Chapter Two

Types of Research

By Ahmed A.
2/6/2020 1
 Types of Research

 There are different ways of classifying

2
 Research can be classified in terms of:
1. Based on goal of research,
2. Based on specific objectives of research,
3. Based on approaches to research,
4. based on design,
5. Based on the type of data used in
research, and
6. Based on fields of study.

3
 Goal of research is problem solving.
 The nature of the problem that the
research attempts to solve could be
theoretical or practical – building a
theory or solving immediate practical
problems.

4
Based on goal of research we can
categorize the research further:-
 Basic Research
 Applied Research

5
 It is driven purely by curiosity and a
desire to expand our knowledge.
 This type of research tends not to be
directly applicable to the real world in a
direct way, but enhances our
understanding of the world around us.

6
 is about explaining the world around us and trying to
understand how the universe operates.
 It is a direct descendent of philosophy.
 primary objective is advancement of knowledge and the
theoretical understanding of the relations among variables.
 It is basically concerned with the formulation of a theory or
a contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
 designed to add to an organized body of scientific
knowledge & does not necessarily produce results of
immediate practical value

7
 How did the universe created?
 Research that addresses a theory of
memory.
 Research that addresses a theory of
how people make important
decisions.

8
 Applied research is one type of research that is used
to answer a specific question that has direct
applications to the world.
 This is the type of research that solves a problem.
 Is designed to solve practical problems of the modern
world.
 Its purpose is about testing theories, often generated
by pure science, and applying them to real situations,
addressing more than just abstract principles.
 Applied research topics can cover a wide
variety of subjects, all addressing
practical problems.
 Examples:-
Research that addresses the effectiveness
of a fundraising technique.
How to reverse or manage global warming?

1
0
 Research also addresses specific objective.
 The objective could be describing a
phenomenon of interest or explaining causal
link between two variables or you may be
interested in better understanding and
clarifying of a particular phenomenon.

1
1
Categorization based on specific
Objectives:-
 Descriptive,
 Explanatory
 Exploratory Research

1
2
 sets out to describe and to interpret “what is”.
 The researcher has no control over the
variables; i.e. He/she can only report what has
happened or what is happening.
 For example, frequency of shopping,
preferences of people, or similar data.
 Surveys: gather data to describe something
 correlation studies: trace relationships among
two or more variables;  + or - relationship or
may not have relationship at all
 observation studies: involve observing and
recording of behaviour or trait or attribute as it
occurs in its natural settings
 case studies: emphasize detailed contextual
analysis of a limited number of events
1
4
 Explanatory/Analytical Research
 aims at establishing the cause and effect relationship
between variables.

 The desire to know "why“, to explain, is the

1
5
Exploratory Research
 It focuses on gaining background information and helps
to better understand and clarify a problem.
 It is conducted when there are few or no earlier studies
to which references can be made for information.
 It provides insights into and comprehension of an issue
or situation for more rigorous investigation later.
 It can be said that exploratory research is generally a
predecessor to a more formal study.

1
6
Based on your approach what is important to
you.

 Quantitative Research
 Qualitative Research

1
7
Quantitative Research
 It is based on the measurement of quantity or amount.
 It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms
of quantity.
 The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ
mathematical models, theories and hypotheses pertaining to
natural phenomena.
 The process of measurement is central to quantitative research
because it provides the fundamental connection between
empirical observation and mathematical expression of an
attribute
Qualitative Research
 phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. It
is attitude or opinion research.
 It involves studies that do not attempt to quantify
their results through statistical summary or analysis.
 Here, data are often in the form of descriptions, not
numbers.
 It typically involves in-depth interviews, group
discussions, artefact studies, projective techniques,
and observations without formal measurement
2
0
 Once the researcher has determined the
specific question to be answered and has
operationalized the variables and research
question into a clear, measurable
hypothesis, the next task is to consider a
suitable research design.

2
1
We can categorize the research based on
design as:-
 Experimental
 Quasi-experimental
 non-experimental

2
2
An experimental research aims at predicting the
outcome by introducing a change of the
preconditions, which is reflected in a variable
called the predictor (independent).
The change in the predictor is generally
hypothesized to result in a change in the second
variable, hence called the outcome
(dependent) variable.
A quasi-experiment is an empirical study used to
estimate the causal impact of an intervention on its
target population without random assignment.
 Quasi-experimental research shares similarities
with the traditional experimental design.
 Quasi-experimental designs typically allow the
researcher to control the assignment to the
treatment condition, but using some criterion other
than random assignment (e.g., an eligibility cutoff
mark)

2
4
Non-experimental research is the label
given to a study when a researcher cannot
control, manipulate or alter the predictor
variable or subjects, but instead, relies on
interpretation, observation or interactions to
come to a conclusion.

2
5
Depending on the type of data generated
and used, research can be classified as:-
 Primary research (also called field
research)
 Secondary research (also known as desk
research)

2
6
 Primary research
 involves the collection of data that does not
already exist .
 Examples include surveys, interviews,
observations, and ethnographic research.

2
7
 Secondary research
 involves the summary, collation and/or
synthesis of existing data rather than
generating primary data where data are
collected from, for example, research
subjects or experiments.

2
8
2
9
Research can also be classified based on field of
study.
 Natural science research
 social science research,
 educational research,
 behavioural science research
 Engineering research
 ...
3
0
 Thanks
Time Up

2/6/2020 31