Thursday, May 2, 2024

Descriptive Research Design Definition, Methods & Examples

descriptive design

It’s frequently used to determine the study target’s current circumstances and underlying patterns. It entails gathering data and analyzing it to see whether there is a relationship between the two variables in the study. Descriptive studies are usually carried out in the participants’ everyday environment, which allows researchers to avoid influencing responders by collecting data in a natural setting. In this blog, we will explore the definition, characteristics, and common flaws in descriptive research design, and provide tips on how to avoid these pitfalls to produce high-quality results. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a student just starting, understanding the fundamentals of descriptive research design is essential to conducting successful scientific studies.

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This involves collecting data from a sample or population through standardized questionnaires or interviews. Surveys can be used to describe attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or demographic characteristics of a group, and can be conducted in person, by phone, or online. Determining when to use descriptive research depends on the nature of the research question. Before diving into the reasons behind an occurrence, understanding the how, when, and where aspects is essential. Descriptive research design is a suitable option when the research objective is to discern characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories without manipulating variables.

descriptive design

Data analysis

The purpose of this section is to indicate how the research was conducted throughout the study periods. The final example of the use of a qualitative descriptive study comes from a mixed-methods study comprising a randomised control trial and a qualitative process evaluation. He et al. (2015) sought to determine the effects of a play intervention for children on parental perioperative anxiety and to explore parents’ perceptions of the intervention. Parents who had children going for surgery were assigned to a control group or an intervention group.

Data Analysis

descriptive design

Overall, Voxco survey software is an effective tool for conducting descriptive research design, as it provides a streamlined and efficient way to gather, measure, and analyze survey data. In the data collection stage, you must have a clear plan of how your data will be collected. This involves clearly outlining the type of data you require, the tools that will be used to gather it, the level of training required by researchers to collect the data, the time required for data collection and fieldwork, and so on. A sample survey involves gathering information from a small subgroup of the entire population. When selecting a sample, the aim is to select a group of individuals representing the target population so that the data collected can be generalized to the larger population.

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In descriptive-comparative research, the researcher considers 2 variables that are not manipulated, and establish a formal procedure to conclude that one is better than the other. For example, an examination body wants to determine the better method of conducting tests between paper-based and computer-based tests. This data aims to know the extent to which different conditions can be obtained among these subjects. Descriptive research is most appropriate when researchers aim to portray and understand the characteristics of a phenomenon without manipulating variables.

Disadvantages of Descriptive Research Design

Research questions often begin with “What is …” These studies help find solutions to practical issues in social science, physical science, and education. Performing census surveys involves gathering relevant data on several aspects of a given population. These units include individuals, families, organizations, objects, characteristics, and properties. Because descriptive research methods include a range of quantitative and qualitative research, there are several research methods you can use. As we’ve mentioned, descriptive research design is ideal for understanding the what, who or where of a situation or phenomenon. Plus, the data collected from descriptive research can be subjected to other types of data analysis.

A big advantage of this research type, is that you can use it to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. This means you can use the stats gathered to easily identify underlying patterns in your respondents’ behavior. A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods to investigate one or more variables. Unlike in experimental research, the researcher does not control or manipulate any of the variables, but only observes and measures them. Cross-sectional studies can be thought of as providing a “snapshot” of the frequency and characteristics of a disease in a population at a particular point in time. These are very good for measuring the prevalence of a disease or of a risk factor in a population.

What Are the Different Methods of Descriptive Research Design?

Several descriptive research methods can be employed, and these are more or less similar to the types of approaches mentioned above. The participants said that resuming employment contributed to a well-rounded lifestyle and positively impacted their physical and mental health. Specifically, those who were responsible for raising children noted that having time away from their children reduced feelings of irritability and enabled them to engage with their children in a more compassionate and nurturing manner upon returning home from work. According to the participants, they encountered arduous situations upon re-entering the workforce, as they were frequently required to perform tasks that exceeded their current skill sets.

Descriptive research can provide valuable information and insights into a particular topic, which can inform future research, policy decisions, and programs. The authors did, subsequently in the paper, look at the relationship of myopia (an outcome) with children's age, gender, socioeconomic status, type of school, mother's education, etc. (each of which qualifies as an exposure). Those parts of the paper look at the relationship between different variables and thus qualify as having “analytical” cross-sectional design. Descriptive studies can be of several types, namely, case reports, case series, cross-sectional studies, and ecological studies. In the first three of these, data are collected on individuals, whereas the last one uses aggregated data for groups.

The interviewer (i.e., the first author) took notes on the participants’ facial expressions and eye movements during the interview, which were included in the analysis along with the verbatim transcripts of the interview data. During the analysis process, the first author repeatedly read the transcripts and observational notes to code the data. For confirmability, two researchers independently categorized the codes, and discussions among the research team took place repeatedly to ensure the elimination of any preconceptions or biases. Any disagreements that arose during this process were resolved through discussions among the research team. To enhance the transferability of the findings, participants were recruited from diverse practice areas and various regions. Furthermore, detailed information was provided regarding the participants’ characteristics and their practicing contexts.

This involves collecting data over an extended period of time, often through repeated observations or surveys of the same group or population. Longitudinal studies can be used to track changes in attitudes, behaviors, or outcomes over time, or to investigate the effects of interventions or treatments. The uniqueness of descriptive research partly lies in its ability to explore both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Therefore, when conducting descriptive research, researchers have the opportunity to use a wide variety of techniques that aids the research process. It aims to draw conclusions about the population characteristics or relationships by analyzing the sample data.

Research interests are focused on chronic illness management, the use of digital health and smart technology in supporting patient/client education, self-management and independence. Other research interests include conducting systematic reviews, infection prevention and control and exploring patient outcomes linked to chronic kidney disease. These types of experiments are often used by anthropologists, psychologists and social scientists to observe natural behaviors without affecting them in any way. It is also used by market researchers to judge the habits of customers, or by companies wishing to judge the morale of staff. Your survey might be a brief interview or conversation with a set of prepared questions intended to obtain quick information from the primary source.

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