Research methodology MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Research methodology - Download Free PDF

Important PointsStatement I: If we are interested in the worldview of members of a certain social group, a qualitative research strategy that is sensitive to how participants interpret their social world may be preferable.

• The objective of qualitative research is to obtain participants' experiences of life events.
• It enables researchers to obtain insights into what it feels like to be another person and to understand the world as another experience it.
• Research in qualitative methods has historically been employed in fields such as sociology, history, and anthropology.

Therefore, statement I is correct.

Statement II: If a researcher is interested in a topic on which little or no research has been done in the past, quantitative research may be easy to employ because there is little prior literature from which to draw leads.

• The literature review is an important step to complete while doing any research, whether quantitative or qualitative.
• It is a major myth that quantitative research may be easy to employ in research where there is little prior literature.

Therefore, Statement II is incorrect.

Therefore, the correct answer is Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.

Experimental research is a study that strictly adheres to a scientific research design.

Key Points

• Experimental research consists of a hypothesis, a variable that the researcher can manipulate, and variables that can be measured, calculated, and compared.
• Most importantly, experimental research is carried out in a controlled setting.
• The researcher gathers data, and the findings will either support or refute the hypothesis.
• This research method is known as hypothesis testing or deductive research.

Important Points

• The aim of experimental research is to find a relationship between two variables: the dependent variable and the independent variable.
• A correlation between a specific aspect of an entity and the variable being studied is either supported or rejected after an experimental research study is completed.

Thus In an experimental method of research an independent variable is manipulated with an intent to observe concomitant changes in dependent variable.

Additional Information

• Ex-post facto research: In ex-post facto research, the researcher can not directly manipulate the independent variable/s (that is, the cause) as he or she predicts the cause on basis of the dependent variable (that is, the effect).
• Case study Methods is a technique for narrowing down a very broad field of research into a single easily researched topic. The case study research design is also useful for determining whether scientific theories and models work in practice. 
• Descriptive Research Method is a type of research design that seeks information in order to describe a phenomenon, situation, or population in a systematic manner.
  • It specifically assists in answering the what, when, where, and how questions about the research problem, rather than the why.

Key Points

Statement I: Sample sizes for qualitative research vary by technique but are generally small.

Qualitative research:

• The data are generally nonnumerical.
• Qualitative research can be used to understand how an individual subjectively perceives and gives meaning to their social reality.
• For example, a convenience store wanted to determine why women were not visiting the store so it can conduct an in-depth interview of potential customers in the category.
• Thus the goal of qualitative research is not to disprove a hypothesis, but we’re looking to understand the nature of a problem in detail. 
• Qualitative research doesn’t try to make quantitative claims that generalize to the whole target audience.
• Hence the sample requirement for qualitative research is small.
• Techniques used for Qualitative research rely on data obtained by the researcher from first-hand observation, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, participant-observation, recordings made in natural settings, documents, case studies, and artifacts

Hence statement I is correct.

Statement II: Qualitative research involves non-probability sampling.

Non-probability sampling techniques

• These are often used in exploratory and qualitative research.
• In these types of research, the aim is not to test a hypothesis about a broad population but to develop an initial understanding of a small or under-researched population
• The goal of qualitative research is not to disprove a hypothesis, but we’re looking to understand the nature of a problem in detail Hence non-probability sampling is utilized for Qualitative research 

Hence statement II is correct.

Therefore we conclude that the correct answer is both Statements I and Statement II are true.

Grounded theory is a systematic methodology that has been largely applied to qualitative research conducted by social scientists.

 Key Points

• The research methodology involves the construction of hypotheses and theories through the collecting and analysis of data.
• The grounded theory involves the application of inductive reasoning. 

 Important Points

• Constant comparison is the data-analytic process whereby each interpretation and finding is compared with existing findings as it emerges from the data analysis.
• It is associated with qualitative research more than with quantitative research.
• The constant comparative method is a process developed by Glaser and Strauss and used in grounded theory.
• It is used to sort and organize excerpts of raw data into groups according to attributes and organize those groups in a structured way to formulate a new theory.

Hence, with the help of the above information, we can say that Constant comparison is used in Grounded Theory.

