What is Research?

• Re.. Search….
• Repeated search, Search again…..
• Research is an ORGANIZED and
SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to
QUESTIONS.
• Research is the systematic investigation into
existing or new knowledge.
• A systematic, careful inquiry or examination to
discover new information or relationship and or
expand or verify existing knowledge for some
specific purpose
• Search for knowledge
• Systematic and scientific search for getting
relevant answers on any taken up specific topic.
• Scientific enquiry into a subject.
• Research is a movement from the unknown to
the known.
• It is the voyage of discovery
Research

• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Management Sciences (Business Research)
Definition of social research
⚫ Social research is one among many ways of construct
representations of society.
⚫ Addresses socially significant phenomena
⚫ Engages directly or indirectly with ideas or social theory
⚫ Incorporates large amounts of appropriate evidence that has
been purposefully collected
⚫ Results from systematic analysis of this evidence
⚫ Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze
information in order to increase our understanding of a topic or
issue.

Source: Charles C. Ragin and Lisa M. Amoroso, 2011: p. 8

• The systematic method of discovering new
facts, or verifying old facts, their sequences,
interrelationships, causal explanations and the
natural laws which govern them (P.V. Young,
1975)
• The application of scientific method for
understanding, studying and analyzing the
social life in order to modify, correct or verify the
existing knowledge as system.
• Thus, research in social sciences, is a rigorous
scientific activity aimed at developing new bodies of
knowledge applicable to the broad field of social
studies.
 Example

Significant phenomena:
Contentious politics and
democratization Engagement with theory:
Social movement theory -
What limits the emergence
of social movements
in Singapore?

Sources of evidence:
Interviews, newspaper
articles, official documents, Analysis:
field observation Systematic discussion of
ruling elites and oppositional
groups according to a model
Why Do We Need Research

• Reason 1: Research adds to our knowledge.

• Reason 2: Research helps improve practice.
• Reason 3: Research helps inform policy debates.
Goals/Purpose of research

⚫ Categorize
⚫ Describe
⚫ Explain
⚫ Evaluate
⚫ Compare
⚫ Correlate
⚫ Predict
⚫ Control
1.Categorize: This goal refers to the process of
grouping things together based on their
characteristics, traits, or similarities. This is done
to simplify the data and to help understand the
relationships between different elements.
2.Describe: This goal refers to providing an
accurate and detailed account of the
phenomena being studied. The purpose of
description is to provide a clear and
comprehensive picture of the subject.
1.Explain: This goal refers to the process of
understanding why things are happening the
way they are, and what the underlying causes of
a particular phenomenon might be.
2.Evaluate: This goal refers to making a judgment
about the value or worth of something, based on
specific criteria. Evaluation is commonly used in
social research to determine the effectiveness
or efficiency of programs, policies, or
interventions.
4. Compare: This goal refers to examining the
similarities and differences between two or more
things. Comparison is used in social research to
identify and understand the relationship between
variables, and to determine what factors might be
driving a particular outcome.
5. Correlate: This goal refers to the process of
examining the relationship between two or more
variables. Correlation can help researchers
understand how changes in one variable are
related to changes in another.
6. Predict: This goal refers to making an estimate
about what will happen in the future, based on
past patterns and trends. Prediction is often used
in social research to estimate future outcomes or
to identify potential risks and challenges.
7. Control: This goal refers to the process of
managing or manipulating variables to determine
their impact on a particular outcome. Control is
used in social research to isolate the effect of a
specific variable and to eliminate extraneous
factors that might be influencing the results.
On research methods
⚫ Research methods are the techniques to do research
⚫ Provide you with the tools to collect, sort, and analyze
information
⚫ If you use the right methods, you should be able to
convince others that your conclusions have validity
• The researcher asks a question.
• The researcher collects data.
• The researcher indicates how the data answered the
question.
Motives for research

⚫ Policy motivations
⚫ Academic motivations
⚫ Personal motivations
Types of social research

A.) From approach/data analysis/methodological

point of view
1) Qualitative Research
2) Quantitative Research
3) Mixed or Combined or Tailor Made or Most
Used Research
1. Qualitative Research

▪ The scientific study which uses qualitative data analysis

method(s) [e.g. content analysis] is identified as
qualitative research.
▪ Hence, a research is qualitative or quantitative it
depends mostly on the data analysis method, not data
collection method(s) [e.g. interview, survey].
▪Attempting or interpret phenomena in terms of the
meanings people bring to the researchers
▪Relies on pattern and explanation
▪Data are collected through interviews, FGD and other
anthropological instruments
▪Respondents are asked mostly open-ended and
unstructured questions
▪Required to respond by making use of words, texts,
experience
▪ With an intent of developing a theory or pattern
2. Quantitative Research

▪ The scientific study which uses quantitative data

analysis method(s) [e.g. correlation, regression] is
identified as quantitative research.

