RSC2601 – Chapter 5
Research Design
Key Term Definition Pg.
Context The total situation in which an event exists or occurs 125
Coherent A research design that is coherent shows a unity of 126
thought or purpose
Internal validity The extent to which the study confirms the existence 128
of a cause-effect relationship
History Refers to uncontrolled events that influence the 128
outcome of the research
Maturation Refers to the physical or psychological changed the 128
subjects may undergo
Mortality Refers to the fact that some subject don’t continue 129
throughout the study, but drop out before it is
completed
Regression effect Refers to a tendency of extreme scores to move 129
towards the average upon retesting
Testing effect Implies that subjects may become familiar with the 129
testing procedure or more aware of certain issues
after the pretest
External validity Extent to which results can be generalised to other 130
population or circumstances
Scientific Social situation with interaction between the research 130
investigation participants and the researcher
Researcher Refers to the situation where expectations cause a 131
expectancy researcher to behave in a manner that makes the
expected event more likely to occur
Manipulation of Deciding who receives which treatment 131
treatment conditions
Experimental group Group that receives the treatment 131
Control group Group that doesn’t receive the treatment 131
Random Every subject has an equal chance of being assigned 132
assignment to any treatment condition or group
Posttest only control Design which includes an experimental and a control 133
group design group, a treatment, and a posttest
Pretest-posttest Subjects are measured before and after the treatment 133
control group design
Time-series design Comparing a number of observations of the same 135
group over a period of time
Single-case Similar to time-series but involve only one sampling 135
experimental design unit
To assess interventions in educational, clinical and
counselling settings
Ex post facto After the fact 136
Survey research Purpose is to describe the population’s attitudes, 136
opinions, etc based on sample results
Scope Range of situations, techniques, and observations 138
, included in the research
Also refers to the degree to which the findings of a
particular study can be generalised to other settings
or people
Flexibility How adaptable the research process is 139
Research Design as Part of the Research Process
We need to design our research so that it will provide answers to our research
questions
o We need to decide on the type of research that would be suitable, the
persons or situations from which we are going to collect data, the type
of data we need, and how we are going to collect and analyse the data
Look at figure 5.1 on pg. 125
Research design is usually done early on in the research process
Explanatory research:
o Design is then implemented in the context of the research
o Purpose:
To look for reasons why something is happening
A design that is open and flexible is often more suited to qualitative research
and this type of research may be “less orderly”
o Nonsequential
Design Coherence
Regardless of whether a research design in precise or flexible, it cannot be a
haphazard collection of contradictory elements, but should be coherent
Research design requires us to make decisions about various aspects of
research and these decisions should fit together logically
A researcher works within a particular paradigm or system of ideas
o Includes certain theoretical assumptions, the focus of the research
questions and the research techniques to be used
o Research design is influenced by the paradigm
The purpose and proposed use of the study also influence the type of study
that will be done
When designing the study we also need to decide if the results will be used to
add to our general knowledge about the social world (basic research) or to
solve a specific problem (applied research)
Design data-collection techniques will match the data-analysis techniques
Design Validity in Quantitative Research
If the aim of the research is to explain the relationships between variables
and, more specifically, to draw conclusions about cause-effect relationships,
the researcher needs to control those factors that could interfere with these
relationships and thus threaten the validity of the research conclusions
Internal validity:
o Extent to which the study confirms the existence of a cause-effect
relationship
o If we have alternative explanations for results (plausible rival
hypotheses) the internal validity of our research is threatened
Research Design
Key Term Definition Pg.
Context The total situation in which an event exists or occurs 125
Coherent A research design that is coherent shows a unity of 126
thought or purpose
Internal validity The extent to which the study confirms the existence 128
of a cause-effect relationship
History Refers to uncontrolled events that influence the 128
outcome of the research
Maturation Refers to the physical or psychological changed the 128
subjects may undergo
Mortality Refers to the fact that some subject don’t continue 129
throughout the study, but drop out before it is
completed
Regression effect Refers to a tendency of extreme scores to move 129
towards the average upon retesting
Testing effect Implies that subjects may become familiar with the 129
testing procedure or more aware of certain issues
after the pretest
External validity Extent to which results can be generalised to other 130
population or circumstances
Scientific Social situation with interaction between the research 130
investigation participants and the researcher
Researcher Refers to the situation where expectations cause a 131
expectancy researcher to behave in a manner that makes the
expected event more likely to occur
Manipulation of Deciding who receives which treatment 131
treatment conditions
Experimental group Group that receives the treatment 131
Control group Group that doesn’t receive the treatment 131
Random Every subject has an equal chance of being assigned 132
assignment to any treatment condition or group
Posttest only control Design which includes an experimental and a control 133
group design group, a treatment, and a posttest
Pretest-posttest Subjects are measured before and after the treatment 133
control group design
Time-series design Comparing a number of observations of the same 135
group over a period of time
Single-case Similar to time-series but involve only one sampling 135
experimental design unit
To assess interventions in educational, clinical and
counselling settings
Ex post facto After the fact 136
Survey research Purpose is to describe the population’s attitudes, 136
opinions, etc based on sample results
Scope Range of situations, techniques, and observations 138
, included in the research
Also refers to the degree to which the findings of a
particular study can be generalised to other settings
or people
Flexibility How adaptable the research process is 139
Research Design as Part of the Research Process
We need to design our research so that it will provide answers to our research
questions
o We need to decide on the type of research that would be suitable, the
persons or situations from which we are going to collect data, the type
of data we need, and how we are going to collect and analyse the data
Look at figure 5.1 on pg. 125
Research design is usually done early on in the research process
Explanatory research:
o Design is then implemented in the context of the research
o Purpose:
To look for reasons why something is happening
A design that is open and flexible is often more suited to qualitative research
and this type of research may be “less orderly”
o Nonsequential
Design Coherence
Regardless of whether a research design in precise or flexible, it cannot be a
haphazard collection of contradictory elements, but should be coherent
Research design requires us to make decisions about various aspects of
research and these decisions should fit together logically
A researcher works within a particular paradigm or system of ideas
o Includes certain theoretical assumptions, the focus of the research
questions and the research techniques to be used
o Research design is influenced by the paradigm
The purpose and proposed use of the study also influence the type of study
that will be done
When designing the study we also need to decide if the results will be used to
add to our general knowledge about the social world (basic research) or to
solve a specific problem (applied research)
Design data-collection techniques will match the data-analysis techniques
Design Validity in Quantitative Research
If the aim of the research is to explain the relationships between variables
and, more specifically, to draw conclusions about cause-effect relationships,
the researcher needs to control those factors that could interfere with these
relationships and thus threaten the validity of the research conclusions
Internal validity:
o Extent to which the study confirms the existence of a cause-effect
relationship
o If we have alternative explanations for results (plausible rival
hypotheses) the internal validity of our research is threatened