Additional Information

• Feminist theory informs both research questions and the methodology of a project in addition to serving as a foundation for analysis. The goals of feminist educational research include dismantling systems of oppression, highlighting gender-based disparities, and seeking new ways of constructing knowledge.
• Relational theory is a broad framework for various psychodynamic models of practice that, in part, consider how the self develops in relationship to other-selves and is based on patterns from this interactive process.

Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.

Important PointsStatement I: Integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods is a trend accepted in social science research. 

• Qualitative research is research using methods such as participant observation or case studies that result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice.
• Sociologists using these methods typically reject positivism and adopt a form of interpretive sociology.
• Integration is an intentional process by which the researcher brings quantitative and qualitative approaches together in a study.
• Quantitative and qualitative data then become interdependent in addressing common research questions and hypotheses.

Thus the statement I is correct.

Statement II:  some critics say that research methods have 'fixed epistemological and ontological implications' and as such mixed methods are not desirable. 

• Combining different methods requires extra resources, such as time and money.
• Combining the two types of data means to benefit from both the detailed, contextualized insights of qualitative data and the generalizable, externally valid insights of quantitative data.
• The strengths of one type of data often mitigate the weaknesses of the other.
• It can be more complex to carry out. it may require more expertise to collect and analyze data, and interpret the results, than using one method would. ​

Thus statement II is also correct. 

Therefore with the help of given information we can say that both the statements are true.

Research is a systematic inquiry towards understanding a complex social phenomenon or a process. They are broadly categorized into qualitative and quantitative research. Based on the research problem, the selection of research methods by the researcher may vary.

Positivistic Research Paradigm:

A research paradigm is a research model or a perceptual orientation for conducting research that has been verified by the research community.

• Emphasizes quantitative analysis over qualitative analysis
• Relies heavily on experimentation
• Subscribes to pre-existing categories
• Hypotheses are put forward about the causal relation between phenomena
• Empirical evidence is gathered and analysed that explains the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
• Employs a deductive approach to analyse data
• Collects numerical data

Features of Qualitative Research:

• The objective is to explore a phenomenon to gain understanding by diving deeper into the problem
• Used qualitative methods of data collection such as interviews, focus groups, observation, etc.
• The sample size is kept small
• Believes in interpretivism paradigm and disregards the positivist assumptions and statistical data analysis
• Inductive reasoning is employe where things are observed, a pattern is developed and then the theory is formed
• The conclusions are descriptive rather than predictive.

Hence, it is clear from the given points that qualitative research avoids positivist assumptions and data analysis.

Validity is one of the important characteristics of scientific research. The term ‘Validity’ implies truth or fidelity. Thus, validity refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure. The word "valid" is derived from the Latin ‘validus’. A Valid measurement is always reliable.

• For determining the validity of a test, the test should be compared to another independent construct or criteria. 
• Validity is concerned with generalizability. 
• Validity has three important properties:
  • It is a relative term.
  • It is not a fixed concept or criteria of a test because it is an unending process that requires constant validation.
  • It is just a measure concept and not an all-or-none property.

Important Points

Qualitative research is research using methods such as participant observation or case studies that result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice.

Key points

The main features of qualitative research are: 

• It is a naturalist approach that seeks an understanding of social phenomena.
• It deals with human behavior from an informant's perspective.  
• This type of research analyzes non-numeric data. 
• It focuses on the ‘why and what’ of social phenomena.
• Inductive in approach.
• It has a Post Positivist approach.
• It is concerned with understanding the phenomena from the participant's perspective.
• The researcher becomes immersed in the situation, present or past.
• There is greater flexibility in both the methods and the research process.
• Biases of the researcher are quite evident in this type of research.

Hence, (A), (C), and (E) are the main features of qualitative research.

Additional Information

According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.”

Research is a systematic inquiry towards understanding a complex social phenomenon or a process. Based on the research problem, the selection of research methods by the researcher may vary. There are two types of research on the basis of a process i.e Quantitative research and Qualitative research.

​Ethnographic Research:

• The goal of ethnographic research is to describe and interpret a cultural or social group.
• Ethnographers spend extensive time in the setting being studied and use observations, interviews, and other analyses to understand the nature of the culture. 
• Ethnography is an in-depth description and interpretation of cultural patterns and meanings within a culture or social group.  The main emphasis is on groups. 
• Ethnographers study specific cultural themes.

