It is a difficult task to write a dissertation. In this article, you have been provided an overview of the top research methods for writing a successful dissertation.
The research method that is going to be chosen for the research should be appropriate so that the collected data is reliable and valid. For this, the importance of every research method and its appropriateness should be discussed, and students should have an idea about do’s and don’ts of research methodology writing before commencing to write. So that the selection of the most common and effective research method can be easy.
In this article, the top research methods, their importance, and how they are appropriate for a particular type of research have been explained.
Types of Research Method
There are a number of types of research methods; a brief overview of the three main types of research methods has been proffered as follows:
Qualitative Method
Quantitative Method
Mixed method
Qualitative Method for Research
The qualitative method is used when there is the task of collecting and analysing non-numerical data. The best use of this method is considered when the researcher wants to develop a new theory, explore a recondited phenomenon, or understand human experience. This method is used when the researcher wants to explore the behaviour, feelings, and thoughts of people. Qualitative data analysis identifies themes and patterns presented in the collected information.
Types of Qualitative Research Method
Interviews: Used to explore participants’s experiences and perspectives.
Focus Group: Used to let the participants share their opinions on a specific topic and guided by a facilitator.
Case Studies: Used when the researcher focuses on a specific event, group, or situation to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what are the underlying factors.
Ethnography: Used to understand the nature and behaviour of people by observing them in their natural setting.
Grounded Theory: Used to develop theories that are based on the data that has been collected through interviews and observations.
Content analysis: Used to identify themes, patterns, or meaning from textual or visual data.
Phenomenology: Used to understand the personal experience of people and how they feel and how it makes sense to them.
Action Research: Used when researchers and participants work together to solve a problem or improve practice.
Narrative Inquiry: Used to understand personal stories and life histories to understand how people understand and make meaning of their experiences.
Participatory Research: Participants work as co-researchers to ensure that the researcher addresses their concerns and realities.
Quantitative Method for Research
In this way, the quantitative method is different from the qualitative method because this method collects and analyses numerical and statistical data. The best use of this method is when it is considered when the researcher wants to identify relationships between different variables, measure variables, and test hypotheses. The findings that are drawn out of this research method can be applied to a larger population.
Types of Quantitative Research Methods
Descriptive Research: Used to collect data to describe the characteristics of a population and a phenomenon without exploring cause-and-effect relationships.
Correlational Research: Used to examine the relationship between two variables to check if they change together but does not prove causation.
Experimental Research: Used to check the effect on another variable manipulating one variable.
Quasi-Experimental Research: Used when the random assignment of people to groups is neither practical nor ethical but works in the same way as experimental research.
Longitudinal Research: Used to observe a particular group for a long time to track changes over time.
Cross-sectional Research: Used to understand the current state of a group of people by observing them at one specific moment in time.
Causal-comparative Research: Used to identify potential causes or differences based on pre-existing conditions by comparing two or more groups.
Survey Research: Used to collect data from a large group and focus is on attitudes, opinions, or behaviours.
Content Analysis: Used to identify the frequency of certain words, themes, or concepts within a set of text or media.
Meta-Analysis: Used to identify overall trends or patterns in the data by combining results from multiple studies.
Mixed Method for Research
Mixed-method research combines both methods of research, the quantitative method and qualitative research. To gain the most comprehensive understanding of a topic, researchers make use of the mixed method so that they benefit from the perks of both methods. When the research question is so complex that researchers cannot understand it throughout, they make use of the mixed method. In this type of method, data is analysed separately so that a comprehensive understanding can be driven out.
Types of Mixed Research Method
Explanatory Sequential Design: Starts with quantitative data collection and analysis and is followed by qualitative data to explain and explore further results.
Exploratory Sequential Design: Commences with qualitative data collection to explore phenomena and then uses quantitative data to test and generalise findings.
Convergent Design: Collects both quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously, then compares and combines the results to draw a conclusion.
Embedded Design: One type of data (quantitative and qualitative) is collected within the larger framework of the other method, often to address different research questions.
Multiphase Design: Involves multiple phases of research, where qualitative and quantitative methods are used in different phases across a project to build upon each other.
Transformative Design: Uses both methods with a focus on addressing social change or empowering marginalised groups, guided by a particular theoretical perspective or advocacy.
By having a good understanding of all the types of methods, the researcher can easily select one from them for the research. Each method has unique strengths and weaknesses; they offer valuable insights into different fields of study. If the reader knows the theory areas of use, their insights, strengths, and weaknesses, they can select the most appropriate research method for their research question.
The Importance of each method according to the manner of the research question
The Importance of Quantitative Methods in Research
Quantitative research makes data more purposeful, as it depends on the number and average data. Because the results of quantitative data are based on data and numbers, there is less room for personal opinion, feelings, or prejudice to explain the result. Researchers can draw a more reliable and fair conclusion as the data is solid and standardised.
