RESEARCH

METHODS &
METHODOLOG
Y
TYPES OF RESEARCH

BY
DR. SHANTHI VENKATESH
 • EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGNS
CONTENT • DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS
• EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS
 • Exploratory research designs are the simplest, most
flexible and most loosely structured designs. As the
EXPLORATORY name suggests, the basic objective of the study is to
RESEARCH explore and obtain clarity on the problem situation.
DESIGN
 • Secondary resource analysis: Secondary sources of
data give information –in terms of details of
previously collected findings in facts and figures –
which has been authenticated and published.

METHODS
• Case method: it is intricately designed and reveals a
comprehensive and complete presentation of facts,
as they occur, in a single entity. This could be an
individual, an organisation or an entire country.
 • Expert opinion survey: valuable insights obtained
from experts which might be based on their
experience in the field or based on academic work
done on the concept.

METHODS
• Focus group discussions: a carefully selected
representative sub set of the larger respondent
gather to discuss together, in a short time frame, the
subject/topic to be investigated.
 • Descriptive research designs are more structured
and formal in nature. As the name implies the
DESCRIPTIVE objective of these studies is to provide a
RESEARCH comprehensive and detailed explanation of the
phenomena under study.
DESIGNS
 Cross-sectional research designs: two criteria
1. carried out at a single moment in time, therefore
the applicability is temporal specific
2. Conducted on a sub-section of the respondent
population
METHODS
Variations
• Single/multiple cross- sectional designs

• Cohort analysis
 • Longitudinal studies: three criteria

1. The study involves selection of a representative

group as a panel.

METHODS 2. There are repeated measurement of the

researched variable on this panel over fixed
intervals of time.
3. Once selected the panel composition needs to
stay constant over the study period.
 • An experiment is generally used to infer a causality.
EXPERIMENTAL In an experiment, a researcher actively manipulates
RESEARCH one or more causal variables and measures their
effects on the dependent variable of interest.
DESIGNS
 • Independent variables: Independent variables are also known as explanatory
variables or treatments. The levels of these variables are manipulated (changed)
by researchers to measure their effect on the dependent variable.
• Test units: Test units are those entities on which treatments are applied.

• Dependent variables: These variables measures the effect of treatments

CONCEPTS (independent variable) on the test units.

• Experiment: An experiment is executed when the researcher manipulates one
USED IN or more independent variables and measures their effect on the dependent
variables while controlling the effect of the extraneous variables.
EXPERIMENTS • Extraneous variables: These are the variables other than the independent
variables which influence the response of test units to treatments.

Examples: Store size, government policies, temperature, food intake, geographical

location, etc.
 • Laboratory Environment - In a laboratory
experiment, the researcher conducts the experiment
in an artificial environment constructed exclusively
for the experiment.

METHODS
• Field Environment - The field experiment is
conducted in actual market conditions. There is no
attempt to change the real-life nature of the
environment.
 Pre-test-post-test control group design:
• Both experimental and control group are
tested before and after the intervention.
• Otherwise called before-after design
METHODS Post-test only control group design
• Both are tested only after intervention
• Pre-test based conclusions cannot be made