Phenomenological Research:

• ​The goal of phenomenological research is to fully understand the essence of some phenomenon. 
• This is usually accomplished with long, intensive individual interviews. 
• The purpose is to describe and interpret the experiences of participants in order to understand the essence of the experience as perceived by the participants. 
• The basis is that there are multiple ways of interpreting the same experience and that the meaning of the experience to each participant is what constitutes reality. 
• Focuses on the consciousness of human experiences.

Thus, the most appropriate answer is Ethnography and phenomenology.

Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines.

Characteristics Of Qualitative Inquiry:

• Qualitative research focuses on the study of complex human and social problems in totality, unlike the scientific method of concentrating on the study of fragmented variables or situations or events. 
• In qualitative research, the human and subjective approach is highlighted. 
• The studies are conducted in a natural/actual setting i.e., to observe the events without making any manipulations or controls on variables studied. 
• It involves a variety of data gathering techniques and approaches of qualitative nature viz., case study, interviews, dialogues, observations, personal experience, life story, visual data like photography, etc. 
• Qualitative researchers are concerned primarily with the process, rather than outcomes or products.
• The process of qualitative research is inductive in that the researcher builds abstractions, concepts, hypotheses, and theories from details.
• Qualitative research is descriptive in that the researcher is interested in the process, meaning, and understanding gained through words or pictures.
• The qualitative researcher is the primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Data are mediated through this human instrument, rather than through inventories, questionnaires, or machines.

Thus, option 3 is the correct answer.

1. Experimental research helps in establishing causal relationships among different variables in a situation under controlled conditions. Experimental research is undertaken when a researcher wishes to trace cause-and-effect relationships between defined variables.\

2. Generalization, which is an act of reasoning that involves drawing broad inferences from particular observations, is widely acknowledged as a quality standard in quantitative research but is more controversial in qualitative research. The goal of most qualitative studies is not to generalize but rather to provide a rich, contextualized understanding of some aspect of human experience through the intensive study of particular cases.

Validity is defined as the extent to which an assessment accurately measures what it is intended to measure. Let me explain this concept through a real-world example.

 Key Points

• If you weigh yourself on a scale, the scale should give you an accurate measurement of your weight.
• If the scale tells you you weigh 150 pounds and you actually weigh 135 pounds, then the scale is not valid. 

Important Points

• Concurrent  Validity: Concurrent validity is a type of evidence that can be gathered to defend the use of a test for predicting other outcomes.
• It is a parameter used in sociology, psychology, and other psychometric or behavioral sciences. Concurrent validity is a type of evidence that can be gathered to defend the use of a test for predicting other outcomes.
• It is a parameter used in sociology, psychology, and other psychometric or behavioral sciences.

Additional Information

• Face  Validity: Face validity is the extent to which a test is subjectively viewed as covering the concept it purports to measure. It refers to the transparency or relevance of a test as it appears to test participants.
• Internal Validity: Internal validity is the extent to which you can be confident that a cause-and-effect relationship established in a study cannot be explained by other factors. In other words, can you reasonably draw a causal link between your treatment and the response in an experiment?
• Predictive Validity: Predictive validity is the degree to which test scores accurately predict scores on a criterion measure. A conspicuous example is a degree to which college admissions test scores predict college grade point average (GPA).

Hence with the given information, we can conclude that the concurrent validity relates the measure to on criteria on which cases are known to differ.

Research methodology refers to the techniques used to find and analyze information for a study, ensuring that the results are valid, reliable and that they address the research objective. It is the theoretical paradigms for data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Important PointsResearch Methodology:

• Research methodology is a way of explaining how a researcher intends to carry out their research.
• It's a logical, systematic plan to resolve a research problem.
• A methodology details a researcher's approach to the research to ensure reliable, valid results that address their aims and objectives.
• It encompasses what data they're going to collect and where from, as well as how it's being collected and analyzed.

Additional Information

For example, steps involved in research methodology by the researcher.

• What data to collect (and what data to ignore)
• Who to collect it from (in research, this is called “sampling design”)
• How to collect it (this is called “data collection methods”)
• How to analyze it (this is called “data analysis methods”)

​Therefore, the term "research methodology" refers to the methods used in data collection and analysis.

