MODULE 2

Research Problem and Research Design

Defining the Research Problem: In research process, the first and foremost step happens to be
that of selecting and properly defining a research problem. A researcher must find the problem
and formulate it so that it becomes susceptible to research. Like a medical doctor, a
researcher must examine all the symptoms (presented to him or observed by him) concerning
a problem before he can diagnose correctly. To define a problem correctly, a researcher must
know: what a problem is?

WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?

A research problem, in general, refers to some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the
context of either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same.

State the components of a research problem:

(i) There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem.

(ii) There must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants nothing, one cannot have a
problem.
(iii) There must be alternative means (or the courses of action) for obtaining the objective(s)
one wishes to attain. This means that there must be at least two means available to a
researcher for if he has no choice of means, he cannot have a problem.
(iv) There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to the selection of
alternatives. This means that research must answer the question concerning the relative
efficiency of the possible alternatives.
(v) There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.

Thus, a research problem is one which requires a researcher to find out the best solution for the
given problem, i.e., to find out by which course of action the objective can be attained optimally
in the context of a given environment. There are several factors which may result in making
the problem complicated. For instance, the environment may change affecting the
efficiencies of the courses of action or the values of the outcomes; the number of alternative
courses of action may be very large; persons not involved in making the decision may
be affected by it and react to it favourably or unfavourably, and similar other factors. All such
elements (or at least the important ones) may be thought of in context of a research problem.
SELECTING THE PROBLEM: the research problem undertaken for study must be
carefully selected. The task is a difficult one, although it may not appear to be so. Help may be
taken from a research guide in this connection. Nevertheless, every researcher must find out his
own salvation for research problems cannot be borrowed. A problem must spring from
the researcher’s mind like a plant springing from its own seed. If our eyes need glasses, it is not
the optician alone who decides about the number of the lens we require. We have to see
ourselves and enable him to prescribe for us the right number by cooperating with him. Thus, a
research guide can at the most only help a researcher choose a subject. However, the following
points may be observed by a researcher in selecting a research problem or a subject for research:
(i) Subject which is overdone should not be normally chosen, for it will be a difficult task to
throw any new light in such a case.
(ii) Controversial subject should not become the choice of an average researcher.

(iii) Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.

(iv) The subject selected for research should be familiar and feasible so that the
related research material or sources of research are within one’s reach. Even then it is quite
difficult to supply definitive ideas concerning how a researcher should obtain ideas for his
research. For this purpose, a researcher should contact an expert or a professor in the
University who is already engaged in research. He may as well read articles published
in current literature available on the subject and may think how the techniques and ideas
discussed therein might be applied to the solution of other problems. He may discuss with
others what he has in mind concerning a problem. In this way he should make all possible
efforts in selecting a problem. (v) The importance of the subject, the qualifications and the
training of a researcher, the costs involved, the time factor are few other criteria that
must also be considered in selecting a problem. In other words, before the final selection
of a problem is done.
A researcher must ask himself the following questions:

(a) Whether he is well equipped in terms of his background to carry out the research?

(b) Whether the study falls within the budget he can afford?

(c) Whether the necessary cooperation can be obtained from those who must participate in
research as subjects?
If the answers to all these questions are in the affirmative, one may become sure so
far as the practicability of the study is concerned.
(vi) The selection of a problem must be preceded by a preliminary study. This may not be
necessary when the problem requires the conduct of a research closely similar to one that has
already been done. But when the field of inquiry is relatively new and does not have available
a set of well-developed techniques, a brief feasibility study must always be undertaken.
If the subject for research is selected properly by observing the above mentioned points, the
research will not be a boring drudgery, rather it will be love’s labour. In fact, zest for work is a
must. The subject or the problem selected must involve the researcher and must have an upper
most place in his mind so that he may undertake all pains needed for the study.

NECESSITY OF DEFINING THE PROBLEM

Quite often we all hear that a problem clearly stated is a problem half solved. This statement
signifies the need for defining a research problem. The problem to be investigated must be
defined unambiguously for that will help to discriminate relevant data from the irrelevant
ones. A proper definition of research problem will enable the researcher to be on the track
whereas an ill-defined problem may create hurdles. Questions like: What data are to be
collected? What characteristics of data are relevant and need to be studied? What relations are
to be explored. What techniques are to be used for the purpose? and similar other questions crop
up in the mind of the researcher who can well plan his strategy and find answers to all such
questions only when the research problem has been well defined. Thus, defining a
research problem properly is a prerequisite for any study and is a step of the highest
importance. In fact, formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution. It is only
on careful detailing the research problem that we can work out the research design and can
smoothly carry on all the consequential steps involved while doing research.

