for your definitive selection. The literature review and consultation with people
Experts in the field of study contribute to better choice.

Classic quantitative research

 • According to the timing of the events and records of the information (retrospective)
prospect

• According to the period and sequence of the study (cross-sectional/longitudinal)

• Transversal, when variables are studied simultaneously in a certain context.
moment, making a cut in the tempo is not important in relation to the
manner in which the phenomena occur.
• Longitudinal studies one or more variables over a period that varies according to
the problem investigated and the characteristics of the variable being studied. In this
In research time is indeed important, whether it is because of behavior
the variables are measured over a given period or because time is decisive
in the cause-effect relationship.

• According to the analysis and scope of the results (descriptive, analytical, experimental)
• Descriptives are the basis and starting point of the other tools and are those that are.
aimed at determining 'how it is' or 'how the situation of the variables is'
studied in a population. The presence or absence of something, the frequency with which
a phenomenon occurs (prevalence or incidence), and in whom, where, and when it happens
is presenting a certain phenomenon. They answer questions such as:
How many people are working at the different levels of health care?
and its distribution by categories and professions? How many and which courses of
What training has the staff received since they started working at the institution?
What is the magnitude of diarrhea in certain communities?
• These studies can be cross-sectional or longitudinal, as well as
retrospective or prospective, or both.

Descriptive studies
What do I investigate?
Characteristics of the population.
Magnitude of problems: prevalence, incidence, proportion.
Factors associated with the problem.
Health and life conditions of the population.
Epidemiological, sociological, educational, administrative events, opinion of
people on different topics.
What are its characteristics?
It is a first level of investigation.
It presents the facts or phenomena but does not explain them.
The design is not focused on hypothesis testing, even though it is based on.
general or implicit hypotheses.
Depending on the variables to be studied, the studies can be cross-sectional, longitudinal,
prospective and retrospective.
What results can be obtained?
Characterize the problem
Provides a basis for other descriptive studies.
 Suggest variable associations as a starting point for analytical studies.
It establishes the basis for proposing hypotheses that lead to other investigations.
What are its limitations?
– Just try to describe phenomena or situations and propose
possible relationship between variables.
– Notes scope to check explanatory relationships between
the variables.
– Does not allow making predictions.

Analytical or explanatory studies

• They seek to answer why a certain phenomenon occurs, what the cause or factor is.
associated risk, or what is the effect of that cause or risk factor. In general, these
designs seek the association or correlation between variables. Usually a change in the
the magnitude of one of them is related to a change in the other variable, which can
be an increase or decrease
• They are classified into cohort studies and case-control studies. In general, in the latter
It is desired to know what part of the population that presented a certain problem was
exposed to the cause or factor associated with that problem, starting from the effect (E) to the cause
(C) .
• When discussing cause and effect, it is understood that the cause can be a characteristic, variable.
the conditioning factor associated and the effect a result of that cause. In a relationship
It would be expected that a higher number of cases would present the variable.
conditional; the search for that relationship is done retrospectively, starting from
effect or result to the cause or conditioning factor.

Data registration that

The occurred in the past
They
nothingPeriod or
RETROSPECTIVE
PROSPE
ACTIVO
the Date Causal or conditioning variable

ActualEstuof osaanalytical or explanatory

himself
regis of the es) tudio)
(design
Sin
tran With cause or
variable
a cause or
variable condition
medi condition nante
nante
yes
what
occur
ren
 Without cause or variable conditioning

Cause

(with effect)

Controls

(without effect)

