TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN

After developing hypothesis the researcher has to prepare a research design. A

research design could be defined as he blue print specifying every stage of action in the
course of research. Such a design would indicate whether the course of action planned will
minimize the use of resources and maximize the outcome. Research design is the
arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to
combine research purpose and economy in procedure.

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN:

This is also called formulative research design. This aims of formulating a problem
for more precise idea or hypothesis, Based on this the subsequent stages of research could be
planned. As this design is only of formulate type it should be highly flexible. While applying
this design. Three different methods are followed:
Survey of related literature – by studying intensively the past studies and
contributions relating to the field of study, the research problem could be easily formulated.
Conducting experience survey –this refers to undertaking collection of details and
discussion with the experienced people in the chosen field of research. This would help the
researcher to determine the extent to which he is original and can avoid duplication.
Analysis of insight-stimulating examples is yet another method in which depending
upon the study on hand. In this method, the experience of people would be used as guide to
develop or formulate a hypothesis.

DESCRIPTIVE AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH DESIGN:

Descriptive research design is concerned with research studies with a focus on the
portrayal of the characteristics of a group or individual or a situation. The main objective
such studies is to acquire knowledge. For example, to identify the use of a product to various
groups,. a research study may be undertaken to question whether the use varies with income
age sex or any other characteristics of population.
On the other hand the diagnostic studies aim at identifying the relationship of any
existing problem. Based on the diagnosis, it would also help to suggest methods to solve the
problem. In this process it may also evaluate the effectiveness of the suggestions already
implemented.
EXPERIMENATAL RESEARCH DESIGN;
The experimental research studies are mainly focused on finding out the cause and
effect relationship of the problem under study. Actually when observation is arranged and
controlled it becomes experimental study. An experiment is a test or trial or an act or
operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing principle,
supposition etc., it is a process in which one or more variables are manipulate under
conditions that permit the collection of data that show the effects of any of such variables is a
unconfused fashion.
The experimental design is broadly classified as a) informal experimental design and
b)formal experimental design. The formal includes after only design, after only with control
design before and after without control design before and after control and expost facto
design. The formal experimental design would include completely randomized design
randomized block design; Latin squares design and factorial design.
 SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION
PRIMARY (DATA) SOURCES
1.OBSERVATION;
Observation as a method of data collection ois used very frequently whenever
collection of data through other methods is difficult for example it is not always possible to
conduct interviews with every person to collect required information. There are occasion
when no other method can be adopted for data collections. For instance, suppose a scholar
wants to study the life style of hill tribe. It is certainly not possible to use a questionnaire or
schedule or interview only alternative available is observation as the respondents would not
rely any question orally or in written.
Observation may be defined as, “sensible application of sense organs in understanding
less explained or unexplained phenomena” Whenever a researcher is unable to compile
information through any other method then he has to effectively apply his sense organs to
observe and explain. So it may be said that observation involves recording of information
applying visual understanding backed by alert sense organs.
Types of Observation:
Structured observation:
When observation takes place strictly in accordance with a plan or a design prepared in
advance it is called structured observation in such a type the observer decides what to observe
what to focus on what type of activity should be given importance who are all to be observed
etc in advance.
Unstructured Observation:
In this type of observation there is no advance planning of what how when, who etc.,
of observation. The observer is given the freedom to decide on the spot to observe everything
that is relevant.
Participant Observation:
In this method the observer is very much present in the mindset of what is observed
for example, suppose a researcher is studying the life style of a hill tribe, then he might
understand the life style of the tribe better only when the stays with them. He is a participant
in the sense he is physically present on the spot to observe and not influencing the activities.

