Class notes
Research Design and Methodology
- Course
- Institution
- Book
Research Design and Methodology
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Seller
Follow
ProfDavi
Content preview
CMM 325 TOPIC 6RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Topic Objectives
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
• Understand what is meant by research design.
• Describe different research designs.
• Understand what is meant by research methodology.
• Describe different research methodologies.
• Select the most appropriate design and methodology for a research topic.
• Complete writing Chapter 3 of the research project.
Introduction
Choosing your research design is an important part of the research process. The
chosen research design will likely influence the later stages in your research, especially
how you decide to collect and analyze your data.
In research texts, the term research design is defined in different ways. Some
researchers sometimes use the terms ‘research design’ and ‘methodology’
interchangeably. You will also find in the literature that there is a lack of consensus as to
what constitutes a research design.
A key consideration when selecting a research design(s) is how much time you intend
spending on your research. This is the time-bound or time horizon associated with your
study. In essence, there are two options here – cross-sectional and longitudinal. We
consider both options and explain how they relate to different types of research design.
Next, the chapter explores ways to combine different types of research design and
comparative research designs. The chapter concludes by looking at whether there is
one ‘best’ research design, how to select your research design and examples of
research design.
What is research design?
Research design means all the issues involved in planning and executing a research
project – from identifying a problem through to reporting and publishing the results
Dr. Kimani Mburu © 2022 1
, (Punch (2014). This definition refers to planning. In this sense, research design is part
of the planning process.
It is also defined as the blueprint which directs you in finding your way towards
executing your plan for your research methodology (Van Wyk & Taole 2015). Hence,
research design is not just about planning, but helps to direct other elements of
research methodology. For example, your choice of research design is related to other
elements of methodology, namely, research philosophy, research approach, research
strategy, data collection, and analytical techniques.
Research design, therefore, relates to the choices and decisions you make about your
research questions. Research designs are related to the following type of research
questions (in brackets).
- Exploratory (Why)
- Descriptive (Who, Where, What, When, Which, How)
- Causal or experimental (Cause-and-effect)
- Case study (How, Why)
- Action research (How)
- Cross-sectional (Who, What, Where, How many, How much)
- Longitudinal (Who, What, Where, How many, How much)
- Comparative (How, Why, What)
- Archival (Who, What, Where, How many, How much)
Sometimes research designs are understood as types of research as shown below.
Examples:
Dr. Kimani Mburu © 2022 2
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ProfDavi. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
50064 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now