Research Design

Abstract
Research is considered legitimate if the conclusion reached is truthful and reliable. The
research design serves as the framework that guides the research process. To conduct research,
a scholar must develop a plan of action that outlines the methods for data collection,
measurement, and analysis. Research design is not restricted to a specific data collection
technique or data type. When developing a research plan, it is important to identify the
appropriate evidence needed to adequately address the research question. This section has
provided an overview of the purpose, significance, and various types of research design.

Keywords: Origin, Exploratory, Descriptive, Explanatory,

Experimental

Introduction
Research design can be considered as the structure of research it is the “Glue” that holds
all of the elements in a research project together, in short it is a plan of the proposed research
work. Research design is defined by different social scientists in different terms; some of the
definitions are as: according to Jahoda, Deutch & Cook “A research design is the arrangement
of conditions for the collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance
to the research purpose with economy and procedure”. Research design is the plan, structure
and strategy and investigation concaved so as to obtain ensured to search question and control
variance”. Henry Manheim says that research design not only anticipates and specifies the
seemingly countless decisions connected with carrying out data collection, processing and
analysis but it presents a logical basis for these decisions. Zikmund defined as “a master plan
specifying the methods and procedure for collecting and analyzing the needed information”.
The definitions stress systematic methodology in collecting right information for
interpretations with economy and procedure. In-fact the research design is the conceptual
within which research is conducted:
1. The blueprint for the collection.
2. Measurement and
3. Analysis of data.
research design should be based more or less on some methodology the research design should
be made once the topic and problem of research have been selected and formulated, objectives
have been properly outlined, concepts have been properly defined and the hypothesis have been
properly framed. The research design should be able to provide answers of the following
reserve queries:

1. What is the study about and, what type of data is required?

2. What is the purpose of study?
3. What are the sources of needed data?
4. What should be the place or area of the study?
5. What time, approximately, is required for the study?
6. What should be the amount of materials or number of cases for the study?
7. What type of sampling should be used?
8. What method of data collection would be appropriate?
9. How will data be analysed?
10. What should be the approximate expenditure?
11. What should be the specific nature of the study? 6

Origins
Research design emerged as a recognizable field of study in the 1960s, at first marked
by a conference on Design Method at Imperial college, London in 1962. It led to the founding
of the Design Research Society (DRS) in 1966. John Christopher Jones founded a postgraduate
Design Research laboratory at the University Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
(who initiated the 1962 conference) and L. Bruce Scher founded the postgraduate Department
of Design Research at the Royal College of Art, London and became the first professor of
Research Design. Some of the origin of design methods and research design lay in the
emergence after the and world management decision making technique the most fundamental
challenge to conventional ideas on design has been the grouching advocacy of systematic
methods of problem and the development of design solutions. Herbert Simon (1969)
established the foundations for a science of design which would be a body of intellectually
tough, analytic, partly formalizable, partly empirical, teachable doctrine about the design
process.

Features
1. It is a plan that specifies the sources and type of information relevant to the research problem.
2. It is a strategy specifying which approach distill be used gathering and analyzing data.
3. It also includes the time and cost budgets since most studies are done under these two
constraints.
In brief research design must at least contain-
1. A clear statement of research problem.
2. Procedures and technique to be used for gathering data or information.
3. The population to be studied.
4. Methods to be used in processing & analysis data.

Phases in Research Designing

The Research process proceeds in six phases:
1. Specifying the problem/topic to be studied
2. Framing research design
3. Planning a sample (probability or non-probability or combination of the two)
4. Collecting the data
5. Analyzing the data (editing, coding, processing, tailgating)
6. Preparing the report.
Elements of Design Observation our Measures
These are symbolized by an „O‟ in design notation. An O can refer to a single measure
(e.g. measure of a body weight), a single instrument with multiple items (e.g. a 10 item self-
esteem scale), a complex multipart instrument (e.g., survey), or a whole battery of tests or
measures given out on one occasion. If you need to distinguish among specific measures, you
can use subscripts with the O, as in O1, O2 & So on.

Treatments our Programs

These symbolized will an „X‟ in design notation the X can refer to a simple intervention
(e.g. a onetime surgical technique) or to a complex hodgepodge program (e.g. an employment
training program). Usually, a non-treatment control or comparison group has no symbol for the
treatment.

Group: - Each group in a design gives its own line in the design structure if the design notation
has three lines, there are three groups in the design.

Assignment to Group
Assignment to group is designed by a latter at the beginning of each time (eg. Group)
that describe how the group was assigned. The major types of assignment are: -
R = Random
Assignment
N = Nonequivalent
groups
C = Assignment by
Time cutoff
Time moves from left to right elements that are listed on the left occur before elements
that are listed on the right.

