Research Methods

Research Design and Measurement in Social Research

Dimensions of research design include exploration, description, and explanation. Each design supports different fundamental research goals. Exploratory research is used when the goal is to become familiar with basic facts, people, and concerns. Researchers are often able to develop a well-grounded mental picture of the social situation that is unfolding. Researchers also generate main ideas and develop tentative theories, determine the feasibility of doing additional research, formulate questions and issues for further inquiry, and develop techniques and a sense of direction for research.

Descriptive research is used to provide an accurate profile of a group as well as describe processes, mechanisms, or relationships. In addition, descriptive research gives a verbal or numerical picture of a social setting. Researchers use the descriptive approach to find information to stimulate new explanations; present basic background information or context; create a set of categories and classify types; and clarify a sequence, set of stages, or steps.

Researchers carry out explanatory research when they are interested in solving a problem or establishing an explanation for why something exists as it does. A further goal of explanatory research is to determine the accuracy of a principle or theory. Explanatory research can also be used to find out which competing explanation is better and advance knowledge about an underlying process or social relationship. Explanatory research is especially useful to build or elaborate on a theory so it is more complete, extend a theory or principle into new areas or issues, and provide evidence to support or refute an explanation.

In addition to considering the type of design in social research, researchers must be able to develop measurement standards to establish consistency and accuracy in their concepts. Measurement involves developing a set of clearly defined variables that can be compared and analyzed as precise data points. In order to develop clear, well-defined concepts, researchers must conceptualize and operationalize their variables. Conceptualization involves developing a precise definition of the idea being studied. This definition serves as the standard for empirical measurement in the social world. Without this step, it would be difficult to develop a standard for the concepts being observed. The standard helps to ensure that the measure is observed consistently and accurately throughout the research study.

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