Research

Research is a process of discovery, a systematic quest for knowledge. It is an exploration

of a topic from various perspectives. If you think about it like a process, research starts with an
idea and ends with a proposal geared to answer that idea. It involves learning about a subject by
reading about it, pondering on it, experimenting with different ideas, identifying areas of interest
and following up on them. It is educating to do research. Research can not only be a search for or
a generation of new concepts, methodologies, and understandings but can also be the
development of new knowledge and/or the creative application of existing knowledge. This
could entail synthesizing and analyzing past research to the point where it produces fresh and
innovative results.

The goal of research is to improve society through expanding knowledge by developing

scientific theories, concepts, and ideas. It is to discover what is known, what is unknown, and
what can be developed further. As a result, scientists can generate new theories, concepts, and
technologies that have a profound impact on our society and our daily lives. Most types of
research are classified as something to do with the research's purpose. The research can be done
in a variety of ways, but it's first important to figure out what the research's overall goal is.
Research that fits these category are exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and predictive.

Types of Research According to Purpose

Exploratory research is an initial research on a problem that is not yet well-defined. It is

the kind of research that tries to get a greater grasp of the problem's exact nature, rather than give
a clear solution. In simple words, it is an investigation to establish hypotheses rather than test
them. They are not intended to provide definitive solutions to research problems. This allows for
more in-depth study in the future.

Descriptive research focuses on enhancing understanding about contemporary concerns

through the collection of information. These studies describe how people behave in a certain
population. The three main goals of descriptive research are to describe, explain, and validate the
results. Researchers who conduct descriptive research group data, explain it, compare it and
measure it.

Explanatory research is done to understand the influence of certain modifications in

existing standard processes. The most common type is running experiments, which are used to
figure out how variables interact, or to find cause-and-effect correlations. Experimental research
is commonly used to answer research issues by explaining the 'why' of them, as the name
suggests.
 As its name suggests, predictive research is primarily concerned with predicting results,
consequences, or effects. It is used to forecast something new based on the investigation of
existing events, regulations or other entities. How something will work, or how it will affect
something is a common question in predictive research. Research that predicts future events
tends to be theoretical or experimental in nature; it involves concepts that have never been tested
or implemented before.

Analytical research explains why something is true. It's not easy to find out why anything
happens. It requires critical thinking skills as well as a thorough examination of the facts. This
type of research heavily relies on facts or information currently available and analyzes them in
order to arrive at a critical assessment of the source material. It involves compiling information
about a project, such as data, and utilizing it to verify or disprove hypotheses or support an idea.
This type of research is conducted because of its dependability, due to its characteristics that
perform analytical study to locate supporting data for present research. In addition, some
researchers perform analytic research in order to come up with new ideas on the subject under
study.

Research Methods

Data collecting research methods are classified into two types: inductive methods and
deductive approaches. It is common to equate qualitative research with inductive research
methods since they focus on the examination of an observation. Deductive research methods are
often connected with quantitative research since they focus on the verification of an observation.
In the following paragraphs, the differences of the mentioned methods are explained further.

The distinction between inductive and deductive research comes down to the approach
and focus of each. The goal of inductive research is to generate new knowledge. This usually
starts with the researcher's area of interest. The researcher develops research questions and a
research problem from the chosen field. He then uses his observations to try to find data. In order
to obtain data for his research topics, a researcher can use a variety of research methodologies.
This can be done by an interview, observation, or any other means. The researcher strives to find
patterns in the data during the analytical step. Deductive research differs from inductive research
in that it takes a top-down approach, whereas inductive research takes a bottom-up approach.
Deductive research can be defined as a type of research that involves testing hypotheses in order
to confirm a theory. Deductive research, unlike inductive research, tries to test a theory rather
than develop new information through the creation of theories. It does not try to uncover patterns
in the data, but instead relies on observation with the goal of validating the pattern. These are
employed by researchers mostly to disprove beliefs and theories.
 Qualitative research is a research methodology that involves conducting “quality” or
opinion-based research in order to arrive at study conclusions. A conversational approach to
study is commonly used rather than relying on objective truths and measurements. It uses
non-numerical data collected from observations and recordings to characterize and approximate
events. In other words, it is concerned with comprehending human behavior from the subject's
point of view. Qualitative researchers collect data by observing participants in their natural
context and attempting to understand the why and how of human behavior in a specific situation.
It's extremely useful for learning about people's attitudes, opinions, and behaviors in specific
situations. On the other hand, Quantitative research is a type of research that uses natural science
approaches to generate numerical data and hard facts. It includes the process of collecting and
interpreting numerical data. Using numerical representation of data, it attempts to detect patterns
and averages, predict the future, verify causal linkages, and generalize results to larger
populations. It uses mathematical, computational, and statistical tools to demonstrate a cause and
effect link between two variables. Due to the fact that it can be assessed accurately and precisely,
the research is sometimes referred to as empirical research. In simple terms, qualitative research
is subjective and relies on opinions, while quantitative research is objective and relies on facts,
and numbers.

