Research Types in Education

What is Research?

The formal, systematic application of scholarship, disciplined inquiry, and most often the scientific method to the study of problems

Why Study Research?

• Learning critical thinking skills
• Help better understand discussion of research you hear and see in the media
• Understand that not all the research is created equal
•  Find out when to put confidence in a set of research findings
• Learn questioning
• Examine the research on a topic and make an informed judgment about what course of action to take
• Evaluate research results critically
• Make informed decisions based on research literature
• Help in our career as a student, professional teacher, counselor or a coach
• Design and conduct a defendable study
• Construct a questionnaire
• Write a proposal

Research Types by Method

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Mix-Method Research

Quantitative Research

Research in which the investigator attempts to clarify phenomena through carefully designed and controlled data collection and analysis. Quantitative research aim to measure the quantity or amount. In social sciences, “quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships”.

Under quantitative methods following are further types of research

Experimental Research

Research in which at least one independent variable is manipulated, other relevant variables are controlled, and the effect on one or more dependent variables is observed.

Researcher manipulates the independent variable and its interest in showing cause and effect.

Casual Comparative Research

Research to explore the cause for, or consequences of, existing differences in groups of individuals. Primary independent variable of interest is a categorical variable.

Single-Subject Research

Design applied when the sample size is one; used to study the behavior change that an individual exhibits as a result of some intervention or treatment.

Intervention Research

A general type of research in which variables are manipulated in order to study the effect on one or more dependent variables

Correlational Research

Research that involves collecting data in order to determine the degree to which a relationship exists between two or more variables. Learn more about Correlational Research

Mixed-Method Research

A study combining quantitative and qualitative methods

Qualitative Research

Research in which the investigator attempts to study naturally occurring phenomena in all their complexity. Qualitative research refers to the meanings, definitions, characteristics, symbols, metaphors, and description of things. Qualitative research is much more subjective and uses very different methods of collecting information, mainly individual, in depth interviews and focus groups.

Under qualitative research following are further types of research

Ethnographic Research

The collection of data on many variables over an extended period of time in a naturalistic setting, usually using observation and interviews.

A form of qualitative research focused on discovering and describing the culture of a group of people.

Historical Research

The systematic collection and objective evaluation of data related to past occurrences to examine causes, effects, or trends of those events that may help explain present events and anticipate future events.

Case Study Research

A form of qualitative research that is focused on providing a detailed account of one or more cases.

Descriptive Research

Research to describe existing conditions without analyzing relationships among variables.

Focused on providing an accurate description of the status of a situation or phenomenon.

Research Types by Purpose

Ø  Basic research

Ø  Applied research

Ø  Action research

     Ø  Evaluation research

Basic Research

Research that seeks to produce new knowledge or theory.

Aims at generating fundamental knowledge and theoretical understanding about basic human and other natural processes.

Applied Research

Research that seeks to solve practical problems. Research focused on answering practical questions to provide relatively immediate solutions.

Action Research

A type of research focused on a specific local problem and resulting in an action plan to address the problem.

Focused on solving practitioners’ local problems.

Evaluation Research

A systematic attempt to assess the quality or effectiveness of an evaluation object.

Determining the worth, merit or quality of an evaluation object.