Descriptive Research vs. Experimental Research
What's the difference.
Descriptive research and experimental research are two different approaches used in scientific studies. Descriptive research aims to describe and explain a phenomenon or behavior without manipulating any variables. It focuses on observing and documenting what is happening in a natural setting. On the other hand, experimental research involves manipulating variables to determine cause-and-effect relationships. It involves the use of controlled conditions and random assignment of participants to different groups. While descriptive research provides valuable insights into a particular topic, experimental research allows researchers to establish causal relationships and make predictions. Both approaches have their own strengths and limitations, and the choice between them depends on the research question and objectives.
Further Detail
Introduction.
Research is a fundamental aspect of the scientific method, allowing us to gain knowledge and understanding of various phenomena. Descriptive research and experimental research are two common approaches used in research studies. While both methods aim to gather information and provide insights, they differ in their objectives, designs, and data collection techniques. In this article, we will explore the attributes of descriptive research and experimental research, highlighting their similarities and differences.
Descriptive Research
Descriptive research is a type of research that aims to describe and explain the characteristics of a particular population or phenomenon. It focuses on observing and documenting existing conditions, behaviors, attitudes, or relationships without manipulating any variables. Descriptive research often involves surveys, interviews, observations, or existing data analysis.
One of the key attributes of descriptive research is its emphasis on providing a detailed and accurate portrayal of the subject under investigation. Researchers aim to collect data that represents the population or phenomenon as accurately as possible. This approach allows for the exploration of patterns, trends, and associations within the data.
Descriptive research is particularly useful in situations where the researcher wants to gain a better understanding of a specific population or phenomenon. For example, a researcher may conduct a descriptive study to examine the demographic characteristics and preferences of a target market for a new product. By collecting and analyzing data, the researcher can identify key trends and make informed decisions based on the findings.
Furthermore, descriptive research is often conducted in natural settings, allowing researchers to observe and document behaviors and interactions as they naturally occur. This approach enhances the external validity of the findings, making them more applicable to real-world situations.
However, one limitation of descriptive research is that it does not establish cause-and-effect relationships. While it can identify associations and correlations between variables, it cannot determine causality. This is where experimental research comes into play.
Experimental Research
Experimental research is a scientific method that involves manipulating one or more variables to observe the effect on another variable. It aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships by controlling and manipulating the independent variable(s) while measuring the dependent variable(s). Experimental research often involves the random assignment of participants to different groups or conditions.
One of the key attributes of experimental research is its ability to control and manipulate variables. By manipulating the independent variable(s) and controlling extraneous variables, researchers can isolate the effects of the independent variable(s) on the dependent variable(s). This control allows for the establishment of causal relationships, providing stronger evidence for the impact of certain variables.
Experimental research is particularly useful when researchers want to investigate the effects of specific interventions, treatments, or manipulations. For example, a researcher may conduct an experiment to determine the effectiveness of a new teaching method on student learning outcomes. By randomly assigning participants to different groups, such as a control group and an experimental group, the researcher can compare the outcomes and draw conclusions about the impact of the teaching method.
Furthermore, experimental research often involves rigorous data collection techniques, such as pre- and post-tests, to measure the changes in the dependent variable(s) before and after the manipulation. This allows researchers to quantify the effects and analyze the statistical significance of the results.
However, one limitation of experimental research is that it may not always be feasible or ethical to manipulate variables in certain situations. For example, it may not be possible to conduct experiments on certain social or environmental phenomena. In such cases, descriptive research can provide valuable insights without the need for manipulation.
Similarities
While descriptive research and experimental research differ in their objectives and designs, they also share some similarities. Both approaches involve systematic and scientific inquiry, aiming to gather data and provide insights into various phenomena. They both require careful planning, data collection, and analysis to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings.
Additionally, both descriptive research and experimental research can utilize quantitative or qualitative data collection methods. Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and observations can be used in both approaches, depending on the research questions and objectives. The choice of data collection method often depends on the nature of the research and the availability of resources.
Moreover, both descriptive research and experimental research contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields. Descriptive research provides a foundation for understanding and describing phenomena, while experimental research allows for the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships. Together, these approaches complement each other and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of various phenomena.
