THE DESCRIPTIVE METHOD

• Collection of data in order to test

hypotheses or to answer questions concerning

the current status of the subject of the

study

• Descriptive research describes the present

status of people, attitudes, and progress

•DEFINITION

•To describe the nature of a

situation as it exists at the time

of the study and to explore the

causes of particular phenomena.

•AIM

The basic steps of descriptive research...

An orderly scientific and disciplined process, involving:

selecting an appropriate sample of participants

collecting valid and reliable data

reporting conclusions

recognizing and identifying a topic to be studied

1. Case Studies

2. Surveys

3. Developmental Studies

4. Follow-up Studies

5. Documentary Analysis

6. Trend Analysis

7. Co-relational Studies

•TYPES

•An experimental research method

for which the researcher examines

the history and behavior of a single

person.

•CASE STUDIES

•Case Studies

• Case studies are usually an examination into one element of a population, e.g., one district, one school, one research class, one person.

• Case studies are often conducted in social work for diagnosis and recommendation purposes.

•Case Studies

• Observe – take notes on events and their relationships by their location in time and space.

• Subjects’ recall – personal documents, diaries, and letters

• Measures may be physical, sociological, or psychological

•Case Studies

• Must be careful about sweeping statement (generalization)

• Data are limited to one unit • Case studies can be qualitative or quantitative

• Case of Anna O. by Sigmund Freud

• HM – a person who underwent brain surgery in the 1950s

• Howard Gardner’s book, “Leading Minds (1995)”

EXAMPLES: •CASE STUDIES

• An objective method of obtaining information from members of a population.

• Surveys are used to gather extensive amounts of information for large groups of individuals in short time spans.

•SURVEYS

•Survey Designs • Public opinion • Attitudes • Achievement

• Educational (Literacy) • Governmental (Health schemes) • Industrial (Marketing) • Political (AAP)

•Survey Design • A good survey

• Wide scope • Accuracy • Ease of data collection

• A bad survey

• Superficial • Poor return rate • Poor survey instruments

Things to Keep in Mind When Creating Surveys

• Define terms • Avoid statements with double implications • Avoid leading questions • Beware of double negatives

Things to Keep in Mind When Creating Surveys

• Clearly identify the survey purpose • Outline the field of study • Avoid overlapping questions • Order questions in a logical format

• Simple to complex • Make sure questions are clear

• Eliminate confusion’s • Eliminate all grammatical errors

• Pre-code data for computation

•Profile of Mood States

Cross-sectional survey…

…involves collecting data from selected individuals in a single time period however long it takes to collect data from participants

Self-report survey…

…requires individuals to respond to a series of statements or questions about themselves

Longitudinal survey…

…involves collecting data at two or more instances in order to measure changes over time

•Types of longitudinal surveys...

trend survey cohort survey panel survey follow-up survey

Trend survey

…a study where a sample is taken from the general population in order to collect data over time

…involves different groups and different samples over time

Cohort survey

…a study where a specific population is examined by sampling different groups within the population over time

…involves the same group but different samples from that group over time

Panel survey

…a study where the same group and the same sample are examined over time

Follow-up survey

…a study undertaken after a panel survey and seeks to examine subsequent development or change

1. Census - Covers the

entire population of interest.

2. Sample - Deals only with a portion of the population.

SCOPES OF SURVEYS

1. A Census of Tangibles -covers a small population

where the variables are concrete.

3. A Sample Survey of

Tangibles -obtain information from

large groups where the variables are concrete

2. A Census of Intangibles -deals with constructs based from your indirect measures.

4. A Sample Survey of

Intangibles -measurement of

psychological/sociological constructs, as well as comparing a large population where the variables are not directly observable.

•4 CATEGORIES OF SURVEYS

• “A Comparative Study of the Employment Status of Ayurveda Graduates in Selected Regions of the south India: Its Implications to Ayurveda Education”

• “Public Elementary School Teacher-Stayers and Leavers in the NCR: A Comparison” by Corazon D. Santiago (1981)

EXAMPLE DISSERTATIONS:

•A Sample Survey of Tangibles

• “Anxiety Levels, Self-Concept, and Emotional States of Pregnant Single Women in Institution Shelters” by Daby Friedland (1981)

• “Rorshach Personality Profiles of Some Adolescent Children of Working and Non-Working Mothers in the Manila Area Perceived to Show Positive Parental Behavior” by Elizabeth E. Ventura (1981)

EXAMPLE DISSERTATIONS:

•A Sample Survey of Intangibles

• Has your college experience been satisfying thus far?

_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________

• Has your college experience been satisfying thus far?

