RESEARCH DESIGN

NILESH KOLAMBE

The research design is the master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information.

A research design is the arrangement of conditions for the collection and analysis of data that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure.

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 plan , structure and strategy of investigation conceived so as to obtain answers to research questions and control variance.

FEATURES OF GOOD DESIGN

NILESH KOLAMBE

• It specifies the sources and types of information relevant to the research problem.

• Gives smallest experimental error• Reliability of data collected and analyzed.• Also includes the time and cost budgets.• Flexible• Appropriate• Efficient• Economical

FEATURES OF GOOD DESIGN

NILESH KOLAMBE

• Research design at least contain a.Clear statement of the research problemb.Procedures and techniques to be used for

gathering information.c.The population to be studied .d.Methods to be used in processing and

analyzing data.

FEATURES OF GOOD DESIGN

NILESH KOLAMBE

• It usually involves the consideration of the following factors.

a.The means of obtaining informationb.The availability and skills of the researcher

and his staffc.The objective of the problem to be studied.d.The nature of the problem to be studiede.The availability of time and money for the

research work.

Important Concepts relating to research design

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1 Dependent and independent variableWhich can take different quantitative valueEg weight, height, income.Variable which depend upon other known as

depends and antecedent is known as independentEg” study and marks.

2 Extraneous variableIndependent variable that are not related to the

purpose of study, but may affect the dependent variable are termed as extraneous variable

Eg: Effect of rice

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• 3 Control: To minimize the effect of extraneous variable4 Confounded relationshipWhen the dependent variable is not free from the

influence of extraneous variable, the relationship between the dependent and independent variables is said to be confounded by an extraneous variable.

5 Research hypothesis Predictive statement that relates an independent

variable to a dependent variable . Must contain at least one independent and one dependent variable.

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6 Experimental and non-experimental hypothesis-testing research.

- Research in which the independent variable is manipulated is termed ‘experimental hypothesis-testing research’ and a research in which an independent variable is not manipulated is called ‘ non-experimental hypothesis testing research’

- Eg: training and performance Price and sales Advt. expenses and sales- 7 Experimental and control groups (in experimental

hypothesis testing research)Group with usual condition is termed as control groupGroup with some special condition is experimental

group.

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8 TreatmentsThe different conditions under which experimental

and control groups are referred to as treatment.Eg: if we want to determine through an experiment

the comparative impact of three varieties of fertilizers on the yield of wheat, in that the three varieties of fertilizers will be treated as three treatments.

9 Experiments The process of examining the truth of a statistical

hypothesis, related to some research problem is known as experiment. (Absolute and comparative)

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10 Experimental unitsThe pre determined plots or the blocks, where

different treatments are used, are known as experiment unit.

TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN

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• Three traditional categories of research design:• Exploratory• Descriptive• Causal

• The choice of the most appropriate design depends largely on the objectives of the research and how much is known about the problem and these objectives.

Basic Research Objectives and Research Design

Research Objective Appropriate Design

To gain background information, to define terms, to clarify Exploratoryproblems and develop hypotheses, to establish research priorities, to develop questions to be answered

To describe and measure marketing phenomena at a point Descriptivein time

To determine causality, test hypotheses, to make “if-then” Causalstatements, to answer questions

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Exploratory Research

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• It structures and identifies new problems.• The main purpose of such studies is that of

formulating a problem for more precise investigation or of developing the working hypotheses from an operational point of view.

• Exploratory research is most commonly unstructured, “informal” research that is undertaken to gain background information about the general nature of the research problem.

• Exploratory research is usually conducted when the researcher does not know much about the problem and needs additional information or desires new or more recent information.

Exploratory Research

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• Exploratory research is used in a number of situations:• To gain background information• To define terms• To clarify problems and hypotheses• To establish research priorities• Develop questions to be answered.

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• Three methods in the context of research design for such studies are

I Survey of concerning Literature- Hypotheses by earlier workers reviewed and

EvaluatedII Experience survey- Survey of people who have had practical

experience with the problem to be studied.- To get relationship between variables and new

ideas relating to research problem.- Peoples are carefully selected - Helps the researcher to define the problems

more precisely

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III Analysis of insight stimulating Examples- This method consists of the intensive study

of selected instances of the phenomenon in which one is interested.

- Existing record if any , may be examined, the unstructured interview may take place.

- Eg: reactions of strangers, reactions of marginal individuals, reactions of individual from different social strata.

Descriptive research

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• It concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual , group , frequency of occurrence

• Researcher must able to define clearly, what he wants to measure and must find adequate methods for measuring it along with the clear cut definition of population

• Descriptive research is undertaken to provide answers to questions of who, what, where, when, why and how .

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• The design must focus on I. Formulating the objective of study ( what the

study is about and why it is being made)II.Designing the methods of data collection.( what

techniques)III.Selecting the sample ( how much material will

be needed)IV.Collecting the data ( where can the required

data be find and with what time periodV.Processing and analyzing the dataVI.Reporting the findings.

Casual research

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• Researcher tests the hypotheses of casual relationships between variables.

• Causality may be thought of as understanding a phenomenon in terms of conditional statements of the form “If x, then y.”

• Causal relationships are typically determined by the use of experiments, but other methods are also used.

Experimental Design

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Professor R A fisher’s name is associated with experimental designs.

He divided agricultural plots into several parts and then conducted experiments on that.

Experimental methods means those methods wherein the researcher tests the hypothesis of casual relationship between variables.

Fishers BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

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• The Principle of Replication-Experiment should be repeated more than once- Each treatment is applied in many experimental units instead of

one-statistical accuracy can be obtained• Principle of RandomizationProtection against the effect of extraneous factors -Soil fertility example• Principle of Local ControlUnder it the extraneous factor, the known source of variability, is

made to vary deliberately over as wide a range as necessary and this need to be done in such a way that the variability it causes can be measured and hence eliminated from the experimental error.