The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of the following steps generally
one after the other:
(i) Statement of the problem in a general way

ii) Understanding the nature of the problem

(iii) Surveying the available literature

(iv) Developing the ideas through discussions

(v) Rephrasing the research problem into a working proposition.

(i) Statement of the problem in a general way: First of all the problem should be stated in a
broad general way, keeping in view either some practical concern or some scientific or
intellectual interest. For this purpose, the researcher must immerse himself thoroughly in the
subject matter concerning which he wishes to pose a problem. In case of social research, it is
considered advisable to do some field observation and as such the researcher may undertake
some sort of preliminary survey or what is often called pilot survey. Then the researcher can
himself state the problem or he can seek the guidance of the guide or the subject expert in
accomplishing this task. Often, the guide puts forth the problem in general terms, and it is then
up to the researcher to narrow it down and phrase the problem in operational terms. In case
there is some directive from an organizational authority, the problem then can be stated
accordingly. The problem stated in a broad general way may contain various ambiguities
which must be resolved by cool thinking and rethinking over the problem. At the same time the
feasibility of a particular solution has to be considered and the same should be kept in view
while stating the problem.
(ii) Understanding the nature of the problem: The next step in defining the problem is to
understand its origin and nature clearly. The best way of understanding the problem is
to discuss it with those who first raised it in order to find out how the problem originally came
about and with what objectives in view. If the researcher has stated the problem himself, he
should consider once again all those points that induced him to make a general statement
concerning the problem. For a better understanding of the nature of the problem involved, he
can enter into discussion with those who have a good knowledge of the problem concerned or
similar other problems. The researcher should also keep in view the environment within
which the problem is to be studied and understood.
(iii) Surveying the available literature: All available literature concerning the problem at
hand must necessarily be surveyed and examined before a definition of the research problem is
given. This means that the researcher must be well-conversant with relevant theories in the field,
reports and records as also all other relevant literature. He must devote sufficient time in
reviewing of research already undertaken on related problems. This is done to find out
what data and other materials, if any, are available for operational purposes. “Knowing what
data are available often serves to narrow the problem itself as well as the technique that might
be used.”
This would also help a researcher to know if there are certain gaps in the theories, or
whether the existing theories applicable to the problem under study are inconsistent with each
other, or whether the findings of the different studies do not follow a pattern consistent with the
theoretical expectations and so on. All this will enable a researcher to take new strides in the
field for furtherance of knowledge i.e., he can move up starting from the existing premise.
Studies on related problems are useful for indicating the type of difficulties that may
be encountered in the present study as also the possible analytical shortcomings. At times such
studies may also suggest useful and even new lines of approach to the present problem.

