It is the scientific and systematic investigation to search for knowledge. Research is to see what everybody else has seen and to think what nobody else has thought.

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2. Research Designs in Social
Science
IV Seminar on
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3. Introduction
What is Research?
It is the scientific and systematic
investigation to search for knowledge.
Research is to see what everybody else has
seen and to think what nobody else has
thought.
( Albert Szent Gyorgyi)
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4. Objectives
1. To understand the concept of research design.
2. To be familiar with the different types of
research designs.
3. To review research studies related to research
designs.
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5. What are Research Designs ?
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6. ‘Research design is the arrangement of conditions
for collection and analysis of data in a manner
that aims to combine relevance to research
purpose with economy in procedure’.
Selltiz(1976)
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7. Contd..
‘Research design refers to plan, structure, strategy
of investigation conceived as to obtain answers
to research questions & to control variance’.
(Kerlinger, 1967)
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8. Purpose of Research Designs
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9. Components of research designs
1. Variable
2. Extraneous variable
3. Confounded effect
4. Research hypothesis
5. Experimental and control group
6. Treatments
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10. Guiding principle in identifying
the research design
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11. Contd…
MAXIMIZING
Experimental
Variance
1. Make treatment and control
2. Carefully monitor the study
3. Design the study to control internal validity threats
MINIMIZING
Error
Variance
1. Watch for errors in measurement
2. Increase control over experimental conditions
3. Improve the reliability of measuring instruments
CONTROL
Extraneous
Variance
1. Eliminating the variable as a variable
2. Randomization
3. Matching the subjects
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12. Features of good research designs
 Objective
 Reliable
 Predictable
 Definite
 Accurate
 Efficient
 Economical
 Valid
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13. Internal and External validity of research
designs
INTERNAL VALIDITY EXTERNAL VALIDITY
Accuracy Generalizations
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14. Threats to Internal Validity
 History
 Selection bias
 Maturation
Instrumentation
 Statistical regression
 Experimental mortality
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15. Threats to External Validity
 Selection bias
 Prior knowledge about subjects
Artificial situation of the experiment
Carry over effects
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16. Research
Designs
Exploratory or
Formulative
Descriptive and
Diagnostic
Hypothesis-testing
or Experimental
Types of Research Designs
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17. I. Exploratory/Formulative
Research Design
 The purpose of exploratory studies is to
formulate research problems for precise
investigation.
 It is undertaken to acquire background
information about the research problem.
 To develop a working hypothesis from
operational point of view.
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18. Contd…
 Exploratory research is most commonly
unstructured research.
 In this design, non-probability sampling is used.
Ex :Studies to explore the potential for introducing
agro-based industries.
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19. Techniques for conducting
exploratory research
1. Secondary data analysis
2. Experience survey or pilot survey
3. Focus group interview
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20. II. Descriptive and Diagnostic
research design
 Descriptive research is also called “status research.”
 It is a fact finding studies.
 It describes accurately the characteristics of
particular individual ,group or situation.
 It is used for in depth analysis of data.
 Ex :To Study the culture, norms, family type,
relationships.
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21. III. Hypothesis testing or
Experimental research designs
 It is a blueprint of procedure for testing the
hypothesis.
 They test the causal relationship between the
variables.
 Here the investigator has direct control over the
independent variables.
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22. Principles of experimental designs
1.The principle of randomization
2.The principle of replication
3.The Principle of local control
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23. Ex-post-facto Research designs
‘Ex-post-facto research design is a systematic & empirical
enquiry in which the scientist doesn't have direct
control over independent variables and manipulation of
independent variables doesn’t occur’.
(Kerlinger, 1967)
•Ex-post facto means “from what is done afterwards”.
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24. Common design notation
R O X O
R O O
Post-test
observation.
Time
Line 1 (EG)
Line 2 (CG)
Pre-test
observation.
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25. 1.One-Group After-Only Design
EG X O
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26. 2.One Group Before - After Design
EG X O2O1
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27. 3.Simulated Before-After Design
EG
CG
XO1 O2
D (O2-O1)
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28. 4.Two Group, After Only Designs
I. Cause to effect designs
Presumed cause Presumed effects
Presumed effects
CG
EG
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29. II. Effect to Cause Design.
Presumed effects Presumed cause
Presumed cause
EG
CG
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30. Advantages of Ex-post-Facto
Research Designs
 They establish empirical validity of statements.
 The consequences are immediately observable.
 The problems that are not amenable for
experimental study are studied by ex-post-facto
research designs.
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31. Limitations of Ex- post-facto Research
designs
 More risk of improper interpretation.
 It lacks internal validity in some designs were
there is no scope for control groups.
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32. Other Ex-post- facto Research designs
1.Field studies
 Its a ex-post-facto studies which systematically
discovers the relationship between sociological &
psychological variables in social settings.
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33. Weakness:
1. Lack of precision or accuracy.
2. They involve more problems in relation to
feasibility, cost ,time etc.
Strengths :
i. They are very close to reality.
ii. These studies are most significant in finding
solutions to rural problems.
iii. These studies have high discovery potentials.
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34. 1.Randomized Posttest-Only Control Group
Design
R - Random assignment
•There is no benchmark.
•Assignment to groups occurs through randomization.
•Its most economical design, flexible and controls most of the
threats to internal validity.