▪Focuses on cause and effect thinking

▪Reduction to specific variables, hypotheses, and
questions
▪Test of theories/hypothesis
▪Uses numbers to try to understand the process and phenomena

▪Commonly use of measurement

▪Data are collected through surveys

▪Respondents are asked the selected set of questions or

numbers or structured information

▪Required to respond by making use of numbers

3. Mixed or Combined Research

• Other names are Integrated or Triangulated Approach

• It allows methodological pluralism

✓(i.e. researcher in one single research can use
qualitative and quantitative methods)

• There is 3 models of combination

✓Two-phase design
✓A dominant/less dominant design
✓A mixed methodology design

– Increases the validity of research

B.) Based on nature of research

1. Fundamental or Pure or Basic Research

2. Applied or Action Research
1. Fundamental or Pure or Basic
Research
▪ Other name Intellectual Exercise
▪ Primarily attempts to develop theoretical base and
logical foundation
▪ Raise core or fundamental issues of the subject
matter
▪ It pursues knowledge for knowledge sake
▪ It has less concern on immediate utility of the
research
▪ Motivation is understanding, and discovering
universal laws, principles
▪ Basically it develops a discipline
2. Applied or Action Research

• Carried out for practical purposes to produce

findings
• Identify interventions applicable for functional and
immediate use
• Concerned with generating new information to help
– current needs, solving problems, or generate alternative
decisions and packages
– Basic objective is to produce applications packages to control
natural phenomena
• Includes policy research, evaluation research
C. From the point of comparison

• Comparative Research

• Longitudinal Research
Comparative Research

• Similarities and differences between/among various

units or cultural or social groups are studied
• Can cover information on same issue from various
contexts
• Helps to compare issues perfectly
• Helps policy-makers to exchange the findings to
improve the conditions of livelihood
• E.g. study on marriage system of Muslims in
Bangladesh, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, ….
Longitudinal Research

• Involves the study of the problem or the same body

of phenomenon over a period of time
• E.g. Study prevalence of AIDS in 1960, 70, 80, 90,
2000….
• More powerful and informative
• Can be cross-sectional, covers a broad range of
phenomena at a single-point in time
• E.g. covers lets say 10 information of all the
households of X Municipality
D. Based on the purpose and objectives of
research
1)Exploratory Research
2)Explanatory Research
3)Experimental Research
4)Relational Research
5)Evaluation Research
6)Descriptive Research
7)Policy Research
 1. Exploratory Research
• Attempts to develop general understanding and common
familiarity with a phenomenon (For example, 'a study into the implications of
COVID-19 pandemic into the global economy' is an exploratory research.)

• Form new ideas and tries to achieve new insight

• Its generally for unique issues where past evidences are not
enough

• To test the feasibility of undertaking a more careful study

• Discovering new dimensions and uncovering additional aspects

2. Explanatory Research

• Known as causal studies (An example of explanatory

is a science teacher describing to his students
how plants need sunlight to grow.)
• Main purpose is to examine the existing relationship of
the variables
• Distinguish major variables interlocked in a process
• Identify the significant variables with their degree of
influence and impact that characterize the process
 3. Experimental Research
• Specially required to test a hypothesis or to document
expected result of introduction of a new intervention
• Records changes in dependent variables and its
corresponding specific independent variables
• Usually holds all variables constant except one to monitor
changes in output
• Can be laboratory experiment or field experiment, the first
is insulated from real life on the other second one focuses
real setting to minimize influence
4. Relational or Corelational Research

Look at the relationships between two or more

variables
Proportion of males and females say they would vote
for a party X or Y candidate in the next general
election is essentially studying the relationship between
gender and voting preference
 5. Evaluation Research
• Special form of applied research designed to evaluate
program or project or activity packages( How satisfied
are you with our product? Did the program produce
intended outcomes?)
• Main objective is to assess the dedicated intervention to see
the change
• Also to identify the conditions and process of success or
failure
Organizations generally use to evaluate their performance
It is used as a feedback loop for future betterment of the
intervention
6. Descriptive Research
• Is carried out to portray accurately characteristics of
groups, individuals or situations
• To determine incidence or frequency of something
happens
• Examine uniformity or regularity or rarity or
universality
• Provides background information
• Provide initial ideas about interrelationships among
phenomena
 7. Policy Research
• Initiate to provide policy input for the policy-makers to
solve problems
• Provides pragmatic and action-oriented recommendations
• Efforts generally begins with a social problem e.g..
Malnutrition
• Multidimensional in focus
Responsive to study areas
Explicitly incorporates values
• Thanks