Chapter Four

Research Design

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 Research Design

“Research Design is not rigid in the

specific discipline. It will be based
on the selected Research
Method/Methods”

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 Key aspects of research design

• Research Methodology
• Research Methods
• Sample Collection (Participant) and
• Data collection procedures and
instruments.

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 What is Research Design?
• It is a scientific blue print that is used in
completing a study.
• Research design is a comprehensive plan of the
sequence of operations that a researcher intends
to carry out to achieve the research objectives.
• It involves selecting the most appropriate
methods and techniques to solve the problem
under investigation. 4
 Definitions:

• “Research design is the planned sequence of the entire

process involved in conducting a research study” Miller.
• “Research design is the plan and structure of investigation
so as to obtain answers to research questions. The plan is
the overall scheme or program of the research. It includes
an outline of what the investigator will do from writing
hypotheses and their operational implications to the final
analysis of data. A research design expresses both the
structure of the research problem and the plan of
investigation used to obtain empirical evidence for the
problem.” Donald and Pamela.
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 Essentials of Research Design
• It is an activity and time based plan.
• It is always based on the research questions.
• It guides the selection of sources and types of
information.
• It is a framework for specifying the relationships among
the study variables.
• It outlines procedures for every research activity.
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 Major Research design
decisions
• Wilkinson and Bhandarkar with their through
research have listed the following major research
design decisions:
• What the study is about and what are the types of data
needed?
• Why the study is being made?
• Where the data needed can be found?
• Where or in what area the study will be carried out?
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 Major Research design decisions
cont’d…

• How much material or how many samples will be needed?

• What bases of selection (sample) will be used?
• What techniques of gathering data will be adopted?
• How will the data be analyzed? And
• How best can these above questions be decided upon and
decisions articulated in manner that the research purpose
can be achieved with minimum expenditure of money,
time and energy?
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 Major Types of Research
Designs
• Descriptive/Survey
1. Descriptive research is a quantitative research design,
• Used by social scientists to describe human behaviors, by
market analysts to look at the habits of customers,
• Historical
1. A historical research design can be applied to all fields of
study, because it includes factors such as origins, growth,
theories and significant persons. It can collect both
quantitative and qualitative historical data.
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 Case Study

• A case study is a qualitative research design that

performs in-depth investigation of a narrow
situation rather than a broad statistical survey.
1. It narrows a broad area of research into one case
within that field. It is useful for testing whether
scientific models or theories work in the real world.
2. Case studies include data from field notes, interviews
and archival information.

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 Experimental

1. An experimental research design is considered the most

accurate method of research.
2. Usually applied to the physical sciences, it attempts to
prove or disprove a hypothesis numerically, using
statistical analysis.
3. Because of the exacting structure of this design, results
can be statistically analyzed, replicated and validated by
other researches, greatly diminishing arguments about
the accuracy of the results.

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 What is Constructive
Research
• Most Common IT& CS Research
• Constructive research is perhaps the most common IT & Computer science
research method.
• This type of approach demands a form of validation that doesn’t need to be
quite as empirically based as in other types of research like exploratory research.
• Nevertheless the conclusions have to be objectively argued and defined. This
may involve evaluating the “construct” being developed analytically against some
predefined criteria or performing some benchmark tests with the prototype.
• The term “construct” is often used in this context to refer to the new contribution
being developed. Construct can be a new theory, algorithm, model, software, or
a framework.
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 Research Methodology
Research Methods
• Qualitative
Research
• Quantitative Methodology
• Statistical Techniques for Research Design

analyzing quantitative data.

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 Definition

• A Research Method is a general framework

guiding a Research / Research Project.
• Research Design is a specific outline detailing
how your chosen method will be applied to
answer a particular research question/solve a
problem.

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 Research Method
• Research methods are generalized and established ways of approaching research
questions
• Not all methods can be applied to all research questions, so the choice of method is
limited by the area of research that you wish to explore
E.g.
1. Model /Framework Design [IT],
2. Algorithm Development [CS],
3. Selection of Most feasible Algorithm[IT]
4. Unique Method Adoption[IT],
5. Efficiency assessment of network or system and improvement by specific
method/technology/tools[IT/CS],
6. Language development with improved features[CS],
7. New solution development[IT], etc. 15
 Research Design
•Research design involves determining how your chosen
method will be applied to answer your research question.
•The design of your study can be thought of as a blueprint
detailing what will be done and how this will be accomplished.
•Key aspects of research design include:
• Research methodology;
• Research Methods
• Sample collection (Participant) and
• Data collection procedures and instruments.
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 Relationship

• Changing the design of the study may

lead to the choice (or addition) of a
different method which, in turn, may lead
to subsequent changes in the design to
accommodate the new method(s).

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 Research Methods vs.
Research Design
• E.g.Method of Teaching/Learning-
Modular/Non Modular is Method,
• But How you will apply this method in
examination, course delivery, evaluation,
etc. is called as Design

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 Contd…

• Every method cannot perfectly match a particular research

project.
• There are-
• Qualitative and
• Quantitative research methods.
• Selection: Apply it in the (most feasible) not best possible
manner to your project.
• It is prepared after proposal is accepted
• It outline the steps that you need to take. 19
 Contd..

•Research design thus tells what is to be done at what time.

