Study designs in quantitative research

Some of the commonly used designs in quantitative studies can be classified by examining them from three different perspectives: the number of contacts with the study population; the reference period of the study; the nature of the investigation. Every study design can be classified from each one of these perspectives. These perspectives are arbitrary

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Other designs commonly used in quantitative research

There are some research designs that may be classified in the typology described above but, because of their uniqueness and prevalence, have acquired their own names. They are therefore described separately below. 1. The cross-over comparative experimental design The denial of treatment to the control group is considered unethical by some professionals. In addition,

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Study designs in qualitative research

This section provides a brief description of some of the commonly used designs in qualita­tive research. For an in-depth understanding you are advised to consult books on qualitative research. 1. Case study The case study, though dominantly a qualitative study design, is also prevalent in quantita­tive research. A case could be an individual, a

Other commonly used philosophy-guided designs

There are a number of other approaches to research that have acquired recognition, in terms of design and name, in the research literature. While not designs per se, they do enhance a particular philosophical perspective in social research. These are: action research, femi­nist research, participatory research and collaborative enquiry. Strictly speaking, a piece of

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Differences in the methods of data collection in quantitative and qualitative research

Most methods of data collection can be used in both qualitative and quantitative research. The distinction is mainly due to the restrictions imposed on flexibility, structure, sequential order, depth and freedom that a researcher has in their use during the research process. Quantitative methods favour these restrictions whereas qualitative ones advocate against them. The

Major approaches to information gathering in management research

There are two major approaches to gathering information about a situation, person, problem or phenomenon. When you undertake a research study, in most situations, you need to collect the required information; however, sometimes the information required is already available and need only be extracted. Based upon these broad approaches to information gathering, data can

Collecting data using primary sources in management research

Several methods can be used to collect primary data. The choice of a method depends upon the purpose of the study, the resources available and the skills of the researcher. There are times when the method most appropriate to achieve the objectives of a study cannot be used because of constraints such as a

Methods of data collection in qualitative research

To draw a clear distinction between quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection is both difficult and inappropriate because of the overlap between them. The difference between them mainly lies in the manner in which a method is applied in an actual data collection situ­ation. Use of these methods in quantitative research demands standardisation

Collecting data using secondary sources in management research

So far we have discussed the primary sources of data collection where the required data was collected either by you or by someone else for the specific purpose you have in mind. There are occasions when your data have already been collected by someone else and you need only to extract the required information

Measurement of attitudes in quantitative and qualitative research

There are a number of differences in the way attitudes are measured in quantitative and qualitative research. In quantitative research you are able to explore, measure, determine the intensity and combine attitudes to different aspects of an issue to arrive at one indicator that is reflective of the overall attitude. In qualitative research, you

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Attitudinal scales in quantitative research

In quantitative research there are three scales which have been developed to ‘measure’ atti­tudes. Each of these scales is based upon different assumptions and follows different procedures in their construction. As a beginner in research methods it is important for you to understand these procedures and the assumptions behind them so that you can

Functions of attitudinal scales

If you want to find out the attitude of respondents towards an issue, you can ask either a closed or an open-ended question. For example, let us say that you want to ascertain the attitude of students in a class towards their lecturer and that you have asked them to respond to the fol­lowing

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Difficulties in developing an attitudinal scale

In developing an attitudinal scale there are three problems: Which aspects of a situation or issue should be included when seeking to measure an atti­tude? For instance, in the example cited above, what aspects of teaching should be included in a scale to find out the attitude of students towards their lecturer? What procedure

Types of attitudinal scale

There are three major types of attitudinal scale: the summated rating scale, also known as the Likert scale; the equal-appearing interval scale or differential scale, also known as the Thurstone scale; the cumulative scale, also known as the Guttman scale. 1. The summated rating or Likert scale The summated rating scale, more commonly known

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Attitudinal scales and measurement scales

Different attitudinal scales use different measurement scales. It is important to know which attitudinal scale belongs to which measurement scale as this will help you in the interpretation of respondents’ scores. Table 10.1 shows attitudinal scales in relation to measurement scales. Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications

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Attitudes and qualitative research

As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, in qualitative research you can only explore the spread of the attitudes. Whatever methods of data collection you use — in-depth interviewing, focus group, observation — you can explore the diversity in the attitudes but cannot find other aspects like: how many people have a particular

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The concept of validity of a research instrument

To examine the concept of validity, let us take a very simple example. Suppose you have designed a study to ascertain the health needs of a community. In doing so, you have devel­oped an interview schedule. Further suppose that most of the questions in the interview schedule relate to the attitude of the study

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Types of validity in quantitative research

There are three types of validity in quantitative research: face and content validity; concurrent and predictive validity; construct validity. 1. Face and content validity The judgement that an instrument is measuring what it is supposed to is primarily based upon the logical link between the questions and the objectives of the study. Hence, one

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The concept of reliability of a research instrument

We use the word ‘reliable’ very often in our lives. When we say that a person is reliable, what do we mean? We infer that s/he is dependable, consistent, predictable, stable and honest. The concept of reliability in relation to a research instrument has a similar meaning: if a research tool is consistent and

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Factors affecting the reliability of a research instrument

In the social sciences it is impossible to have a research tool which is 100 per cent accurate, not only because a research instrument cannot be so, but also because it is impossible to control the factors affecting reliability. Some of these factors are: The wording of questions – A slight ambiguity in the