Due to the following reasons, the descriptive research methods have been the – most popular methods in education:
(i) Description in present:
It helps to explain educational phenomena in terms of the conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held by the students, teachers, parents and experts, processes that are going on, effects that are evident, or trends that are developing.
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(ii) Easy and direct:
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Because of the apparent ease and directness of this method, a researcher can gather information in terms of individual’s opinion about some issue by a simple questionnaire.
(iii) Only Means:
At times, descriptive survey is the only means through which opinions, attitudes, suggestions for improvement of educational practices and instruction and other data can be obtained.
(iv) Problem Solving:
The descriptive investigations are of immense value in solving problems selected to children, school organization, supervision and administration, curriculum, teaching methods and evaluation. A number of questions arise concerning these aspects of education. For example, one may want to know how many of the teachers in a district possess a Bachelors degree in Education.
How do these figures compare with the tendency throughout the state? How many minutes per week are normally devoted to the teaching of English spelling? What proportion of total state budget is it reasonable to set aside for adult education? What kind of a curriculum do people really want their children to have at the secondary school stage? At what age and grade level do pupils leave school? What happens to children after they leave school? What higher institutions or vocations do they enter? And so on.
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Such information is useful to teachers and administrators, and in understanding the existing educational problems and also in suggesting ways of meeting them. A Principal may wish to know how other school systems are being run, so that he can compare his practices with theirs. Thus, he will be able to know what procedures and standards are superior. The teachers may also compare the conditions existing in their own classrooms with other teachers’ classrooms.
(v) Keeping abreast with changes:
The problems in education directly involve people and the situation precipitating these problems are constantly in a state of change. To keep abreast of changes, descriptive studies conducted at different intervals with representative group of people will be immensely helpful.
(vi) Development of data gathering tools:
The descriptive type of research is useful in the development of data gathering instruments and tools like checklists, schedules, score questionnaires and rating scales.
(vii) Provision of ideas and data:
It provides the background ideas and data, from which many and more or refined or controlled studies of casual relations are made.