What is Research and it’s different types?
Humans are driven by their thirst of curiosity. They always have an instinct for exploration of the unknown. The quality of investigation to know and acquire knowledge has helped man reach the glory of evolution. This curiosity pushes us to obtain knowledge of the unknown and is called research.
Definition of Research
Research according to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, can be defined as “Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. Research involves inductive and deductive methods”
In Redmen and Mory's words Research is "a systematized effort to gain new knowledge."
Types of Research
Research is primarily classified into the following categories.
1. Basic Research: The term basic research refers to study and research meant to increase our scientific knowledge base. This type of research is often purely theoretical, with the intent of increasing our understanding of certain phenomena or behavior but without seeking to solve or treat these problems.
Example of basic Research:
A study of the effects of eLearning on young students in a particular school.
A study to understand the effect of Yoga on mental health.
2. Applied Research is a type of Research that seeks to solve a specific practical problem or provide proper innovative solutions to issues affecting an individual, group, or society. It is often regarded as a scientific method of questioning or contractual research because it includes the practical application of scientific methods to everyday problems.
Example of applied Research:
How can obesity be prevented in teenagers?
Schemes to increase the enrolment of girl students in primary school of a rural region.
3. Problem Solving Research: is conducted by organizations or institutions to understand and resolve their problems. This method uses applied research to find solutions to existing problems.
Example: A study to understand the decline of sales of a particular product.
4. Quantitative research is a systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data and performing statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. Quantitative research collects information using various methods such as online/offline surveys, polls, questionnaire, etc. the conclusion of this data collection can be given in the form of numerical value. These figures can be used to understand the problem, predict the future of the ongoing situation, and make changes accordingly.
An example of Quantitative research can be a survey conducted to understand patient satisfaction with hospital facilities.
Feedback form regarding the customer service of e-commerce website.
5. Qualitative research includes assembling and interpreting non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or beliefs. It can be utilized to gather in-depth penetrations into a problem or create new approaches and ideas for research. Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research. Quantitative creates data whereas Qualitative analyses the existing one.
Some Method used for Qualitative studies are Case Study, in-depth interviews, Focus group, Ethnographic Research, etc
Example: A case study on the working of Goonj NGO during the COVID 19 pandemic.