Descriptive research and experimental research are two distinct approaches used in research studies. Descriptive research focuses on describing and explaining the characteristics of a population or phenomenon, while experimental research aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating variables. Both approaches have their own strengths and limitations, and the choice of method depends on the research questions, objectives, and feasibility. By understanding the attributes of descriptive research and experimental research, researchers can select the most appropriate approach to address their research inquiries and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields.
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Descriptive vs experimental research
- October 7, 2021
Exclusive Step by Step guide to Descriptive Research
Get ready to uncover the how, when, what, and where questions in a research problem
SHARE THE ARTICLE ON
Descriptive research and experimental research are both types of quantitative research. Quantitative research refers to the process of analyzing data in its numeric form. The objective of quantitative research is to examine social phenomena by collecting objective data.
But there is a difference in the way descriptive research and experimental research are performed and the insights they deliver. We will explore how different the two research types are from one another.
Before we jump into exploring descriptive vs experimental research, let’s define the two types.
What is Descriptive Research?
Descriptive research is a method to describe the demographics of the research variables. The demographics being “why, what, when, how” regarding the subject variable. Rather than limiting its approach to qualitative or quantitative, descriptive research is mostly observational. The reason being obvious, the variables are not influenced by any external variables and are observed to derive results from it.
Descriptive research aims to statistically analyze the data collected through observations and surveys or case studies. The variables that are being observed are not controlled. As descriptive research digs out the patterns in the data, it helps researchers get future insights depending on the pattern.
Methods of descriptive research:
- Observation – as the name suggests, this includes observing a variable in the study. It can be qualitative or quantitative in nature. Quantitative observations will give data that is numerically represented, whereas qualitative observations are more brief and long to analyze.
For example, a company owner decides to implement new soft skill training among the employees. After the training is over he observes their speech and performance to figure out how effective the training program was.
- Surveys – are the most common form of gathering feedback from the customers. This includes questionnaires regarding the topic which the responders will answer. It can be conducted online as well as offline and provides vast areas of channels to circulate them through.
The main advantage of surveys is that it gets your hands on large amounts of data in a short time span.
For example, a company owner wants to get feedback on a recent meeting. He will ask both open-ended as well as close-ended questions.
- Case studies – it is a deep study of an individual or group. It helps your frame hypothesis or theories. As it studies a natural phenomenon, researchers’ biases are avoided. Another reason is, a not-so-genuine responder. It would be unfair to study this responder who is a lot different from the general population and then generalize his results to the entire population.
For example, a company owner studies an employee who travels far to come to the office. He may have a different experience with his traveling and its effect on his work, then the other employees.
What is Experimental Research?
Experimental research is a scientific approach to dealing with two or more variables. It is basically an experiment conducted to bring out the cause-effect relationship between those variables.
The experiment has two groups, a treatment group, and a control group. A researcher starts an experiment by keeping a problem statement in mind, and that includes a control variable. The treatment group undergoes the changes that the researcher wants to experiment with, and the control group doesn’t go through any treatment. At the end of the experiment, the researcher concludes how the independent variable affects the dependent variable when the course is changed.
Experimental research aims to help you make meaningful insights out of the gathered data. It is useful in testing your hypothesis and making decisions about it. Experimental research is said to be successful when the manipulation of the independent variable brings about a change in the variable that is under study.
Methods of experimental research:
Pre-experimental Design
It is sort of a dry run before a true experiment takes place. It studies one or two groups when they are put under the researcher’s treatment. This gives an idea of whether the treatment will solve the problem at hand or not. And if yes, then what is the right way to carry out the experiment when it actually takes place.
The 3 kinds are;
- One-shot case study research design
- One-group pretest-posttest research design
- Static group comparison
[Related read: Pre-experimental Design ]
True-experimental Research Design
It is hypothesis-testing research, which at the end of the study, will either support or refute the hypothesis. You can say this research is based on the foreground of the pre-experimental research.
True experiments work on hypothesis testing with the help of independent and dependent variables, pre-testing and post-testing, treatment groups and control groups, and control variables. In addition to that, the samples are selected at random.
For example, a teacher wants to know the average maths marks of her class. She will randomly select students to take the math test.
Quasi-experimental Research
It is similar to a true experiment but surely not the same. Just like true experiments, it also includes independent and dependent variables, pre-tests and post-tests, and treatment and control groups.