Non-participant Observation:
This is a method in which the observer remain detached from whatever is happening
around and does not involve himself in any activities tapes place. He is present only to
observe and not to take part in the activities. That is the target audience does not know his
presence at all. For example, the police men not in uniform is deputed on observation duty
whenever a processing tapes place.
Controlled Observation:
In this method the observer performs his work in on environment or situation, which
is very much planned (or) set. For example, sometimes to the effectiveness and alertness of
airport security system a mock even (like fire accident) is carried out. Then how the security
staff reacts to such mock event is observed. Based on this the weakness on his system are
noticed and steps taken to eliminate them.
2.INTERVIEW
One of the very old methods of collecting data is the interview method. Interview
method involves direct or indirect meeting of the respondents by the researcher. The
researcher determines the questions to be raised at the time of interview and elicit the
response for them. The reply given is either written down in a note book or recorded in audio
or video cassette. This method has to be necessarily adopted whenever details regarding any
confidential matter are to be collected or the research requires data collection directly from
the respondents.
Interview may be broadly classified as
1.Direct interview and
2.Indirect interview

Direct Interview:
In this type of interview, the interviewer and the interviewee meet personally either
with prior appointment or not. Usually when this technique is adopted the interviewer may
brief the respondent about the purpose of interview and its scope in advance. This enables the
respondent to be ready with necessary details (or) data. This type of interview may be
classified as structure a interview un structured interview focused interview clinical interview
and non directive interview.
(A)structured Interview:
In this type of interview the person collecting information decides in advance the
nature scope questions to be asked, the person to be contacted etc in advance. At the time of
interview no deviation is made from the questions to be asked. For example, it is usual for
journalist to interview the Finance Minister after the presentation of Budget. In such
occasions, the journalist should be were prepared and decide in advance the questioned to be
asked etc., Sometimes even the questions to be asked and other details are to be submitted to
the authorities concerned, before conducting the interview.

(B) Un Structured Interview:

In this type of interview, interview is conducted on the spot without any preparations
(or) advance information oto the respondent. For example, suppose an organization
producing a new health drink wants to know the opinion of the people directly. Then it ight
send trained field investigators who meet people directly. Then it might send trained field
investigators who meet people at random and offer them a cp of that new drink. After they
drink, their opinion is asked and the responses are noted down or recorded. Such interviews
are also conducted when opinion poll is conducted. For example during election ttime, the
TV channels would meet people moving around and ask them about their opinion about
different parties and the one to which they would vote.
(C) Focused Interview:
In this type of interview the object of the interviewer is to focus the attention of the
respondent ion a specific issue (or) point /for example suppose a detective is questioning a
person regarding a crime committed in an area. The detective has to be very much
experienced to make the person interviewed to answer only about the crime and nothing else.
In this type ,the interviewer encourages the respondents to say whatever he likes and
feels on a subject matter. There may not me much questing taking place. The respondent is
free to express his views or opinions without any direction from the interviewer.. For
example suppose in a college strike, an interviewer encourage the students to say whatever
they feel above the reasons for the strike.
(E) Telephone Interview:
This is basically a type of direct interview and but there is no scope for physical
presence of both the parties to the interview. This method will be useful in the following
situations.
When the informant and interviewer are geographically separated.
When the study requires responses to five (or) six sample questions e.g.
Radio, TV program me survey
3.Questionnaire Method;
A questionnaire is a sheet(s) of paper containing questions relating to certain specific
aspect. Regarding which the researcher collects the data. The questionnaire is given to the
informant or respondent to be filled up. Sometimes questionnaire is also in the form of files
generated trough computer. This usually called soft copy of questionnaire. Generally to test
the reliability of the questionnaire, it should be tested on a limited scale and this is technically
known as Pilot Survey. The objective of a pilot survey is to filter unnecessary questions, and
the questions which are difficult to answer.

Mechanics of Questionnaire Construction / Designing a Questionnaire / Features of a

Good Questionnaire
The following are the points to be given important while designing a questionnaire:
Questionnaire should be printed / Cyclostyled / Xeroxed
The first part of the questionnaire should specify the object or should be
constructed using simple language and technical terms, concepts should all be
avoided.
Each question should be specific and clear.