Need for Research Design

Research design is necessary because it makes possible the smooth sailing of the
various research procedures, thereby creation research as professional as possible, yielding
maximum information with a minimum expenditure of effort, time and money. For better,
economical and attractive construction of a house, we need a blueprint (or what is a community
called the map of the house) prepared by an expert architect, similarly we need a research
design or a plan in advance of data collection and analysis for four research projects. Research
design stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting the relevant
data and the techniques to be used in the analysis, keeping in view the objective of the research
and the audibility of staff, time and money. Designing the research project may result in rending
the research exercise unsuccessful. It is, therefore, imperative that an efficient and appropriate
design must be prepared before starting research processes. The research design helps the
investigator to organize his ideas in a shape whereby it will be possible for him to look for
errors and shortages.
 Nature of Good Research Design
A good research design is regularly characterized by adjectives like flexible,
appropriate, efficient, and economical and so on. Generally, the design which minimizes bias
and collected & analyses is considered a good design. The design which gives the smallest
experimental error in supposed to be the best design in many investigations similarly; a design
which yields maximal information many different aspects of a problem is considered most
appropriate and efficient design in respect of many research problems. Some of the strategies
of good research design are as follows:

Theory – Grounded
Good research reflects the theories which are being investigated where specific
theoretical expectations can be hypothesized these are incorporated into the design.

Situational
Good research designs make known the settings for the study, this was shown above
where a specific need of teacher and administrators was openly addressed in the design plan.
Similarly, demoralization, intergroup competition and competition might be accessed
throughout the use of the additional comparison group who are not in direct contact with the
original group.

Feasible
Good design can be implemented. The series and timing of events are cautiously
throughout. Possible problems in measurement, devotion to project database construction and
the like, are predictable.

Redundant
Good research designs have some flexibility built into them often this flexibility results
from the repetition of essential design features.

Efficient
Good research design strikes a balance between redundancy and the
tendency to over design. Where it is responsible, other, less costly, strategies for ruling out
potential threats validity cure utilized.

Types of Research Design

Typology of Research study

Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory Experimental

1. Exploratory or Formulative Research

2. Descriptive Research or Statistical Research
3. Explanatory Research
4. Experimental Research or Analytical Research

Exploratory Research
It is the primary stage of research and the purpose of this research is to achieve new
insights into a phenomenon. This research is one which has the purposes of formulating a
problem for more accurate investigating a problem for more accurate investigation or for
developing a hypothesis. This is applied when there are few or no earlier research/studies to
which references can be made for information. The focus of this research is on gaming insights
and familiarity with the subject area fair more rigorous investigation later. Exploratory studies
are usually more appropriate in case of problem about which little research knowledge is
available, for instance, there is little knowledge available about social interaction pattern of
members of a most monastery an enterprising researcher may be interested in such a problem
to obtain insights in the face of little knowledge available about it.

Steps of Exploratory Research

We have already noted the exploratory research should be considered the initial step in
a continuous research processes rather than a detached exercise. The following methods may
be is helpful for exploratory research: -
Survey of Literature
An exploratory is concerned with an area of subject matter in which hypothesis have
not got been formulated. The researcher’s task then is to review the available material with an
eye on the possibilities of developing a hypothesis from it. In some areas if the subject matter,
the hypothesis may have been stated by previous research works. The researcher has to gather
this various hypothesis with a view to evaluate their usefulness for further research and to
consider whether they suggest new hypothesis.

The Experience of Survey

Many people in the course of their day-to-day experience, by virtue of their peculiar
placement as officials, social workers, professional etc., are in a position to observe the effects
of different policy –actions and to relate these to problems of human welfare.

Following are the ways of Experience Survey Best Hypothesis

By the help of experience survey best hypothesis can be made.

Behavioural Possibility
It introduces the different study of behavioural possibility.

Knowledge of Facilities
By the help of knowledge of facilities source of important knowledge can be found.

Control Factor
By the help of related factors controlled and un-controlled knowledge can be found.
Knowledge of Helping Persons
By the help of this we found that type of knowledge which is related to the agencies, business
worker and another person which is helpful of study.

Case Study
In a case study, the insight-stimulating cases should be selected for special study. For particular
problems, certain cases may be found more appropriate than others. The observations of
strangers or foreigners may be very valuable, with reference to a certain community or culture.
In case study, the researcher himself has to be very alert.

