Research design is a critical element in
research proposals. Explaining how and the rationale for choosing a particular design requires a
lot of thought and planning. The research design is analogous to architectural plans and
builderspoor design results in less than satisfactory results.
The first step
in selecting the design of a research proposal is to define the research topic narrowly. One way
to do this is to start with a broad topic and continually refine the topic until it is
explainable in one concise sentence. For example, "certain aspects of college students'
life" is too broad. What aspects of college students' life does the researcher intend to
study? Social life, academic, student participation in clubs, or the use of social media are
more narrow subtopics than the original topic. Here is an example; 'The research intends to
study how students' use of social media affects academic proficiency.' This statement can narrow
further. 'The researcher intends to study how students' use of FaceBook affects academic
proficiency.' Narrow the focus of the research until the topic is unmistakably
precise.
Once the topic is narrow, the research design will often become
apparent. Some research designs are not appropriate for certain types of research, whereas
others fit like a glove! Using the previous example, the research design probably applicable is
a quantitative design or use of statistical data gathered from surveys or other similar sources.
It is possible to use a qualitative design or survey the existing research on the topic and
summarize the preponderance of the studies. Choosing between quantitative or qualitative methods
of research will narrow the focus some more.
Once the focus is narrow, then
there are several sub-groups of proposal design to choose from. Descriptive using observations,
surveys, and case studies are one subgroup that seems to pair well with the subject.
Correlational studies where the researcher uses statistical analysis to correlate cause and
effect or establish if there is a relationship between two variables is a possibility. The type
of research design in the proposal is dependent on three factors. The first is the subject, the
second is the applicability of the design to the research, and the third is the comfort level of
the researcher with the chosen design. Many researchers are not comfortable with quantitative
design because of the heavy emphasis on statistical analysis. Others feel qualitative research
lacks mathematical power and is not as valid as a quantitative study. Whatever the design choice
is, ultimately, the person conducting the research will provide a rationale for its use and
thereby held accountable for the final result.
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