Before examining types of research designs it is important to be clear about the role and purpose of research design. We need to understand what research design is and what it is not. We need to know where design it into the whole research process from framing a question to finally analysing and reporting data. Three traditional categories: ? Exploratory ? Descriptive ? Causal The choice of the most appropriate design depends largely on the objectives of the research and how much is known about the problem and research objectives.
DESIGN is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the behaviour of a subject without influencing it in any way. Many scientific disciplines, especially social science and psychology, use this method to obtain a general overview of the subject. Some subjects cannot be observed in any other way; for example, a social case study of an individual subject is a descriptive research design and allows observation without affecting normal behaviour. It is also useful where it is not possible to test and measure the large number of samples needed for more quantitative types of experimentation.
These types of experiments are often used by anthropologists, psychologists and social scientists to observe natural behaviours without affecting them in any way. It is also used by market researchers to judge the habits of customers, or by companies wishing to judge the morale of staff. The results from a descriptive research can in no way be used as a definitive answer or to disprove a hypothesis but, if the limitations are understood, they can still be a useful tool in many areas of scientific research. ? Can involve collecting quantitative information Can describe categories of qualitative information such as patterns of interaction when using technology in the classroom. ? Does not fit neatly into either category ? Involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data.