(iv) Developing the ideas through discussions: Discussion concerning a problem often
produces useful information. Various new ideas can be developed through such an exercise.
Hence, a researcher must discuss his problem with his colleagues and others who have
enough experience in the same area or in working on similar problems. This is quite often
known as an experience survey. People with rich experience are in a position to enlighten the
researcher on different aspects of his proposed study and their advice and comments are
usually invaluable to the researcher. They help him sharpen his focus of attention on specific
aspects within the field. Discussions with such persons should not only be confined to
the formulation of the specific problem at hand, but should also be concerned with the general
approach to the given problem, techniques that might be used, possible solutions, etc.
(v) Rephrasing the research problem: Finally, the researcher must sit to rephrase the
research problem into a working proposition. Once the nature of the problem has been clearly
understood, the environment (within which the problem has got to be studied) has been
defined, discussions over the problem have taken place and the available literature has been
 surveyed and examined, rephrasing the problem into analytical or operational terms is not a
difficult task. Through rephrasing, the researcher puts the research problem in as specific
terms as possible so that it may become operationally viable and may help in
the development of working hypotheses.
The purpose of a problem statement is to:
1. Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied. The reader is oriented
to the significance of the study and the research questions or hypotheses to follow.
2. Places the problem into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be
investigated.
3. Provides the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is probably necessary
to conduct the study and explain how the findings will present this information.
What is Hypothesis?
A hypothesis is an assumption that is made based on some evidence. This is the initial point of
any investigation that translates the research questions into predictions. It includes components
like variables, population and the relation between the variables. A research hypothesis is a
hypothesis that is used to test the relationship between two or more variables.
Characteristics of Hypothesis
 The hypothesis should be clear and precise to consider it to be reliable.
 If the hypothesis is a relational hypothesis, then it should be stating the relationship
between variables.
 The hypothesis must be specific and should have scope for conducting more tests.
 The way of explanation of the hypothesis must be very simple and it should also be
understood that the simplicity of the hypothesis is not related to its significance.
Sources of Hypothesis
The resemblance between the phenomenon.
Observations from past studies, present-day experiences and from the competitors.
Scientific theories.
General patterns that influence the thinking process of people.
Types of Hypothesis
Research studies and testing usually formulate two hypotheses. One will describe the prediction
while the other will describe all other possible outcomes. For example, you predict that A is
related to B (null hypothesis). The only other possible outcome is that they are not related
(alternative hypothesis).
 Null hypothesis (H0)
 Alternative hypothesis (H1)
Key Differences Between Null and Alternative Hypothesis
The important points of differences between null and alternative hypothesis are explained as
under
 A null hypothesis is a statement, in which there is no relationship between two variables.
An alternative hypothesis is a statement; that is simply the inverse of the null hypothesis,
i.e. there is some statistical significance between two measured phenomenon.
 A null hypothesis is what, the researcher tries to disprove whereas an alternative
hypothesis is what the researcher wants to prove.
 A null hypothesis represents, no observed effect whereas an alternative hypothesis
reflects, some observed effect.
 If the null hypothesis is accepted, no changes will be made in the opinions or actions.
Conversely, if the alternative hypothesis is accepted, it will result in the changes in the
opinions or actions.
 As null hypothesis refers to population parameter, the testing is indirect and implicit. On
the other hand, the alternative hypothesis indicates sample statistic, wherein, the testing is
direct and explicit.
 A null hypothesis is labelled as H0 (H-zero) while an alternative hypothesis is
represented by H1 (H-one).
 The mathematical formulation of a null hypothesis is an equal sign but for an alternative
hypothesis is not equal to sign.
 In null hypothesis, the observations are the outcome of chance whereas, in the case of the
alternative hypothesis, the observations are an outcome of real effect.
Functions of Hypothesis
 Hypothesis helps in making an observation and experiments possible.
 It becomes the start point for the investigation.
 Hypothesis helps in verifying the observations.
 It helps in directing the inquiries in the right direction.
 How will Hypothesis help in the Scientific Method?
 Researchers use hypotheses to put down their thoughts directing how the experiment
would take place.
 Research Design:

MEANING OF RESEARCH DESIGN:

