TOPIC 2: RESEARCH DESIGN

HRS2013: BASIC RESEARCH SKILLS

Learning Outcome

At the end of the lesson

students will be able to
know the purpose of a
research design
SUBTOPICS
01 EXPLORATORY

02 DESCRIPTIVE

03 HYPOTHESES TESTING

04 CASE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
TO RESEARCH DESIGN
Definition Of
Research Design

A research design is basically a plan or

strategy for conducting one’s research
 According to Beiger and Gerlach (1996), the
01
research design enables the researcher to
develop a set of methods and procedures that
lead him to answer the research problems and
test research hypotheses with a high degree of
03
confidence
It serves as a blueprint or
plan of the study.

The goal of a good

research design is to
provide credible
answers to research
questions.
 01.
EXPLORATORY
▪ Exploratory research is defined as a
research used to investigate a problem
which is not clearly defined.
▪ It is conducted to have a better
understanding of the existing problem, but
will not provide conclusive results.
▪ It is often referred to as grounded theory
approach or interpretive research as it used
to answer questions like what, why and
how.
A study into the role of social networking sites as an
effective marketing communication channel

An investigation into the ways of improvement of

quality of customer services within hospitality sector
in London
An assessment of the role of corporate social
responsibility on consumer behavior in
pharmaceutical industry in the USA
Methodologies Of Exploratory
Research

Primary Secondary

Information gathered
Information gathered
through self-
from previously
conducted research
conducted studies.
methods.
Primary Methodology
• Research is conducted first hand to obtain data.
• Researcher “owns” the data collected.
• Based on raw data.
• The data collected fits the needs of a researcher, it is
customized.
• Researcher is deeply involved in research to collect data in
primary research.
• It is an expensive process and consumes a lot of time to
collect and analyze data.
 Secondary Methodology
• Research is based on data collected from previous researches.
• Based on tried and tested data which is previously analyzed and
filtered.
• Data may or may not be according to the requirement of a researcher.
• It is fast and easy and aims at gaining a broader understanding of
subject matter.
• It is a quick process as data is already available.
• Researcher should know where to explore to get most appropriate
data.
Primary Research Methods

Observations Surveys Interviews Focus Groups

• The subject is • Used to collect • The best in terms • Collect data from
being watched data from a of collecting a group of people
from afar predefined detailed and with similar
subject(s) correct data characteristics
Secondary Research Methods
The process of Online research A researcher
conducting old sources are the might find
resources like cheapest and relevant
publications, easiest method information on

Case Study
Literature

Online Sources
textbooks, of research. the problem
articles, under study by
magazines, etc. studying existing
cases.
 Advantages of Exploratory Research
Exploratory research is inexpensive to perform, especially when using the second method for
research.

Exploratory does not have a standard process and as such is very flexible.

Information gathered from exploratory research is very useful as it helps lay the foundation for
future research.

It gives researchers more insight into the problem under study.

Researchers don't have to waste time conducting irrelevant research when using an exploratory
approach. It helps the researcher if the topic is worth investigating at an early stage.
 Disadvantages of Exploratory Research
It produces an inconclusive
result.
Exploratory research
provides qualitative data,
Many of the data collected
which may be difficult to
through secondary sources
interpret. The interpretation
may be old and outdated.
of qualitative data may be
bias and/or judgmental.

Exploratory research
If collected through online
mostly involves a smaller
sources, the researcher
sample whose result may
may be prone to collecting
be incorrect for a larger
false information.
population.
 02.
DESCRIPTIVE
Definition Of Descriptive Research

Descriptive research is defined as a research method that

describes the characteristics of the population or
phenomenon studied.
• This methodology focuses more on the
“what” of the research subject than the
“why” of the research subject.
• It primarily focuses on describing the nature
of a demographic segment, without
focusing on “why” a particular phenomenon
occurs.
• In other words, it “describes” the subject of
the research, without covering “why” it
happens.
Market researchers want to
A company wants to evaluate
observe the habits of
the morale of its staff.
consumers.

A school district wants to

To understand if its wellness
understand if students will
programs enhance the overall
access online lessons rather
health of the employees.
than textbooks.
Descriptive Research Methods

Observational Method Case Study Method Survey Research

Observational Method
• The observational method allows
researchers to collect data based on their
view of the behavior and characteristics of
the respondent, with the respondents
themselves not directly having an input.
• This process can be said to be either
quantitative or qualitative.
Observational Method (Cont.)

Quantitative Observation Qualitative Observation

Involves the monitoring of
characteristics and not the
Involved the objective collection measurement of numbers.
of numerical data, whose results
can be analyzed using numerical
and statistical methods. The researcher makes his
observation from a distance, records
it, and is used to inform conclusions.
Survey Research Method

• Researchers create a survey or

questionnaire and distribute it to
respondents who give answers.
• It is used to obtain quick information
directly from the primary source and also
conducting rigorous quantitative and
qualitative research.
• Survey research uses a blend of both
qualitative and quantitative strategies.
 Advantages of Descriptive Research
Quick To
Natural
Data Collection Varied Perform And
Environment
Cheap
Since the data
A researcher can Descriptive research
collected is
conduct descriptive allows for the As the sample size
qualitative and
research using research to be is generally large in
quantitative, it gives
specific methods conducted in the descriptive
a holistic
like observational respondent’s natural research, the data
understanding of a
method, case study environment, which collection is quick to
research topic. The
method, and survey ensures that high- conduct and is
information is
method (primary quality and honest inexpensive.
varied, diverse, and
data collection). data is collected.
thorough.
Disadvantages of Descriptive Research

Descriptive methods only provide the answers for “what” and do not
answer the why and how.

Descriptive methods mainly depend on the responses of people.

