Page 50 - DLIS401_METHODOLOGY_OF_RESEARCH_AND_STATISTICAL_TECHNIQUES

Unit 2: Research Design

Note social indicators research as a special type of evaluation research. This is the analysis of Notes
social indicators over time (pattern of evolution) and/or across societies (comparison). These
indicators are aggregated statistics that reflect the condition of a society or a grouping.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Evaluation Research
The main advantage is that evaluation research can reveal whether policies work, or at least
identify when they do not work (pragmatism), right away (when we use experiments) or over
a long period of time and across societies (indicators). (different research instruments can be
used in evaluation research)
The disadvantages include the special logistic and administrative problems, as well as the
ethical considerations. Also, it can usually only measure the means, given certain program
goals, but cannot go into questioning those goals themselves.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Research design is a critical part of ........................ .
(a) Predictive research (b) Qualitative research
(c) Research (d) Basic research

2. Research design addresses at least ........................ issues.
(a) Two (b) Three
(c) Four (d) Five
3. A ........................ is constructed by accumulating scores assigned to patterns of attributes.
(a) Scale (b) Typology
(c) Index

4. ........................ is a modification to the use of simple random and systematic sampling.
(a) Probability sampling (b) Stratified sampling
(c) Purposive sampling (d) Quota sampling
5. ........................ can be useful in explorative studies or as a test of research instruments.

(a) Quota sampling (b) Cluster sampling
(c) Judgemental sampling (d) Systematic sampling

2.2 Summary

• Units of analysis in social-science research typically include individuals within a certain
area at a given period of time; groups (e.g., the family); organizations (e.g., social movements);
products of human action (e.g., newspapers in a content-analysis); and so on.
• In systematic sampling, every kth element in a list is selected in the sample, the distance
k indicating the sampling interval. The systematic sample has a random start when the
first element is randomly chosen (out of numbers between 1 and k).
• In quota sampling, a matrix is created consisting of cells of the same attributes of different
variables known to be distributed in the population in a particular way.

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