By Anthony M. Wanjohi: There are a number of steps one should consider when developing literature. These include the following: seeking clarification, establishing the sources of information, considering whether the sources are current, critically analyzing the content and considering organization of literature. Seeking Clarification about Literature Review Before embarking on review of literature, first seek…
Category: Research Proposal Guide
3.0 RESEARCH DESIGNS AND METHODOLOGY
Research Methodology The research methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the procedures applied to a field of study (Kothari, 2004). It involves procedures of describing, explaining and predicting phenomena so as to solve a problem; it is the ‘hows’; the process or techniques of conducting research. A Methodology does not set out to…
Research Designs: Experimental Research Designs
There are as many types of research designs as there are types of research. For the purpose of this guide, this section provides an overview of the major types of research and designs that are commonly adopted by the students of research and practitioners. The designs are broadly classified into two: descriptive and Experimental…
Non-experimental Research Designs
Besides experimental research designs (which rely more on random and laboratory controls), there are other types of research and designs which are more descriptive and may not necessarily rely on random and laboratory controls. These include but not limited to Case study research design, Content Analysis research design , Causal Comparative (Ex Post Facto) research design,…
Non-experimental Research Designs – continued
Grounded Theory Research Design According to Creswell (2003), in grounded theory research a researcher attempts to derive a general, abstract theory of a process, action, or interaction grounded in the views of participants in a study” (p. 14). Leedy and Ormrod (2001) further observes that grounded theory research begins with data that develops into a…
Survey Research Design
Survey research design is one of the most popular descriptive research designs used by students of research, practitioners and scholars. Surveys are broadly classified into two, namely cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys. Cross-sectional Survey Cross-sectional Surveys are primarily used to determine prevalence which equals the number of cases in a population at a given point…
Research Approaches: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Approaches
Owing to the confusion surrounding research designs and approaches, this guide briefly explores two major research paradigms, namely qualitative and quantitative along with a ‘tier approach’, namely Mixed Method Approach (Creswell, 2003). It should be noted that all the research designs fall either under qualitative or quantitative approach or both, that is mixed research…