The formidable problem that follows the task of defining the research problem is the
preparation of the design of the research project, popularly known as the “research design”.
Decisions regarding what, where, when, how much, by what means concerning an inquiry or a
research study constitute a research design. “A research design is the arrangement of
conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the
research purpose with economy in procedure.”1 In fact, the research design is the
conceptual structure within which research is conducted; it constitutes the blueprint for the
collection, measurement and analysis of data. As such the design includes an outline of what
the researcher will do from writing the hypothesis and its operational implications to the final
analysis of data.
Operational definition
Research studies usually include terms that must be carefully and precisely defined, so that others
know exactly what has been done and there are no ambiguities. Two types of definitions can be
given: conceptual definitions and operational definitions.
Loosely speaking, a conceptual definition explains what to measure or observe (what a word or a
term means for your study), and an operational definitions defines exactly how to measure or
observe it.
For example, in a study of stress in students during a university semester. A conceptual definition
would describe what is meant by ‘stress.’ An operational definition would describe how the
‘stress’ would be measured.
Definition 2.1 (Conceptual definition) A conceptual definition articulates what exactly is to be
measured or observed in a study.
Definition 2.2 (Operational definition) An operational definition articulates how to capture
(identify, create, measure, assess etc.) the value.
Sometimes the definitions themselves aren’t important, provided a clear definition is given.
Sometimes, commonly-accepted definitions exist, so should be used unless there is a good reason
to use a different definition (for example, in criminal law, an ‘adult’ in Australia is someone aged
18 or over).
Sometimes, a commonly-accepted definition does not exist, so the definition being used should be
clearly articulated.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
Basic concepts of sampling
Essentially, sampling consists of obtaining information from only a part of a large group or
population so as to infer about the whole population. The object of sampling is thus to secure a
sample which will represent the population and reproduce the important characteristics of the
population under study as closely as possible.
There are several different sampling techniques available, and they can be subdivided into two
groups: probability sampling and non-probability sampling. In probability (random) sampling, you
start with a complete sampling frame of all eligible individuals from which you select your
sample. In this way, all eligible individuals have a chance of being chosen for the sample, and you
will be more able to generalize the results from your study.
Probability sampling methods tend to be more time-consuming and expensive than non-
probability sampling. In non-probability (non-random) sampling, you do not start with a complete
sampling frame, so some individuals have no chance of being selected.
Probability Sampling Methods
1. Simple random sampling
In this case each individual is chosen entirely by chance and each member of the
population has an equal chance, or probability, of being selected. One way of obtaining a
random sample is to give each individual in a population a number, and then use a table of
random numbers to decide which individuals to include.1 For example, if you have a
sampling frame of 1000 individuals, labelled 0 to 999, use groups of three digits from the
 random number table to pick your sample. So, if the first three numbers from the random
number table were 094, select the individual labelled “94”, and so on.
2. Systematic sampling
Individuals are selected at regular intervals from the sampling frame. The intervals are
chosen to ensure an adequate sample size. If you need a sample size n from a population of
size x, you should select every x/nth individual for the sample. For example, if you wanted
a sample size of 100 from a population of 1000, select every 1000/100 = 10th member of
the sampling frame. Systematic sampling is often more convenient than simple random
sampling, and it is easy to administer. However, it may also lead to bias, for example if
there are underlying patterns in the order of the individuals in the sampling frame, such
that the sampling technique coincides with the periodicity of the underlying pattern.
3. Stratified sampling
In this method, the population is first divided into subgroups (or strata) who all share a
similar characteristic. It is used when we might reasonably expect the measurement of
interest to vary between the different subgroups, and we want to ensure representation
from all the subgroups. For example, in a study of stroke outcomes, we may stratify the
population by sex, to ensure equal representation of men and women. The study sample is
then obtained by taking equal sample sizes from each stratum. In stratified sampling, it
may also be appropriate to choose non-equal sample sizes from each stratum. For example,
in a study of the health outcomes of nursing staff in a county, if there are three hospitals
each with different numbers of nursing staff (hospital A has 500 nurses, hospital B has
1000 and hospital C has 2000), then it would be appropriate to choose the sample numbers
from each hospital proportionally (e.g. 10 from hospital A, 20 from hospital B and 40 from
hospital C). This ensures a more realistic and accurate estimation of the health outcomes of
nurses across the county, whereas simple random sampling would over- represent nurses
from hospitals A and B.
4. Clustered sampling
In a clustered sample, subgroups of the population are used as the sampling unit, rather
than individuals. The population is divided into subgroups, known as clusters, which are
randomly selected to be included in the study. Clusters are usually already defined, for
example individual GP practices or towns could be identified as clusters. In single-stage
cluster sampling, all members of the chosen clusters are then included in the study. In two-
stage cluster sampling, a selection of individuals from each cluster is then randomly
selected for inclusion. Clustering should be taken into account in the analysis. The General
Household survey, which is undertaken annually in England, is a good example of a (one-
stage) cluster sample. All members of the selected households (clusters) are included in the
survey.
Non-Probability Sampling Methods
1. Convenience sampling
Convenience sampling is perhaps the easiest method of sampling, because participants are
selected based on availability and willingness to take part. Useful results can be obtained,
but the results are prone to significant bias, because those who volunteer to take part may
be different from those who choose not to (volunteer bias), and the sample may not be
representative of other characteristics, such as age or sex. Note: volunteer bias is a risk of
all non-probability sampling methods.
2. Quota sampling
This method of sampling is often used by market researchers. Interviewers are given a
quota of subjects of a specified type to attempt to recruit. For example, an interviewer
might be told to go out and select 20 adult men, 20 adult women, 10 teenage girls and 10
teenage boys so that they could interview them about their television viewing. Ideally the
quotas chosen would proportionally represent the characteristics of the underlying
population.
Whilst this has the advantage of being relatively straightforward and potentially
representative, the chosen sample may not be representative of other characteristics that
weren’t considered (a consequence of the non-random nature of sampling). 2
3. Judgement (or Purposive) Sampling
Also known as selective, or subjective, sampling, this technique relies on the judgement of
the researcher when choosing who to ask to participate. Researchers may implicitly thus
choose a “representative” sample to suit their needs, or specifically approach individuals
with certain characteristics. This approach is often used by the media when canvassing the
public for opinions and in qualitative research.
Judgement sampling has the advantage of being time-and cost-effective to perform whilst
resulting in a range of responses (particularly useful in qualitative research). However, in
addition to volunteer bias, it is also prone to errors of judgement by the researcher and the
findings, whilst being potentially broad, will not necessarily be representative.
4. Snowball sampling
This method is commonly used in social sciences when investigating hard-to-reach groups.
Existing subjects are asked to nominate further subjects known to them, so the sample
increases in size like a rolling snowball. For example, when carrying out a survey of risk
behaviours amongst intravenous drug users, participants may be asked to nominate other
users to be interviewed.
What is a Research Design?
By the term ‘research’, we can understand that it’s a collection of data that includes critical
information by taking research methodologies into consideration. In other words, it is a
compilation of information or data explored by setting a hypothesis and consequently coming up
with substantive findings in an organised way. Research can be done on an academic as well as on
a scientific basis as well. Let’s first understand what a research design actually means.
A Research Design is simply a structural framework of various research methods as well as
techniques that are utilised by a researcher. The research design helps a researcher to pursue their
journey into the unknown but with a systematic approach by their side. The way an engineer or
architect frames a design for a structure, likewise the researcher picks the design from various
approaches in order to check which type of research to be carried out.
Elements of Research Design
 Here are the most important elements of a research design-
 The method applied for analyzing collected details.
 Type of research methodology
 Accurate purpose statement
 Probable objections for research
 Techniques to be implemented for collecting and analyzing research
 Timeline
 Measurement of analysis
 Settings for the research study.
Characteristics of Research Design
Major Types of Research Design
Keeping its dynamics into consideration, the research design is categorised into two
different perspectives, i.e. Quantitative Research Design and Qualitative Research Design.
Further, there are four main characteristics of research design which include Reliability,
Neutrality, Validity as well as Generalization. Further, a researcher should have a clear
understanding of how their project can be implemented in the research design. Let’s
explore what Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs mean:
Quantitative Research Design
In Quantitative Research Design, a researcher examines the various variables while
including numbers as well as statistics in a project to analyze its findings. The use of
graphics, figures, pie charts is the main form of data collection measurement and meta-
analysis (it is information about the data by the data).
Qualitative Research Design
This type of research is quite contrary to quantitative research design. It is explanatory in
nature and always seeks answers to “What’s” and “How’s”. It mainly focuses on why a
specific theory exists and what would be the respondent’s answer to it. This allows a
researcher to draw a conclusion with proper findings. Case studies are mainly used in
Qualitative Research Design in order to understand various social complexities.
NEED FOR RESEARCH DESIGN

