Discuss about the Descriptive Research Design for Professional Manner.
A research design enables a researcher to conduct his/her work in a professional manner. It outlines systematically the plan of the research project creating focus and means of conducting a research work. A different research design will propose a different approach to research work that lead to different research finding. This bestows importance in the research design that a researcher uses in the process of preparing and carrying out research .A research design is outlined before the commencement of the research project to enable clear understanding of the topic under study by researchers.
This paper discusses the descriptive research design in conducting public health research. A descriptive research design is applied where the data under study is qualitative and aims at describing the behavior of the population (Spector, 1981). It involves observation and questioning to get the required data for analysis. Descriptive design also ensures that it classifies the relationship of the topic under study and the variables outlined in the research questions. The following report discusses the format of a research design in order to improve it formulation.
Research questions are formulated in the research proposal guided by the topic under study. In this descriptive design, research questions identify the variables to be described in the research findings. The research questions create the objectives of the research project. They create centers of a research work. Research questions states what the research to be undertaken will answer. They guide the researcher in what kind of the data required to be collected in order to complete the research work as planned.
For effective formulation of research questions, the researcher is advised to review the literature of the topic under study (Sim & Wright, 2000). This will enable an understanding of the parts that have been done in the past and the gap that exist. It is from this gap of what has not been done that the researcher will formulate the research questions. This review of the literature direct the research on specific issues on the field of study that he/she questions and aims to answer in completion of the research work.
The rationale for research questions is to create a more precise and clear focus on specific issues that are to be covered in the research project. It from this formulation that the research design communicates to the reader of the research work what the researcher intends to do.
Literature review is an important part of research design. It contains surveys of the existing knowledge of the topic under study. Literature review uses the secondary information recorded in journals, books and thesis projects. They give a detailed past and current knowledge of the researcher to study the topic. Literature review enables both the researcher and the reader of the research work understand the topic and the existing knowledge (Sim & Wright, 2000). This enables the academicians to figure the gap in the existing knowledge and the relevance of the study. The literature reiview forms the bases for the topic under study. Clear analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information from past research exposes the existing knowledge to criticism that lead to identification of the new problem in the field. Explaining specific objective of the research using the existing literature makes the research manageable by quantifying what is available and the existing gap (problem).
When choosing a research design literature review, the researcher is guided by the research question that he/she is intending to answer. The literature reviewed generally reviews the topic under study in a specific way (Martsolf, Scanlon, & Christianson, 2013). The research choice of literature review should be limited by the specific subtopics that he/she is focusing to analyze. The chosen subtopics discussed in the literature review outline the attempts made by the previous researchers and their proposed area of further research. The literature review also indicates the previous limitations that faced the research done and therefore outlining the gap for further studies. It is this literature that gives the researcher the confidence to continue with the research work in explaining a phenomenon and adding knowledge to the existing one.
This section of the research design outlines how the research data will be collected. It includes the instruments of data collections and the sample selection. Appropriate instruments of data collections determine the quality of the research findings. Instruments enable collection of data from various sources and therefore should be chosen appropriately according the need of the research. When the research requires qualitative data, a different instrument is selected as to where the research requires quantitative data. The following are mostly used instruments in collection of primary data; interviews, questionnaires and observation. These instruments of collecting data need to be designed well so that they can collect data that answers the formulated research questions. Questions to be used in Questionnaires and interviews have two categories. They can either be structured or non-structured. The structured questions are prepared in advance and are concrete in nature. They are also finite. This category is appropriate in this research design. Non structured questions are designed as a guide for the researcher collecting the information. The researcher administering questions to the sample uses them as a guide to in the time of the time. They are flexible but suitable in the field in our case. The questions can able have an option of being open or closed. Open questions allow the interviewee to give his/her own answer according to her thinking. Closed questions allow interviewee to choose among the multiple answers given by the researcher administering the interview. According to my research design, structured questions that are closed are appropriate in answering the research questions. This is because, they provide similar and are easy analyze data. Data is precise will little variation from one participant to another.
The questions to be used in the interview in my research design will be as follows;
How much is the effect? (i) Low (ii) Medium (iii) High
How many times? (i)Few (ii) Average (ii) many
These kind of questions will answer the research questions and enable the description of the of the phenomenon .Structured questions that are closed ensure that the problem under study is described uniformly by the individuals participating in the data collection process.