People might not act their true selves if they know they are being
observed. There are chances that some people don’t answer the
questions honestly, which makes the output of the descriptive
research study invalid and the results derived from this type of data
will not be accurate.
Disadvantages of Descriptive Research
(Cont.)
Another problem associated with descriptive research is
the halo effect. A researcher might get partial or bias if he
knows the participant personally. The observations made
in this way would be considered invalid.

In descriptive research methods, participants are picked

randomly. The randomness of the sample can’t represent
the whole population accurately.
 03.
HYPOTHESES
TESTING
Definition of Hypothesis Testing

Hypothesis testing is a systematic

procedure for deciding whether the
results of a research study support a
particular theory which applies to a
population.
• Hypothesis testing uses sample data
to evaluate a hypothesis about a
population.
• A hypothesis test assesses how unusual
the result is, whether it is reasonable
chance variation or whether the result is
too extreme to be considered chance
variation.
Basic Terms Of Hypotheses Testing
• To carry out statistical hypothesis testing, research and null
hypothesis are employed.
Research Hypothesis
(HA)
• This is the hypothesis that you
propose, also known as the
alternative hypothesis. For
example:
• HA: There is a relationship
between intelligence and
academic results.
• HA: First year university
students obtain higher grades
after an intensive Statistics
course.
• HA: Males and females differ in
their levels of stress.
Null Hypothesis (Ho)
• The opposite of the research
hypothesis and expresses that
there is no relationship between
variables, or no differences
between groups. For example:
• Ho: There is no relationship
between intelligence and
academic results.
• Ho: First year university students
do not obtain higher grades after
an intensive Statistics course.
• Ho: Males and females will not
differ in their levels of stress.
 Purposes Of Hypotheses Testing
✓ The purpose of hypothesis testing is to test
whether the null hypothesis (there is no
difference, no effect) can be rejected or
approved.
✓ If the null hypothesis is rejected, then the
research hypothesis can be accepted.
✓ If the null hypothesis is accepted, then the
research hypothesis is rejected.
• In hypothesis testing, a value is set to assess
whether the null hypothesis is accepted or
rejected and whether the result is statistically
significant:
➢A critical value is the score the sample
would need to decide against the null
hypothesis.
➢A probability value is used to assess the
significance of the statistical test. If the null
hypothesis is rejected, then the alternative to
the null hypothesis is accepted.
 Hypothesis Testing Process
Restate the research question as research hypothesis and a null
hypothesis about the populations.

Determine the characteristics of the comparison distribution.

Determine the cut off sample score on the comparison

distribution at which the null hypothesis should be rejected.

Determine your sample’s score on the comparison distribution.

Decide whether to reject the null hypothesis.

• Let’s say that you conduct an experiment to investigate
whether students’ ability to memorize words improves after
they have consumed caffeine.
• The experiment involves two groups of students: the first
group consumes caffeine; the second group drinks water.
• Both groups complete a memory test.
• A randomly selected individual in the experimental condition
(i.e. the group that consumes caffeine) has a score of 27 on
the memory test. The scores of people in general on this
memory measure are normally distributed with a mean of 19
and a standard deviation of 4.
• The researcher predicts an effect (differences in memory for
these groups) but does not predict a particular direction of
effect (i.e. which group will have higher scores on the
memory test). Using the 5% significance level, what should
you conclude?
• Step 1:
➢ There are two populations of interest
➢ Population 1: People who go through the
experimental procedure (drink coffee).
➢ Population 2: People who do not go through the
experimental procedure (drink water).
➢ Research hypothesis: Population 1 will score
differently from Population 2.
➢ Null hypothesis: There will be no difference
between the two populations.
• Step 2:
➢ We know that the characteristics of the
comparison distribution (student population)
are:
➢ Population M = 19, Population SD= 4,
normally distributed. These are the mean
and standard deviation of the distribution of
scores on the memory test for the general
student population.
• Step 3:
➢ For a two-tailed test (the direction of the
effect is not specified) at the 5% level (2.5%
at each tail), the cut off sample scores are
+1.96 and -1.96.
• Step 4:
➢ Your sample score of 27 needs to be converted
into a Z value. To calculate Z = (27-19)/4= 2

➢ Step 5:
➢ A ‘Z’ score of 2 is more extreme than the cut off
Z of +1.96 (see figure above). The result is
significant and, thus, the null hypothesis is
rejected.
 04.
CASE STUDY
Definition Of Case Study Research

A case study is a detailed study

of a specific subject, such as a
person, group, place, event,
organization, or phenomenon.
• Case studies are commonly used in social,
educational, clinical, and business research.
• A case study research design usually
involves qualitative methods, but quantitative
methods are sometimes also used.
• Case studies are good for describing,
comparing, evaluating and understanding
different aspects of a research problem.
• A case study is an appropriate research
design when you want to gain concrete,
contextual, in-depth knowledge about a
specific real-world subject.
How To Start A Case Study Research
• Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions,
you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on.
Step 1: Select a case

• A good case study should have the potential to:

✓Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
✓Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
✓Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
✓Open up new directions for future research

• Unlike quantitative or experimental research, a strong case study does not

require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often
deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed
new light on the research problem.
 • While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories,
they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way
the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into
Step 2: Build a theoretical

existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

➢Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under
investigation
framework

➢Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need

to be incorporated
➢Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with
established assumptions

• To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding,
you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and
develop a theoretical framework. This means identifying key concepts and
theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.
 • There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on
Step 3: Collect your data

your subject.
• Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as
interviews, observations, and analysis of primary and secondary
sources (e.g. newspaper articles, photographs, official records).
• Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.
 • In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant
aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.
Step 4: Describe and

• How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are
analyze the case

doing.
• Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis,
with separate sections or chapters for the methods, results and discussion.
• Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from
various angles and analyze its meanings and implications.
Thank you