Research
Research refers to a methodical process that involves stating a problem, forming a hypothesis, gathering relevant information, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions that either solve the problem or provide theoretical insights.
Research is a systematic, scientific, and objective process of investigation undertaken to discover answers to questions, uncover hidden truths, and solve problems. It involves a careful, methodical inquiry, often through a search for new facts, with the aim of advancing existing knowledge.
Beyond being a set of skills, research is a way of thinking that involves critically examining daily professional work, understanding guiding principles, and developing and testing new theories.
To qualify as research, the process must inherently be:
Systematic: Procedures follow a logical sequence, avoiding a haphazard approach.
Controlled: Efforts are made to minimize the influence of extraneous variables, particularly in experimental designs.
Rigorous: Implies strict adherence to rules and procedures to ensure accuracy and precision.
Valid and Verifiable: Conclusions must be correct and capable of being verified by others.
Empirical: Conclusions are based on hard evidence gathered from real-life experiences or observations.
Critical: Procedures and methods must withstand critical scrutiny, free from drawbacks.
Unbiased and Objective: Each step and conclusion should be drawn without introducing personal vested interests or prejudice.
Research Methodology
Research methodology refers to the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field of study. It is the science of studying how research is done scientifically, encompassing the various steps adopted by a researcher to solve a research problem, along with the logic and assumptions behind those steps.
It involves understanding not just how to use research techniques, but also which methods are relevant, what they mean, and why they are appropriate for a particular problem. The path to finding answers to research questions constitutes research methodology.
Objectives of Research
Research objectives are precise statements that define the goals of a research study, clarifying what the research aims to achieve.
The overall purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through scientific procedures and to find out the truth which is hidden and not yet discovered.
Types of Research Objectives
Objectives can be broadly categorized in terms of scope and type:
Scope of Research Objectives
Main/General Objectives: An overall statement that expresses the central thrust and broad purpose of your study.
- To explore the relationship between exercise and mental health.
Sub/Specific Objectives: Break down the main objective into smaller, more focused goals, identifying specific aspects of the topic that will be investigated within the main framework of the study. These guide data collection and analysis, using action-oriented words like ‘to determine’, ‘to find out’, ‘to ascertain’, ‘to measure’, and ‘to explore’.
- To assess exercise frequency among young adults.
- To evaluate the impact of different types of exercise on anxiety levels.
Types of Research Objectives (from an objectives perspective):
Exploratory or Formulative Research Objectives: To gain familiarity with a poorly understood phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it. This includes exploring an area where little is known or investigating the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study (often called a feasibility study or pilot study). They are also used to develop, refine, and/or test measurement tools and procedures.
- To explore challenges in online education for teachers.
Descriptive Research Objectives: Describe characteristics or phenomena without investigating cause-effect relationships. To systematically portray and accurately describe the characteristics of a particular individual, situation, group, problem, phenomenon, service, or program. These studies answer questions like "what is".
- To describe the demographics of rural clinic patients.
Correlational or Diagnostic Research Objectives: To establish or explore the existence of a relationship, association, or interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon. Aims to determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else.
- To find out the relationship, if any, between self-esteem and a student’s academic achievement at school.
Explanatory or Hypothesis-Testing Research Objectives: Identify cause-effect relationships. To clarify why and how there is a relationship between two aspects of research. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables.
- To determine how income level affects purchasing behavior (if seeking a causal link).
Evaluative Research Objectives: To critically examine the appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency of an intervention, program, or practice. This can involve assessing the impact, outcomes, costs, or processes of programs.
- To evaluate the impact of a workplace wellness program on productivity.
Research Approaches
Research approach is a plan or strategy for conducting research, guiding how data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted, to answer research questions or test hypotheses. It represents the process you adopt to find answers to your research questions.