In the quantitative method, the statistical method is used to collect data from a small group and then conclude by applying it to a large group.
The quantitative method creates a model that predicts future events based on data. Researchers can predict the results by analysing the variables that are on average.
Statistical equipment such as P-value, SPSS, MATLAB, and MINILAB are used by quantitative research methods to develop and validate the strength of hypotheses.
The quantitative method is used to direct decisions that work with data-driven insights. The main reason to use statistical, numerical data that is on average is that they can avoid estimates and make more informed decisions
The Use of Quantitative Methods in Research
A quantitative method is used in a field such as economics (eg to understand the effectiveness of a new drug in a large population), medicine (eg to predict national market trends), finance (eg to predict market Movements), business, policy design, etc.
The Importance of Qualitative Method in Research
Qualitative strategies are important in research because they provide deep references in human stories and complex problems that cannot confiscate quantitative data.
These methods find out why and how these methods expose behaviour and references.
They are especially useful for information about complex phenomena, producing hypotheses, and presenting the goal, and depth figures.
Qualitative research is Bendi, suitable for developing subjects and humanising items with individual studies and helping expertise in ideas.
It also makes it possible to create new principles, confiscate marginality, and increase practice in areas such as health care or school education.
When combined with quantitative facts, qualitative research provides a complete, more complete expertise of a topic.
The Use of Qualitative Methods in Research
Qualitative research is often used in the humanities and social sciences, such as anthropology (ethnology studies of tribal rituals), sociology (interview on social class dynamics), education (case study on student engagement), health science (patient's narrative analysis (analysis of The The The Patient) experience), History (oral story of migration journey), etc.
The Importance of Mixed Method in Research
Mixed methods add research-qualitative and quantitative approaches and provide a more comprehensive understanding of a research problem.
Quantitative data provides statistical generality, while qualitative data provides deep insight into experiences and motivations.
Conclusions are strengthened by cross-verification results (triangles) using multiple methods.
Some research questions require both numerical trends and individual stories to fully understand an event.
Organisations, decision-makers, and researchers get a complete picture, leading to more informed strategies.
Mixed methods are useful in areas such as health care, education, and activities, where both statistical analysis and human perspective matter.
By integrating both approaches, mixed methods provide a good, reliable, and actionable way to detect research complex problems.
The Use of Mixed Method in Research
Mixed methods combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of research complexes. It is used in different fields; for example, in the health care system, patient's satisfaction can be studied using examination (quantitative) and interview (qualitative) to capture both statistical trends and personal experiences. This approach increases validity, captures deep insights, and supports better decision-making.
Examples of each research method
Quantitative Research– This quantitative case study checks the impact of online learning on student performance by analysing exam scores and survey data from 500 university students (250 online, 250 traditional). By using descriptive and subordinate data, the results showed that students online had a low average score, with engagement and affected the study time. A p-value <0.05 confirmed a significant difference, suggesting that online learning provides flexibility and universities need to increase interactive tools and support systems to improve students' success.
Qualitative Research– This qualitative case study examines the effect of distance work on employee welfare through interviews, comments, and document analysis of 15 employees in a technical company. The findings revealed both benefits, such as an increase in flexibility and productivity, and challenges, including separation, staining of working life restrictions, and mental health conflicts. Principals included the role of employer support, differences in experience based on job collections, and the requirement for structured communication. The study recommends mental health care programs, clear restrictions on working life, and better team commitment strategies to increase distance work stability.
Mixed Method–This case study uses both numbers and stories to look at how social media affects teens' mental health. It combines surveys of 1,000 teenagers about their social media habits and mental well-being with in-depth talks with 30 teens about their own experiences. Number-crunching showed that using social media a lot goes hand in hand with feeling more anxious and down. The one-on-one chats brought to light deeper problems like always comparing yourself to others and online bullying. Based on these findings, the study proposes to teach digital smarts and offer mental health backup to help teens use social media in a healthy way.
Conclusion
To wrap up, picking the right research method plays a key role in crafting a solid dissertation, as it has a direct effect on how trustworthy and valid the results are. Qualitative methods give rich, deep insights into how people act and what they go through, which makes them great to explore tricky issues to write the dissertation in a perfect manner. Quantitative methods, in contrast, give hard numbers that help spot trends and links, which proves useful for applying findings more. Mixed methods blend the best of both worlds, offering a full picture of a research problem by showing both number trends and personal stories. Knowing the pros, cons, and proper use of each method helps researchers make smart choices and boost the quality and reach of their work in fields like healthcare, education, and social sciences. If, in spite of knowing all these things, students find it difficult to write a good dissertation, they can easily opt for dissertation help because dissertation writing is a crucial step in a student's academic journey and even a small mistake can cost them their fortune.
Comentarios