Research design refers to the overall strategy and plan for a research study. It establishes how the research will be conducted and answers the questions being explored. Research design involves determining the methods, participants, and data collection procedures needed to answer the research questions. The goal is to develop a blueprint that guides how the research will be carried out and conclusions will be reached.

2. What%is%Research%Design%
! Research design refers to the basic strategy of the
research by defining an action plan that proceeds from
the primary research questions up to the conclusions
and the justification behind it (Oppenheim, 1992).
! Yin (2003), “a research design is an action plan for
getting from here to there, where here is defined as the
initial set of questions to be answered, and there is
some set of conclusion” (p, 20).

3. The%Analogy%of%RD%
! How do we build a house?
! Do we buy the materials first, select fittings or setting
artificial dates without first establishing the type of the
house we want to build?
! Different types of house will require a very different
building strategies, materials, permits and timeliness.
! Only when the type of the house (design) is specified,
only then we know what materials, fittings etc that are
appropriate and suitable.

5. Research%Methodology%
! Research methodology is a strategy or plan of action
that links methods to outcomes. It directs our choice
and use of methods (eg, experimental research, survey
research, ethnography, etc).
! Research methods – techniques and procedures do we
propose to use (e.g. questionnaire, interview, focus
group, etc).
! Not all methods can be applied to all research
questions, so the choice of method is limited by the
area of research that you wish to explore.
!

6. Research%Design%
! Research design involves determining how your
chosen method will be applied to answer your research
question.
! The design of your study can be thought of as a
blueprint detailing what will be done and how this will
be accomplished.
! Key aspects of research design include: research
methodology; participant/sample collection and
assignment (if different conditions are being explored);
and data collection procedures and instruments.

8. Exploratory%Research%
! Designed to generate basic knowledge, clarify relevant
issues uncover variables associated with a problem,
uncover information needs, and/or define alternatives
for addressing research objectives.
! Not intended to test specific research hypotheses.
! A very flexible, open-ended process.
! Typical exploratory design – focus group, in-depth
interview, case studies, videotaped/photograph

9. Descriptive%Research%%
(who,%what,%where,%how)%%
! Designed to provide further insight into the
research problem by describing the variables of
interest. For example:
" Who is likely to be most satisfied?
" How much investment is required?
" Which brands is most preferred?
! DR usually structured and specifically designed to
measure characteristics described in RQs.
! Can be used for profiling, defining, segmentation,
estimating, predicting, and examining associative
relationships.

10. Explanatory+,+Hypothesis+Testing++
(Analytical+and+Predictive)+
! Studies that engage in hypotheses testing usually
explain the nature of certain relationships, or establish
the differences among groups or the independence of
two or more factors in a situation.
! Hypotheses testing is undertaken to explain the
variance in the dependent variable or to predict
organizational outcomes.
! Designed to provide information on potential cause-
and-effect relationships.

11. Qualitative%%
! The inquirer makes knowledge claims based primarily on
constructivist perspectives,
" i.e. the multiple meanings of individual experiences, meanings
socially and historically constructed, with a intent of developing
a theory or pattern) or participatory perspectives (i.e, political
issue-oriented, collaborative or change oriented).
! Other strategies – narratives, phenomenologies,
ethnographies, grounded theory studies, or case studies.
! The researcher collect open-ended, emerging data with the
primary intent of developing themes from the data.

12. Quantitative%
! Investigator primarily uses post-positivist claims for
developing knowledge
" i.e, cause and effect thinking, reduction to specific variables
and hypotheses and questions, use of measurement and
observation, and test of theories
! Employ strategies of inquiry such as experiments and
surveys
! Collect data on predetermined instruments that yield
statistical data

13. MixedAMethod%
! The researcher tends to base knowledge claims on
pragmatic grounds (eg, consequence-oriented,
problem-centred and pluralistic)
! It employs strategies of inquiry that involve collecting
data either simultaneously or sequentially to best
understand research problems.
! Data collection involve numeric information (on
instruments) as well as text information (on interview).
! The final database represents both qualitative and
quantitative information.

14. Type%of%Research%(Salkind,%2011)%

16. Time Horizon
! Cross-sectional design
! Collects data at one time
! Longitudinal Designs
! Takes place over time with two or more data collections
Trend design
! Each survey collects data on the same items or variables
with a new independent sample of the same target
population
Panel studies
! Each survey collects data at different times from the
same respondents

17. Prior%To%Research%Design%
! Variable: what is measured or varied. An attribute or
characteristic of a person (or object) that can change
from person to person.
① Independent Variable: a variable that is manipulated,
measured or selected by the researcher in order to
observe its relation to the subject's "response” on
another variable.
② Dependent Variable: the variable that is observed
and measured in response to an independent variable.