Theme: Planning a Coherent, Justifiable Structure for Your Study
Duration: 1 week (self-paced)
Level: MA / MSc / PhD Preparation
Format: Fully self-contained lesson for independent study
🔷 5.1 Purpose of This Module
Research design is your blueprint—it ensures that your study’s question, method, and outcomes are logically connected. This module explains how to choose a design type that aligns with your paradigm, question, and data needs. It also teaches you how to justify your design decisions in formal writing.
By the end, you will be able to:
- Define what research design is and why it matters
- Distinguish among common types of research design
- Align research design with your paradigm and methodology
- Justify and describe your chosen design clearly in academic writing
🧱 5.2 What Is Research Design?
A research design is the structured plan or strategy for conducting your study. It determines what data you collect, how you collect it, how you analyse it, and why your approach is valid for answering your research question.
✅ Key Features of a Good Design:
- Coherent: Each component supports the research question.
- Justifiable: Methodological choices are explained clearly.
- Feasible: Can be completed within time, access, and resource limits.
- Ethical: Protects participant rights and complies with academic norms.
🧭 5.3 Selecting the Right Design: Major Types
| Design Type | Description | Example Research Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental | Manipulates variables in controlled conditions to measure effects | “Does using an AI tutor improve student performance compared to a control group?” |
| Quasi-Experimental | Similar to experimental but lacks full control or randomisation | “What is the impact of school closure on attendance rates in one district?” |
| Survey/Correlational | Measures patterns, correlations, or attitudes across a population | “What is the relationship between social media use and self-esteem in university students?” |
| Case Study | In-depth analysis of one or few cases over time | “How did one nonprofit implement digital transformation post-COVID?” |
| Ethnographic | Observes behaviours, beliefs, and interactions in natural contexts | “What role does storytelling play in community healing among trauma survivors?” |
| Grounded Theory | Seeks to generate theory from data (inductive, iterative) | “How do young adults make sense of moral dilemmas in digital spaces?” |
| Action Research | Research conducted collaboratively to solve a real-world problem | “How can a school co-develop an inclusive policy with students?” |
| Phenomenological | Focuses on understanding lived experiences from participants’ perspectives | “What is it like to be a caregiver for a terminally ill spouse?” |
📊 5.4 Matching Design to Paradigm and Question
| Paradigm | Preferred Design Types | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positivism | Experimental, survey | Measuring exam outcomes between control and treatment groups |
| Interpretivism | Case study, phenomenology, ethnography | Understanding immigrant identity formation |
| Critical Theory | Action research, discourse analysis | Exploring power dynamics in school governance |
| Pragmatism | Mixed methods, design-based research | Evaluating a health intervention using tests + interviews |
🧠 5.5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Design
- Your Research Question:
- Is it about explaining or understanding?
- Cause-effect or personal experience?
- Data Type Needed:
- Numbers or narratives?
- One-time snapshot or evolving process?
- Access to Participants or Settings:
- Do you have permission or ethical clearance?
- Are you embedded in the setting (ethnography), or surveying remotely?
- Time & Resource Constraints:
- Experiments may require labs and equipment.
- Interviews require time and transcription.
- Ethical Sensitivities:
- Vulnerable populations, trauma, or minors require heightened caution.
🧾 5.6 How to Write a Research Design Section (for your thesis)
Sample Structure:
- Restate Your Question or Aim
“This study investigates how feedback from AI writing tools shapes postgraduate students’ critical thinking.” - Justify the Design
“Given the interpretivist paradigm and interest in lived experience, a qualitative case study was selected.” - Outline the Design’s Key Features
- Context
- Participants
- Timeframe
- Data sources
- Analytical approach
- Explain Why This Design Is Appropriate
“This design allows for an in-depth exploration of students’ reflections, classroom interactions, and evolving thought processes, aligning with the research aim.”
🛠 5.7 Self-Learning Task Set (Independent Exercises)
✍️ TASK 1: Select a Design for Your Topic
Using your research question (from Module 3), answer:
- What type of design would best fit this question?
- Why is this the best fit (justify your choice)?
- What are your data sources (interviews, surveys, documents, etc.)?
Example:
- Topic: AI writing tools and student learning
- Design: Case study
- Justification: Captures depth of experience across time and contexts
- Data: Student interviews, tutor feedback records, assignment drafts
🧠 TASK 2: Build a Research Design Table
| Research Question | Paradigm | Design Type | Data Sources | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. How does burnout manifest in junior doctors? | Interpretivist | Phenomenology | Interviews, journals | Lived experience focus |
✅ Complete for two additional possible topics
📚 TASK 3: Outline Your Design in Writing (200–300 words)
Write a short section that could be used in your dissertation. Include:
- The design type
- How it relates to your question
- What data you’ll collect
- Why this approach is suitable
Example Output:
This study will use a qualitative case study design to explore how AI-assisted writing tools shape the writing process of postgraduate students in UK universities. Given the interpretivist approach, the focus is on understanding the lived experiences and reflections of students engaging with these tools. Data will include semi-structured interviews, annotated writing samples, and classroom observations over 10 weeks. This design allows the researcher to examine both perceptions and practices in real-world learning environments.
📖 5.8 Summary of Key Takeaways
- A research design is your study’s master plan—it links your paradigm, question, and methods.
- Different research questions require different designs.
- A design must be justifiable, feasible, and aligned.
- You should be able to defend your choices logically and ethically in writing.
✅ End-of-Module Self-Evaluation Checklist
| Concept | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| I can define research design and its role | ☐ |
| I understand the major types of design and when to use them | ☐ |
| I selected a design appropriate to my own topic | ☐ |
| I wrote a paragraph justifying my design | ☐ |
| I created a full research design table for at least two ideas | ☐ |