RESEARCH DESIGNS

(QUANTITAVE)
 Choosing a Research Design
• Doing good science.
– Choosing a research design that best meets
the objectives of the research study.
 Choosing a Research design
Research
Methodology,
Research Designs,
and Methods

Quantitative
Approaches

Exploratory Designs Descriptive designs Causal designs

Mathematical
In-depth interviews
models
Single factor Multifactor
experiments experiments

Focus group
interviews Field surveys Quasi-experimental Non-experimental
designs designs
Quantitative Research Designs
Establish
Research
Objectives

Select a
Research
Design

Exploratory Descriptive Causal

Research Research Research

Design data-
gathering
instrument

Gather,
analyze, and
interpret data

Report study
findings
 Quantitative Research Designs
 Questions
 What characteristics of the people in my sample distinguish
them from other groups or subgroups of people who I might
have included in my study?
 Are there any differences in the subgroups contained in this
sample that might influence the way the questions are
answered or opinions are offered?
 Are there any statistically significant differences in the
answers of any groups or subgroups in this sample, or did
they all answer the questions in roughly the same way?
 What confidence do I have that any differences that I do find
did not occur by chance?
 Is there any association between any two or more variables
in my study? Is it relevant? Is it significant?
 Quantitative Research Designs
• Statistical tests
– Measures of central tendency, variability, or dispersion.
– Graphic methods, such as tables, charts, and graphs.
– Hypothesis tests.
– Association (correlation) tests.
– A few tools for specific purposes, such as time-series and
quality tests.
• Three types of designs.
– Exploratory.
– Descriptive.
– Causal.
 Exploratory Designs
• Exploratory studies are small-sample designs
used primarily for gaining insights and ideas
about research problems and the variables and
issues associated with those problems.
– Sometimes called pilot studies.
• They usually do not stand alone.
• Data gathering techniques.
– Key informant interviews.
– Focus group interview sessions.
– Pilot surveys (pre-testing an instrument).
 Descriptive Designs
 Usually done to develop a snapshot of a particular phenomenon off interest.
 Description of an event or define a set of attitudes, opinions, or behaviors
that are observed or measured at a given time and environment.
 Usually involve large samples.
 Descriptive studies can be cross-sectional (one point in time) or longitudinal
(panel study).
 An example of a cross-sectional study would be a medical study looking
at the prevalence of breast cancer in a population
 A longitudinal study, like a cross-sectional one, is observational. However,
in a longitudinal study, researchers conduct several observations of the
same subjects over a period of time, sometimes lasting many years.
 Field studies (In depth surveying on a few topics, more branching questions,
more open-ended) or field surveys (most commonly encountered quantitative
technique in administrative, social, and human sciences).
 Samples or populations.
 Causal Designs
• Usually require designing and conducting experiments.
• Control for confounding and intervening variables.
• Confounding Variable: an outside influence that changes the effect of
a dependent and independent variable. Simply, a confounding
variable is an extra variable entered into the equation that was not
accounted for.
• Types of causal studies.
– Relational.
• Correlational studies.
• Adjust for confounding and intervening variables statistically.
– Experimental.
• Treatment and control groups.
• Adjust for confounding and intervening variables by random
assignment.