The Art of Research Design Valentini Kalargyrou, Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire Dr. Kalargyrou Bio University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire OUTLINE Choosing research design The role of theory Qualitative vs. Quantitative Using different research designs Ethical considerations University of New Hampshire

How Do you Choose your Research Design? What is the goal of your study? What problems do we want to resolve? What is/are your research question(s)? Does the question mainly involve description or causal inference? Does it need in depth understanding or generalizing broadly? Is it exploratory or confirmatory? Does it focus on prediction or explanation? Why literature review is important in the process? University of New Hampshire

What is the Role of Theory in Research Design? When would your research design and research questions be based on theory? Almost always! Why? Problem Identification Literature Review Theory Research Questions Research Design University of New Hampshire

Quantitative vs. Qualitative University of New Hampshire

When to Use Survey Designs When you require a broadly representative sample When data can be obtained by brief answers to structured questions When you can expect an adequate and reliable response rate Example: Attitudes towards people with disabilities Disadvantages? The implicit-association test (IAT) is a measure within social psychology designed to detect the strength of a person's automatic association between mental representations of objects (concepts) in memory. University of New Hampshire

When to Use Experimental Designs When causal processes are your main concern and they can be simulated in controlled conditions When the independent variables can be manipulated When internal validity is more important than external validity Example: Perception of service quality when served by people with disabilities (combination of survey and experiment) Disadvantages? University of New Hampshire

When to Use Interview Designs When in depth information is more important than the ability to generalize to a larger population When questions call for in depth answers not easily answered in a survey format When you are interested in generating new hypotheses instead of testing existing ones Example: Role of training professionals in the hospitality industry, attitudes about the employment of people with disabilities Disadvantages? ZMET and Implicit Association Test go beyond social desirability answers University of New Hampshire

When to Use Observation Designs NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION When you observe without being observed When you want to explore social processes When participant observation is impossible and can raise ethical considerations When interested in discovering new variables than studying existing ones When looking for a rich description of a particular content PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION When observation leads to participation as a consequence When you need to need to get inside a political or social process When merely interviewing or surveying is too distant from what you need to know to address your research questions When you want to study variables in a particular context University of New Hampshire

When to Use Secondary or Archival Sources When available data for answering your research questions are better than what you could reasonably expect to generate yourself e.g. ODEP study When archival sources are the object of investigation, such as websites and research reports in a literature review e.g. Disability study on Social ent/ship When the object of investigation is not available to researchers but it can be approached indirectly through documents or other archival materials e.g. Sex trafficking and The Code When the subject involves the past and other designs are impossible e.g. Diversity management review University of New Hampshire

Combining Designs – Mixed Methods When you want to support results with several methods e.g. combination of an experiment and a survey When you want to use one method to inform another e.g. interviews and then surveys When you want to elaborate, clarify or build on findings from other methods e.g. survey results discussed in focus groups When you want to “tell the full story” in an area of inquiry e.g. grant in Hong Kong University of New Hampshire

Ethical Considerations Institutional Review Board and Human Subject Protection Informed consent Protect vulnerable populations Anonymity of participants Strive for: Honesty Objectivity and non discrimination Openness Confidentiality Responsible publication Responsible mentoring University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire References Vogt, P., Gardner, D. & Haeffele L. (2012). When to use what research design. New York: The Guilford Press. Bryman, A. & Bell E. Business Research Methods (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. McLeod, S. (2017). Simply Psychology; Stanford Prison Experiment. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html University of New Hampshire