wgweeghr

Descriptive research seeks to describe the current status of an identified variable or phenomenon. The researcher does not usually begin with an hypothesis, but is likely to develop one after collecting data. Analysis and synthesis of the data provide the test of the hypothesis. Systematic collection of information requires careful selection of the units studied and measurement of each variable in order to demonstrate validity. Correlational research attempts to determine the extent of a relationship between two or more variables using statistical data. Relationships between and among a number of facts are sought and interpreted to recognize trends and patterns in data, but it does not go so far in its analysis to establish cause and effect for them. Data,relationships, and distributions of variables are observed only. Variables are not manipulated; they are only identified and are studied as they occur in a natural setting.

*Sometimes correlational research is considered a type of descriptive research, and not as its own type of research, as no variables are manipulated in the study. Causal-comparative/quasi-experimental research attempts to establish cause-effect relationships among the variables. These types of design are very similar to true experiments, but with some key differences. An independent variable is identified but not manipulated by the experimenter, and effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable are measured. The researcher does not randomly assign groups and must use ones that are naturally formed or pre-existing groups. Identified control groups exposed to the treatment variable are studied and compared to groups who are not. Experimental research, often called true experimentation, uses the scientific method to establish the cause-effect relationship among a group of variables that make up a study. The true experiment is often thought of as a laboratory study, but this is not always the case; a laboratory setting