•Key features or activities of any research design-
• Explains Details of Methodology,
• Explain Methods
• Collection and assignment of samples,
• Collection and analysis of data
• Procedures and instruments to be used in Collection and
analysis of data
Note: ( Decides the story of success or failure) 20
 Difference between Research
Methods and Research Methodology
• Method is a particular way of solving a specific
problem.
• Methodology, therefore, means the collection of
methods you used in a particular sequence in a
piece of research.

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 Quantitative and Qualitative

• Quantitative and Qualitative

• Quantitative researchers use numerical values to quantify
disparity between variables to predict causal relationships
and to describe characteristics of the study population.
• Questionnaires are structured with-Closed-ended questions
and study designs remain rigid throughout.
• In contrast, qualitative research seeks to explore responses to
open-ended questions. Researchers use interviews, focus groups
and participant observation in a fluid fashion, changing the
course of the study along the way, according to answers given.22
 Contd..
• Questionnaires and Interviews
• Both quantitative and qualitative studies make use of
questionnaires and interviews, but in different ways.
Quantitative questionnaires break answers into measurable
quantities, and a random sample of the population is usually
compared with a control group. The random sample may be
stratified, that is, divided into classes according to social or
other strata.
• In a qualitative study, broad questionnaires elicit more
general responses from participants, and answers
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 Redefining Quantitative
Research? How applied
• Using unbiased and non-leading questions
makes quantitative research more useful.
• In Quantitative research raw-
• Data are collected and turned into usable information by
mathematical manipulation.
• Statistical comparisons and percentages are common
numerical metrics used in quantitative research.

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 Contd…

• Questions in quantitative research are often

closed-ended, meaning answers are short and
limited responses are given.
• By limiting responses to a "Yes" or "No," or
only offering a few multiple choice answers,
survey conductors will get more easily
quantifiable data.
• This is contrary to qualitative data that allows
for open-ended answers.
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 Benefits of quantitative
research
•It is more precise and easy to analyze.
•Qualitative research requires more subjective evaluation.
•Quantitative data also tend to offer a more efficient
picture of the results; if Not bias
•With qualitative studies, researchers break down opinions
and thoughts and may have bias.
•Quantitative research is also more efficient to carry out
when dealing with a larger sample size.
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 Drawbacks of quantitative

•While quantitative data are precise, they offer limited

ability to get more involved or in-depth responses.
Respondents are typically limited to the options given.
•These studies are also costly in many instances as you
have to invest time in preparing the surveys and often pay
independent research firms or internal employees to
conduct them.

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 Advantages of Qualitative
Research
• Useful in uncertainly - Qualitative research is useful during the early stages of
a study when the researcher may be not sure of exactly what will be studied or
what to focus on.
• No Need of Pre Plan- This type of research does not need a strict design plan
before it begins.
• Freedom of Opinion- This gives the researcher freedom to let the study unfold
more naturally.
• Detailed data with justification- Another advantage to qualitative research is
the researcher gains more detailed and rich data in the form of comprehensive
written descriptions or visual evidence, such as photographs.
• Inner view- This type of research looks at context and social meaning and how
it affects individuals, which is advantageous particularly in the social sciences.
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 Disadvantages of Qualitative
Research
•heavily involved in the process- The researcher of a study using
qualitative research is heavily involved in the process, which
gives the researcher a subjective view of the study and its
participants.
•researcher biased/skewed data- The researcher interprets the
research according to his or her own biased view, which skews
( tilts) the data gathered.
•very time consuming- Another disadvantage is that this research
method is very time consuming and can last for months or even
years.
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 Statistical Techniques for
Analyzing Quantitative Data
• SAMPLING CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGIES:
• Sampling element: The unit of analysis or case in population, it is from which
information is collected which provides basis for analysis, it is the subject on which
measurement is being taken, and it can be people, a group or an organization.
• Sampling unit: That element or set of elements considered for selection in some
stage of sampling. Ex: Population in rural people in Gamo Gofa zone, Woredas,
Kebeles etc is sampling units.
• Sampling frame: It is the actual list of sampling units from which the sample is
selected. It is closely related to the population. It is the list of elements from which
the sample is actually drawn.
• Sampling ratio: Size of the sample / size of population.
•  

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 Collection of Data

• Questions can be carried out by:

• Face to face personal interview
• By telephone interview
• By mail
• By a combination of all these

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 Data Processing & Analysis
EDITING:
•  The first step in data processing is to edit the raw data. Editing of data is the process of
examining the collected raw data to detect errors and omissions and to correct these
when possible 
CODING:
• Coding refers to the process of assigning numerical or other symbols to answer so that
responses can be put into a limited number of categories or classes..
 CLASSIFICATION:
• Classification is the process of arranging data in groups or classes on the basis of
common characteristics.  
TABULATION:
• Tabulation is the process of summarizing raw data and displaying in the compact form
(in the form of statistical tables) for further analysis. It is an orderly arrangement of
data in columns and rows. 32
 Statistical Methods

• MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY:

• The Mean.
• The Medium:
• The Mode
• MEASURES OF DISPERSION:
• Range
• Average deviation
• Mean Absolute Deviation
• Mean Square Deviation
• Standard Deviation 33
End of Chapter Four
Thank You!!!

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