Under the case study method, the subject matter studied in all its dimensions &
ramifications. The researcher may take into account in this method, the transitional case,
pathological cases, complicated may take into account in this method, the transitional case,
pathological cases, complication and simple cases and description by foreigners and marginal
individuals. The aim of the case study is to know precisely the factors and causes which plain
the complete behavioral patterns of unit and the place of the unit in its surrounding social miller.
It gives enough information about a person or a group or a unit the case study technique,
generally, studies the subject-matter qualitatively and covers all aspects of a single entity.
However, it we can say that, exploratory research leads to insights and formulation of
hypothesis, but the hypothesis is not tested in such studied/research for testing hypothesis, we
revise more carefully controlled studies/research. The results of exploratory research are not
usually useful for decision-making by themselves, but they can provide significant insight into
a given situation. Although the results of qualitative research can give some indication as to
the „why‟, „how‟ and „when‟ something occurs, it cannot tell us “how often” or „how many‟.

Descriptive Research
It is also known as statistical research, this describes phenomena as they exist. It is used
to identify and obtain information on characteristic of a particular issue like community, group
or people. In other words, we can say that this type of research describes social events, social
structure, social situations, etc. The observer observe and describe what did he find?
Descriptive research answers the questions, what, who, where, how and when. It is used to
study the current situation. It is widely used in the physical and natural science. But it is used
more common in the social sciences, as in socioeconomic survey and job and activity analysis.
Descriptive research aim at portraying accurately the characteristics of a particular
group or situation, one may undertake a descriptive study about the works in a factory, their
age distribution, their community-wise, distribution, their educational level, their state of their
physical health and so on also one may study the conditions of work in a factory health, safety
and welfare. One may undertake to describe the organization of industrial establishment or if a
trade union congress. A descriptive study may be concerned with the attitude or views (of a
person) towards anything e.g., attitudes presidential form of government, right to strike, capital
punishment, prohibition, college autonomy etc.

Steps of Descriptive Research

Descriptive research involves the following steps:
The Clear discrimination of objective of Research
First step is to select the main purpose of research it is necessary because for proper
study of research. Without main aim and purpose research cannot go properly.

Determination of the Method of Data Collection

For any research method, data collection is necessary which type of research the
researcher want, he must have to select the method like questionnaire observation, interview
etc. of their research.
Selection of Sampling
The place which is selected by the researcher, there must be many people so it is
difficult to make contact with all persons this the researcher select some people these selected
people are known as sampling selection of sampling have some essential terms.
Real Collection of Data
For real collection of data, the researcher must have to in his real research field, and it
is collected in a selected step at the time of data collection reality is necessary for investigation.

Analysis of Achieved conclusion

After the collection of data the researcher makes the conclusion of the whole research
or investigation for conclusion coding, tabulating and graph representation is used.

Limitation of Descriptive Research

The Research may make description an end itself research is essentially creative and
demand the discovery of the facts in order to lead to a solution of the problem. Another
limitation lies in going to the other extreme, and generally is associated weather the statistical
technique dominates. This limitation arises because statistics, which is partly a descriptive tool
of analysis can aid, but not always explain causal relation. Thus, the major goal of a descriptive
research is to describe events, phenomena and situation. Since the description is made on the
basis of scientific observation, it is expected to be more accurate and precise than casual.
Descriptive research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects
another; in other words, description research can be said to have a low requirement for internal
validity.

In short, descriptive research concern with the whole thing that can be studied and counted.
But there are always limitations to that other research must have an impact on the lives of the
people around us. If a investigator is studying a community which is familiar and his research
area is to represent accurately and in detail the character of a particular institution, group or an
event in the community, the suitable research design is called Descriptive research design
sometimes, descriptive design form a second step of research the first being explanatory design
thus, sometimes, research design is formulated through explanatory design and to test the
research design, description design is formulated.
Explanatory Research Design
When the purpose of the study is to explore a new universe, one that has not been
studied earlier, the research design is called explanatory. The research is mainly concerned
with causes or „why‟ factor about some phenomenon. It does not involve comparison and
factors of change. For instance, research on „violence against bloomed‟ conducted by this
author described not only varieties of violence like criminal assault, lettering, kidnapping,
murder, dourly death, etc. but also explain why men commit violence because of personality
traits like dominance, suspicion, possession, etc. and situational factors like resourcefulness,
alcoholism, maladjustment strains, and stresses, and so on.

