Criteria for Selecting a Research Design
Synopsis
The video report is about the criteria that can help researchers in selecting an appropriate research design. The first criteria is "The Research Problem." The research problem would indicate what kind of data will be gathered. Should the data be viable for statistical analysis then the quantitative approach is best. If the variables need further understanding and exploration, then use the qualitative approach. If neither quantitative nor qualitative approach can stand alone, then use mixed methods approach so that either mentioned approaches can complement the result of one another. The second criteria is “The Experiences of the Researcher.” This focuses on the skills and preferred research method of the researcher. Should a researcher be more comfortable with a structured method and adept in interpreting numbers then choose the quantitative approach. Should a researcher prefer getting face to face with individual participants and getting to know their experiences in a deeper sense, then choose the qualitative approach. A researcher that has the capacity to spend time and resources in collecting both qualitative and quantitative data then he should choose the mixed method approach. The last criteria is “The Audience.” A researcher must carefully choose the audience of the study. The audience are either the consumers or beneficiaries of the research. The audience’s experience can also have an influence on the researcher in selecting a research design.