Select
action Retrospective collection
of Population
group
os

Re
tro
sp
ect
Ivo
Analytical studies
• What do you investigate?
Factors related to a certain phenomenon, that is, the relationship between variables.
The cause or risk factor.
The risk of a phenomenon.
Risk factors or aspects that have the most influence on the phenomenon being studied.
• What are its characteristics?
It is a more advanced level of research in relation to the descriptive.
Hypotheses are proposed aimed at verifying explanatory relationships. Not
establish causal relationships.
Study problems starting from cause to effect and vice versa.
It requires the grouping of the sample or study population into categories of analysis.
(Study group/control group).
No intervention is made, groups that already present the variables are studied.
investigated. That is, the independent variable is not manipulated or applied.
• What results can be obtained?
Validate or reject the formulated hypotheses. That is, establish a relationship or association.
between variables (cause-effect)
Provides foundations for other experimental analytical studies.
Provides information to assess the effectiveness of implemented interventions in the
health services or in the communities.
• What are its limitations?
The cause-and-effect relationship cannot be established as clearly as in others.
designs (experimental, quasi-experimental).
Variables are studied as they naturally occur.
Experimental studies
• They are characterized by the introduction and manipulation of the causal or risk factor for the
posterior determination of the effect. For that manipulation, the sample is organized into two
groups. One is the 'study' or 'experimental' group and the other is the 'control' group. In
the first. The independent variable is applied, that is, the risk factor, and then measured
the effect or dependent variable. In the other, the independent variable is not applied, only
measures the effect. The basis of the study is to compare this effect in both groups.
• In classic experimental design, the random assignment of
both groups. That is, that any unit of the population has the same possibility of
to be part of the experimental group or the control group. This ensures that both groups
they have the same characteristics prior to the intervention.

Cohort analytical studies

Without cause
With effect or variable condition
Cause cause

Population

With effect or conditional variable Without effect or conditioning variable

Follow-up on
Without effect or conditioning variable

Prospect

Basic characteristics or requirements of experimental design

• Manipulation or application of the independent variable
• Random assignment of the experimental and control groups
• Control of the variables
 Group selection

Typology of experimental designs

A. Pre-experiments: minimum level of control
– A) Case study with a single measurement: G X O
– B) Design of pre-test - post-test with a single group:
• G O1 X O2

B. True experiments: these are those that meet the two requirements to achieve control and the
internal validity
Comparison Groups (manipulation of the independent variable or several)
independents.
Equivalences of the groups
a) Design in post-test only and control group
RG1 X O1
RG2 - O2
b) Design with randomized groups and post-test only and control group:
RG1 X1 O1
RG2 X2 O2
RG3 X3 O3
* * *
* * *
RGK Xk Ok
RGK+1 - Ok+1
c) Design with pre-test - post-test and control group
RG1 O1 X O2
RG2 O2 - O4
d) Design of four SOLOMON groups
RG1 O1 X O2
RG2 O3 - O4
RG3 - X O5
RG4 - - =6

Experimental designs of multiple time series

Chronological series without testing, with several post-tests and control groups
R G1 X1 O1 O2 O3
R G2 X2 O4 O5 O6
R G3 X3 O7 O8 O9
R G4 - O10 O11 O12

Chronological series with pre-test, several post-tests, and control groups

R G1 O1 X1 O2 O3 O4
R G2 O5 X2 O6 O7 O8
 R G3 O9 - O10 O11 O12

Chronological series based on the design of Solomon's four groups

RG1 O1 X O2 O3
RG2 O4 - O5 O6
RG3 - X O7 O8
RG4 - - O9 O10
Designs of time series with stimulus repetition
R G1 O1 X1 O2 X1 O3
R G2 O4 - O5 - O6

Descriptive Research Design

M O

Comparative Descriptive Research

M1 O1
M2 O2 O1=O2=O3=On
M3 O3 = = =
Mn On

Correlational Research
Ox Hey
M M Ox
Oh O2

Comparative Causal Research

M1 O1x
M2 O2x

Longitudinal Research
T1T2T3T4
M
O1O2O3O4

Cross-sectional research
M1 T
M2 T O
M3 T
M4 T

FACTORIAL DESIGNS
• These designs stand out from those presented so far by the following features:
– They involve two or more independent variables and not just one.
– The levels or categories of the variables combine with each other, giving rise to
various treatments
– They are intersubjective designs that are characterized by the existence of
as many subjects or different groups as possible treatments
– Subjects or groups are randomly assigned to the different treatments.
• Total or complete factorial designs that encompass all combinations or
possible treatments of the levels of independent variables are usually designated by
the variables or the number of their Categories united by the multiplication sign X, this way
"Factorial Design AxBxC" refers to a complete factorial design of three
variables A, B and C, or it is said: 'Factorial Design 3x2x4'.
• A Factorial Design of three variables is represented, the first one with three categories; the
second with two and the third with four. The product indicates the number of treatments that
In the example, there will be 24. When factorial designs do not cover due to being too numerous.
All possible different treatments are called fractional. For example.
a factorial design of 2x2 with the variable Teaching method, with two levels:
method1, method2; and method application also with two levels: audio
visual (A) and traditional (B). Then the possible treatments would be:

Classical experimental design

With effect (not included in the study)