What is the difference between Research Design and Research Method? Show Research design is a plan to answer your research question. A research method is a strategy used to implement that plan. Research design and methods are different but closely related, because good research design ensures that the data you obtain will help you answer your research question more effectively. Which research method should I choose? It depends on your research goal. It depends on what subjects (and who) you want to study. Let's say you are interested in studying what makes people happy, or why some students are more conscious about recycling on campus. To answer these questions, you need to make a decision about how to collect your data. Most frequently used methods include:
One particular method could be better suited to your research goal than others, because the data you collect from different methods will be different in quality and quantity. For instance, surveys are usually designed to produce relatively short answers, rather than the extensive responses expected in qualitative interviews. What other factors should I consider when choosing one method over another? Time for data collection and analysis is something you want to consider. An observation or interview method, so-called qualitative approach, helps you collect richer information, but it takes time. Using a survey helps you collect more data quickly, yet it may lack details. So, you will need to consider the time you have for research and the balance between strengths and weaknesses associated with each method (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative). Popular This article is in
Conducting research is often the stepping stone when you are writing your dissertation, thesis, or any report. Choosing the correct research methodology can determine the success and overall quality of your report. It is hence essential to get the initial stage of your research right. In this article, we discuss the research methodologies in detail and help you identify which method should you choose for your study. Understanding the different research methods There are two general approaches to collecting data: quantitative and qualitative research. Let us understand in detail. Quantitative research In this type of research, the data collected is generally expressed in numbers and graphs to confirm theories and assumptions. The data collected are factual information on the topic. Under the quantitative research method, the factual information can be collected in many ways such as:
In quantitative research, you can include information on:
An example of quantitative research approach Consider this scenario. You are surveying some 300 students at your university and ask them questions such as: "On a scale from 1-5, how satisfied are you with your professors’ teaching skills?" You can perform statistical analysis on the data and draw a conclusion such as "On an average, students rated their professors 4.4." Qualitative research This method is used to understand thoughts, concepts, or experiences of people via interviews, focus groups, case studies, discourse analysis, and literature review. It is basically a survey done to gather people thoughts and experience. Let us look at the techniques in qualitative research.
Qualitative research approach example Let us consider a situation where you conduct in-depth interviews with say 20 students and ask them questions like: "How content are you with your curriculum study?", "What is the positive aspect of the study program?", and "What the students feel can be done to improve the study program?" Based on the answers you get you transcribe all interviews using transcription software and find commonalities and patterns in the responses. Mixed methods This includes a combination of in-depth exploration and numerical measurement. Let's say you conduct interviews to find out how satisfied the students are with their studies and their answers provide new insights. Later, you use the survey as a tool to test the insights on a large scale. Another approach could be to start with a survey to find out trends or opinions or beliefs, followed by interviews to better understand the reasons behind the trends. Understanding differences between quantitative and qualitative research Quantitative and qualitative research methods collect data in different ways, and they allow you to answer different kinds of research questions.
When to use qualitative vs quantitative research A thumb rule for deciding whether to use qualitative or quantitative data is:
For most research topics, you can choose between qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approach. Which type you want depends on, among other things, whether you're taking an inductive vs deductive research approach; your research question(s); whether you're doing experimental, correlational, or descriptive research; and other considerations such as money, time, availability of data. Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data Once you obtain data using the quantitative method, you can analyze the combined data by using statistical analysis to discover patterns or commonalities in the data. The results can be reported in graphs and tables.
Qualitative data is more challenging to analyze than the quantitative data. It consists of images, text or videos instead of numbers. Some conventional approaches to analyze the qualitative data are:
Conclusion Remember that your aim is not just to describe your methods, but to show how and why you applied them and demonstrate that your research was rigorously conducted. You should be able to convince the reader why you choose either qualitative or quantitative method and how it suits your objective. The approach used must be clear to answer the research question and the problem statement. Always, relate the choices towards the main purpose of your dissertation, throughout the section. References
You may be interested in taking up this insightful course: How to write the perfect methods section Related reading:
Published on: Feb 17, 2020 What are the two methodological approaches used in gathering and analyzing data?Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses. Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.
What are the two main approaches of methodologies of research?There are two main categories of research methods: qualitative research methods and quantitative research methods. Quantitative research methods involve using numbers to measure data.
What are methodological approaches?A methodological approach may refer to way in which a researcher intends to carry out his/her research from the specified or known methods in a discipline.
What are the types of methodological?Researchers use three primary methodology types: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods.
|