X1
Treatment
O1
Posttest
REG
CG R
O2
Posttest
True Experimental Designs
D (O2-O1)
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35. 2.Two groups After Only Design with matched
subjects
i. Matched subjects without randomization
EG
M
CG
X1
Treatment
O1
Posttest
O2
Posttest
D (O2-O1)
 The groups occur naturally without randomization.
 Matching controls the variation among the matched
subjects.
 The D indicates the significance of treatment in changing
the dependent variable.
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36. ii. Matched subjects with randomization
EG
M
CG
X1
Treatment
O1
Posttest
O2
Posttest
D: (O2-O1)
R
• Both matching and randomization are done.
•There is an inbuilt internal validity.
•Impact of film shows, slide shows, method
demonstrations, field visits either singly or used in
combination.
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37. 3.Randomized Pretest-Posttest Control
Group Design
1. Also called four cell design.
2. There is pretest measure which provides the bench mark
for comparison of posttest results.
3. It has inbuilt internal validity.
EG
CG
R
R
X
Treatment
O2
Posttest
O1
Pretest
O3
Pretest
O4
Posttest
D: (O2-O1) (O4-O3)
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38. G1:EG
G2:CG
R
R
X
Treatment
O2
Posttest
O1
Pretest
O3
Pretest
O4
Posttest
4.Randomized Pretest-Posttest Design with
two controls
G3:CG R
X
Treatment
O5
Posttest
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39. 5.Solomon Four-Group Design
O1
Pretest
O2
Posttest
X1
Treatment
G1
EG
O6
PosttestG4
CG
Sample
O3
Pretest
G2
CG
G3
CG
O4
Posttest
O5
Posttest
X1
Treatment
Post-
Test
Only
design
Pretest
Posttest
design
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40. RESEARCH
EVIDENCES
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41. Impact of Television on Farmers.
(Awadh Nath Mishra,1967)
‘One group Before-After measurement design’ was
adopted for evaluation of five Agricultural telecasts
and their impact on gain in the knowledge level of
farmers by comparing the before and after
observations.
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42. Communication Behaviour of Extension
Personnel :An Analysis of Harayana
Agricultural Extension Systems.
(Akhouri,1973)
The research design selected for the study was
Field Survey in an Organizational setting to study the
individual communication behaviour & relative
communication efficiency of extension personnel.
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43. Relative effectiveness of two modes of
presentation on gain in cognition and
retention- A field experiment.
(Balakrishna,1993)
‘Randomized control group pretest –posttest design’
for measuring the relative effectiveness of two modes of
lecture presentation on gain in cognition and retention
of the gained cognition.
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44. Processes and Issues in Revitalizing Panchayati
Raj System through 73rd Constitutional
(Ammendment)Act,(1999)
Lalit Kumar Tyagi
A Descriptive –diagnostic Research Design was
applied to study the process of empowerment of
weaker sections by new Panchayati Raj legislation.
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45. Development and Testing of Computer
Assisted Instruction Modules(CAIMS)
(Ganeshmoorthy,2005)
In this study “Before-After Design with control
group” was used for testing the effectiveness of
Computer Assisted Instructional Modules (CAIMS)
over the conventional teaching method.
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46. An exploratory study on organic farming
practices and their adoption by farmers
(Parvathamma,2006)
An exploratory design was adopted to study the adoption
levels of organic farming practices and to find out the
major constraints faced by farmers in practicing
organic farming.
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47. Research designs followed in the
Dept. of Agril. Extension, UAS, Bangalore
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48. Table1a. Research designs followed in the Master Degree studies,
Dept. of Agril. Extension, UAS, Bangalore
SI.
No Types of Research Designs
1969-
1978
N %
1979-
1988
N %
1989-
1998
N %
1999-
2008
N %
2009-
2014
N %
Total
%
1. Exploratory research design
4 0.95 6 1.4 1 0.23 1 0.23
--------
3
2. Descriptive and diagnostic
research design
3 0.71 5 1.19 ------- ------ ------ 2
3. Ex-post-facto research design 15 3.5 80 19 90 21.4 109 25.9 56 13.3 83
4. Field studies 4 0.95 5 1.19 2 0.47 2
5. Experimental research design
(i)Randomized posttest only
research design
5 1.19 5 1.19 2 0.47 ------ -------- 3
(ii)Two group after only with
matched subjects.
3 0.71 6 1.42 1 0.23 --------- -------- 2
(iii)Randomized pretest-
posttest research design
5 2.38 7 1.65 5 1.42 --------- --------- 5
Total 39 9 114 28 101 24 110 26 56 13 100
N=420
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49. SI.
No Types of Research Designs
1977-
1986
N %
1987-1996
N %
1997-2006
N %
2007-
2014
N %
Total
%
1. Exploratory research
design 2 1.9 1 0.95 1 0.95
-------- 4
2. Descriptive and diagnostic
research design
1 0.95 1 0.95 -------- --------- 2
3. Ex-post-facto research
design
15 14.2 20 23.80 36 34.28 15 14.6 81
4. Field studies 3 2.85 1 0.95 --------- --------- 4
5. Experimental research
design
(i)Randomized posttest only
research design
2 1.90 3 2.85 -------- ---------- 5
(iii)Randomized pretest-
posttest research design
3 2.85 1 0.95 --------- ----------- 4
Total 26 25 27 25 37 35 15 15 100
Table1b. Research designs followed in the Doctoral Degree studies,
Dept. of Agril. Extension, UAS, Bangalore N=105
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50. Conclusion
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