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Research Design
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Content
• What is Research Design?
• Types of Research Design
1. Cross-sectional
2. Longitudinal
3. Case study
4. Comparative
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Research Design
• A plan that specifies
– the sources of information used
– types of information used
• A strategy specifying which approach will be
used for
– gathering data
– analysing data.
• Describes the constraints
– time budget
– cost budget
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Research Design
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(i) 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?
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Parts of the Research Design Process
Overall research design can be split into
following parts:
• (a) the sampling design
– deals with the method of selecting items to be
investigated
– e.g. Random or non-random
• (b) the observational design
– the conditions under which the investigation is be
made;
– e.g. Official data, survey data, case study
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Parts of the Research Design
Process
• (c) the statistical design
– how many items are to be observed
– how will information and data be analysed
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Types of Research Design
1. Cross-sectional
2. Longitudinal
3. Case study
4. Comparative
We will now look at these in more detail
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1. Cross-sectional research design
• Collection of data on more than one case
• Data is collected at a single point in time
• E.g. a day , month year
• At least two variables collected
• But usually many more
• Then examine to detect patterns of
association.
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1. Cross-sectional Research Design
Collecting several pieces of data from various cases at a single point in time
Here the case could be a countries, a regions, people, businesses etc.
e.g. study of shopping choices of students on a day in November
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Single Survey Research Design
• Typical example of cross-sectional design
• Collection of data on more than one case
• Data mainly collected by questionnaire or structured
interview
• Data collected at a single point in time
• At least two variables collected
• Then examine to detect patterns of association.
• Key Question: What determines the shopping habits of
students?
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2. Longitudinal Research Design
• Survey of the same sample on more than one
occasion
• Often referred to as panel or cohort studies
• Taking our student shopping example
• Study of shopping choices of students on one day in
November, December, January, February etc
• Key Questions: Do shopping habits of student change
over time and if so why?
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2. Longitudinal Research Design
Collecting data on the same cases at various points in time
Eg. surveying the same group of people year after year
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2. Issues with Longitudinal Research
• Attrition, because people die, or move home, or
withdraw from the study.
• Knowing when is the right time for the next wave of
data collection.
• Should you wait 6 months, year, 5 years?
• The first round may have been badly thought out,
which leaves the later rounds in a bit of a mess.
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3. Case study design
• Detailed and intensive analysis of one case
– e.g. a single community, school, family, person,
event, or organization
• Often involves qualitative research
– Soft data?
• Example: What influences the subject choices of
students at the University in 2014?
• Detailed interviews with lecturers, students,
parents, employers
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3. Issues with Case-Study Research
• Biggest issue concerns external validity
• Are the factors that determine student subject
choice in one University the same in another
University? We don’t know (we only studied one)
• Some argue that point of this research is to
examine particular cases
• Not really concerned with making general findings.
• Cases may be extended longitudinally
• Go back and study the same, school, family, person
the following year.
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4. Comparative Research Design
• Using the case study methods
– to compare two or more meaningfully contrasting cases
• Can be qualitative or quantitative
• Often cross-cultural comparisons
– e.g. study of the shopping habits of students in
Prague and in Vienna
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4. Comparative Research Design
Prague
Vienna
Repeating a cross sectional study with various different groups at the
same time
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Research Design in Summary
• Quantitative and qualitative research can be
executed using any of these research designs
• Survey research is the most typical form for
quantitative research
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Research Design in Summary
• Good Research Design must 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;
d) methods to be used in processing and analysing
data.
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