Designing a Research Study using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

This assignment requires you to demonstrate your understanding of this module. In completing the assignment you should use the lectures as a starting point and then build on these ideas with the material you access through your additional reading.

You are required to complete three tasks for this assignment:

  1. Identify a gap in the research for a topic that is of interest to you and develop a relevant research question on this topic. (500 words approximately)

You will need to present a short literature review where you briefly summarise the findings from previous studies relevant to your topic. Based on this review you should identify a new study that could build on this evidence base or make a new contribution to this field of study.

  1. Outline how this research question could be investigated using
    1. a qualitative approach (800 words approximately)
    2. a quantitative approach (800 words approximately)

For both approaches you will need to describe:

  • Which methods you would use (e.g. online survey, interview, focus group) to collect the data and justify your choice of methods
  • Who the research participants will be in the study and how you will recruit them to the study. You should outline your sampling strategy here.
  • The approach you would take to analysing the data you collect. Again you should justify why these approaches are appropriate.
  1. Explain how you would ensure that each of these two approaches results in high quality research (400 words approximately)

In this final task you should discuss how the criteria for assessing the quality of qualitative and quantitative research may be different and explain why this is the case.

Guidance for completing the tasks:

In completing this assignment you should ensure that you:

  • Complete both tasks within one essay.
  • Include a short introduction and a short conclusion. The introduction should outline the structure of your essay for the reader and the conclusion should summarise the main points from your essay.
  • Support your claims using reliable sources (e.g. journal article, research methods text)
  • Define key terms and concepts again using references to reliable sources
  • Ensure that you use academic language and avoid adopting journalistic style (sensationalist). Remember you are aiming to convince the reader with the strength of the evidence that you present.
  • Provide a balanced account of the issues. What are the positives? What are the negatives?
  • Develop a clear essay structure. Using a series of short paragraphs with each containing one or two key points will help you communicate effectively with the reader.