What is Research? and Types of Scientific Research
What is Research?
Research is a specified process for achieving
specific goals for finding new results and promoting human knowledge.
Science in the general sense refers to the
experiences that humans have gained by experimentation or experience and research
is the process of achieving these results and observations.
Research originates from human curiosity, or
sometimes the need humans feel to seek something. It should be a systematic,
understandable, facilitating, innovative, and reconstructive process.
Types of Scientific Research
To define the types of research, different forms and
different types are considered. However, the most important division for
research is to classify it into two main classes:
Fundamental or Basic Research
Fundamental research is being carried out to present
new scientific theories and to extend the field of science in various fields.
This type of research aims to foster scientific theories through the discovery
of general principles or rules and less attention is given to the application
of these abilities in action and reality. This type of research is usually done
in laboratories and often on animals. Psychologists are among the scientists
who are most interested in doing this kind of research.
Applied Research
Applied research is done to quickly resolve problems
and take the necessary steps. This type of research seeks to solve various
problems using the findings of fundamental research. In other words, in applied
research, the researcher practices the fundamental research findings in action.
This research, unlike fundamental research which has a theoretical nature, is
more focused on real phenomena and scientific issues. It is has a
non-laboratory-based nature and is done to deal with social, political, etc.
realities.
Basic and applied research is also divided into three
types of research:
Quantitative research
In quantitative research generally addresses counting
and measuring aspects of social life. In quantitative methods, everything is
inspired by a series of key and predetermined concepts, such as hypothesis,
operational definition, validity, significance, statistics, reliability,
deductive analysis, and repeatability. To put it simply, the findings of
quantitative research are the result of systematic studies that are achieved by
top-down methods.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research generally addresses
argumentative descriptions, discovering the meanings and changes of social
actors. This research, above all, describe everyday realities in social life,
and, through common sense, along with inductive analyzes and interpretations,
make a hypothesis that was unpredictable before doing research, or not
predetermined.
Mixed research
Mixed research mixes quantitative and qualitative
methods or paradigm characteristics. The nature of data is a mixture of
variables, words, and images. In fact, the purpose of using mixed research
methods is not to apply one research instead of the other, but to improve the
strengths and reduce or minimize the weaknesses of both types of research in
one study.
Other Types of Scientific Research
Exploratory Research
Exploratory research works on the existence or
absence of a phenomenon. It also tries to find answers to problems that are not
clear. Exploratory research can be conducted in many fields and can, therefore,
be considered the most flexible and extensive research method.
Descriptive research
In this type of research, the researcher studies the
current state of the subject and describes and interprets the existing
conditions and relationships. In other words, descriptive research examines a
phenomenon by expressing a more complete definition and contrasting it with
other phenomena. The main purpose of this type of research is to give an
objective, realistic description of the characteristics of a situation or a
topic.
Explanatory research
This type of research seeks to find cause and effect
relationships among the various variables. Explanatory research is the study
and transfer of complex ideas and information. Analyzing and synthesizing
information from various sources to produce text is the most important purpose
of the explanatory method to increase the reader’s understanding of the subject
and the research problem.
Longitudinal Research
The longitudinal study refers to a set of
observational studies in which the case group is studied over time.
Cross-sectional Research
A cross-sectional study is a type of observational
study in which the variables, in terms of prevalence or relevance, are studied
only at a given time and in a given community.
Action research
Action research is a type of research conducted by
people involved in socio-educational situations whose purpose is to improve the
reasoning, justice of their social practices, and to increase their
understanding of the situation.
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