CHOOSING AN

APPROPRIATE STUDY
DESIGN
 WHAT IS A RESEARCH DESIGN?
• THE BLUE PRINT OF THE STUDY
• GUIDES THE COLLECTION, MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS OF
DATA
• A PLAN OR COURSE OF ACTION WHICH THE RESEARCH
FOLLOWS INORDER TO ANSWER THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS OR
SOLVE THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• BASIS FOR DETERMINING WHAT DATA WILL BE COLLECTED AND
HOW THEY WILL BE ANALYZED AND INTERPRETED
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE STUDY

• RELIABILITY
• REFERS TO THE CONSISTENCY, STABILITY AND DEPENDABILITY OF THE DATA
• A RELIABLE MEASURING DEVICE IS ONE WHICH, IF USED FOR THE SECOND TIME,
WILL YIELD THE SAME RESULT AS IT DID THE FIRST TIME

• VALIDITY
• REFERS TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH A MEASURMENT DOES WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO
DO, WHICH IS TO MEASURE WHAT IT INTENDS TO MEASURE
• VALID DATA ARE NOT ONLY RELIABLE, BUT ALSO TRUE AND SOUND
 VALIDITY THREATS

• 1. HISTORY – EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF THE RESEARCH

• 2. SELECTION – ELEMENTS OR SUBJECTS SELECTED FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP

ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE CONTROL GROUP

• 3. TESTING – PRETEST IS GIVEN WHICH MAKES THE EXAMINEES TEST WISE AND CAN
AFFECT THE POST TEST RESULTS

• 4. INSTRUMENTATION – INSTRUMENT IS CHANGED DURING THE STUDY PERIOD

WHICH CAN AFFECT THE RESULT

• 5. MATURATION – PEOPLE AND THINGS CHANGE OVER TIME

• 6. MORTALITY – LOSS OF CASES DUE TO LONG PERIOD OF TIME THAT THE STUDY WAS
FINISHED WHICH MAY DISTORT FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
 COMMONLY USED RESEARCH DESIGN

• 1. NON/PRE-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
• APPROPRIATE FOR COLLECTING DESCRIPTIVE INFO ABOUT A POPULATION OR SUBJECTS OF A
STUDY
• FOR PROFILE STUDIES, EXPLORATORY, SMALL CASE STUDIES

A. POSTTEST ONLY DESIGN OR AFTER-ONLY SURVEY

B. PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN OR BEFORE –AFTER SURVEY
C. STATIC GROUP COMPARISON
 COMMONLY USED RESEARCH DESIGN

• 2. TRUE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

• SUBJECTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL & CONTROL GROUP TO
ACHIEVE PRE-INTERVENTION/TREATMENT EQUALITY OF THE 2 GROUPS

• A. PRETEST – POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP DESIGN

• B. POST TEST ONLY CONTROL GROUP DESIGN
 COMMONLY USED RESEARCH DESIGN

• 3. QUASI- EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

• DO NOT HAVE RESTRICTIONS OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT

• A. NON-EQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP DESIGN

• EXPERIMENTAL GROUP
• CONTROL GROUP
• B. TIME SERIES DESIGN
• HAS REPEATED OBSERVATIONS/MEASUREMENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION
 SELECTING A STUDY DESIGN

• 1. ETHICAL ISSUES
• NOT ENDANGER LIVES, VIOLATE PEOPLE’S RIGHTS & DIGNITY,
NO DENIAL OF SERVICES
• 2. PRACTICAL & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
• SUFFICIENT FUNDS, COMPETENT PERSONNEL, ADEQUATE
FACILITIES
• 3. TECHNICAL ISSUES
• CONSIDER TECHNICAL ASPECTS
 GUIDELINES FOR A GOOD RESEARCH
DESIGN

• ETHICAL
• CAPABLE OF OBTAINING THE MOST RELIABLE AND VALID DATA
GIVEN ALL CONSTRAINTS
• CAPABLE OF COLLECTING THE NEEDED DATA OR MEASURING
WHATEVER IT IS THAT HAPPENS IN THE FIELD
• HELPS AN INVESTIGATOR AVOID MAKING ERRONEOUS
CONCLUSIONS