Research is a systematic way of investigation, a process of discovering new knowledge. Research is also considered as searching for and gathering information, usually to answer a particular question. Each research study has its own specific purpose.

Scientific Method Is Used In Empirical Researches.

• The word empirical describes any information gained by experience, observation, or experiment.
• One of the central tenets of the scientific method is that evidence must be empirical, i.e. based on evidence observable to the senses.
• Philosophically, empiricism defines a way of gathering knowledge by direct observation and experience rather than through logic or reason alone (in other words, by rationality).
• In the scientific paradigm, the term refers to the use of hypotheses that can be tested using observation and experiment.
• In other words, it is the practical application of experience via formalized experiments.
• Empirical data is produced by experiment and observation and can be either quantitative or qualitative.
• Science in general and empiricism specifically attempts to establish a body of knowledge about the natural world.
• The standards of empiricism exist to reduce any threats to the validity of results obtained by empirical experiments.
• For example, scientists take great care to remove bias, expectation, and opinion from the matter in question and focus only on what can be empirically supported.
• While many students of science believe that “empirical scientific methods" and “science" are basically the same thing, the truth is that empiricism is just one of many tools in a scientist’s inventory.

Thus, scientific method is the correct answer.

​

• The experimental method features the manipulation of an independent variable, the measurement of a dependent variable, and control of extraneous variables.
• The manipulation of 'independent variable' and control of 'extraneous variables'  is quite impossible in the Ex post facto method.

Ex post facto method:

• The research starts after the fact have occurred
• The investigation starts 'after the fact'
• It is also known as casual comparative research
• The researcher identified the event that already occurred
• Manipulation is not possible in this research as the researcher predicts the cause based on the dependent variable.
• For example Study on the effects of an earthquake

• Independent variable: The variable that is stable and unaffected by the other variables you are trying to measure. It refers to the condition of an experiment that is systematically manipulated by the investigator. It is the presumed cause.
• Dependent variable: The variable that depends on other factors that are measured. These variables are expected to change as a result of experimental manipulation of the independent variable or variables. It is the presumed effect.
• Extraneous variables: anything that varies in the context of a study other than the independent and dependent variables. It is also called the participant variable. For example, noise, writing ability, ill-health in communication.

A research design is a framework for the methods and approaches. 

Key Points

• Experimental research is a study that is based on scientific research design.
• The characteristic features of Experimental research are the following: 
  • A purpose statement is a declarative statement that highlights the major goal or goals of a research study.
  • The goal of a study or research endeavor is to answer research questions on the topic.
  • A hypothesis is a statement that expresses expectations for the results of research.
  • After developing a hypothesis then collect numeric data. 
• In short, developing clear, restricted, measurable, and observable purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses are characteristic features of experimental research.
• Experimental research is a study that uses two sets of variables and is conducted in a scientific manner.

Thus, creating purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses that are narrow and measurable would mark the characteristic features of Experimental research.

Additional Information

• Grounded theory research: Grounded theory is a systematic approach to qualitative research where theories are generated through the collecting and analysis of data.
• Ethnographic research:   Ethnography is a qualitative data collection method and the researcher work in the field where they collect data through observations and interviews. 
• Narrative research:  It was defined as collecting and analyzing the accounts of respondents when they describe experiences and further interpret them. 

Qualitative research :

• Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research.
• Naturalistic research: It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Natural settings are the direct source of data
• Qualitative Research is also used to uncover trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem.

• The aim is to determine  qualitative variables
• Inductive analysis: Qualitative research discovers ideas, used in exploratory research with a general research objective. Researchers tend to analyze their data inductively.

• It is an unstructured method to observe, understand, and interpret the collected information.
• The result is completely subjective. Data take the form of words or pictures
• The hermeneutic and interpretive approaches are applicable here.
• Some of the qualitative methods are
  • In-depth interview: one-to-one interview
  • Focus group: characteristics of a specific group
  • Narrative research: the available literature covers the topic or issue
  • Phenomenology: the individual experience of a phenomenon
  • Ethnography: the study of a culture
  • Case study research: the study of an organization or an entity
  • Content analysis: analysis of the different form of qualitative data
  • Grounded theory: development of a theory based on the collected data
• 

Therefore, A, C, and D only correct answer here.

