Descriptive ResearchAdvanced Technical Writing

What?

When? How?

Purpose

What is a Descriptive Research?• Descriptive research, also known as

statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. However, it does not answer questions about eg: how/when/why the characteristics occurred, which is done under analytic research.

• Although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic, the research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, Descriptive research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal validity.

What is a Descriptive Research?

Purpose of Descriptive Research

• The descriptive method of research design helps researchers plan and carry out descriptive studies, designed to provide rich descriptive details about people, places and other phenomena.

• a descriptive research design can serve as a first step that identifies important factors, laying a foundation for more-rigorous research.

Purpose of Descriptive Research

When is Descriptive Research used?

• This type of research is often associated with anthropology, sociology and psychology, but researchers in other fields, such as education, use it.

• This type of research is often associated with anthropology, sociology and psychology, but researchers in other fields, such as education, use it.

How to write Descriptive Research

Recap : • Descriptive research is a common

method of qualitative research used in the social sciences and psychology to monitor the behavior of a subject without affecting that subject in any way.

TIP : It might be best to write the descriptive research design as you formulate your project. Like other qualitative methods of study, there are several designs to choose from.

How to write Descriptive Research

Four Special Steps

Step1

Step2

Step3

Step4

STEP ONE

WHAT HOW

WHY

STEP TWO

•Choose a descriptive research design for your study.

STEP TWO

• Used to gather facts about a particular subject or group.

Simple Research

Design

• Used to compare two or more groups

Comparative Research

Design

• Used to determine the relationship between two or more variables.

Correlational Research

design

STEP THREE

• Design a case study for your study. Case studies can augment whichever descriptive research design you use. Documenting specific and interesting cases in your research will enrich your study by illustrating what is happening and why.

STEP FOUR

INCLUDE A SURVEY

CONCISE Broad

X

Sources :

• http://www.ehow.com/how_7722711_write-descriptive-research-design.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_research

• http://www.ehow.com/how_7905125_descriptive-method-research-design.html