Introduction
While planning to conduct research, it is important to consider the type of research you want to engage in. Unfortunately, students confuse terms like descriptive, quantitative, exploratory, mixed-methods research, etc. This is because there are various categories of research. In a simple yet comprehensive way, this article will break down the types of research for ease of understanding. Some of the common categories are based on:
- purpose;
- approach;
- design;
- application;
- source of data; or
- time dimension.
Let us now discuss some of these major categories.
A. Research according to purpose
i. Exploratory Research
To explore is to investigate a new or not so well-defined area/topic in order to build a foundational understanding of the issue. Therefore, exploratory research is a method used to investigate a problem that is not clearly defined. In exploratory research, the researcher wants to understand a problem that is not yet well understood. It is often the first step in the research process. Its main purpose is to gain initial information or ideas and generate hypotheses for future, more structured research.
Example:
- During the onset of COVID-19, many medical experts conducted exploratory research from the patients they were receiving in hospitals.
- Artificial intelligence is still not a well-researched area. A researcher would want to find out the factors that influence the adoption of artificial intelligence tools by university lecturers. This is because the researcher may not yet know all the important factors. This does not mean that the researcher will get all the factors. However, the study will form a basis for future studies.
- What are the challenges faced by distance learning students in the job market? Many universities have adopted, and are still adopting, distance learning. The goal of this study is to find out whether the graduates are being treated fairly in the job market.
- How do consumers perceive the safety of debit cards? Many institutions are adopting cashless payment systems; what is the perception of the consumers?
Key Characteristics of Exploratory Research
- The goal is to explore and discover new insights, not to provide a definitive or conclusive answer
- The approach is flexible and unstructured.
- Methods for data collection are mainly interviews, focus group discussions, and case studies
- In most cases, it does not start with hypotheses, but it often generates hypotheses that can be tested later using explanatory methods.
- The researcher deliberately avoids using a rigid framework to remain open to unexpected findings and allow themes to emerge directly from the data.
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- Explanatory research
Explanatory comes from the word explain. Therefore, explanatory research attempts to explain relationships or causes.
Example:
- What is the influence of AI tools on students’ academic performance?
- What is the relationship between instructional methods and academic performance?
Key Characteristics of Explanatory Research
- It aims to test hypotheses and establish cause-and-effect relationships
- It is structured, well-defined and pre-planned. The researcher has clearly defined research questions and hypotheses that will be answered and/or tested
- It has defined frameworks, theoretical and conceptual framework showing the relationship of the variables of the study
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- Descriptive research
Descriptive research describes what exists, the situation as it is. Descriptive research systematically observes and reports the characteristics of a population without manipulating any variables. It is also important to point out that the term descriptive shows that the method of analysis to be applied will be descriptive analysis or the use of descriptive statistics. A word of caution: there is no research design called descriptive. The design attributed to this term is survey, i.e., descriptive survey.
- Basic Versus Applied Research
Basic research
Basic research, also called fundamental or pure research, is used to generate new ideas, principles, and theories, which may not be immediately utilized, but they form the foundation upon which other studies are developed. Basic research is mainly concerned with the improvement or expansion of scientific knowledge regarding a particular phenomenon. The findings from basic research have no immediate benefits.
Applied research
Applied research refers to scientific research that seeks to solve specific practical problems. Applied research is largely particular, as it is focused on very specific topics that seek to answer certain problems; i.e., it seeks to alleviate current problems in various fields and is mostly concerned with end-use.
While Basic research is driven by curiosity, applied research is driven by clients. Applied research is conducted to address a practical problem.
Simple distinction
Basic research asks:
“What do we need to understand?”
Applied research asks:
“How can we use this knowledge to solve a problem?”
NOTE: Categorization by application can also differentiate between Basic and applied research
B. Research according to Approach
- Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research
This is one of the most important distinctions students encounter.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research focuses on numerical data. Quantitative research is the systematic collection, analysis & interpretation of numerical data in order to produce results that can be generalized to the target population. Quantitative research deals with variables that can be expressed in terms of quantity. Quantitative research most often uses deductive reasoning or logic, in which researchers start with hypotheses and then collect data that can be used to determine whether empirical evidence to support that hypothesis exists.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research deals with narrative data. This is the systematic collection, analysis & interpretation of narrative data in order to provide in-depth analysis of social events in their natural setting. Unlike quantitative research, in which researchers state specific hypotheses and then collect data to empirically test them, most qualitative research employs an inductive approach in which the researcher first collects data and then attempts to derive explanations from those data.
Mixed Methods Research
Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches within one study. Do not confuse mixed methods and multi-method research. Multi-method focuses on more than one design in the same approach, e.g., 2 or more quantitative designs or 2 or more qualitative designs.
C. Research according to Design
Research designs are dependent on the approach and the paradigm. There are quantitative research designs (survey, experimental, and ex-post facto) and qualitative designs (case study, biography, phenomenology, grounded theory and ethnography). This categorization can further be categorized according to timing. For instance, a cross-sectional survey is a study done at a specific time, while a longitudinal survey is done over a period of time