Research is an organized, systematic and scientific inquiry into a subject to discover facts, theories or to find answers to a problem. Research can be broadly classified into qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative Research:

• Qualitative research, unlike quantitative research, is concerned with the process (how it works) and not the product (the outcome). This type of research is conducted when a broader perspective is needed.
• It starts with observation and ends with a theoretical position.
• This type of research needs a subject to be studied in-depth, thus, involves the collection of large volumes of data through in-depth interviews, Focus Group discussions, observations, and various other qualitative data collection mechanisms.
• It collects non-numeric verbal data such as words and images from the subjects and doesn’t require any kind of statistical analysis.
• The results are analyzed in a manner so that a detailed and larger meaning is derived out of it.

Hence, from the given explanation and table, it becomes clear that qualitative research states research purpose in a broad manner collects non-numeric data, and interprets larger meanings from the findings.

The quantitative approach emphasizes objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques.

Key Points

• Stimulation approach:
  • The simulation approach is a technique that reproduces actual events and processes under test conditions.
  • Developing a simulation is often a highly complex mathematical process.
  • Whenever a new statistical method is developed or used, there are assumptions that need to be tested and confirmed. Statisticians use simulated data to test them out.
• Inferential approach::
  • The inferential approach means survey research where a sample of the population is studied (questioned or observed) to determine its characteristics.
  • The basis of hypothesis testing with statistical analysis is inference.
•  Experimental approach:
  • ​The experimental approach to a project involves several items, including the facility used, the model itself, the test conditions where the model is tested, and corrections that are applied to the data.

Therefore, the Simulation approach, Inferential approach, and Experimental approach are the approaches that fall under the Quantitative Approach.

Additional InformationProjective techniques allow respondents to project their subjective or true opinions and beliefs onto other people or even objects.

Depth or in-depth interview is a qualitative research technique that is used to conduct intensive individual interviews where the numbers of respondents are less and research is focused on a specific product, technique, situation, or objective. 

Quantitative paradigm:

• Quantitative research paradigms are based on the philosophy that every phenomenon in the world can only be explained by positivist paradigm.
• They believe that there is only one truth and explanation of a phenomenon that can be reached using empirical methods and quantitative methodologies.
• They argue that every research should be generalizable to some extent to similar situations.
• Quantitative research quantifies variables and solves problems using numeric assessment.
• The ontology in a quantitative research is a true reality that exists in only one form.
• The process the investigator uses to know that truth is quantitative in nature, this is epistemology.
• The methodology adopted by quantitative research is mostly experimental with focus on hypothesis testing.
• Hypothesis  testing means finding the cause and effect relationship between variables.

The following sequences correctly represent the steps of research using a quantitative paradigm

1. Establishing a research problem
2. Hypothesis framing
3. Hypothesis testing
4. Generalization
5. Conclusions
6. Implications of the result.

Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines.

Characteristics Of Qualitative Inquiry:

• Qualitative research focuses on the study of complex human and social problems in totality, unlike the scientific method of concentrating on the study of fragmented variables or situations or events. Thus, they are concerned with what is called participant perspectives as attributes regarding social context differ from people to people.
• Qualitative research places the main emphasis on the researcher who narrates and interprets phenomena in terms of meanings derived from people's experiences, events, etc. Hence, the human and subjective approach is highlighted. 
• The studies are conducted in a natural/actual setting i.e., to observe the events without making any manipulations or controls on variables studied. 
• It involves a variety of data gathering techniques and approaches of qualitative nature viz., case study, interviews, dialogues, observations, personal experience, life story, visual data like photography, etc. These data are gathered from a variety of Qualitative Research sources. 
• Qualitative researchers are concerned primarily with the process, rather than outcomes or products.
• The process of qualitative research is inductive in that the researcher builds abstractions, concepts, hypotheses, and theories from details.
• Qualitative research is descriptive in that the researcher is interested in the process, meaning, and understanding gained through words or pictures.
• The qualitative researcher is the primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Data are mediated through this human instrument, rather than through inventories, questionnaires, or machines.

Thus, option 2 is the correct answer.

Experimental research helps in establishing causal relationships among different variables in a situation under controlled conditions. Experimental research is undertaken when a researcher wishes to trace cause-and-effect relationships between defined variables.