Research design is needed because it facilitates the smooth sailing of the various research
operations, thereby making research as efficient as possible yielding maximal information
with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money. Just as for better, economical and
attractive construction of a house, we need a blueprint (or what is commonly called the map of
the house) well thought out and prepared by an expert architect, similarly we need a
research design or a plan in advance of data collection and analysis for our research project.
Research design stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting the
relevant data and the techniques to be used in their analysis, keeping in view the objective of
the research and the availability of staff, time and money. Preparation of the research design
should be done with great care as any error in it may upset the entire project. Research
design, in fact, has a great bearing on the reliability of the results arrived at and as
such constitutes the firm foundation of the entire edifice of the research work.
Even then the need for a well thought out research design is at times not realized by
many. The importance which this problem deserves is not given to it. As a result many
researches do not serve the purpose for which they are undertaken. In fact, they may even give
misleading conclusions. Thoughtlessness in designing the research project may result in
rendering the research exercise futile. It is, therefore, imperative that an efficient and
appropriate design must be prepared before starting research operations. The design helps the
researcher to organize his ideas in a form whereby it will be possible for him to look for flaws
and inadequacies. Such a design can even be given to others for their comments and critical
evaluation. In the absence of such a course of action, it will be difficult for the critic
to provide a comprehensive review of the proposed study.

