DESCRIPTIVE

CORRELATIONAL
RESEARCH
JENNIFER L.
METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
MAED STUDENT
What is Correlational Research
According to Creswell, correlational research
designs are used by investigators to describe and
measure the degree of relationship between two or
more variables or sets of scores.
A procedure in which subjects’ scores on two variables
are simply measured, without manipulation of any
variables, to determine whether there is a relationship
Correlational research examines the relationship
between two or more non manipulated variables.
Type of Variables
PREDICTOR VARIABLE
Use to make a forecast or predication.

CRETERION VARIABLE
The anticipated outcome that is being
predicted.
It aims to find out whether there is either:
POSITIVE
CORRELATION
 Both variables change in the
same direction.
 Example
 As height increases, weight
also increases.
 NEGATIVE
CORRELATION

 The variables change in

opposite directions.
 Example
tional
Correla
Researc  As coffee consumption
increases, tiredness also
decreases.
 ZERO/ NO
CORRELATION

 There is no relationship
between the two variables.
 Example

 Coffee consumption is not

correlated with height.
 When to use a Example

CORRELATION You want to know if people

AL RESEARCH? who have higher incomes
are more likely to be
vegetarian. You don’t think
There are two main situations where
you might choose to do correlational that income causes
research vegetarianism (or vice
versa), but finding a
1. You want to find out if there is relationship could lead to a
a relationship between two better understanding of the
variables, but you don’t factors that influence or
expect to find a casual limit people’s dietary
relationship between them. choices.
 When to use a
CORRELATION
AL RESEARCH?
2. You think there is a casual
relationship between two
variables, but it is
impractical or unethical to
conduct experimental
research that manipulates
one of the variables.
Example
You hypothesize that
passive smoking causes
asthma in children. You
can’t do an experiment to
test the hypothesis — it
would be unethical to
deliberately expose some
children to passive
smoking. But you can do a
correlational study to find
out if children whose
parents smoke are more
likely to have asthma than
 How to do
Correlational
Research
 SURVEYS
A simple way to research the relationship between
variables is through surveys and questionnaires. You can
conduct surveys online, by mail, by phone, or in person.
You ask respondents questions related to the variables
you are interested in, and then statistically analyze the
responses.
NATURALISTIC
OBSERVATION
This is a type of field research, where you gather data about a
behavior or phenomenon in its natural environment without
intervening.
This method often involves recording, counting, describing
and categorizing actions and events. Naturalistic observation can
include both qualitative and quantitative elements, but to find
correlation, you focus on data that can be analyzed quantitatively
 (e.g. frequencies, durations, scales and amounts).

Example:

To find out if there is a correlation between gender and class participation,

you observe college seminars, note the frequency and duration of
students’ contribution, and categorize them based on gender. You
statistically analyze the data to determine whether men are more likely to
 SECONDARY
DATA
Instead of collecting
original data, you can
also use data that has
already been collected
for a different purpose,
such as official records,
polls, or previous studies.
Example
To find out if working hours are
related to mental health, you
use official national statistics,
health records and scientific
studies from several different
countries to find data on
average working hours and
rates of mental illness. You
statistically analyze the data to
see if countries that work fewer
hours have better mental
health outcomes.
Correlational and Causation
It’s important to remember that correlation
does not imply causation. Just because you
find a correlation between two things doesn’t
mean that one of them causes the other.
Example
You find a strong negative correlation between working hours and
mental health: in countries with lower average working hours, people
report better mental health. However, this doesn’t prove that lower
working hours cause an improvement in mental health. There are
many other variables that may influence the relationship, such as
average income, access to mental healthcare, and cultural norms.
What do Correlation Measure?

 Correlations measure the association or co-

variation of two or more dependent variables.
Example:
 Why are some students aggressive?
 Hypothesis: Aggression is learned from
modeling
 Test: Look for associations between
aggressive behavior and….
Interpreting Correlations
 Scattergram- a pictorial representation of
correlations between two variables

 Use of a scattergram
 An x and y axes are produced perpendicular to
each other
 Results of correlates are plotted
 The relationship of these plots are interpreted
Steps in Correlational Research

Problem Solving
 Three major types of problem;
a. is variable X related to variable Y?
b. how well does variable P predict
variable C?
c. What are the relationship among a
large number of variables and what
predictions can be made?
Sample
 Should be selected carefully, and if
possible, randomly.
 Not less than 30.
Instrument
 Most correlational studies involve the
administration of some types of
instruments (test, questionnaire and so
on).
 Design and Procedures
 Design use quite straightforward.

Data Collection
 Data on both variables will usually be
collected in a short time.
 Instruments used are administered in a
single sessions or two sessions.
 Advantage Disadvantage
Useful in generating a Can’t control or
scientific hypothesis. disregard confounding
Looks for relationship variables when present.
between variables: is Confounding factors
there a relationship may be there and bias
between variable x and the observed
variable y. association.
Quick and easy to do Correlation does not
using existing data. indicate causation.
 Thanks!

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,

including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.
 References
https://www.slideshare.net/elishagayhidalgo/correlational-research-42063738

https://www.slideshare.net/amethyst212/correlational-research-13178990

https://www.slideshare.net/SELJUKS/descriptive-research-and-correlational-rese
arch

https://www.formpl.us/blog/correlational-research

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/correlational-research

https://slideplayer.com/slide/10537048/

https://www.slideshare.net/nabaz_elt/correlation-10684776