Andi Tea Mari O.

Simbala

August 20, 2016

Advance Activity in Research

1. What is a Descriptive Research?

A Descriptive Research includes both quantitative and qualitative data and uses these types of data
to describe the population being observed. For example, someone interested in why certain groups of trees
are dying, while others of the same type and in the same location are thriving, can observe the trees and their
surrounding environment to come to a preliminary decision. As its core, this is descriptive research.
Descriptive Research is mostly used in the beginning of researching a topic or phenomenon.
Observation provides the initial information needed for the researcher to form a hyphothesis about the topic.
Someone who is studying the effects of a river on wildlife can observe the wildlife near and far from the
river to come up with a few basic ideas about how the two items are connected. This information is valuable
as the research moves into is next steps, where experiments find more provable, concrete data.
2. How is a descriptive research different from an experimental research?
A Descriptive Research is restricted to factual registration and that there is not a quest for an
explanation why reality is showing itself this way. In principle, descriptive research is not aiming at
hypotheses or development of theory. Another is objectivity or neutrality. Descriptive Research is about
describing how reality is. In this regard descriptive research differs from prescriptive research that is
primarily concerned with the question how the reality should be. Descriptive research is making inventories;
prescriptive research is normative.
With descriptive research in its purest form explaining and evaluating is left to the reader or to other
disciplines. This applies for instance to the statistical surveys of the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS).
Disciplines like geography (description of the Earth) and social geography (description of the spatial aspects
of social phenomena) are largely based on descriptions of reality. However, in practice there is a gliding
scale from pure description to analysis, interpretation and evaluation. The same applies to dimension
objective subjective. Analysis and interpretation of the data are seldom completely objective. As a
consequence, a biography (description of a life), or a plan documentation is always partly, or even strongly
coloured by the selective perception of the author.
When a study is explicitly focused on looking for explanation or on formulating hypothesis or
theory, we talk about exploring study or study (explorative). Explorative study starts without clear
preliminary ideas, at best with vague suspicions, looking for linkaes and concludingwith a careful
explanation for what is found. In the case of testing study there is already in advance a coherent body of
statements on reality (hypotheses). Next, whether the theory is supported by observations in reality is
checked by study. The type of study is trying to provide more certainty as to the correctness of the

hypotheses (in the jargon: confirmation of the hypotheses), the confidence in the theory is increasing. The
tripod descriptive explorative- testing is closely related to the empirical cycle as described in the classical
monograph Methodology by A.D. de Groot. Descriptive study and research is predominantly orienting on
the observation stage, explorative study on the induction stage, testing only on the stage of deduction and
testing
3. What are the methods of collecting data in a descriptive research?
Field Survey
Identifying the Population and Selecting the Sample
Cluster Sampling : certain groups are randomly sampled and all subjects in them are

observed
Convenience Sampling : study subjects who are convenient
Quota Sampling : using convenience sampling, with the restriction that the sample has the

same percentage of each subgroup as that found in the pop

Snowball Sampling : and they told two friends, and so on, and so on
Analysis of Survey Results
Observational Studies
Naturalistic Observation unstructured, unsystematic observation of a wide range of

behaviors or situations
Systematic Naturalistic Observation systematic observations of a specific behavior or

situation
Participant Observation the investigator infiltrates the group being observed. Takes part

in group activities but true identity and purpose are concealed.

Archival Research
Look for Written Records
Access to otherwise unobservable behaviors
Verify subjects self- reports
Ex Post Facto Research
A study of the events after they have occured
Case Studies
Detailed observations of one situation or one person
Case Study (longitudinal, prospective) : subject to time-related confounds
Case History (archival, retrospective): poor reliability & validity