Types of Research Approaches
1. Qualitative Research Approach (Unstructured)
The qualitative approach is concerned with the subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions, and behavior. It is founded on the philosophy of empiricism and follows an unstructured, flexible, and open approach to inquiry, aiming to describe rather than measure. This approach seeks in-depth understanding and typically uses small, carefully selected samples.
Aims to understand, explain, explore, discover, and clarify situations, feelings, perceptions, attitudes, values, beliefs, and experiences of a group of people. It explores the diversity and spread of attitudes towards an issue.
No Hypotheses (or less emphasis): Due to the exploratory nature, hypotheses are often not used or given almost no importance.
Non-Numerical Data: Information is gathered in descriptive, narrative, or verbatim form.
Context-Driven Analysis: Focuses on the unique context and individual experiences, rather than generalizability.
Open-Ended and Flexible: Study designs are less specific and precise, often based on deductive logic, and are flexible and emergent in nature, sometimes non-linear. The research problem can be reformulated multiple times during data collection to acquire the "totality" of a phenomenon or for in-depth study.
Data Collection: Characterized by flexibility and freedom in terms of structure and order of questions. Methods include unstructured interviews (e.g., in-depth interviews, oral histories, narratives), participant observation, and focus groups/group interviews. Data are recorded in a descriptive format.
It emphasizes meanings, experiences, and interpretations rather than numerical measurements.
- Understanding patient experiences in healthcare settings.
- Analyzing themes in literary texts.
2. Quantitative Research Approach (Structured)
The quantitative approach is based on the measurement of quantity or amount, applicable to phenomena that can be expressed numerically. It involves the generation of data in quantitative form suitable for rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion using statistical methods.
This approach is often characterized by a structured method of inquiry, where elements like objectives, design, sample, and questions are predetermined.
Key Characteristics and Methods:
Numerical Data: Involves variables measured on interval or ratio scales, or through categorical data that can be quantified.
Hypothesis-Driven: Often involves hypothesis-testing research, where researchers test assertions of causal relationships between variables.
Focus on Measurement and Quantity: Quantitative research seeks to measure items such as frequency, preferences, or other numerical data. It aims to quantify the variation and diversity in a phenomenon.
Structured and Predetermined Design: Study designs are specific, well structured, have been tested for their validity and reliability, and can be explicitly defined and recognised.
Data Collection: Demands standardization of questions. Common methods include structured interviews, questionnaires, and structured observations. Data are typically collected using variables measured on interval or ratio scales.
3. Mixed Methods Research Approach
The mixed methods approach combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. It integrates both numerical data and detailed narratives.
Combines qualitative and quantitative data.
- Studying the effectiveness of an educational program by analyzing test scores (quantitative) and gathering student feedback (qualitative).
- Evaluating a healthcare intervention by combining patient satisfaction surveys and interviews with healthcare providers.
Characteristics:
- Blends numerical and non-numerical data.
- Offers a holistic perspective.
- Requires careful integration of findings.
Methods:
- Sequential (e.g., qualitative followed by quantitative or vice versa).
- Concurrent (e.g., collecting qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously).
Importance of Research Approach
The importance of selecting an appropriate research approach stems from several critical aspects:
Alignment: A well-chosen approach matches research questions with appropriate methods. The way you formulate a research problem, for instance, determines almost every subsequent step, including the type of study design, sampling strategy, research instrument, and analysis type.
Clarity: It ensures a systematic and focused study design. A clear approach helps conceptualize the research problem precisely and makes it relevant to the field of enquiry, guiding the review of literature and preventing unnecessary reading.
Flexibility: While quantitative research favors structured approaches, qualitative research embraces flexibility, allowing adaptation to different types of research objectives. This enables the researcher to include new ideas or exclude irrelevant aspects during data collection, particularly in exploratory studies.
Reliability: The approach enhances the validity and replicability of findings.
Ultimately, the research approach forms the conceptual structure and blueprint for how a research study is to be conducted, directly impacting the quality and utility of the findings.