a) Research Design:Definition- Types of

research design-components of good

research design.
Research Design

What is research design?

Research design is the conceptual structure within which research is
conducted; it constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement and
analysis of data. The design includes an outline of what the researcher will do
from writing the hypothesis and its operational implications to the final analysis
of data
Decisions regarding research design
More explicitly, the design decisions happen to be in respect of:
1. What is the study about?
(ii) Why is the study being made?
(iii) Where will the study be carried out?
(iv) What type of data is required?
(v) Where can the required data be found?
(vi) What periods of time will the study include?
(vii) What will be the sample design?
(viii) What techniques of data collection will be used?
(ix) How will the data be analysed?
(x) In what style will the report be prepared?
Research Design - parts
Keeping in view the above stated design decisions, one may split the overall research design
into the following parts:
A) The sampling design which deals with the method of selecting items to be observed for the
given study;
(b) the observational design which relates to the conditions under which the observations are to
be made;
(c) the statistical design which concerns with the question of how many items are to be
observed and how the information and data gathered are to be analysed; and
(d) the operational design which deals with the techniques by which the procedures specified in
the sampling, statistical and observational designs can be carried out.
The important features of a research design

(i) It is a plan that specifies the sources and types of information relevant to the research
problem.
(ii) It is a strategy specifying which approach will be used for gathering and analysing the data.
(iii) It also includes the time and cost budgets since most studies are done under these two
Constraints.
In brief, research design must, at least, contain—
(a) a clear statement of the research problem;
(b) procedures and techniques to be used for gathering information;
(c) the population to be studied; and
(d) methods to be used in processing and analysing data.
NEED FOR RESEARCH DESIGN

• Research design is needed because it facilitates the smooth sailing of the various research
operations, thereby making research as efficient as possible yielding maximal information
with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money.
• Research design stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting
the relevant data and the techniques to be used in their analysis, keeping in view the
objective of the research and the availability of staff, time and money.
• Preparation of the research design should be done with great care as any error in it may
upset the entire project.
• Research design, in fact, has a great bearing on the reliability of the results arrived at and as
such constitutes the firm foundation of the entire edifice of the research work.
FEATURES OF A GOOD DESIGN

 A good design is often characterised by adjectives like flexible, appropriate, efficient,

economical and so on. Generally, the design which minimises bias and maximises the
reliability of the data collected and analysed is considered as a good design.
 The design which gives the smallest experimental error is supposed to be the best design .
 A design which yields maximal information and provides an opportunity for considering many
different aspects of a problem is considered most appropriate and efficient design in respect
of many research problems.
 The question of good design is related to the purpose or objective of the research problem
and also with the nature of the problem to be studied.
 A design may be quite suitable in one case, but may be found wanting in one respect or the
other in the context of some other research problem. One single design cannot serve the
purpose of all types of research problems.
DIFFERENT RESEARCH DESIGNS

Research design in case of Exploratory Research studies:

Exploratory research studies are also termed as formulative research studies. The main
purpose of such studies is that of formulating a problem for more precise investigation or of
developing the working hypotheses from an operational point of view . The major emphasis in
such studies is on the discovery of ideas and insights.
As such the research design appropriate for such studies must be flexible enough to provide
opportunity for considering different aspects of a problem under study. Inbuilt flexibility in
research design is needed because the research problem, broadly defined initially, is
transformed into one with more precise meaning in exploratory studies, which fact may
necessitate changes in the research procedure for gathering relevant data.
Exploratory Research studies:

Generally, the following three methods in the context of research design for such studies are
talked about: (a) the survey of concerning literature; (b) the experience survey and
(c) the analysis of ‘insight-stimulating’ examples.
The survey of concerning literature happens to be the most simple and fruitful method of
formulating precisely the research problem or developing hypothesis. Hypotheses stated by
earlier workers may be reviewed and their usefulness be evaluated as a basis for further
research.
Descriptive Research design
When the purpose of a study is accurate description of a situation or of an association between
variables (or in what are called the descriptive studies), accuracy becomes a major
consideration and a research design which minimises bias and maximises the reliability of the
evidence collected is considered a good design.
Studies involving the testing of a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables require
a design which will permit inferences about causality in addition to the minimisation of bias and
maximisation of reliability. But in practice it is the most difficult task to put a particular study in a
particular group, for a given research may have in it elements of two or more of the functions of
different studies. It is only on the basis of its primary function that a study can be categorised
either as an exploratory or descriptive or hypothesis-testing study and accordingly the choice of
a research design may be made in case of a particular study.
Research design in case of descriptive and
diagnostic research studies:
Descriptive research studies are those studies which are concerned with describing the
characteristics of a particular individual, or of a group, whereas diagnostic research studies
determine the frequency with which something occurs or its association with something
else.The studies concerning whether certain variables are associated are examples of
diagnostic research studies. As against this, studies concerned with specific predictions, with
narration of facts and characteristics concerning individual, group or situation are all examples
of descriptive research studies.
contd
Since the aim is to obtain complete and accurate information in the said studies, the procedure
to be used must be carefully planned. The research design must make enough provision for
protection against bias and must maximise reliability, with due concern for the economical
completion of the research study. The design in such studies must be rigid and not
flexible and must focus attention on the following:
(a) Formulating the objective of the study (what the study is about and why is it being made?)
(b) Designing the methods of data collection (what techniques of gathering data will be
adopted?)
(c) Selecting the sample (how much material will be needed?)
(d) Collecting the data (where can the required data be found and with what time period should
the data be related?)
(e) Processing and analysing the data.
• (f) Reporting the findings.
Research design in case of hypothesis-testing research studies:

Hypothesis-testing research studies (generally known as experimental studies) are those where
the researcher tests the hypotheses of causal relationships between variables. Such studies
require procedures that will not only reduce bias and increase reliability, but will permit drawing
inferences about causality. Usually experiments meet this requirement. Hence, when we talk of
research design in such studies, we often mean the design of experiments.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS

Professor Fisher has enumerated three principles of experimental designs: (1) the Principle of
Replication; (2) the Principle of Randomization; and the (3) Principle of Local Control.
Important Experimental Designs

Experimental design refers to the framework or structure of an experiment and as such there
are several experimental designs. We can classify experimental designs into two broad
categories, viz.,informal experimental designs and formal experimental designs.
Informal experimental designs are those designs that normally use a less sophisticated form of
analysis based on differences in magnitudes, whereas formal experimental designs offer
relatively more control and use precise statistical procedures for analysis. Important experiment
designs are as follows:
(a) Informal experimental designs:
(i) Before-and-after without control design.
(ii) After-only with control design.
(iii) Before-and-after with control design.
(b) Formal experimental designs:
(i) Completely randomized design (C.R. Design).
(ii) Randomized block design (R.B. Design).
(iii) Latin square design (L.S. Design).