NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Lesson 4
Intended Learning Outcomes

After this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Increase the number of English words you know;
2. Express your world views using newly learned words;
3. Familiarize yourself with the nature of non-
experimental research;
4. Trace the development of survey research;
5. Present a good plan of your survey research;
6. Practice honesty and integrity in researching; and
7. Conduct a practicable survey research.
 NON- EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Definition of Non- Experimental Research

Non-Experimental Research is a way of
finding out truths about a subject by describing
the collected data about such subject and
determining their relationships or connections
with one another. Any treatment or condition is
not involved in this type of research.
But there is a measuring of variables here;
hence, once you do a non-experimental
research, you deal with both qualitative and
quantitative data. Your desire to discover
people's thought, views, feelings and attitudes
about a certain societal issue, object, place or
event causes you to use non-experimental
research.
Characteristics:

1. It is incapable of establishing cause-effect

relationships; by itself, it is able, if it takes place in
conjuction with other experiment and quasi-
experimental research methods.
2. It involves various ways of data analysis:
Primary - analysis of data collected by the researcher himself
Secondary - examination of data collected by other people
Meta-analysis - analysis of data expressed numerically
3. It uses research methods applicable to
both qualitative and quantitative data.
It collects data through survey,
observation, historical studies, case studies,
documentary analysis, and so on (Suter
2012; Sarantakos 2013).
Definition of Survey Research

Many immidiately come to think of survey research the

moment they hear or read the expression Non-
Experimental Research. This is so because survey research
is the most used non-experimental research in the field of
Sociology, Psychology, and Humanities. Inquiries,
investigations, and experiments also happen in this type of
non-experimental research. But in terms of types and
analysis of data, survey research follows a standard that is
applicable to social sciences (Schreiber 2011).
 Survey research is a method of research that
aims at knowing what a big number of people
think and feel about some sociological issues.
The data it collects from these people serving as
representatives or informants explain or
describe the society's thoughts, attitudes and
feelings towards environmental issues.
Although survey research is a very old research
technique that began in the period of the ancient
Egyptian rulers, many still consider this as a very
popular means of social inquiry (Babbie,
2013:383).
The extensive use of survey research is proven
by the fact that more than one-third of published
research online in sociology, psychology, and
humanities were done through survey research.
Usually used by researchers to study issues
affecting a large population, survey research
requires data gathering techniques such as
interview, questionnaire, online survey, and
telephone interview that primarily consider the size
of the group being studied ( Schutt, 2013). Here,
the researcher selects a sample of respondents
from a small/large population and provide the
chosen subjects a formalized questionnaire.
 Purposes of Survey Research

1. To obtain information about people's

opinions and feelings about an issue.
2. To identify present condition, needs, or
problems of people in a short span of time.
3. To seek answers to social problems.
4. To give school officials pointers on curricular
offerings, guidance and counseling services,
teacher evaluation, and so on.
 Planning a Survey Research

The research design of a survey research is

similar to that of the experimental research,
only, that when it comes to data collection
method and instrument, survey research goes
through the following phases:
1. Explanation of the objectives clearly
2. Formulation of research questions or
hypothesis to predict relationships of variables.
3. Determination of the exact kind of data referred
to by the hypotheses or research questions
4. Assurance of the population or group of people
to which the findings will be applied to
5. Finalization of the sampling method for
selecting the participants
6 Identification of the method or instrument in
collecting data, that is, whether it is questionnaire
on paper, through phone, via computer, or face-to-
face.
Strengths of Survey
Research

Stressing the effectiveness and usefulness of

survey research, Schutt (2013) gives the following
pluses of survey research:
1.Versatility. It can tackle any issue affecting
society.
2.Efficiency. It is not costly in terms of money and
time, assuming there is excellent communication
or postal system.
3.Generality. It can get a good
representation or sample of a large group
of people.
4. Confidentiality. It is capable of
safeguarding the privacy or anonymity of
respondents.
Here are the weak points of survey
research:
1. It cannot provide sufficient evidence about
the relationships of variables.
2. It cannot examine the significance of some
issues affecting people's social life.
3. It cannot get data reflecting the effects of
the interconnectedness of environmental
features on the research study.
4. It cannot consider man's naturalistics
tendencies as the basis of human behaviour
unless his ways or styles of living are related to
his sorroundings.
5. It cannot promote interpretative and creative
thinking unless its formation of ideas results
from scientific thinking.
6. It cannot have an effective application to all
topics for research.
7. It cannot use a questioning or coding method that
can accurately register differences among the
participants' responses.
8. It cannot diffuse the main researcher's abilities to
control and manipulate some factors affecting the
study.
9. It cannot account for real or actual happenings, but
can give ideas on respondents' views, beliefs,
concepts, and emotions.
Ethical Principles and Rules in Survey
Research
You are in a higher education institution
(HEI) called college or unversity that always
considers academic excellence as its number
one goal. Be academically competent by
producing excellent research paper that will
mirror not only your intellectual abilities but
your valuing system as well.
Considering the importance of honesty and integrity in
conducting a research paper, keep in mind the
following ethical priciples and rules in producing an
honest-to-goodness research paper (Ransome, 2013;
Corti, 2014):
1. Respect whatever decision a person has about your
research work for his participation in your study comes
solely from his or her own decision-making powers.
2. Make sure that your study will be
instrumental in elevating the living conditions
of people around you or in bringing about world
progress.
3. Conduct your research work in a way that the
respondents will be safe from any injury or
damage that may arise from their physical and
emotional involvement in the study.
4. Practice honesty and truthfulness in
reporting about the results of your study.
5. Accept the reality that the nature, kind and
extent of responses to your questions depend
solely on the dispositions of the respondents.
6. Decide properly which information should go
public or secret.
7. Stick to your promise of safeguarding the
secrecy of some information you obtained from
the respondents.