DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH / Definition, types, characteristics, advantages , disadvantages, steps, Purpose and values of descriptive Research with examples
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH / Definition, types, characteristics, advantages , disadvantages, Purpose, steps and values of descriptive Research with examples, descriptive research / descriptive research design / descriptive study / descriptive research examples / descriptive design.
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
Descriptive method is most widely used. It has various names, for example status studies, survey research and normative-survey type. The descriptive method defined as a method of investigation of a problem which attempts to manipulate and interpret the presently existing conditions, practices, beliefs, attitudes, trends, processes and effects of educational phenomena that are typical of the normal conditions.
Characteristics of descriptive method
1. It entails the collection of records from a massive group.
2. It offers specifically with what exists at present.
3. It is involved mainly with the overall populace instead of with the people.
4. It consists of description of activities or setting up of relationships amongst activities.
5. It covers physical, behavioral and attitudinal factors of people or capabilities of pupils.
6. It serves as a form of exploration of the sector of study.
7. A survey can be popular of specific. It can be in basic terms utilitarian in nature, or might also additionally have instructional significance aimed toward verification of a few hooked up concept or any of its corollaries.
Subdivisions:
The descriptive sort of academic studies has the subsequent subdivisions:
1. Appraisal surveys 2. Status studies
3. Social surveys 4. School plant surveys
5. Opinion studies 6. Current practice surveys
7. Documentary frequency surveys 8. Case studies
9. Educational surveys 10. Text book studies
11. Community studies 12. Attitude surveys
13. School record studies 14. Comparative studies
15. Financial studies 16. Follow-up studies
17. Evaluation Studies 18. School system studies
19. Sample surveys 20. Critical studies
21. Curriculum studies 22. Testing surveys
23. Factual surveys 24. Trend studies
Procedure/steps of descriptive method:
The procedure of descriptive method is as following:
1. Selection of problem. The first step includes the choice of an appropriate hassle, for investigation. The hassle need to be of incredibly on the spot problem to the academic and college administration. The wishes of the society and people of colleges need to be taken into consideration. The survey studies is greater or much less an institutional study in place of man or woman studies. Hence, it's miles to be determined in charter with the directors of colleges, academic directors, instructors and the public-guys interested in education. After finding the hassle, it needs to be actually described and formulated. It is likewise to be determined whether survey might be longitudinal or cross-sectional or both.
2. Collection of data: The data in educational surveys and status studies are collected by utilizing various tools of investigation. The tools of investigation generally used are questionnaires, attitude scales, schedules, interviews, case-study techniques, rating scales, observational technique and the like.
3. Evaluation criteria: Usefulness for the development of college exercise will become a critical criterion for comparing the descriptive method. It ought to function a purposeful foundation for permitting the directors to make critical decisions.
4. Analysis of statistics: The statistics collected through the management of the equipment of research or size are to be analyzed. Analysis of statistics lets in researcher to pick out the vital issue of the hassle beneath research and offer foundation for a simple description and significant classification.
5. Interpretation of data: The data are to be subjected to interpretation on the basis of analysis. Interpretation can be done in the following ways:
a. Personal interpretation: It is subjective.
b. Factual interpretation: This is scientific and objective and is based on facts obtained through the different tools of investigation.
c. Comparative interpretation: This is also scientific and objective. The data are compared with other external criteria or internally with the responses given on different parts of the same tool.
6. Reporting of descriptive research: It includes six steps in the organization of the matter:
a. Introduction. Introducing the topic under investigation, its need, importance and rationale, method of study, tools of research used, review of related research, organization of the study.
b. Background of the problem. In the second part, the background of the problem is to be explained in detail.
c. Elaboration of the problem. The problem under investigation will be elaborated in its varied aspects in the third part of the report.
d. Description of tools, analysis and interpretation. The 4th part refers to survey.
e. Responses. Finally, the principal findings are enumerated, and relevant recommendations are given.
f. In the end, the bibliography, the tools of investigation used, list of related investigation and problem areas for future research are given under appendices.
Uses/purpose of surveys.
1. Educational surveys are particularly practical, especially for the administrators because they identify present conditions and point to present needs. Maybe they cannot make the decision for the administrator, but they can provide him with information on which to base a sound decision.
2. It serves as a stepping stone to more precise investigation.
3. Its purpose is both immediate and long range.
4. It suggests the course of future developments. It gives pertinent data to the persons who are engaged in planning for the future.
5. It contributes to the advancement of knowledge in many ways, e.g., by studying children of different ages we can obtain some picture of the trend of child development.
Examples of Descriptive Research
This research can be used is if a school district wishes to evaluate teachers’ attitudes about using technology in the classroom.
Some other problems and research questions that can lead to descriptive research are:
1. Market researchers want to observe the habits of consumers.
2. A company wants to evaluate the morale of its staff.
3. A school district wants to understand if students will access online lessons rather than textbooks.
4. To understand if its wellness programs enhance the overall health of the employees.
Advantages of descriptive research
Some significant advantages of descriptive research are:
Usefulness for the development of college exercise will become a critical criterion for comparing the descriptive method. It ought to function a purposeful foundation for permitting the directors to make critical decisions.
Disadvantages of Descriptive Research
Respondents can also additionally both determine now no longer to reply to questions or supply wrong responses in the event that they experience the questions are private. When researchers use observational strategies, respondents can also determine to act in a specific way due to the fact they experience they may be being watched.
The researcher can also additionally determine to steer the end result of the studies because of private opinion or bias in the direction of a specific subject. For example, a
Stockbroker who additionally has a commercial enterprise of his very own can also additionally try and entice traders into making an investment in his very own corporation with the aid of using manipulating results.
A case-observe or pattern taken from a huge populace isn't consultant of the entire populace.
Limited scope: The scope of descriptive studies is confined to the what of studies, without a records on why, thereby proscribing the scope of the studies.
Descriptive Research Methods/types:
There are 3 special strategies to behavior descriptive studies. They are:
Observational technique
The observational technique is the handiest technique to behavior this studies, and researchers employ each quantitative and qualitative observations.
Quantitative commentary is the goal series of records, that is usually centered on numbers and values. It implies commentary of any entity related to a numeric price which includes age, shape, weight, volume, scale, etc.
Qualitative commentary doesn’t contain measurements or numbers however, rather simply tracking traits.in this scenario the researcher observes the response from distance. Since the respondents are in a cushy environment, the traits found are herbal and effective. In a descriptive studies design, the researcher can pick to be both an entire observer, an observer as a player, a player as an observer, or a complete player. For example, in a supermarket, a researcher can from afar reveal and song the customers’ choice and buying trends. This gives a greater in- intensity perception into the buying enjoy of the customer.
Case observe technique
Case research contain in-intensity studies and observe of people or groups. Case research result in a speculation and widen an in addition scope of reading a phenomenon. However, case research must now no longer be used to decide purpose and
Impact as they can’t make correct predictions due to the fact there may be a bias on the researcher’s part. The different purpose why case research aren't a dependable manner of carrying out descriptive studies is that there may be a bizarre respondent with inside the survey. Describing them results in vulnerable generalizations and transferring far from outside validity.
Survey studies
In survey studies, respondents solution via surveys or questionnaires or polls. They are a famous marketplace studies device to acquire comments from respondents. An observe to accumulate beneficial records must have the proper survey questions. It must be a balanced blend of open-ended questions and near ended-questions. The survey technique may be performed online or offline, making it the go-to alternative for descriptive studies wherein the pattern length is enormous.