This section outlines the procedures and formulas that will be used to analyze the collected data. The formulas used in my research design for qualitative data will be measure of central tendency, dispersion and range. Central tendency will include means, mode and medium of the data collected. It will be used to classify the data collected on where the sample is major characterized. For instance, mean shows the average of the data collected and from this number a researcher can generalize the figure to the whole population (Liu, Shen, Ning, & Qin, 2014). Measurement of dispersion will include standard deviation, variance and range. This will give the dispersion between the data collected and establish how reliable the data collected is. It also shows the difference from one individual data to another. The relationship of the data collected is calculated by use of an econometric model (Vach, n.d.). The econometric model can be run using a SPSS application that will give the details on how the topic under study is affected by the subtopics outlined in the research questions.
The analysis of data gives current findings to the research questions. Data analysis provides quantification of the current data that was planned by the researcher. The data analysis section in the project proposal phase allows the researcher to outline the methods that he/she is going to use to analyze the data to answer the questions, discuss and offer recommendations.
Sampling in this design will involve selecting a representative of the whole population. It has to be characters that represent the features of the whole population. The number of sample to be chosen in this design should not be too large or small. A large sample makes it hard to manage in the process of collecting data. While a very small sample can lead to biased data since all the characteristics of the population will not be represented. Therefore it advisable that the researcher chooses a sample that is manageable and represents all characteristics of the population. In this research design a systematic random techniques is preferable to ensure that the sample selected is not researcher biased. A simple random techniques can select samples from a large population that can capture all the characteristics of the large population.
The sample selection phase is faced with several problems. Coming up with a desirable sample size is a tedious task. It may involve arithmetic’s that are time consuming. The sample selected can also fail to deliver the desired data as formulated in the research questions. Some individuals selected for interview may lack the knowledge of the information a researcher is seeking. Also some individuals may deliberately give false information. These factors interfere with the research questions and the required information is lost. Therefore, the sample selected determines the quality of the researcher’s work in a descriptive research design.
The implication of the research will be concluded on the analyzed data that is from the selected sample. Descriptive research gives an explanation of the research by generalizing the finding to the rest of the population. Therefore, the data from the sample size is attributed to the general population. A wrong selected sample will lead to inconsistent and unreliable research.
The rationale for having a sample size is it importance to facilitating workability of the research work. A research sample makes it easy for a researcher to carry out a research over a large population and get results. Interviewing the whole population is a tedious task that in most case isn’t feasible. Therefore the idea of having a sample selected over a large population makes it possible for a researcher to carry the study over a large population in period of several years. For instance, a sample of 100 can be selected to represent a population of 10000 for a period of 10 years.
In application of my research methods I will ensure that I provide appropriate protection and respect my participants in accordance with the especially when applying experimental research method. As I engage my participants in my research project it will be wise to ensure that the exercise is aimed at establishing various ways on which it can improve services to the betterment of my participants. During the designing of my questioners I will ensure that it does not pose a risk such as psychological, physical or even social risk to my participants.
The methods which I apply will be structured in a way that participation will be voluntary and consent will first be obtain before the participants are engaged in the research.
For a research to be useful, it has to maximize it trust worthiness. To obtain maximum trust worthiness I will apply the various validation techniques
Test reset reliability- this is a step taken to the selected group study. It involves administering a test to the group for a first time and then latter applying the same test to the same group after a period of time. The results obtained are then compared to each other and the result interpreted, this helps to identify any shortcomings that might have not been detected during the first application.
Parallel form reliability- During this kind of validation, two casualties are set aside and subjected to the same conditions over the same period of time with the same stimulation. Latter the results from both casualties are contrasted to obtain reliable conclusion.
Inter-rater reliability- This method involves presenting the research finding to different judges and latter compare their judgment regarding the results presented. The more their response is alike the more the results are credible. On the other hand if they disagree more, then the findings are not credible.
Face validity – This is where different stakeholders will be presented with the detailed research method, and studies it. The feedback from these stake holders will be used to assess whether the method will manage to deliver credible findings.
Criterion-Related Validity- criterion validity is applied with an aim of predicting the future. The validation technique validates the result of one research to another that is also related to it.
Formative Validity- A formative validity assesses how well the research method is able to deliver information while at the same time helping in improvement of future researches.