The major difference is that it does not include randomization of samples and control variables. As a result of which, the participants are assigned to the experimental groups through a study that decides which participants to put in which experimental group.
For example, a teacher wants to know how her class is doing in math, but more importantly, she wants to study the students that have an average score on a math test. So she will select only those students who have an average score in math.
Descriptive Vs. Experimental Research
Definition .
Descriptive research is a method that describes a study or a topic. It defines the characteristics of the variable under research and answers the questions related to it.
Whereas experimental research is a scientific approach to testing a theory or a hypothesis using experimental groups and control variables.
Descriptive research will help you gather data on a subject or understand a population or group.
Experimental research will help you establish a cause-effect relationship between two or more variables.
Descriptive research aims towards studying the demographics related to a subject group. Experimental research aims to test hypotheses and theories, which include cause-effect variables.
Descriptive research is sociological and psychological in nature.
Experimental research uses a more scientific experimental approach to test the problems.
Both of them differ in terms of external interventions. Descriptive research doesn’t face any, while experimental research has control variables.
Method to gather data
In descriptive research , the study can be done by collecting qualitative and quantitative data types.
But when it comes to experimental research , the data has to be quantitative in nature.
Descriptive Vs. Experimental Research: Comparison Chart
Conclusion;
Despite falling under the types of quantitative research, descriptive research & experimental research differ significantly. This concludes all points of difference between the two research types. Next time you have to decide which research method, you can refer to this blog.
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The main difference between the two is that – descriptive research is a qualitative or quantitative approach dedicated to observing the variable demographics under its natural habitat. While experimental research includes a scientific quantitative approach to test hypotheses and theories using control variables.
One example can be, a software company wants to develop a new shopping application. For that, they will observe the regular shopping experiences of the customers and what are current options they are preferring. Second example can be a researcher who wants to study social media experiences for different people belonging to different age groups.
Two things that will differentiate the two prime research methodologies can be:
- Descriptive research deals with observation and no external intervention while experimental research totally depends on the intervention. This intervention is caused by manipulation of the independent variable.
- The use of descriptive research is done when you want to observe a certain group or an individual while experimental research is used when you have a theory and you want to test it out by experimenting on the variables.
For instance, a new teaching strategy for math is tested for its effects. A random selection of students is done to undergo the special training for the subject. At the end of the training, results of the math tests are compared with the results before the training program. This will let the management know how effective the training is.
- It has dependent and independent variables that give the cause-effect relationship between the variables.
- It has pre-test and post-test study to compare the results of the experiment before the treatment and after the treatment.
- Random sampling helps both the treatment group and control groups to have equal quality of participants.
As descriptive research is an observational and experimental research is, well, experiment based, both have their own importance depending on the research problem. Use descriptive research when you just have to observe a group in its environment and develop an understanding on the subject. Use experimental research when you have to test a hypothesis or establish a cause-effect relation between two or more variables.
Experimental research includes independent and dependent variables, it compares the pretest and post-tests while including randomization of samples and control variables. While non-experimental research doesn’t have randomization of the samples and it doesn’t manipulate the independent variables even if it is about establishing causal relationships between the variables.
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Distinguishing Features and Similarities Between Descriptive Phenomenological and Qualitative Description Research
Affiliations.
- 1 Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA [email protected].
- 2 New York University, New York City, USA.
- 3 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
- 4 University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA.
- PMID: 27106878
- DOI: 10.1177/0193945916645499
Scholars who research phenomena of concern to the discipline of nursing are challenged with making wise choices about different qualitative research approaches. Ultimately, they want to choose an approach that is best suited to answer their research questions. Such choices are predicated on having made distinctions between qualitative methodology, methods, and analytic frames. In this article, we distinguish two qualitative research approaches widely used for descriptive studies: descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description. Providing a clear basis that highlights the distinguishing features and similarities between descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research will help students and researchers make more informed choices in deciding upon the most appropriate methodology in qualitative research. We orient the reader to distinguishing features and similarities associated with each approach and the kinds of research questions descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research address.
Keywords: phenomenology; qualitative methods.
© The Author(s) 2016.
- Nursing Methodology Research*
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