QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN: A TYPE OF

RESEARCH DESIGN

(By Khushi Goyal)

(Roll No.: 22LLM026)

Abstract
For a long time, research design has been considered a highly specialised tool for
the success of a research programme. It is a plan of the proposed research work. To
design is to plan; that is, designing is the process of making decisions before the
situation arises in which the decision has to be carried out. It includes an outline of
what the investigator will do from writing the hypothesis and their operational
implications to the final analysis of data. The research design defines that domain of
generalisability. This write-up aims to make you understand quantitative research
designs as they apply to the research process and how to choose the most appropriate
research design for your research proposal.
Introduction
Designing is thus a process of deliberate anticipation directed towards bringing an
expected situation under control. A design (noun) might be defined as a mental
scheme, a preliminary sketch, or an outline.1 The socio-legal research, guided either
by desire to gain knowledge or by an urgency to solve a problem scientifically works
out a plan of study. Pre-planning of dealing with problems that may be encountered
in course of study and decide in advance what to do in such circumstances. This type
of logical and systematic planning to direct the research is called a research design.
Research design has been defined by different social scientists in different terms.
They are as follows:
According to Pauline V. young, “A research design is a plan of action, a plan for
collecting and analysing the data in an economic, efficient and relevant manner.”
According to Miller, “Design research is the planned sequence of the entire process
involved in conducting a research study.”
Research designs has been divided into two categories:

1
Wayne A. Nelson, Research, and Design Research: Synergies and Contradictions, 53 EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY PUBLICATIONS, Inc 3-11, available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44430111 (last visited on 25
Nov. 2022).
 1) Quantitative Research Design
2) Qualitative Research Design

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

It is easier to understand the different types of quantitative research designs if you

consider how the researcher designs for control of the variables in the investigation.
The major advantage of this method is that it allows one to measure the responses of
a number of participants to a limited set of questions, thereby facilitating comparison
and statistical aggregation of the data. The results of closed-ended questionnaires
help the researchers to identify a general pattern of participants' reactions to a
treatment or programme.2 Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic
process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world. It
emphasises the measurement and analysis of causal relationships between isolated
variables within a framework which is value-free, logical, reductionistic, and
deterministic, based on a priori theories.3 It is the systematic empirical investigation
of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques.
Quantitative has further divided into sub categories:
1) Experimental
2) Non- Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS

It most scientifically sophisticated research method. It is used to test causal
relationships. It involves manipulating an independent variable and measuring its
effect on a dependent variable. It is often called true experimentation, uses the
scientific method to establish the cause-effect relationship among a group of
variables that make up a study. The true experiment is often thought of as a laboratory
study, but this is not always the case; a laboratory setting has nothing to do with it.
Example: You can gather a sample of students and then randomly assign half of them
to be taught online and the half to be taught in person, while controlling all other
relevant variables. Experimental designs typically involve comparing your group to

2
Kaya Yilmaz, Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Traditions: epistemological, theoretical, and
methodological differences, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION (Wiley, June 2013) 311-325, available at
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26357806 (last visited on 25 Nov 2022).
3
Ibid.
 itself or to other similar groups in ways that limit threats to the validity of the
conclusions you draw from collected data. 4
By comparing their outcomes in test scores, you can be more confident that it was
the method of teaching (and not other variables) that caused any change in scores.

Types of Experimental Research designs:

True experimental design: In this variable, researcher has complete control over
the extraneous variable and can predict confidently that the observed effect on the
dependable variable is only due to the manipulation of the independent variable.
Quasi-experimental design: It involves the manipulation of independent variable to
observe the effect on dependent variable but the other element i.e., randomization of
the subjects is absent. In this, researcher initiates an experimental treatment but some
characteristics of true experiment are lacking. These types of design are very similar
to true experiments but with some key differences.
Pre-experimental designs: This research design is considered very weak, because
the research has very little control over the experiment. Manipulation of independent
variables, no randomization and control group.

NON- EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS

In these types of research, the experimenter simply measures present level of the
independent variable. Here variables are not manipulated because here no
interventions take place. It is used to observe certain phenomena by extracting data
from independent variable. Data obtained are analysed and the results may lead to
the formation of hypothesis that can then be tested experimentally.

Types of Non- experimental research design: -

Descriptive design: This design serves to find out the new meanings and to provide
new knowledge when there is very little-known factor regarding this. In this,
characteristics of a group, community of people are described. The methods that are
used in these types of studies are generally qualitative in nature producing descriptive
data. Descriptive research seeks to describe the current status of an identified
variable. These research projects are designed to provide systematic information
about a phenomenon. It is used to develop theories and to identify problems with

4
Vincent T. Francisco, Key Issues in Evaluation: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods and Research Design,
2, No. 1, Sage Publications, Inc. 20-23 (January 2001), available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/26741158 (last
visited on 25 Nov. 2022)
 current practices.5 It is served as a starting point for hypothesis generation or theory
development.
Correlation/ Ex-post facto research design: This design will help you to
understand the correlation between two or more variables in a natural setting without
manipulation of control. In this type of design, relationships between and among a
number of facts are sought and interpreted. This type of research will recognize
trends and patterns in data, but it does not go so far in its analysis to prove causes for
these observed patterns. Cause and effect is not the basis of this type of observational
research. The data, relationships, and distributions of variables are studied only.
Variables are not manipulated; they are only identified and are studied as they occur
in a natural setting. The correlation can be positive or negative. There are mainly
three types of co-relational designs:
➢ A positive Co Relationship
➢ A negative Co Relationship
➢ Zero Relationship
Developmental Research design: Examines the phenomenon in respect to the time.
Types of Developmental Research
• Cross-sectional design (for a particular period of time)
• Longitudinal design (for long period of time)

CONCLUSION
Projects under this type of research focused more on quantity of responses rather than
on gaining emotion insight which is the aim of qualitative research. The data is
supplied in a numerical format, and can be analysed in a quantifiable way using
statistical methods. Quantitative research design generally involves closed-ended
questions. Providing respondents with a set list of answers, they will not normally be
able to give lengthy open-ended responses. It is more efficient because it is then not
necessary to carry out the time-consuming process of coding vast quantities of open-
ended responses. Apart from these methods, there are other types of quantitative
research such as Epidemiological research design, Survey research Design,
methodological studies, meta-analysis, operational research, secondary data analysis,
evaluation studies etc.

5
Myneni S.R., LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, 110 (Allahabad Law Agency, 2004).