Sampling validity-During research, it is somehow difficult to cover everything. In this regard researcher’s result to taking samples. This technique employs panel that is to evaluate the sample to be researched on. The panel also helps to eliminate researcher’s bias.
Construct validity- These will assess how precise the research method has focused on the variable and has no interest on other variables.
On this part we will focus on two research designs: descriptive and experimental. Experimental is mostly aimed at putting things into practice in order to derive a conclusion. On the other hand descriptive research design is used to set the benchmark or to point out the objectives of the research.
By using experimental design one variable is manipulated in order to obtain different results. For descriptive design, it creates records in it does not make predictions as it involves observation of many subjects. Descriptive research tries to explain the focus population by identifying its characteristics. Experimental research involves manipulation of variables. In applying experimental research one aim to answer the question “why”, while descriptive will try to identify “what” causes. In descriptive research, the researcher is no tasked with the duty of identifying a casualty. Experimental research provides room for researchers to obtain a casualty on whom the experiments will be conducted.
Whereas descriptive research involves a lot of social interactions, experimental design will encompass specimens and variables upon which one will operate on.
While descriptive design employs observation, survey and interviews technique to collect data, experimental design is mostly focused on employing observation and natural science.
When applying each of the above designs, changes in question will require to be effected so as to suit each design.
In experimental design, questions such as why does a particular behavior occur will change to how does it occurs.
Questions in descriptive design that seek to describe the character will change in to questions that seek to create hypothesis.
Questions in experimental method are drafted in such a way that they stimulate change in the surrounding as opposed to those in descriptive method where the researcher will try as much as possible to let the natural environment reign.
In descriptive research method those questions that aim to describe the target population, will be restructured in a way that they describe the casualty that is under experiment.
Though a lot has been about the differences of these two research methods, they also have similarities. Both experimental and descriptive research method are applied in stages of research
The methods also provide guidelines to researchers during a research project.
These methods are both result oriented and employ observation as a technique of data collection. Descriptive method tends to observe the target population where it has not stimulated any changes. Experimental observes the casualty upon which variables have been manipulated.
The methods aim at building up a reliable research and must go hand in hand to provide credible information.
Both descriptive and experimental research methods will not be sufficient on their own and therefore at a point they will need to rely on other methods in order to deliver comprehensive research.
Conclusion
A research that has been done in a good way is that which is able to accommodate and apply various research methods. In the case above, the comparison between the two methods brought out the various areas that each method is able to handle. What has come out clearly is that though the two methods have similarities, it is evident that they have many differences as well as ways of operation. This creates a lot demand in their application in a research in order to deliver credible results.
References
Campbell, D., Stanley, J., & Gage, N. (1998). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago: R. McNally.
Cebul, R. (1988). Decision Making Research at the Interface Between Descriptive and Prescriptive Studies. Medical Decision Making, 8(4), 231-232. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272989×8800800402
Gibson, B., Stasiulis, E., Gutfreund, S., McDonald, M., & Dade, L. (2011). Assessment of children’s capacity to consent for research: a descriptive qualitative study of researchers’ practices. Journal Of Medical Ethics, 37(8), 504-509. https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.2010.040097
Helve, O. (2014). A Medical Consultation Service on Facebook: Descriptive Analysis of Questions Answered. J Med Internet Res, 16(9), e202. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3194
Hoskins, C. & Mariano, C. (2004). Research in nursing and health. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Jiang, Y. & Xu, J. (2015). A comparative study of matched pair designs with two binary endpoints. Statistical Methods In Medical Research. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0962280215601136
Liu, H., Shen, Y., Ning, J., & Qin, J. (2014). Sample size calculations for prevalent cohort designs. Statistical Methods In Medical Research. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0962280214544730
Marshall, J. (1983). Designing a Research Project: The Basics of Biomedical Research Methodology. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 250(9), 1221. https://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1983.03340090075036
Martsolf, G., Scanlon, D., & Christianson, J. (2013). Multistakeholder Perspectives on Composite Measures of Ambulatory Care Quality: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. Medical Care Research And Review, 70(4), 434-448. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077558713485134
Ridderikhoff, J. (1985). Models of decision-making in the general practice: A design for a descriptive research. Medical Informatics, 10(4), 323-337. https://dx.doi.org/10.3109/14639238509010868
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Vach, W. Regression models as a tool in medical research.
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