Bryman’s Social Research Methods 6e

Chapter 3: Research design

Research design and research method

Research design

• Provides a framework for the collection and

analysis of data.

Research method

• A technique for collecting data.

Section 3.1: Introduction

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 Quality criteria in social research

Reliability

• Are the measures consistent?

Replicability

• Is the study repeatable?

Validity

• Are the conclusions well-founded?

Section 3.2 Quality criteria in social research

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 Types of validity
Measurement validity
• Do measures reflect concepts?

Internal validity
• Are causal relations between variables real?

External validity
• Can results be generalized beyond the research setting?

Ecological validity
• Are findings applicable to everyday life
Section 3.2 Quality criteria in social research

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 Variables

Independent variable

• The variable the researcher changes or manipulates

Dependent variable

• The variable that the researcher observes any change in

as a result of manipulating the independent variable

Section 3.2 Quality criteria in social research

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 Trustworthiness
Credibility (parallels internal validity)

• How believable are the findings?

Transferability (parallels external validity)

• Do the findings apply to offer contexts?

Dependability (parallels reliability)

• Are the findings likely to apply at other times?

Confirmability (parallels objectivity)

• Has the investigator allowed him or her values to intrude to a high degree?

Section 3.2 Quality criteria in social research

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 Types of research design

Cross-
Experimental Longitudinal
sectional

Case study Comparative

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 Experimental design

• Considered a benchmark in research design

• Not used as often in some disciplines (e.g. sociology),

as it can be difficult, if not impossible, to manipulate
the independent variable and see the impact on the
dependent variable

Section 3.3 Experimental design

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 Classical experimental design

Section 3.3 Experimental design

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 Quasi-experiments

• Share some characteristics with classical experiments

• Not random assignment to groups – this casts doubt

on internal validity

• Include ‘natural experiments’

• Used in evaluation research

Section 3.3 Experimental design

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 Cross-sectional design

• Snapshot in time

• Collecting data from a sample at one point in time

• Use cases that vary

• Need a systematic and standardized method to examine

variation between cases
Section 3.4: Cross-sectional design

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 Cross-sectional design

Section 3.4: Cross-sectional design

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 Longitudinal design

• Involves collecting data more than once

• Can offer some insight into the time order of variables so

can allow for stronger causal inferences

• Issue of attrition

Section 3.5 Longitudinal design

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 Longitudinal design

Section 3.5 Longitudinal design

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Longitudinal design: Panel and cohort studies

Panel studies

• A randomly selected, often national, sample is consulted on

their views on a topic, on two or more occasions

Cohort studies

• A group is selected on the basis of a shared characteristic, and

followed up over time

Section 3.5 Longitudinal design

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 Case study design

• Detailed and intensive analysis of a single case

– e.g. a single community, school, family, person, event, or organization

• Often involves qualitative research, but not necessarily

• Types of case: critical, unique, exemplifying, revelatory,

longitudinal

Section 3.6 Case study design

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 Comparative design

• Involves studying two or more contrasting cases

using more or less identical methods

• Cross-cultural or cross-national research

Section 3.7 Comparative design

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