Types of research

There are two kinds of research: basic research (also known as pure research) and applied
research. Basic research is a sort of research that is theoretical and aimed at increasing or
expanding an area's knowledge base. Curiosity and the desire to explore the unknown drive this
approach, which is based on the notion "knowledge for its own sake." It's sometimes referred to
as fundamental or pure research. It is a methodical investigation into a subject or phenomenon in
order to get a more profound and in-depth understanding of it rather than to solve a specific
problem. Applied research, on the other hand, aims to find practical solutions to a particular
problem. It is a problem-solving technique that involves applying empirical methodology to an
object, a topic of study, or a research subject in order to solve difficulties. These are studies that
are relevant to real-life circumstances. It studies certain aspects of those situations in order to
make a connection with the results. The review also includes a number of other conclusions.
Furthermore, research with the goal of identifying social, political, or economic trends is
classified as applied research.

Basic research, on the one hand, is used to focus on extending knowledge, whereas
applied research is used to provide a practical solution to a stated problem. In simple terms, basic
research is more theoretically focused, whereas applied research is more practical in nature.
Basic research is primarily explanatory and analytical, whereas applied research is more
action-oriented. In contrast to applied research, which focuses on the application of research
findings, basic research is all about finding solutions and expanding knowledge. The goal of
basic research is to contribute to current knowledge by delving further into the process of
hypotheses and improving on existing theories. Applied research, on the other hand, is more
descriptive in character. Its main focus is on the study findings and how they are used.

Positivistic Research Approach

Positivistic research approach or Positivism is a philosophy that holds that only "factual"
information received by observation, including measurement, is reliable. The job of the
researcher in positivist studies is restricted to data collection and objective interpretation.
Positivism is based on quantifiable data that can be analyzed statistically. This research approach
is guided by the philosophy that the world is made up of discrete and observable elements and
events which interact in predictable and predictable ways. Aside from that, in positivist studies,
the researcher is separate from the study, and there are no accommodations for human interests
or emotions. Furthermore, positivism refers to the idea that researchers should focus on facts.
This research approach should be entirely independent of subjectivity. To put it another way,
positivist studies are based solely on facts and treat the world as external and objective.
Positivists prefer quantitative methods such as social surveys, structured questionnaires and
official statistics because these have good reliability and representativeness.

The advantages of positivistic research approach are that it is more reliable since it is
independent of opinions and are based solely on facts. Since this approach uses quantitative as a
research method, it employs more scientific procedures, making it more reliable. Quantitative
data is useful in research because it gives objective information that researchers can utilize to
establish scientific hypotheses. The disadvantage is that positivism holds that objective
deductions and conclusions can be drawn as long as the observer is objective and her emotions
are ignored. But human behavior is characterized by a range of emotional responses. Although
positivism encourages researchers to ignore human emotion and behavior, this does not
guarantee that this will happen all of the time during research. Also, this approach encourages
inflexibility since it is guided with the belief that everything can be measured and calculated.
Positivists perceive things as they are and are skeptical of unexplained events. This mindset
might prevent lateral thinking, which is the act of discovering solutions to problems by thinking
creatively and indirectly.

Phenomenological Research Approach

Phenomenological research approach is a qualitative research method that focuses on the

shared characteristics of a group's lived experiences. It focuses on meaning and allows for human
interest. The approach's main purpose is to arrive at a description of the nature of the occurrence
in question. Interviews are usually conducted with a group of people who have firsthand
knowledge of a topic, event, or experience. Documents, observations, and art may also be used
as data sources. The data is then examined and reread in search of similar phrases and themes,
which are subsequently aggregated to produce meaning clusters. In this way, the researcher
might arrive at a deeper knowledge of the phenomenon by constructing the universal meaning of
the event, situation, or experience. When it comes to phenomenology (which has its roots in
philosophy as well as psychology and education), the goal is to obtain the purest and most pure
data possible. A variety of methods can be used in phenomenologically-based research, including
interviews, conversations, participant observation, action research, focus meetings and analysis
of personal texts.

The advantages of phenomenological research approach include a better comprehension

of people's meanings and a contribution to the development of new theories. It allows for an
examination of how change occurs throughout time. As it is more subjective and gives space for
human interpretation, it helps decipher people's meanings, assist in adapting to new concerns and
ideas as they arise, and participate in the creation of new hypotheses. A few of its drawbacks or
disadvantages include difficulty with analysis and interpretation since it is based on human
experiences and opinions and there could be millions of other interpretations, it differs from
person to person. The use of this approach is also less reliable because it is not based on facts,
and data collection might take a long time and need a lot of resources.
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