Cross Sectional - Assignment Example

Cross sectional: What problems were built into the cross-sectional method? Cross sectional designs are also called descriptive research and are characterized by observation and not relation or cause. Researchers note down a population’s information although do not tamper with variables. Cross sectional research can be employed in the description of population characteristics and not to find out how cause is related to effects between various variables. These designs are used in making inferences about probable relationships or collect basic data to sustain further experimentation and research.

Whereas the method may look simple, finding similar characters in almost all variables may be difficult. Moreover, cohort variations that arise due to specific experiences of unique groups of individuals may affect groups. People born in a particular time may share vital experiences restricted specifically to their location (Gratton & Jones, 2004)What is an important practical issue with the longitudinal method? A longitudinal design is a kind of research used in discovering relation between non related variables to different background variables.

The observation research method involves a study of a group over a long period. Data collection is done at the start of the study and be collected continually over the period of study. For some situations, the study may last for over ten years. Nevertheless, longitudinal designs need big quantity of time and always are very expensive. Because of the above reason, the studies always have subjects’ groups that are small, making it difficult to use the results for a large group. Another major problem with this type of design is that people participating at times withdraw from the study.

The withdrawal hence shrinks the size of the sample and decreases the data amount collected. ReferenceGratton, C., & Jones, I. (2004). Research methods for sports studies. London: Routledge.