FEATURES OF A GOOD DESIGN:

A good design is often characterized by adjectives like flexible, appropriate, efficient

and economical and so on. Generally, the design which minimizes bias and maximizes
the reliability of the data collected and analyzed is considered a good design. The design which
gives the smallest experimental error is supposed to be the best design in many
investigations. Similarly, a design which yields maximal information and provides an
opportunity for considering many different aspects of a problem is considered
most appropriate and efficient design in respect of many research problems. Thus, the question
of good design is related to the purpose or objective of the research problem and also with the
nature of the problem to be studied. A design may be quite suitable in one case, but may be
found wanting in one respect or the other in the context of some other research problem. One
single design cannot serve the purpose of all types of research problems.
Types of Research Designs
Now that we know the broadly classified types of research, Quantitative and Qualitative
Research can be divided into the following 4 major types of Research Designs:
 Descriptive Research Design
 Correlational Research Design
 Experimental Research Design
 Diagnostic Research Design
 Explanatory Research Design
These 5 types of Research Designs are considered the closest and exact to true experiments and
are preferred in terms of accuracy, relevance as well as quality.
Descriptive Research Design
In Descriptive Research Design, the scholar explains/describes the situation or case in depth in
their research materials. This type of research design is purely on a theoretical basis where the
individual collects data, analyses, prepares and then presents it in an understandable manner. It
is the most generalised form of research design. To explore one or more variables, a descriptive
design might employ a wide range of research approaches. Unlike in experimental research, the
researcher does not control or change any of the variables in a descriptive research design;
instead, he or she just observes and measures them. In other words, while qualitative research
may also be utilised for descriptive reasons, a descriptive method of research design is typically
regarded as a sort of quantitative research. To guarantee that the results are legitimate and
dependable, the study design should be properly constructed. Here are some examples for the
descriptive design of research type:
Experimental Research Design
Experimental research is a type of research design in which the study is carried out utilising a
scientific approach and two sets of variables. The first set serves as a constant against which the
variations in the second set are measured. Experimentation is used in quantitative research
methodologies, for example. If you lack sufficient evidence to back your conclusions, you must
first establish the facts. Experimental research collects data to assist you in making better
judgments. Experimentation is used in any research undertaken under scientifically appropriate
settings. The effectiveness of experimental investigations is dependent on researchers verifying
that a variable change is due only to modification of the constant variable. The study should
identify a noticeable cause and effect. The traditional definition of experimental design is “the
strategies employed to collect data in experimental investigations.” There are three types of
experimental designs:
 Pre-experimental research design
 True experimental research design
 Quasi-experimental research design
Correlational Research Design
A correlational research design looks into correlations between variables without allowing the
researcher to control or manipulate any of them. Correlational studies reveal the magnitude
and/or direction of a link between two (or more) variables. Correlational studies or correlational
study design might have either a positive, negative or zero. Correlational research design is
great for swiftly collecting data from natural settings. This allows you to apply your results to
real-world circumstances in an externally legitimate manner. Correlational studies research is a
viable choice in a few scenarios like:
Diagnostic Research Design
Diagnostic research design is a type of research design that tries to investigate the underlying
cause of a certain condition or phenomena. It can assist you in learning more about the elements
that contribute to certain difficulties or challenges that your clients may be experiencing. This
design typically consists of three research stages, which are as follows:
 Inception of the issue
 Diagnosis of the issue
 Solution for the issue
Explanatory Research Design
Explanatory research is a method established to explore phenomena that have not before been
researched or adequately explained. Its primary goal is to notify us about where we may get a
modest bit of information. With this strategy, the researcher obtains a broad notion and use
research as a tool to direct them more quickly to concerns that may be addressed in the future.
Its purpose is to discover the why and what of a subject under investigation. In short, it is a type
of research design that is responsible for finding the why of the events through the
establishment of cause-effect relationships. The most popular methods of explanatory research
are:
 Literature research
 In-depth interview
 Focus groups
 Case studies

CONCLUSION:

There are several research designs and the researcher must decide in advance of collection and
analysis of data as to which design would prove to be more appropriate for his research project.
He must give due weight to various points such as the type of universe and its nature, the
objective of his study, the resource list or the sampling frame, desired standard of
accuracy and the like when taking a decision in respect of the design for his research project.