Classification of Research
EDITHA C. SABALBORO
Classification of Research
1. Purpose of Doing Research
I. Exploratory Research
II. Descriptive Research
III. Explanatory (Causal)Research
2. The Uses of Research
a. Basic Research
b. Applied Research
i. Action research
ii. R & D
iii. Impact Assessment Research
iv. Evaluation Research
Classification of Research
3. The Time Dimension in Research
a. Cross-Sectional Research
b. Longitudinal Research
i. A cohort analysis-
ii. Time Series
iii. Panel Study
4. Research (data collection)Techniques Used
I. Quantitative
II. Qualitative
CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH
Before a researcher begins to conduct a study, he or she must
decide on a specific type of research
For classification of research we shall look from four dimensions
1.The purpose of doing research;
2. The intended uses of research;
3. How it treats time i.e. the time dimension in research; and
4. The research (data collection) techniques used in it.
1. Purpose of Doing Research
If we ask someone why he or she is conducting a study, we
might get a range of responses :
My boss told me to do´;
It was a class assignment´;
I was curious.´
Simply there are almost as many reasons to do research as
there are researches.
* Yet the purposes of research may be organized into three
groups based on what the researcher is trying to accomplish
I. Explore a new topic,
II. Describe a social phenomenon,
III. Explain why something occurs.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
You may be exploring a new topic or issue in order to learn about it, you
began at the beginning to clarify and define the nature of a problem.
Management may have discovered general problem but research is needed
to gain better understanding of problems.
Exploratory research may be the first stage in a sequence of studies. The
results of exploratory research are not usually useful for decision-making by
themselves, but they can provide significant insight into a given situation.
Although the results of qualitative research can give some indication as to
the "why", "how" and "when" something occurs, it cannot tell us "how of ten"
or "how many."
Goals of Exploratory
1. Become familiar with the basic facts, setting, and concerns;
2. Develop well-grounded picture of the situation;
3. Develop tentative theories, generate new ideas, conjectures, or
hypotheses;
4.Determine the feasibility of conducting the study;
5.Formulate questions and refine issues for more systematic inquiry;
6.Develop techniques and a sense of direction for future research.
Categories of Exploratory Research
Experience Surveys
Secondary Data Analysis
Case Studies
Pilot Studies
Experience Surveys
An exploratory research technique in which individuals who are knowledgeable about a
particular research problem are surveyed
Secondary Data Analysis
Data that have been previously collected for same purpose other than problem at hand(Books,
periodicals, government source, internet, media)
Case Study Method
Intensely investigates one or A few situations similar to the problem.
Investigate in depth.
Pilot Study
The use of small-scale diverse research techniques that involves sampling but doesn't
apply rigorous standards. It includes
a. Focus group Interview- A focus group is a gathering of 6 to 10 people who are carefully
selected and invited to discuss relevant problem of interest in the presence of a moderator.
b. Projective Techniques- An indirect means of questioning that enables a respondent to
project beliefs and feeling of 3rd party. these are unstructured prompts or stimulus that
encourage the respondent to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes,
or feelings onto an unclear situation. They are all indirect techniques that attempt to disguise
the purpose of the research.
II. Descriptive /Statistical Research
Describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon.
Descriptive research seeks to determine the answers to who,
what, when, where, and how questions. Although the data
description is factual, accurate and systematic, the research
cannot describe what caused a situation.
Labor Force Surveys, Population Census, and Educational
Census are examples of such research.
Goals of Descriptive Research
1. Describe the situation in terms of its characteristics i.e. provide an
accurate profile of a group;
2. Give a verbal or numerical picture (%) of the situation;
3. Present background information;
4. Create a set of categories or classify the information;
5. Clarify sequence, set of stages; and
6. Focus on who, what, when,where, and how but not why.
III. Explanatory Research
When we encounter an issue that is already known and have a
description of it, we might begin to wonder why things are the way they
are. The desire to know ³why,´ to explain, is the purpose of explanatory
research.
Subdivided in Causal research Conducted to identify cause and effect
relationships
Laboratory Experiment
Field Experiment
Goals of Explanatory Research
1. Explain things not just reporting. Why? Elaborate and enrich a theory’s explanation.
2. Determine which of several explanations is best.
3. Determine the accuracy of the theory; test a theory’s predictions or principle.
4. Advance knowledge about underlying process.
5. Build and elaborate a theory; elaborate and enrich a theory’s predictions or
principle.
6. Extend a theory or principle to new areas, new issues,new topics:
7. Provide evidence to support or refute an explanation or prediction.
8. Test a theory’s predictions or principles
The Uses of Research
Some researchers focus on using research to advance general
knowledge, whereas others use it to solve specific problems.
a. Basic Research
b. Applied Research
Types of Applied Research
i. Action Research:
It allows practitioners to address those concerns that are closest to them.
In this, researcher wants to improve the way they address issues and
solve problems. In larger organizations it is guided by professional
researchers.
action research = action and research
act -> review -> act -> review
ii. R & D: Research and development of new products or procedure or
innovations.
iii. Impact Assessment Research: Its purpose is to estimate the likely
consequences of a planned change. Such an assessment is used for
planning and making choices among alternative policies.
Eg. Impact of Basha Dam on the environment, impact of CNG on
atmosphere of Quetta.
iv. Evaluation Research: It addresses the question, Did it work?´ The
process of establishing value judgment based on evidence about the
achievement of the goals of a program, policy, or way of doing something.
Two types of evaluation research are formative and summative.
Formative evaluation is built-in monitoring or continuous feedback on a
program used for program management.
Summative evaluation looks at final program outcomes. Both are usually
necessary
The Time Dimension in Research
Some studies give us a snapshot of a single, fixed time point it in detail & some
studies provide a moving picture that lets us follow events, people, or sale of products
over a period of time.
a. Cross-Sectional Research. In cross-sectional research, researchers observe at one
point in time.
The simplest and least costly.
cannot capture the change processes.
Cross-sectional research can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory, but it is most
consistent with a descriptive approach to research.
b. Longitudinal Research. Examining features of people or other units at more
than one time. It is usually more complex and costly than cross-sectional research
more powerful, especially when researchers seek answers to questions about
change. There are three types of longitudinal research: time series, panel, and
cohort.
i. Time Series Research- In this same type of information is collected on a group
of people or other units across multiple time periods. Researcher can observe
stability or change in the features of the units or can track conditions overtime.
ii. The panel study- In panel study, the researcher observes exactly the
same people, group, or organization across time periods. It is a difficult to
carry out such study.
iii.A cohort analysis- is similar to the panel study, but rather than observing
the exact same people, researcher collects information from people who
have same nature, same characteristics etc.