The research purpose in this case is to gain familiarity in unknown areas. Often explanatory
research design is used to formulate a problem for specific investigations, or aim at formulating
research Design thus, often when the universe of study is an unidentified community, this
design forms the first step of research, after which other types of research designs can be used.
The hypothesis in an explanatory research that states the relationship between two or more
variable, i.e., not only it is hypothesized that A is related to B but rather that A has some
particular effect on B. In other words, we can say an explanatory study thus focuses on
determining the „why‟ aspect of correlation ship. Example; we can say that the study of voting
behavior of people in parliamentary elections, held in March 1998 and September 1999
respectively, were explanatory student because these explained how people so voted because
of, programmers and policies of political parties, language or alignments, caste, political
ideology, committed image and honest of the candidate, etc. The important variable between
two periods was Kargil was because of which there was a swing in votes in famous of NDA,
led by BJP this research was conducted into two situations at the times, but it was focused on
causal factors of more votes in favor of the BJP due to Kargil war, Decision of congress into
two groups after Sharad Pawar‟s forming a separate political party, and alignment of the BJP
with more regional party. Thus, explanatory studies have not confused with empiricism, with
fact gathering, i.e., unrelated to sociological theory. Explanatory research also, many kinds of
designs could be appropriate, e.g. two-cell, four-cell design, marching design. The explanatory
study always carries with it a set of concept that guide the researcher to look for the facts.

Experimental Research Design

The Research design that is used to test a Research Design of causal relationship under
controlled situation is called experimental design. We should remember that an experiment is
an observation under controlled conditions or in other words, we can say that it is a design in
which some of the variables being studied are manipulated or which seek to control the
condition within which persons are observed. Controlling of conditions means that the
phenomenon or the condition should not be allowed to change while the experimentation is
going on. In experimentation, various types of evidence have to be, controlled so that the
alternative hypothesis can be tested, and causal relationship may be found out. In short, here
„control‟ means holding once factor constant while others are free to vary in the experiment.
Independent variable are manipulated and its effect upon dependent variable is measured, while
other variables which may confound such a relationship are controlled.
 Types of Experimental Research
1. After-only experimental design
2. Before – after experimental design.
3. Ex-post facto design
4. Panel study
In the first type of experimental design, the experimental group and the control group
are similar the uncontrolled extreme factors may affect both the group causal. The experimental
group is exposed to the assumed causal variable (X) but the control group is not exposed. After
the experimentation is over, both groups are compared, and it may be noticed that some effect
(Y) is produced in the experimental group, but not in the control group the groups are assumed
to be exactly similar. This may not be true. Secondly, it is possible that Y is produced not by
X, but by some other external factors, or by the joint interaction of X & other external factions.

In the second type, the dependent variable, i.e. effect is measured both a before and
after the exposure of group, groups to experiment. This experiment may use one group or
several groups. There may be one control group or more than one control group. The greatest
weakness of this design is that during experiment, a group may be influenced by the external
factor in a different way than the other group, for there is nothing to ensure uniform change.
However, this design is more reliable than after-only design.

In the third type of experimental research design, researcher depend on historical

background because sometimes it is not possible to divide the population into two clear and
similar groups this may be the case where the entire society consisting of different varieties of
people and conditions are involved. It may be necessary to study the entire historical
background of a country in the export facto design past is studied through the present.
And the last type of experimental research design is panel study. It is a method of study
of aparticular subject over time by using different kinds of data. In this, the researcher may
secure direct evidence of time relationship among variables. It involves repeated observations
on the same subject at different period of time. In after sense it is a time-series study. In the
panel technique, the variation in the result may be attributed to a real change in phenomena. It
is continuous, through deep & reliable, it has also many limitations, e.g., loss of panel members,
non-representativeness, rigid attitude of the members and so on.

Thus, we find that the experimental research are affected by several limitations Human
Society reveals inequalities in many choose and find out homogeneous groups for experiments.
The purpose of experimental research is to test the hypothesis of a causal relationship between
variables. For an experimental study/research, two groups are required, and compared in terms
of the assured effect of the experimental variable the validity of an experiment depends on the
equivalence between control group & the experimental group chosen.

Common Application of Research Design

Design Best for Also used
for
 Survey
1. Cross-Section Description Explanation
2. Longitudinal Description Exploration
Explanation
Literature Reviews Exploration Description &
Explanation
Unobtrusive
Method
1. Cross-Section Description Explanation
Exploration
2. Longitudinal Description
Explanation Exploration
Experiment Experimentation
Field Search Exploration Description
Explanation
Conclusion
From the above defined notes we can say that design
means “drawing an outline” or arranging or planning details. It is the method of building
decisions before a situation arises in which the decision has to be carried out. Research design
is the preparation of a strategy of conducting research these are the important points to be
considered in formulating any research. All these steps are to be put on paper to avoid
ambiguity at a later stage. The work in research design, thus starts after the selection of problem
and ends before collection of data. The gap between two should be bridged carefully with a
well planned research design.

Thus, it can be said that a research design should contain detailed information about
Research topic, Objectives, Concepts and their operational definition, Variables, Hypothesis,
Method of data collection & method of the data process, Analysis and interpretation, Time
dimension of study and approximate expenditure involve.
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