Questions needing computation / calculation / consultation should be avoided

Questions on sentiments / belief/ faith should be avoided
Repetition of question should be eliminated
Sufficient space should be given for answering questions
If any diagram me or map is used then it should be printed clearly
Instructions regarding how to return the filled questionnaire must be given, it
is desirable that a self addressed sufficiently stamped envelope is sent along
with the questionnaire to enable to respondents the send the filled up
questionnaire.

(4) SCHEDULES
Schedules (contains a set of questions) are being filled in by the enumerators who are
specially appointed for the purpose.
Enumerators go to respondents, ask them questions from the proforma in the same
order in which the questions are listed and record the replies on the space given.
Enumerators should be trained
Example: Population census.

SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA:

Doing the research with the secondary data is called as Desk research. The sources for
secondary data or the sources for doing desk research will be gathered by the following ways:
Internal Sources: Registers, Documents, Annual Reports, Sales Reports, previous Research
papers , Sales records, invoices etc.,
External Sources: Journals on magazines, newspapers, public speeches, state and central
govt., departments, reports etc., The information had from any published documents which
may documents the researcher should consider the following points:
Exactly what products are included in the statistical classification
Who originally collected the data for what purpose, and whether three might any
motive for misrepresentation‟
From whom the data were collected and how reliable the methodology might have
been and
How consistent the data are with other local or international statistics.

Selecting a Research Problem

The research problem undertaken for study should be meticulously selected. The task is
challenging so help could be taken from a research guide in this connection. A research guide
can at most only aid a researcher select a topic/subject but the problem should spring from the
researcher’s head.

Major Factors to be Considered in Selecting a Research Problem

The following important factors should be kept in mind by a researcher when selecting a
topic for research:
1. In most cases, subject that is overdone must not be picked, because it will certainly be a
complicated task to throw any new light in such a situation.
2. Too narrow or too un-explainable problems must be shunned.
3. The significance of the topic, the qualifications and the training of a researcher, the
expenses required, the time element are few other criteria that should be considered
when selecting a problem.
4. A professional needs to ask himself the following questions:
(a) Whether he is properly equipped when it comes to his background to handle the
research?
(b) Whether he has the budget to afford the research?
(c) Whether the required cooperation can be obtained from people who must take part in
research as subjects?
5. An average researcher should avoid controversial subjects.
6. The topic picked for research must be familiar and feasible so that the relevant research
material or sources of research are within one’s reach. Even then it is extremely
challenging to provide definitive ideas regarding how a professional should obtain ideas
for his research. To do this, a researcher can make contact with an expert or a lecturer in
the University who is already involved in research. He cans also read articles or blog
posts published in current literature available on the topic and may think the way the
methods and concepts talked about therein could be applied to the solution of other
problems.
7. A preliminary study should be done before picking a research problem. This isn’t always
required when the problem demands the conduct of a research closely comparable to one
that was already done. However when the field of investigation is pretty new and doesn’t
have available a set of well developed methods, a quick feasibility study should always
be carried out.
A researcher must identify the major factors to be considered in selecting a research
problem. The topic should be selected appropriately by paying attention to the above
stated key points. The problem selected should involve the researcher and should have
an upper most place in his mind so that he could tackle all pains required for the research
study.

