Research Design Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches

Jul 6, 2026

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Research Design lays out a structured way to plan social research using five primary approaches: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, arts-based, and community-based participatory research. The text explains how an approach is selected based on topic and purpose, and how methodology is built to answer what to achieve and how to execute it. It also emphasizes ethical practice throughout the design process, provides guidance on writing research proposals across approaches, and models language choices and pedagogical support for student and researcher use.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages320

Reading Time13 h 26 min

Preface

Research Design Approaches

Building Methodology

Special Features of This Book

A Focus on Ethics

Writing a Proposal

A Note about Language

RESEARCH DESIGN Also Available Handbook of Emergent Methods Edited by Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber and Patricia Leavy Method Meets Art, Second Edition: Arts-Based Research Practice Patricia Leavy Forthcoming Handbook of Arts-Based Research Edited by Patricia Leavy Research Design Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches PATRICIA LEAVY THE GUILFORD PRESS New York London Copyright © 2017 The Guilford Press A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc. 370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001 [www.guilford.com](www.guilford.com) All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper. Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. ISBN 978-1-4625-1438-0 (paper)– ISBN 978-1-4625-2999-5 (hard) To Mark Robins, the best spouse and friend anyone could have Thank you for your unfailing support, wisdom, and encouragement during the long process of writing this book. PREFACE I think of research design as building a structure or plan for your research. Just as architects work with many different general types of structure—single-family homes, multifamily homes, nonresidential buildings, and so forth—social researchers have five primary structures with which they work: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, arts-based, and community-based participatory. We call these approaches to research design, and the one we select for a given research project depends on considerations including our topic and purpose. The selected approach provides only the general purpose and structure for the research project, just as an architect with an assignment to design a single-family home still has many choices with respect to the style, layout, and size of the building. Within each of the five major design approaches, there are innumerable possibilities for how research might proceed. We have to consider two questions: What do we want to achieve? and How do we execute that goal? This is the process of building a methodology, which is a plan for how the research will be carried out. There are many tools at our disposal—methods, theories, and so forth—that we use to build a research plan. The philosophical point of view, professional experience, ethical standpoint, and practical skill set we, as individual researchers, bring to the table also influence how we design a project. We put our own stamp on our research projects the same way an architect might through unique stylistic features. In addition to reviewing these five approaches to design, this book is unique because of its attention to ethical practice, emphasis on writing a research proposal (and how this proposal differs across approaches to design), modeling of the use of appropriate language for each of the five designs, and the extensive pedagogical features employed to make this text user-friendly for students, professors, and researchers. Special Features of This Book A Focus on Ethics Often research design texts present a chapter on ethics in research or, in some cases, just a section of a chapter. However, ethics are intertwined with all phases viii Preface of the research design process. Therefore, in addition to including a robust chapter devoted to ethics, the five chapters that address methods each feature “Ethics in Practice” flags, highlighting some moments in the research process in which ethics have a bearing on decision making. Writing a Proposal Most students of research methods and novice researchers alike need assistance in learning how to write a solid research proposal. Ther

FAQs

What are the five primary research design approaches discussed in the text?

The book focuses on quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, arts-based, and community-based participatory research approaches.

How does the book describe selecting an approach for a research project?

Selection depends on considerations such as the project’s topic and purpose, and the chosen approach provides the general structure for the study.

What support does the book provide for writing research proposals?

Each design approach chapter presents a template at the beginning, then elaborates its elements, and includes end-of-chapter summaries to help assemble proposals systematically.

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Riley