Grounded theory is a systematic methodology that has been largely applied to qualitative research conducted by social scientists.

 Key Points

• The research methodology involves the construction of hypotheses and theories through the collecting and analysis of data.
• The grounded theory involves the application of inductive reasoning. 

 Important Points

• Constant comparison is the data-analytic process whereby each interpretation and finding is compared with existing findings as it emerges from the data analysis.
• It is associated with qualitative research more than with quantitative research.
• The constant comparative method is a process developed by Glaser and Strauss and used in grounded theory.
• It is used to sort and organize excerpts of raw data into groups according to attributes and organize those groups in a structured way to formulate a new theory.

Hence, with the help of the above information, we can say that Constant comparison is used in Grounded Theory.

Additional Information

• Feminist theory informs both research questions and the methodology of a project in addition to serving as a foundation for analysis. The goals of feminist educational research include dismantling systems of oppression, highlighting gender-based disparities, and seeking new ways of constructing knowledge.
• Relational theory is a broad framework for various psychodynamic models of practice that, in part, consider how the self develops in relationship to other-selves and is based on patterns from this interactive process.

Generalization is widely recognized as a quality criterion. It is an act of thinking that involves drawing broad inferences from specific observations.

Key Points

Assertion A: Generalisation of a finding is possible only in quantitative studies. 

• Generalization is an important aspect of the scientific method. In an ideal world, you would sample the entire population to test a theory.
• In an environment where evidence for enhancing practice is valued highly, both qualitative and quantitative researchers pay close attention to generalization in connection to knowledge claims.
• Many qualitative research leaders have come to appreciate the need of addressing generalization in order to guarantee that qualitative research findings are recognized as important sources of evidence for practice.

Hence, Assertion A is true.

Reason R: Quantitative studies make use of deductive reasoning.

• Quantitative research is the process of collecting and interpreting numerical data. 
• It can be used to look for patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal linkages, and extrapolate results to larger groups.
• Quantitative studies are associated with the deductive approach for theory development.

So, the Reason is true but does not explain the assertion.

Therefore, Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.

Additional Information

• Quantitative research deals with standardized data gathering and generalizing conclusions.
• Quantitative approaches allow researchers to measure variables and test hypotheses in a systematic way.
•  Quantitative research methodologies are used for descriptive, correlational, or experimental research. 

An experimental method of research is a type of study in which the researcher speculates on the possible reasons for a previously observed result.

Key Points

Experimental research:

• The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable.
• This method relies on controlled methods, random assignment, and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.
• The experimental method under which the researcher can directly modify the independent variable(s) (that is, the cause) in an experimental study to see how it affects the dependent variable (that is, the effect).

Therefore, Experimental method research methods, the process of hypothesis testing optimally safeguards the role of extraneous variables. 

Additional Information

• Both experimental and ex-post facto research attempt to study links between existent variables and their conclusions are logically as well as empirically valid and accurate, but there is various difference between them.
• Ex post facto research is undertaken when a researcher wishes to investigate the cause of an event that has already occurred as an outcome of the cause.
• The phrase historical method refers to a set of strategies and rules used by historians in their investigation and writing of past histories.
• Descriptive Survey Research is a type of descriptive research that combines quantitative and qualitative data to give you reliable and relevant facts. 

The research method which focuses on establishing causal relationships with controls among variables - independent, moderator, and dependent, is called the Experimental method.

Key Points

Experimental Research:

• In this, the Researcher directly manipulate the independent variable in order to assess its effect on the dependent variable
• Researcher utilizes the principle of randomization in research on the basis of which they can infer that other things remaining equal the effect is a result of manipulation of cause
• It is easier to interpret the relationship between the independent and dependent variables as they can manipulate the independent variables and see their impact on the dependent variable
• Direct cause and effect relationship study is established in experimental research.

Therefore option 4 is the correct answer.

1. Ex post facto method: An ex post facto research design is a method in which groups with qualities that already exist are compared on some dependent variable. The assignment of subjects to different groups is based on whichever variable is of interest to the researchers.

2. A survey is a research method used for collecting data from a predefined group of respondents to gain information and insights into various topics of interest.

3. The case study method is a learning technique in which the student has faced a particular problem, the case. The case study facilitates the exploration of a real issue within a defined context, using a variety of data sources.