How are descriptive research design and experimental research design similar and differ from each other?
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Published on May 15, 2019 by Shona McCombes. Revised on October 10, 2022. Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon. It can answer what, where, when and how questions, but not why questions. A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods to investigate one or more variables. Unlike
in experimental research, the researcher does not control or manipulate any of the variables, but only observes and measures them. Descriptive research is an appropriate choice when the research aim is to identify characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories. It is
useful when not much is known yet about the topic or problem. Before you can research why something happens, you need to understand how, when and where it happens. Descriptive research question examples Descriptive research methodsDescriptive research is usually defined as a type of quantitative research, though qualitative research can also be used for descriptive purposes. The research design should be carefully developed to ensure that the results are valid and reliable. SurveysSurvey research allows you to gather large volumes of data that can be analyzed for frequencies, averages and patterns. Common uses of surveys include:
ObservationsObservations allow you to gather data on behaviours and phenomena without having to rely on the honesty and accuracy of respondents. This method is often used by psychological, social and market researchers to understand how people act in real-life situations. Observation of physical entities and phenomena is also an important part of research in the natural sciences. Before you can develop testable hypotheses, models or theories, it’s necessary to observe and systematically describe the subject under investigation. Case studiesA case study can be used to describe the characteristics of a specific subject (such as a person, group, event or organization). Instead of gathering a large volume of data to identify patterns across time or location, case studies gather detailed data to identify the characteristics of a narrowly defined subject. Rather than aiming to describe generalizable facts, case studies often focus on unusual or interesting cases that challenge assumptions, add complexity, or reveal something new about a research problem. Sources in this articleWe strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below. This Scribbr article
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... Quantitative research refers to data present in numeric form. When collected using a primary method, it uses statistical data collected by means of a questionnaire (Apuke, 2017). The purpose of quantitative research is to emphasize the collection of objective data in order to assess a social phenomenon. There are different types of quantitative research such as
survey research, correlational research, descriptive research, experimental research, and causal-comparative research. Descriptive researchDescriptive research is the research design in which data is collected in a qualitative manner and analyzed using quantitative procedures (Nassaji, 2015). Descriptive research refers to the scientific methodology in which observation of the sampled population is carried out in its natural surrounding. Descriptive research methodology intends to find out ‘what’ related to a phenomenon. In this method, data are collected qualitatively and analyzed through a quantitative method. Data is collected through methods like survey, interview, correlation study, observation study, or content analysis. Moreover, the observer does not intervene in this observation process or influence any of the variables of the study (Lambert and Lambert, 2012). Application of descriptive researchThe use of descriptive research is mostly restricted to areas like education, nutrition, epidemiology. This is because it centers on the premise that certain problems can be resolved and practices can be improved by observation analysis, and description (Koh and Owen, 2000). Furthermore, this form of research methodology finds its most use in studies that are exclusively restricted to facts rather than hypothetical scenarios. Hence, a major feature of descriptive research is that it is restricted to examining facts and the researcher does not make any additional attempt to find out why the reality occurs in a particular form (Jong and Voordt, 2002). For example, research to find out the demotivating factors in a Japanese classroom. The descriptive method is the most suitable method where the students can be observed in their natural classroom settings. Data can be collected from all or some of the students through a questionnaire-based survey method. Statistical analysis of the collected data will reveal demotivating factors such as attitude of teachers, nature of textbooks, school facilities, group attitude, etc. Experimental researchExperimental research is a scientific methodological framework in which the researcher uses a set of variables for studying a given phenomenon. In this method, some of the variables are kept constant and others are altered in order to meet pre-determined research objectives (Mildner, 2019). This type of methodology is used in studies in which accuracy of statement is considered immensely important in the context of explaining cause and effect relationships of a particular phenomenon or issue. Application of experimental researchExperimental research design is applicable in areas that are high in causal (or internal) validity, i.e. when a researcher wants to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between variables (Tanner, 2018). In experimental research, hypothesis is framed and tested. This type of research is considered to be the most thorough but suffers from lack of validity. This is because often the variables can be manipulated or controlled (Gravetter and Forzano, 2009). For example, research to find out the effect of absenteeism on students’ academic performance. The researcher hypothesizes can be high absenteeism is directly related to poor academic performance. Experimental research is suitable in this case, as the researcher can survey 250 students of a university to examine the hypothesis. The challenges of experimental research design include unnaturalness of the research situation because in this method calibrated situations are usually developed by the researchers for carrying a study. Therefore, it is often difficult to apply the study findings to a real-life situation. Extensions of experimental researchAnother type of research is quasi-experimental research, which is similar to pure experimental research, however, it is high in validity as there is no manipulation of variables, and respondents are not selected randomly. It is used mainly in medical studies. All the types of researches share some similarities as well as differences. A researcher must closely review the pros and cons of each type in order to choose the one which is most suitable for his study. References
How are descriptive research and experimental research similar?Descriptive research is more towards collecting data and try to find out some insight out of that data using statistical analysis. Experimental research is also do this same sort of analysis but also it always analyzes where the data of an experiment comes from.
What is the similarities and differences between experimental research design and nonExperimental research is the type of research that uses a scientific approach towards manipulating one or more control variables and measuring their defect on the dependent variables, while non-experimental research is the type of research that does not involve the manipulation of control variables.
How is descriptive research different from other research design?A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods to investigate one or more variables. Unlike in experimental research, the researcher does not control or manipulate any of the variables, but only observes and measures them.
How do descriptive correlational and experimental studies differ from each other?Descriptive research is designed to provide a snapshot of the current state of affairs. Correlational research is designed to discover relationships among variables. Experimental research is designed to assess cause and effect.
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