-field is divided into several homogeneous parts or blocks and then blocks are divided into parts equal to number of treatments.

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Three components1 treatments( variety)2 extraneous factor.(soil fertility)3 experimental error.

- Field is divided into several homogeneous parts known as blocks and each block is divided into parts equal to number of treatments . Then the treatments are randomly assigned to these parts of a block.

Important experimental designs

NILESH KOLAMBE

• Informal experimental designThose designs that normally use a less sophisticated form of

analysis1 Before and after without control design2 after only with control design3 Before and after with control design- Formal experimental designIt offers relatively more control and use precise statistical

procedures for analysis.1 Completely randomized design.(C R Design)i) Two group simple randomized design ii) Random replication

design2 Randomized Block Design(R B Design)3 Latin Square design.(L. S Design)4 Factorial designs.

Informal EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

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Before and after without control design- In this design ,a single test group of area is

selected and the dependent variable is measured before the introduction of the treatment . The treatment is introduced and the dependent variable is measured again after the treatment.

- Used in Laboratory research

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• After only with control design-In this design two groups or areas (test area

and control area) are selected and the treatment is introduced into the test area only. The dependent variable is then measured in both the areas at the same time. Treatment impact is assessed

- Assumption that two areas behavior is same towards the phenomenon considered

Test area After treatment(y)Control area without treatment(z) Treatment effect Y-Z

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Before and After with Control design.- Two areas are selected and the dependent variable is measured

in both for an identical period time before the treatment.- Treatment is then introduced In test area only.- Dependent variable is then measured in both for the same

period.- Difference is measured then.- Two time periods time period I Time period IITest area X treatment YControl area A Z

Treatment Effect : (Y-X)-(Z-A)

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Completely randomized design( C. R Design)- Involves two principles principle of

replication and principle of randomization.- Subjects are randomly assigned to

experimental treatments- Eg: 10 subjects and two treatment A and B.

we want to give treatment to 5.Every possible group of 5 subjects are

selected.- Applied for uncontrolled extraneous factors.

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• Two types:I Two group simple randomized design- Population Randomly selected Sample

Randomly assigned Experimental group- Control group - The two groups are given different treatment of

independent variable to two groups.- It does not control the extraneous variable.- Eg: Two groups . One with usual training and

other with special training. Each group is tested before and after the training. And then the Comparison.

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• II Random Replication Design.- Extension to the two group simple randomized design.- Extraneous variable controlling.

Population Random selection of sample random assignment to 4 Experimental group s and control group and then treatment A to this 4 E groups.

Population random selection of sample random assignment to 4 E. Group and C group and then treatment B to 4 C Group

- Eight individuals are randomly assigned to eight groups.

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Randomized Block design ( R. B. design)- Improvement over C. R. design.- Principle of Local control can be applied with

the other two principles of experimental design.

- Subjects are first divided into groups or blocks.

- Some variable is selected for grouping

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Very Low Low Average High Very high

Student AB C D EExam 1Exam2

Exam 3exam4

Example : Intelligence level and sequence of tests

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Four type of advt. and four type of market.Different treatments and different

agricultural lands - Different doses of fertiliser- Different levels of irrigation- Different varieties of crops- Different timing of sowing

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If each student is randomly assigned the four tests he/she tooks , then is RB Design.

The purpose is to take care of extraneous factors such as fatigue or perhaps the experience gained from repeatedly taking the test.

Latin Square design

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Very frequently used in agricultural research.LS is used when there are two major

extraneous factors.For example if we want to judge the effect of

five different varieties of fertilizers on the yield of wheat.

The two extraneous factors here are fertility of land and varying seeds.

Field is divided into 5*5 parts and each extraneous factor is taken at one axis

Latin square design

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fertility level I II III IV V Seeds X1 A B C D E X2 B C D E A Difference X3 C D E A B X4 D E A B C X5 E A B C D

Example: Two extraneous variables 1 Fertility level and 2 Seeds difference

Five types of fertilizers : A,B,C,D,EResearch is to find out the Most effective fertilizer.

Factorial design

NILESH KOLAMBE

This method is used in experiments where the effects of varying more than one factor are to be determined

This is specially useful in several economic and social phenomena where there are large number of factors affect a particular problem.

Two types I simple factorial design - Effect of varying two

factors on the dependent variableII Complex factorial design – more than two

factors.

Simple Factorial design

NILESH KOLAMBE

• Two variables control variable and experimental variable.• Extraneous variable to be controlled by homogeneity is called

control variable and the independent variable ,which is manipulated is called experimental group

• Four cells in which sample is divided. Experimental variable treat A Treat BControl Variable level1 I II level 2 III IV- Randomly assigned and means are obtained for control variable

and Experimental variables. - One can examine the interaction between treatment and level. This enables researcher to evaluate the combined effect

or the interaction effect of two or more variables simultaneously

Example

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Training

Treat A Treat B

Control level I (Low) 15 23 19

(Intelligence) level II (High) 35 30 32.5

25 26.5

Control level(Intelligence)

Treatment

s

Treatment and level are dependent on each other from graph

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Control(intelligence)

treatment

No relationship between treatment

and intelligence

II Complex factorial design

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• Experiments with more than two factors at a time involves the use of complex factorial design.

• Treatment and control variable both have different levels.

Experimental variable Treat A Treat B level 1 level2 level 1

level 2

Control level1 I III IV VIIVariable level2 II IV VI

VIII

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To determine the main effects of the experimental variable, the researcher must necessarily combined mean of Cell I, II, III, IV

Advantages of factorial design- They provide equivalent accuracy- Economic- The determination of interaction effects is

possible in case of factorial design.