Category 3: Research Designs & Methodologies

Experimental quantitative designs

Tests causal relationships by manipulating independent variables and randomly assigning participants to control and experimental groups.

Quasi-Experimental quantitative designs

Compares existing groups formed by real-life experiences (e.g., income levels) where random assignment is impossible or unethical.

Correlational quantitative designs

Identifies statistical patterns or relationships between variables without manipulating conditions or establishing causality.

Narrative (qualitative research design)

Portrays individual lives and stories through interviews, journals, or diaries.

Phenomenology (qualitative research design)

Explores lived experiences of individuals encountering a specific phenomenon.

Grounded Theory (qualitative research design)

Generates a theory or model that is grounded directly in participant experiences.

Ethnography (qualitative research design)

Studies a cultural or social group in its natural setting through observation.

Case Study (qualitative research design)

Conducts an in-depth analysis of a single person, small group, or bounded setting.

Retrospective

Asks participants to reflect on past experiences; convenient but vulnerable to memory bias.

Cross-Sectional

Compares different age/cohort groups at a single point in time; shows age differences quickly but cannot show how specific individuals change over time.

Longitudinal

Follows the same individuals over an extended time period; directly tracks individual developmental trajectories.