Defining a research problem properly and clearly is a crucial part of a research study and
must in no case be accomplished hurriedly. However, in practice this a frequently overlooked
which causes a lot of problems later on. Hence, the research problem should be defined in a
systematic manner, giving due weightage to all relating points. The technique for the purpose
involves the undertaking of the following steps generally one after the other:
statement of the problem in a general way;understanding the nature of the problem;surveying
the available literaturedeveloping the ideas through discussions; andrephrasing the research
problem into a working proposition.
A brief description of all these points will be helpful.
Statement of the problem in a general way: First of all the problem should be stated in a
broad general way, keeping in view either some practical concern or some scientific or
intellectual interest. For this purpose, the researcher must immerse himself thoroughly in the
subject matter concerning which he wishes to pose a problem. In case of social research, it is
considered advisable to do some field observation and as such the researcher may undertake
some sort of preliminary survey or what is often called pilot survey. Then the researcher can
himself state the problem or he can seek the guidance of the guide or the subject expert in
accomplishing this task. Often, the guide puts forth the problem in general terms, and it is
then up to the researcher to narrow it down and phrase the problem in operational terms. In
case there is some directive from an organizational authority, the problem then can be stated
accordingly. The problem stated in a broad general way may contain various ambiguities
which must be resolved by cool thinking and rethinking over the problem. At the same time
the feasibility of a particular solution has to be considered and the same should be kept in
view while stating the problem.Understanding the nature of the problem: The next step in
defining the problem is to understand its origin and nature clearly. The best way of
understanding the problem is to discuss it with those who first raised it in order to find out
how the problem originally came about and with what objectives in view. If the researcher
has stated the problem himself, he should consider once again all those points that induced
him to make a general statement concerning the problem. For a better understanding of the
nature of the problem involved, he can enter into discussion with those who have a good
knowledge of the problem concerned or similar other problems. The researcher should also
keep in view the environment within which the problem is to be studied and
understood.Surveying the available literature: All available literature concerning the
problem at hand must necessarily be surveyed and examined before a definition of the
research problem is given. This means that the researcher must be well-conversant with
relevant theories in the field, reports and records as also all other relevant literature. He must
devote sufficient time in reviewing of research already undertaken on related problems. This
is done to find out what data and other materials, if any, are available for operational
purposes. “Knowing what data are available often serves to narrow the problem itself as well
as the technique that might be used.”. This would also help a researcher to know if there are
certain gaps in the theories, or whether the existing theories applicable to the problem under
study are inconsistent with each other, or whether the findings of the different studies do not
follow a pattern consistent with the theoretical expectations and so on. All this will enable a
researcher to take new strides in the field for furtherance of knowledge i.e., he can move up
starting from the existing premise. Studies on related problems are useful for indicating the
type of difficulties that may be encountered in the present study as also the possible analytical
shortcomings. At times such studies may also suggest useful and even new lines of approach
to the present problem.Developing the ideas through discussions: Discussion concerning a
problem often produces useful information. Various new ideas can be developed through
such an exercise. Hence, a researcher must discuss his problem with his colleagues and others
who have enough experience in the same area or in working on similar problems. This is
quite often known as an experience survey. People with rich experience are in a position to
enlighten the researcher on different aspects of his proposed study and their advice and
comments are usually invaluable to the researcher. They help him sharpen his focus of
attention on specific aspects within the field. Discussions with such persons should not only
be confined to the formulation of the specific problem at hand, but should also be concerned
with the general approach to the given problem, techniques that might be used, possible
solutions, etc.Rephrasing the research problem: Finally, the researcher must sit to rephrase
the research problem into a working proposition. Once the nature of the problem has been
clearly understood, the environment (within which the problem has got to be studied) has
been defined, discussions over the problem have taken place and the available literature has
been surveyed and examined, rephrasing the problem into analytical or operational terms is
not a difficult task. Through rephrasing, the researcher puts the research problem in as
specific terms as possible so that it may become operationally viable and may help in the
development of working hypotheses.
In addition to what has been stated above, the following points must also be observed while
defining a research problem:
Technical terms and words or phrases, with special meanings used in the statement of
the problem, should be clearly defined.Basic assumptions or postulates (if any) relating
to the research problem should be clearly stated.A straight forward statement of the
value of the investigation (i.e., the criteria for the selection of the problem) should be
provided.The suitability of the time-period and the sources of data available must also be
considered by the researcher in defining the problem.The scope of the investigation or
the limits within which the problem is to be studied must be mentioned explicitly in
defining a research problem.
ANOVA
What is 'Analysis Of Variance - ANOVA'
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is an analysis tool used in statistics that splits the
aggregate variability found inside a data set into two parts: systematic factors and random
factors. The systematic factors have a statistical influence on the given data set, but the
random factors do not. Analysts use the analysis of the variance test to determine the result
independent variables have on the dependent variable amid a regression study.

