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Types of Research Explained: Key Differences

The document outlines the basic types of research, categorizing them into descriptive vs. analytical, applied vs. fundamental, and quantitative vs. qualitative. Descriptive research focuses on explaining circumstances without direct control over variables, while analytical research involves analyzing existing data to form hypotheses. Applied research seeks practical solutions to specific problems, whereas fundamental research aims to develop theories, and quantitative research deals with numerical data while qualitative research focuses on non-numerical, descriptive data.

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37 views7 pages

Types of Research Explained: Key Differences

The document outlines the basic types of research, categorizing them into descriptive vs. analytical, applied vs. fundamental, and quantitative vs. qualitative. Descriptive research focuses on explaining circumstances without direct control over variables, while analytical research involves analyzing existing data to form hypotheses. Applied research seeks practical solutions to specific problems, whereas fundamental research aims to develop theories, and quantitative research deals with numerical data while qualitative research focuses on non-numerical, descriptive data.

Uploaded by

iguehnkem9494
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

TYPES OF RESEARCH

The basic types of research are as follows:

(i) Descriptive vs. Analytical: Descriptive

research consists of survey and fact-finding

investigation of different kinds. The main

purpose of descriptive research is

explanation of the set of circumstances as it

is present as such. The term Ex post facto

research has been used to elaborate this type

of research in different areas or subjects of

research. The main feature of this method is


that the scientist does not have direct control

over the variables; he can only report what is

happening or what has happened. For

example, why peoples of the south side are

suffering from lung cancer as compared to

north-side neighbors and investigation

revealed that south side persons have wood

burning stoves and fire places, the

researcher could hypothesize the reason that

the wood smoke is a factor of lung cancer.

The techniques used in descriptive research


are can be of all kinds like survey methods,

comparative and correlational methods etc.

On the other hand, in analytical research, ,

the researcher could be use the facts,

information, data which is already available,

and analyze these sources to make a

hypothesis to evaluation of the material.

(ii) Applied vs. Fundamental: Applied

research refers to finding a solution for

specific, practical problem facing by an

individual, society or an industrial or


business organization, for example how to

abolish hate crime, what are the ways to

market a product, what is causing increased

poverty etc. whereas fundamental research

is mainly concerned with overview and with

the formulation of a theory. This is pure and

basic type of research, for example an

investigation looking for whether stress

levels influence how often students engage

in academic cheating or how caffeine

consumption impacts the brain.


Thus, the main aim of applied research is to

find out a solution for some critical practical

problem, whereas basic research is handling

towards finding information that has a wide

sense of applications to the already existing

organized body of scientific knowledge.

(iii) Quantitative vs. Qualitative: In natural

sciences and social sciences, quantitative

research is based on the aspect of quantity or

extent. It is related to object that can be

expressed in terms of quantity or something


that can be counted. Such type of research

involve systematic experimental analysis of

observable phenomenon via statistical,

mathematical or computational techniques in

numerical form such as statistics,

percentages, etc. whereas Qualitative

research, , is concerned with qualitative

phenomenon, i.e., relating to quality or

variety. Such type of research is typically

descriptive and harder to analyze than

quantitative data. Qualitative research


involves looking in-depth at non-numerical

data. It is more naturalistic or

anthropological.

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