Research methods. Research and its types.

1. Arfan rai
[COMPANY NAME]
Research methods
Submitted to:
Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad
Submitted by:
Muhammad Irfan

2. RESEARCH METHODS
“I keep six honest serving men, (they taught me all I knew), and their names are:
What, and why, and when, and how, and where and who.” --Rudyard Kipling
What is Research?
Research is the combination of two words “re (Again or over again or a new’)” “fresh (to examine
closely and carefully or to test and try)”. Together they form a careful, systematic, patient study
and investigation in some field of knowledge undertaken to establish principles/policies. It is a
method of finding answers of the questions. It is systematic. Through research new and original
information, ideas about the world we live in are obtained.
Research is the cornerstone of any science, including both hard sciences such as chemistry and
physics and the social (or soft) sciences such as psychology, management, or education. It refers
to the organized, structured, and purposeful attempt to gain knowledge about suspected
relationship.
Definition of research:-
Research can be defined as:
i. Search for knowledge
ii. It is the voyage of discovery
iii. Scientific enquiry into a subject.
iv. Research is a movement from the unknown to the known.
v. Systematic and scientific search for getting relevant answers on any taken up specific topic.
vi. Bulmer says:Research is primarily committed to establishing systematic, reliable and valid
knowledge about the social world.
Research classification:
There are many kinds of classification of research which are classified according to their
distinctive features. Some of the classifications are as follows:
 According to Purpose
 According to Goal
 According to the Levels of Investigation
 According to the type of Analysis
 According to Scope
 According to the Choice of Answers to Problems
 According to Statistical Content
According to Purpose:
Predictive or prognostic research – It has the purpose to determine the future operation of the
variables under investigation with the aim of controlling or redirecting such for the better.

3. RESEARCH METHODS
Oxford dictionary defines it as “a judgement about hoe something is likely to develop in future.
Directive research– Directive research is a method of looking into things, to find out new
information or facts and figures with a specific aim in mind for what the overall outcome of the
research will be. Most research is directive, because you generally need to have an aim when
researching to narrow the field down, otherwise the wealth of information is way too much.
Illuminative research– Illuminative research is any research that explores new things or
enhances old research. It is typically research that is considered eye-opening. it is concerned
with the interaction of the components of the variable being investigated.
2. According to Goal:
Basic or Pure research – Gathering, knowledge is termed as ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research. Just to
gather knowledge in order to formulate or generalize theories or policies. This types of research
adds knowledge to the already existing organized body.
e.g.) Research on mathematics.
Applied research is a methodology used to solve a specific, practical problem of an individual
or group. The study and research is used in business, medicine and education in order to find
solutions that may cure diseases, solve scientific problems or develop technology.
How does immigration affect the economy?
Is technology use for children helpful or harmful?
What effect does fast food have on overall health?
How can social anxiety be overcome?
3. According to the Level of Investigation:
Exploratory research: Is a research conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined.
It often occurs before we know enough to make conceptual distinctions or posit an explanatory
relationship. Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data
collection method and selection of subjects.
Descriptive research: A descriptive study is one in which information is collected without
changing the environment (i.e., nothing is manipulated).
For Example: A researcher wants to know why individuals in Community A have a higher rate of
a rare form of cancer when compared to those living in Community B. To find out the reasons
for the differences in cancer rates in these two communities, the investigator surveyed residents
about their lifestyle, noted the types of businesses that were present in the community and
searched medical records. The researcher found that the headquarters for the Toxico Chemical

4. RESEARCH METHODS
Plant is located in Community A, there is a higher rate of cigarette smoking in this community
and residents tended to delay or skip going to the doctor for an annual checkup. In Community
B, the largest employer was a department store and on average, residents did not smoke as
much as residents from Community A. However, like individuals from Community A, Community
B residents tended to delay or skip their annual checkup with their doctor.
Experimental research: when a researcher is able to manipulate the predictor variable and
subjects to identify a cause-and-effect relationship. This typically requires the research to be
conducted in a lab, with one group being placed in an experimental group, or the ones being
manipulated, while the other is placed in aplacebo group, or inert condition or non-manipulated
group. A laboratory-based experiment gives a high level of control and reliability.
For example, a psychologist may be interested in the impact of video game violence on
children's aggression. The psychologist randomly assigns some children to play a violent video
game for 1 hour and other children to play a non-violent video game for 1 hour. Then the
psychologist observes the children socialize afterwards to determine if the children in the
"violent video game" condition behave more aggressively than the children in the "non-violent
video game" condition. In this example, the independent variable is video game group. Our
independent variable has two levels: violent video games and non-violent video games. The
dependent variable is the thing that we want to measure—in this case, aggressive behavior.
According to Scope:
Action Research: This involves the application of the steps of the scientific method in the
classroom problems. It is application of fact findings to practical problem solving in a social
situation with a view to improve quality of action within it, involving collaboration and
cooperation of researchers, practitioners and laymen.
It can be situational (diagnose a problem and attempts to solve it), collaborative, participatory
(researcher take part in implementation of findings) and self-evaluation (it involves constant
evaluation and adjustment of research and practice) This type of research is done on a very
limited scope to solve a particular problem which is not so big.
6. According to Choice of Answers to Problems:
Evaluation research – Evaluation research can be defined as a type of study that uses standard
social research methods for evaluative purposes, as a specific research methodology, and as an
assessment process that employs special techniques unique to the evaluation of social
programs.

5. RESEARCH METHODS
Developmental research – has been defined as the systematic study of designing, developing,
and evaluating instructional programs, processes, and products that must meet criteria of
internal consistency and effectiveness.
7. According to Statistical Content:
Quantitative or Statistical Research – 'Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic
process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world.
This research method is used: to describe variables; to examine relationships among variables;
to determine cause-and-effect interactions between variables.
Qualitative Research: Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain
an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the
problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research.