BREAKING DOWN 'Analysis Of Variance - ANOVA'

The analysis of variance test is the initial step in factors that affect a given data set. Once the
analysis of variance test is finished, the analyst performs additional testing on the methodical
factors that measurably contribute to the data set's inconsistency. The analyst utilizes the
analysis of the variance test results in an f-test to generate additional data that aligns with the
proposed regression models.

The test allows comparison of more than two groups at the same time to determine whether a
relationship exists between them. The test analyzes multiple groups to determine the types
between and within samples.
How to Use
The type of ANOVA run depends on a number of factors. It is applied when data needs to be
experimental. Analysis of variance is employed if there is no access to statistical software
resulting in computing ANOVA by hand. It is simple to use and best suited for small
samples. With many experimental designs, the sample sizes have to be the same for the
various factor level combinations.

Analysis of variances is helpful for testing three or more variables. It is similar to multiple
two-sample t-tests. However, it results in fewer type I errors and is appropriate for a range of
issues. ANOVA groups differences by comparing the means of each group and includes
spreading out the variance into diverse sources. It is employed with subjects, test groups,
between groups and within groups.

Types
There are two types of analysis of variance: one-way (or unidirectional) and two-way. A one-
way ANOVA evaluates the impact of a sole factor on a sole response variable. It determines
whether all the samples are the same.

Two-way ANOVA allows a company to compare worker productivity based on two

independent variables. It is utilized to observe the interaction between the two factors. It tests
the effect of two factors at the same time.

History
The t- and z-tests developed in the 20th century were used until 1918, when Ronald Fisher
created the analysis of variance. ANOVA is also called the Fisher analysis of variance, and it
is the extension of the t- and the z-tests. The term became well-known in 1925, after
appearing in Fisher's book, "Statistical Methods for Research Workers." It was employed in
experimental psychology and later expanded to subjects that are more complex.

The formula for F used in ANOVA is F = between group variance estimate (MSB) divided by
the group variance estimate (MSW), where F = MSB/MSW. Every variance estimate has two
parts, the sum of squares and the rim (SSB and SSW) and degrees of freedom (df).
Balanced ANOVA

A statistical test used to determine whether or not different groups have different means. An
ANOVA analysis is typically applied to a set of data in which sample sizes are kept equal for
each treatment combination.

Balanced ANOVA tests are often done with computer softwares due to the complexity of
mathematical calculations. It does not work well in experiments in which missing or extra
observations are present.

BREAKING DOWN 'Balanced ANOVA'

ANOVA is used to test the differences between means for statistical significance. A one-way
ANOVA test checks for significance for one factor only, while a two-way ANOVA test
analyzes the effects of two factors simultaneously. Two-way ANOVA tests are the most
useful when the replicate examples are equal, or "balanced."

Two-Way ANOVA

A statistical test used to determine the effect of two nominal predictor variables on a
continuous outcome variable. A two-way ANOVA test analyzes the effect of the independent
variables on the expected outcome along with their relationship to the outcome itself.
Random factors would be considered to have no statistical influence on a data set, while
systematic factors would be considered to have statistical significance.

BREAKING DOWN 'Two-Way ANOVA'

An ANOVA test is the first step in identifying factors that influence a given outcome. Once
an ANOVA test is performed, a tester may be able to perform further analysis on the
systematic factors that are statistically contributing to the data set's variability. ANOVA test
results can then be used in an F-test on the significance of the regression formula overall.