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Descriptive research observes and documents without manipulating variables, whereas experimental research involves intentional interventions to establish cause-and-effect relationships. Coming to the characteristics of descriptive research, this approach is characterized by its focus on observing and documenting the features of a subject. Descriptive research design is widely employed across diverse fields, and its primary objective is to systematically observe and document all variables and conditions influencing the phenomenon.
Use valid and reliable data collection methods
When researching human behavior in response to a cause or event, the researcher pays attention to the traits, actions, and responses before drawing a conclusion. Comparison points, assumption of similarities, and criteria of comparison are three important variables that affect how well and accurately comparative studies are conducted. Correlative surveys help establish if there is a positive, negative, or neutral connection between two variables. Descriptive research is usually defined as a type of quantitative research, though qualitative research can also be used for descriptive purposes. The research design should be carefully developed to ensure that the results are valid and reliable. No, various descriptive research types may be applicable to all fields of study, including social science, humanities, physical science, and biological science.
Related topics
Case studies lead to a hypothesis and widen a further scope of studying a phenomenon. However, case studies should not be used to determine cause and effect as they can’t make accurate predictions because there could be a bias on the researcher’s part. The other reason why case studies are not a reliable way of conducting descriptive research is that there could be an atypical respondent in the survey. Describing them leads to weak generalizations and moving away from external validity. Descriptive research allows for a wide range of data collection methods, including surveys, observational studies, case studies, and focus groups, making it a flexible and versatile research method. Descriptive research can be quantitative as it gathers quantifiable data to statistically analyze a population sample.
Descriptive Research Design Definition, Methods & Examples
By gathering information on the habits of shoppers, retailers can get a better understanding of the purchases being made. Descriptive research is used for a number of commercial purposes or when organizations need to understand the behaviors or opinions of a population. This means you’ll need to conduct further research to get a more complete picture of a situation. This can be highly beneficial when you’re looking to understand the behaviors or preferences of a wider population.
In the healthcare and medical fields, a case report is used to explain a patient’s circumstances when suffering from an uncommon illness or displaying certain symptoms. This approach entails carefully examining a particular group, person, or event over time. You can learn something new about the study topic by using a small group to better understand the dynamics of the entire group. It enables researchers to precisely and methodically describe a population, circumstance, or phenomenon. Descriptive research is a common investigatory model used by researchers in various fields, including social sciences, linguistics, and academia. Qualtrics can help you determine the appropriate method and ensure you design a study that will deliver the insights you need.
Introduction to Research Design in Legal Studies - Legal Service India
Introduction to Research Design in Legal Studies.
Posted: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 17:44:32 GMT [source]
Ensure adequate sample size
As the name suggests, descriptive research describes the characteristics of the group, situation, or phenomenon being studied without manipulating variables or testing hypotheses. This involves collecting data from a sample or population through standardized questionnaires or interviews. Surveys can be used to describe attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or demographic characteristics of a group, and can be conducted in person, by phone, or online. Such cross-sectional studies are referred to as “analytical” and will be discussed in the next article in this series.
The main objective of this type of research is to describe the data and characteristics of what is being studied. The idea behind this type of research is to study frequencies, averages, and other statistical calculations. Although this research is highly accurate, it does not gather the causes behind a situation. Descriptive research is mainly done when a researcher wants to gain a better understanding of a topic. In survey research, respondents answer through surveys or questionnaires or polls.
Frequently asked questions
This design is particularly useful when the differences in exposure between individuals within a group are much smaller than the differences in exposure between groups. For instance, the intake of particular food items is likely to vary less between people in a particular group but can vary widely across groups, for example, people living in different countries. Ecological (also sometimes called as correlational) study design involves looking for association between an exposure and an outcome across populations rather than in individuals. This method involves analyzing qualitative data by assigning codes to segments of data based on their meaning or content.
You can extrapolate or generalize the information you obtain from sample surveys to the larger group being researched. Descriptive research differs from experimental research in that researchers cannot manipulate the variables. Research projects must first explore, gather, and assess evidence related to a specific occurrence, notion, or claim. Before attempting to address a problem, they need to conduct descriptive research about it. Descriptive research is an appropriate choice when the research aim is to identify characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories.
The description is used for frequencies, averages, and other statistical calculations. Often the best approach, prior to writing descriptive research, is to conduct a survey investigation. Qualitative research often has the aim of description and researchers may follow up with examinations of why the observations exist and what the implications of the findings are. Descriptive research is a research method describing the characteristics of the population or phenomenon studied. This descriptive methodology focuses more on the “what” of the research subject than the “why” of the research subject. The appropriate data analysis technique depends on the type of data collected and the research question being asked.
It’s frequently used to determine the study target’s current circumstances and underlying patterns. It entails gathering data and analyzing it to see whether there is a relationship between the two variables in the study. This strategy usually allows for both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Consider a researcher working on climate change adaptation, who wants to understand water management trends in an arid village in a specific study area. She must conduct a demographic survey of the region, gather population data, and then conduct descriptive research on this demographic segment. The study will then uncover details on “what are the water management practices and trends in village X.” Note, however, that it will not cover any investigative information about “why” the patterns exist.
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