DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN
Descriptive- Normative Survey
 Descriptive research can be explained as a
statement of affairs as they are at present with
the researcher having no control over
variable. Moreover, “descriptive research”
may be characterized as simply the attempt to
determine, describe or identify what is.
 Descriptive research is “aimed at casting light
on current issues or problems through a
process of data collection that enables them
to describe the situation more completely.
 Descriptive studies are valuable in providing
facts on which scientific judgements may be
based. They provide essential knowledge
about the nature of objects and persons.
 Descriptive studies also play a large part in the
development of instruments for the
measurement of many things, instruments
that are employed in all types of quantitative
research as data gathering instrument such as;
tests, questionnaires, interviews, observation
schedules, checklists, score cards and rating
scale.
 The descriptive function of research is heavily
dependent on instrumentation for
measurement and observation (Borg & Gall,
1989). Researchers may work for many years
to perfect such instrumentation so that the
resulting measurement will be accurate,
reliable, and generalizable. Once the
instruments are developed, they can be used
to describe phenomena of interest to the
researchers.
TYPES OF DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
DESIGN
1. Descriptive- Survey Design
 Survey research is one of the most
important areas of measurement in
applied social research. The broad are of
survey research encompasses any
measurement procedures that involve
asking questions of respondents. A
‘survey’ can be anything form a short
paper-and-pencil feedback form to an
intensive one-on-one in-depth interview.
2.
 Good and Scates (2002) stressed that “the
term NORMATIVE is sometimes used
because surveys are frequently made to
ascertain the normal or typical condition
for practice, or to compare local test
results with a state or national norm”. in
the descriptive-normative surveys, the
results/ findings of the study should be
compared with the norm.
3. Descriptive- Evaluative
 This design is to appraise carefully the
worthiness of the current study.
 To illustrate: The researcher wishes to
conduct a study on evaluation of an
implementation of 4P’s Program in
Mandaluyong City. He devises a
questionnaire which evaluates the
implementation of 4P’s program and
requests the municipality officials and
beneficiaries of the program as subjects of
the study to respond on it.
4. Descriptive- Comparative
 This is a design where the researcher
considers 2 variable (not manipulated)
and establishes a formal procedure to
compare and conclude that one is better
than the other if significant differences
exist.
 A researcher wishes to conduct a study
on the effectiveness of teaching English
using rhetoric and content-based
approaches to Bachelor of Computer
Technology students at RTU. He uses
tests as research instrument. All things
are held constant, except on the
approaches of teaching used. The 2
variables are rhetoric and content-based
approaches. The statistical tool used is
the z-test. If significant difference exists
it means an approach is better than the
other. With no significant difference, the
two approaches are almost the same.
5. Correlational Survey
 This is design to determine the
relationship of 2 variables (X&Y) whether
the relationship is perfect, very high, high,
marked or moderate, slight or negligible.
 Perfect positive correlation with a value of
1.0 seldom happens, same with perfect
negative correlation. In perfect positive
correlation, all the individual
performances in X & Y have the same
positions. If he tops in test X he also tops
in test Y; if he is lowest in test X he is
likely lowest in test Y. in perfect negative
correlation, all the individual
performances in X and Y have the
opposite positions. If he tops in test X, he
is lowest in test Y, if he is lowest in test X,
he tops in test Y.
6. Longtudinal Survey
 This involves much time allotted to
investigation of the same subject of two
or more points in time.
 Ex. A researcher wishes to set up a
Mathematics achievement pattern to
secondary students, age 13 to 16. He takes
a group of 13 y/o boys and girls and
records their Mathematics achievement
over regular intervals (i.e. every grading
period). The researcher follows up this
work until they reach 16 y/o. Based on
the data gathered, the investigator sets up
the Mathematics achievement pattern
from the same group of students
investigated over a long period of time.