3.1. Read the practical scenarios below carefully. For each scenario, identify the research design being used and provide a brief justification for your answer. 3.1.1. Practical scenario 1 A researcher wants to investigate the level of academic stress among undergraduate students at a university. The researcher plans to collect data from 300 students across different faculties using a structured questionnaire with closedended questions on students’ workload, study habits, examination pressure, and perceived stress levels. The questionnaire will be administered once during the semester, and the researcher will use the responses to describe the prevalence and patterns of academic stress among students. The researcher will not introduce any intervention or manipulate the students’ learning environment. 3.1.2. Practical scenario 2 A university researcher wants to understand the culture, social interactions, beliefs, and everyday learning experiences of first-year university students living in a student residence. The researcher spends several months in the residence, regularly observing students’ interactions during study sessions, social activities, and informal gatherings. The researcher also participates in some of their daily activities and conducts informal conversations and in-depth interviews with selected students to understand how they develop friendships, adjust to university life, and create shared norms within the residence. Rather than testing an intervention or statistically measuring variables, the researcher seeks to understand the students’ behaviour and experiences within their natural social and cultural environment. 3. Practical scenario 3 A researcher wants to understand first-year students’ experiences of university life. The researcher conducts in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 students who have completed their first year, asking them to describe their feelings, challenges, expectations, relationships, and personal experiences.

Question 1: 3.1.1. Practical scenario 1 A researcher wants to investigate the level of academic stress among undergraduate students at a university. The researcher plans to collect data from 300 students across different faculties using a structured questionnaire with closedended questions on students’ workload, study habits, examination pressure, and perceived stress levels. The questionnaire will be administered once during the semester, and the researcher will use the responses to describe the prevalence and patterns of academic stress among students. The researcher will not introduce any intervention or manipulate the students’ learning environment.

Research Design: Descriptive Survey Design
Justification: This design is used to describe the characteristics of a population (academic stress among students) at a specific point in time without manipulating variables or establishing cause-and-effect relationships. The use of a structured questionnaire administered once to a large sample to describe prevalence and patterns is characteristic of a descriptive survey.

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Question 2: 3.1.2. Practical scenario 2 A university researcher wants to understand the culture, social interactions, beliefs, and everyday learning experiences of first-year university students living in a student residence. The researcher spends several months in the residence, regularly observing students’ interactions during study sessions, social activities, and informal gatherings. The researcher also participates in some of their daily activities and conducts informal conversations and in-depth interviews with selected students to understand how they develop friendships, adjust to university life, and create shared norms within the residence. Rather than testing an intervention or statistically measuring variables, the researcher seeks to understand the students’ behaviour and experiences within their natural social and cultural environment.

Research Design: Ethnographic Research Design
Justification: This qualitative design involves in-depth immersion in a natural setting over an extended period to understand the culture, social interactions, beliefs, and experiences of a specific group. The researcher's long-term observation, participation, and informal interviews within the student residence to understand their social and cultural environment are hallmarks of ethnography.

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Question 3: 3. Practical scenario 3 A researcher wants to understand first-year students’ experiences of university life. The researcher conducts in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 students who have completed their first year, asking them to describe their feelings, challenges, expectations, relationships, and personal experiences.

Research Design: Phenomenological Research Design
Justification: This qualitative design aims to understand and describe the essence of a lived experience from the perspective of the individuals who have experienced it. The use of in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore students' feelings, challenges, expectations, and personal experiences of university life directly aligns with the goals and methods of phenomenology.