Yes ___ No___

• With regard to your college experience, which of the following factors do you find satisfying?

• Academics • Relationships • Residence halls • Residence life • Social life • Food service • Other ____________

• Open-ended • Closed-ended • Partially open-ended

•Examples of types of survey questions

• Likert rating scale • I am very satisfied with my college experience. 1__Strongly Disagree 2__Disagree 3__Neutral 4__Agree 5__Strongly Agree

•May investigate progression along a

number of dimensions such as

intellectual, physical, emotional, or

social development

•DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES

•Developmental Studies

• Developmental studies are concerned with changes that take place as a function of time.

1. Longitudinal Method

- Studies the same

sample participants over an extended period of time.

2. Cross-Sectional Method - Studies participants of various characteristics at the same point in time.

•DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES 2 COMPLEMENTARY TECHNIQUES:

• Child and Youth Research Center (CYRC) (1963) conducted a longitudinal study among selected 170 Filipino infants in their first year of life in Metro Manila.

• A comparison of math achievement in public middle schools in the United States in 1990, 1995, and 2000

EXAMPLES:

•Longitudinal Method

• “The Sex Knowledge of Filipino Children in a Philippine Barrio” by CYRC (1977)

• A survey of reading achievement at different grade levels in a school system in 2000.

EXAMPLES:

•Cross-Sectional Method

•- investigating the subsequent

development of the participants

after a specified treatment or

condition.

•FOLLOW-UP STUDIES

• A 20-year follow-up study of a sample of 50 pairs of twins with neurotic-psychosomatic disorders. By Muhs A, Schepank H, Manz R. (1990)

• A 12-month follow-up study of self-management • training for people with chronic disease: • Are changes maintained over time? By J. H. Barlow*, C. C. Wright, A. P. Turner and G. V. Bancroft

• School of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University, UK (2005)

EXAMPLES:

•FOLLOW-UP STUDIES

•- involves gathering data by

examining records and documents.

•DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS

• “An Overall Analysis of Money Market Investments in the Philippines from the Time of Inception up to 1976” by Tuazon-Repuyan (1978)

EXAMPLES: •DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS

•- involves studies that seek future

status.

•- aim to project the demands or

needs of the people in the future.

•TREND ANALYSIS

• Current Trends Paper: Diversity in Education Management and Student Achievement Gap by: S.Duncan, University of Phoenix (2006)

• K-12 Professinal Development Plan • (2010)

EXAMPLES: •TREND ANALYSIS

•An empirical research method for which

the researcher takes two or more

measurements of characteristics for

each participant and then examines the

correlation among the variables.

•CORRELATIONAL STUDIES

• Positive Correlations: Both variables increase or decrease at the same time. A correlation coefficient close to +1.00 indicates a strong positive correlation.

• Negative Correlations: Indicates that as the amount of one variable increases, the other decreases (and vice versa). A correlation coefficient close to -1.00 indicates a strong negative correlation.

• No Correlation: Indicates no relationship between the two variables. A correlation coefficient of 0 indicates no correlation.

3 POSSIBLE RESULTS: •CORRELATIONAL STUDIES

• Decker, W. H. (1987). Managerial humor and subordinate satisfaction

• A Correlational Study of the Relationship Between Sense of Humor and Positive Psychological Capacities by Larry W. Hughes University of Nebraska at Kearney (2008)

• Correlation Between Grade Point Average and Absences by Ignacio Suarez

• Exploring the Self-Esteem and Depression of Selected Filipino Single Mothers by Mia Betina D. Abad (2011)

EXAMPLES: •CORRELATIONAL STUDIES

METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional survey was undertaken for the purpose of studying the statistical relationships between sense of humor, and its dimensions, and PsyCap, and its dimensions. Surveys were administered to 92 participants from a wide cross-section of employers. The results were tabulated and descriptive statistics generated for the purpose of exploring linkages between sense of humor, humor orientation and positive psychological capacities.

A Correlational Study of the Relationship Between Sense of Humor and Positive Psychological Capacities by Larry W. Hughes University of Nebraska at Kearney (2008)

• Calderon, Jose F., Methods of Research and Thesis Writing, 2012 (reprint)

• Hale, J. (2011). The 3 Basic Types of Descriptive Research Methods. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 30, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/09/27/the-3-basic-types-of-descriptive-research-methods/

• Jackson,Sherri L.,Research Methods:A Modular Approach,2nd Ed.,2010

• Pittenger, David J., Behavioral Research Design and Analysis, 2003

• Sevilla, Consuelo G., et. al, Research Methods, 1993

•REFERENCES

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