types of research

Types of Research

Topic 1- Basic and Applied
Research can be classified by purpose or by method. If we categorize it by purpose, it would fall into two major categories: Basic Research and Applied Research, while in case of method, it would be deductive research and inductive research.
Basic Research

Also called Pure or fundamental Research, it is undertaken for increase in knowledge. There is no direct benefit as it is a research for the sake of research. It is conducted to satisfy any curiosity such as: (a) what makes things happen, (b) why society changes and (c) why social relations are in a certain way. In fact, it is the source of most new theories, principles and ideas. Basic research rarely helps anyone directly. It only stimulates new ways of thinking. The main motivation is to expand man's knowledge. There is absolutely no commercial value to the discoveries resulting from such research.

However, in the long run, it forms the basis of applied research or development commercial products. If basic work is done first, then applied spin-offs often eventually result from this research. As Dr. George Smoot of says, "People cannot foresee the future well enough to predict what's going to develop from basic research. If we only did "applied research", we would still be making better spears."
To sum up, basic research is purely theoretical to increase our understanding of certain phenomena or behavior but does not seek to solve any existing problem.
Applied research
It is use of basic research or past theories, knowledge and methods for solving an existing problem. It deals with practical problems. It is opposed to pure research which is not problem-oriented but for the increase in knowledge which may or may not be used in future.
In the present world situation, more emphasis is being given to applied research to solve problems arising out of overpopulation and scarcity of natural resources.
Applied research should not be treated the same as Research & Development (R&D) which is involved in developing products demanded by the existing clients. Applied Research, on the other hand, focuses on uncovering what needs are not being met and use that information in designing products or services that would create their own demand. Thus, applied research brings in new customers and also provides better products and services to the existing customers. In old days, the mobile phone was expensive, bulky and had a short range. Applied Research foresaw that this product would have a limited market and stressed on cost-cutting, reduced weight and long-distance communication. Such measures caused a heavy demand

Topic 2- Historical Research

Historical research is the process of systematically examining past events to give an account of what has happened in the past.
� It is not a mere accumulation of facts and dates or even a description of past events.
� It is a flowing, dynamic account of past events which involves an interpretation of these events in an attempt to recapture the nuances, personalities, and ideas that influenced these events.
� One of the goals of historical research is to communicate an understanding of past events.

Significance of Historical Research

The following gives five important reasons for conducting historical research (based on Berg, 1998):
1. To uncover the unknown (i.e., some historical events are not recorded).
2. To answer questions (i.e., there are many questions about our past that we not only want to know but can profit from knowing).
3. To identify the relationship that the past has to the present (i.e., knowing about the past can frequently give a better perspective of current events).
4. To record and evaluate the accomplishments of individuals, agencies, or institutions.
5. To assist in understanding the culture in which we live (e.g., education is a part of our history and our culture).

Historical Research Methodology

There is no one approach that is used in conducting historical research although there is a general set of steps that are typically followed. These include the following steps although there is some overlap and movement back and forth between the steps:

1. Identification of the research topic and formulation of the research problem or question.
2. Data collection or literature review.
3. Evaluation of materials.
4. Data synthesis.
5. Report preparation or preparation of the narrative exposition.

Topic 3- Empirical research
Empirical research is research that derives its data by means of direct observation or experiment, such research is used to answer a question or test a hypothesis (e.g. "Does something such as a type of medical treatment work?"). The results are based upon actual evidence as opposed to theory or conjecture; as such they can be replicated in follow-up studies.
Objectives of the Research Process:
� Capture contextual data and complexity
� Learn from the collective experience of the field
� Identify, explore, confirm & advance theoretical concepts
� Enhance educational design

Aims of the Empirical Research Process:

� Move research beyond simple �reporting of observations�
� Foster environments for enhanced understanding
� Combine rigorous research with thorough case study
� Relevance of theory is proved by ability to work in a real world environment (context)

Why use Empirical Research Methods:

� Tradition and assumed knowledge (i.e. superstition) have been relied upon for too long
� Integrate research and practice
� Instructional science (i.e. the education process) needs to progress.


How you benefit from Empirical Research Methodology:

1. Integrate professional knowledge with empirical data to inform instructional developmental decisions
2. Teaching methods and student learning are backed by quality data and educational theory
3. Results reflect/support theory and demonstrate relevance to context
4. Established relationship between intervention & behavioral response


Benefits of Empirical Research:

1. Understand and respond to dynamics of situations (context)
2. Respect contextual differences
3. Build upon what is already known to work
4. Meet accepted professional standards of research

Topic 4- Descriptive, Exploratory and Explanatory
Descriptive Research
Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how...
Although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic, the research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, Descriptive research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal validity.
The description is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations. Often the best approach, prior to writing descriptive research, is to conduct a survey investigation. Qualitative research often has the aim of description and researchers may follow-up with examinations of why the observations exist and what the implications of the findings are.
In short descriptive research deals with everything that can be counted and studied. But there are always restrictions to that. Your research must have an impact to the lives of the people around you. For example, finding the most frequent disease that affects the children of a town. The reader of the research will know what to do to prevent that disease, thus, more people will live a healthy life.
This research is the most commonly used and the basic reason for carrying out descriptive research is to identify the cause of something that is happening. For instance, this research could be used in order to find out what age group is buying a particular brand of cola, whether a company�s market share differs between geographical regions.
Exploratory Research
An exploratory study is undertaken when not much is known about the situation at hand or no information is available on how similar problem or research issues have been solved in the past.