Why is descriptive research important

A descriptive research method can be used in multiple ways and for various reasons. Before getting into any survey , though, the survey goals and survey design are crucial. Despite following these steps, there is no way to know if one will meet the research outcome. How to use descriptive research? To understand the end objective of research goals, below are some ways organizations currently use descriptive research today:. Some of the significant advantages of descriptive research are:.

There are three distinctive methods to conduct descriptive research. They are:. The observational method is the most effective method to conduct this research, and researchers make use of both quantitative and qualitative observations.

A quantitative observation is the objective collection of data, which is primarily focused on numbers and values. It implies observation of any entity associated with a numeric value such as age, shape, weight, volume, scale, etc. For example, the researcher can track if current customers will refer the brand using a simple Net Promoter Score question. In this case, the researcher observes the respondents from a distance. Since the respondents are in a comfortable environment, the characteristics observed are natural and effective.

In a descriptive research design, the researcher can choose to be either a complete observer, an observer as a participant, a participant as an observer, or a full participant. This offers a more in-depth insight into the purchasing experience of the customer. Case studies involve in-depth research and study of individuals or groups. Case studies lead to a hypothesis and widen a further scope of studying a phenomenon.

The other reason why case studies are not a reliable way of conducting descriptive research is that there could be an atypical respondent in the survey.

Describing them leads to weak generalizations and moving away from external validity. In survey research, respondents answer through surveys or questionnaires or polls. They are a popular market research tool to collect feedback from respondents.

A study to gather useful data should have the right survey questions. It should be a balanced mix of open-ended questions and close ended-questions. Two excellent studies concerning the role of collaborative groups were conducted by Webb , and Rysavy and Sales Noreen Webb's landmark study used descriptive research techniques to investigate collaborative groups as they worked within classrooms.

Rysavy and Sales also apply a descriptive approach to study the role of group collaboration for working at computers. The Rysavy and Sales approach did not observe students in classrooms, but reported certain common findings that emerged through a literature search.

Descriptive studies have an important role in educational research. They have greatly increased our knowledge about what happens in schools. Henry J. Becker's series of survey reports concerning the implementation of computers into schools across the United States as well as Nancy Nelson Knupfer's reports about teacher's opinions and patterns of computer usage also fit partially within the realm of descriptive research.

Both studies describe categories of data and use statistical analysis to examine correlations between specific variables. Both also go beyond the bounds of descriptive research and conduct further statistical procedures appropriate to their research questions, thus enabling them to make further recommendations about implementing computing technology in ways to support grassroots change and equitable practices within the schools.

Finally, Knupfer's study extended the analysis and conclusions in order to yield suggestions for instructional designers involved with educational computing. Researchers may work for many years to perfect such instrumentation so that the resulting measurement will be accurate, reliable, and generalizable. Instruments such as the electron microscope, standardized tests for various purposes, the United States census, Michael Simonson's questionnaires about computer usage, and scores of thoroughly validated questionnaires are examples of some instruments that yield valuable descriptive data.

Once the instruments are developed, they can be used to describe phenomena of interest to the researchers. The intent of some descriptive research is to produce statistical information about aspects of education that interests policy makers and educators. The National Center for Education Statistics specializes in this kind of research.

Many of its findings are published in an annual volume. The center also administers the National Assessment of Educational Progress NAEP , which collects descriptive information about how well the nation's youth are doing in various subject areas.

A typical NAEP publication is The Reading Report Card, which provides descriptive information about the reading achievement of junior high and high school students during the past 2 decades. Within the United States, huge amounts of information are being gathered continuously by the Office of Technology Assessment, which influences policy concerning technology in education. As a way of offering guidance about the potential of technologies for distance education, that office has published a book called Linking for Learning: A New Course for Education, which offers descriptions of distance education and its potential.

There has been an ongoing debate among researchers about the value of quantitative see Case Study Method: The in-depth study of an individual or a group is known as a case study. Sales Studies: Researchers can use descriptive research to analyze the potential of the market; what is currently trending in the market, which products have a chance of performing well in terms of sales.

Consumer Perception and Behavior Studies: Researchers can use the methods of descriptive research to analyze the what consumers think about the brand, what are their perceptions understand them using our brand perception survey template about the products being sold by a particular brand and the uses of other competitive products.

Get deeper insights from customers and determine the best price for your offerings! See Pricing Options survey template Market Characteristic Studies: Another way in which researchers use descriptive research methods is by analyzing the distribution of the products in the market; which countries have more sales, which countries have fewer products but the product is sold out quickly. Understand market characteristics with market segmentation survey template.

Exploratory Research Guide. Conducting exploratory research seems tricky but an effective guide can help. What are the applications of descriptive research? To understand the objectives of research goals, here are some ways in which organization are using descriptive research: Defining the characteristics of respondents: Since most descriptive research methods use close-ended questions for the collection of data, it helps in drawing objective conclusions about the respondents.

Analyzing trends in data: With the help of statistical analysis that is provided by descriptive research methods, researchers are able to understand the trends in data overtime. Comparing different groups: Something closely knit to the previous point is also comparing different groups of customers based on their demographics. Improve your survey research with our free demo! Validating existing patterns of respondents: Since descriptive research methods are non invasive and make the use of quantitative data mostly , researchers can make observations between why the current patterns of purchasing exist in customers.

Conducting research at different times Descriptive analysis can be conducted at different periods of times in order to see whether the patterns are similar or dissimilar at different points of time. Finding correlations amongst variables: Descriptive research methods are also used to draw correlations between variables and the degree of association between the variables. Book a Free Demo. What are the advantages of descriptive research? Descriptive research has a wide variety of advantages, such as: Primary Data In a descriptive research the data is collected through primary data collection methods such as case studies, observational method, and surveys.

This kind of data collection provides us with rich information and can be used for future research as well. It can also be used for developing hypotheses or your research objective. Multiple Data Collection Descriptive research can also be conducted by collecting qualitative or quantitative data. Hence it is more varied, flexible, diverse and it also tends to be thorough and elaborate.

Read more about data collection methods. This also ensures that the data collected is high in quality and honest. Cost Effective Descriptive research is cost-effective and the data collection of this research can be done quickly. Download Market Research Toolkit.

What are the Disadvantages of Descriptive Research? Descriptive Research also has some disadvantages, they are as follows: Misleading Information Respondents can give misleading or incorrect responses if they feel that the questions are assessing intimate matters. Biases in studies The researchers own opinions of biases may affect the results of the study.

Representative issue There is also the problem of representativeness , a case study or the data of a small sample does not adequately represent the whole population.

Explore all the survey question types possible on Voxco. Try a Sample Survey. Explore Voxco Survey Software. Get a Free Demo. Read more. French German English. Register Now. Quantitative method is part of our daily life, even from birth, data are constantly being collected, assessed, and re-assessed as we grow.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay Why is descriptive text important in our daily life? Ben Davis May 4, Why is descriptive text important in our daily life? What is grammatical feature of descriptive text?

What is the purpose of descriptive research?