Research Problem and Research Design

Some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same

Subject which is overdone should not be normally chosen

Controversial subject should be avoided

Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided

Familiar and feasible subject should be preferred

Costs and time involved should also be considered

Should be preceded by a preliminary study

What

Why

Where

When

How

Need for Research Design

Dependent and independent variables

Extraneous variable

Control

Confounded relationship

Research hypothesis

Experimental and non-experimental hypothesis-testing research

Experimental and control groups

Treatments

Experiment

Principle of Replication

Principle of Randomization

Principle of Local Control

Informal experimental designs◦ Before-and-after without control design

◦ After-only with control design

◦ Before-and-after with control design

Formal experimental designs◦ Completely randomized designs

◦ Randomized block design

◦ Latin square design

◦ Factorial designs