Nature of research - Research Methodology - Manu Melwin Joy

1. 1. Nature of research Research Methodology

2. 2. Prepared By Kindly restrict the use of slides for personal purpose. Please seek permission
to reproduce the same in public forms and presentations. Manu Melwin Joy Assistant
Professor Ilahia School of Management Studies Kerala, India. Phone – 9744551114 Mail –
manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com
3. 3. Nature of research 1. Systematic 2. Scientific. 3. Objectivity. 4. Definiteness. 5.
Verifiability. 6. Generality. 7. Predictability. 8. Modifiability and dynamicity.
4. 4. Research is systematic and Scientific • Research is a scientific and systematic search for
pertinent information on a specific topic. • Generally, research has to follow a certain
structural process.
5. 5. Research has objectivity • Objectivity – Research is quite objective in its approach and is
almost free from biases, prejudices and subjectivity.
6. 6. Research has definiteness • Definiteness - Research is characterized by definiteness in its
process as well as product. Here the modes and measures for (i) collection and organizing
information or data and (ii) testing and verifying the collected information for arriving at the
conclusion are all well planned and definite.
7. 7. Research has Verifiability • Verifiability – Research lays emphasis on the proper
verification of the collected information , data or facts. Here, nothing is accepted and derived
unless verified through adequate observation, tests and experimentation.
8. 8. Research has Generality • Generality – The conclusions or results derived from the
scientific method show a marked characteristic of generality. First, it means that inductive
reasoning and process is sued in making generalization and of the particular happenings or
evens and secondly, the principles, laws and theories established through scientific method
are quite universal having generalized application in similar situations.
9. 9. Research has Predictability • Predictability – The results obtained through scientific
method are characterized with the ability of predicting the future outcomes of the things or
events. In a given situation, under the known circumstances, what would happen to a
person, object or phenomenon can be reasonably predicted through the properly derived
conclusions or results of a scientific procedure.
10. 10. Research has modifiability and dynamicity • Modifiability and dynamicity – The
conclusion reached or results obtain through research are never final, absolute and static.
They are always open to verification, observation and experimentation.
11. 11. Research has modifiability and dynamicity • Modifiability and dynamicity – Consequently,
what is true today in terms of the derived fact or reached generalization may be proved
wrong tomorrow based on new findings. Therefore, research neither advocates rigidity in the
process adopted for discovering the facts nor stands in the way of bringing desired
modification and changes in the pre-established principles, laws or theories.
12. THE NATURE OF RESEARCH JOCELYN I. BARTOLATA, Ed.D.
13. 2. DEFINITION  “No longer does man ascribe natural phenomena to supernatural
influences, and no longer does he rely blindly upon accepted authority. He has developed an
orderly system of searching for truth which, by basing conclusions upon factual evidence and
by using logic as a means of showing relationships between related ideas, has given him
better and more accurate answers to his many questions. This orderly system is what we call
research.”1 Hillway, Introduction to Research (Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1956),
18.
14. 3. Following are other important definitions worth mentioning:  “Ideally, the careful,
unbiased investigation of a problem based upon demonstrable facts and involving refined
distinctions, interpretations and usually some generalizations.”2  “A systematic and refined
technique of thinking, employing specialized tools, tools, instruments and procedures in
order to obtain a more adequate solution of a problem than would be possible under ordinary
means. It starts with a problem, collects data or facts, analyzes these critically, and reaches
 decision based on actual evidence.” Carter V. Good, Dictionary of Education, (New York: Mc
Graw-Hill Book Company, 1956), 346.
15. 4. These definitions tell us:  that research involves original work instead of a mere exercise
of personal opinion;  that it evolves from a genuine desire to know rather than a desire to
prove something;  that it is a systematic search for pertinent information or data on a
specific topic and problem; and  that it draws original conclusions based on relevant
information.
16. 5. CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH  A summary of these characteristics is made by
Best and is presented as follows:3 1. Research gathers new data or knowledge from primary
or first-hand sources.  Do not merely restate or reorganize what is already known or what
has already been written. John W. Best, Research in Education (Eaglewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall, Inc., 1959), 7-8.
17. 6. 2.Research is expert, systematic and accurate investigation.  As a researcher you
should know what is already known about your problem. Have an adequate literature review
to be able to thoroughly conceptualize the problem. Proceed from this point, carefully
planning the procedures. Data are gathered, recorded and analyzed with as much accuracy
as possible.
18. 7. 3. Research is logical and objective, applying every possible test to verify the data
collected and the procedures employed. Research endeavors to organize data in quantitative
terms, IF POSSIBLE. Research is patient and unhurried. You should be willing to exert
painstaking effort, suspending judgment to permit the data and logic to lead to a sound
conclusion.
19. 8. 4. Research is carefully recorded and reported.  Every term is carefully defined  All
procedures are described in detail  All limiting factors are recognized  All references are
carefully documented  All conclusions and generalizations are carefully arrived at Thesis is
a substantial research project which is scholarly and original. Thesis writing is the end
product of research among college and master’s students.
20. 9. TYPES OF RESEARCH It is customary to classify research as either applied research or
basic research. Applied research is directed toward the solution of an immediate, specific,
practical problem. Basic research is concerned with the formulation of a theory or a
contribution to the existing body of knowledge.  In addition to the broader classification of
applied and basic research, nearly all studies may be classified as historical, descriptive, or
experimental research. Their classification may be determined by posing the following
questions:4 Billy L. Turney and George P. Robb. Research in Education: An Introduction.
(Illinois: Dryden Press Inc, 1971), 7.
21. 10.  Does the research deal with what once was? If it does, then it is historical research.
The educational historian may seek either to produce an accurate description of unique
events that have happened in the past or to suggest through the survey of these events
fruitful generalizations from prior experiences that may act as controls for behavior in the
present or future. His purpose is to produce evidence that will help us profit by the
experiences of the past in the solution of current problems.
22. 11.  Does the research deal with what is? If it does, then it is descriptive research.
Descriptive research is that process that is concerned with characterizing the features of
situations, objects, or practices. It allows one to find out pertinent information about an
existing situation. Descriptive research usually is thought of as an effort to determine current
practices or status so that we may develop guidelines for future practices.
23. 12.  3. Does the research deal with what can be when certain factors are controlled? If it
does, then quite likely some attempt is being made to establish cause and effect
relationships in a controlled situation. Experimental research is an attempt to control all
essential factors with the exception of one or more independent variables that can be
manipulated, with the purpose of determining and measuring the effect of their operation
 under given circumstances. Once these effects are determined through demonstration, then
true control of behavior or the environment becomes possible.
24. 13. For AB English researches are normally descriptive in nature. Descriptive research is
fact-finding with adequate interpretation. It is something more and beyond data gathering. It
is reflective thinking.
25. 14. SOME DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES 1.Content Analysis – studying and
analyzing communications in a systematic, objective and quantitative manner. Instead of
observing people’s behavior directly or asking them to respond to questionnaires, the
researcher takes hold of communications which the people have produced and he asks
questions regarding the communication. Content analysis can be applied to available
materials like letters, diaries, newspapers, stories, essays and others.
26. 15. 2. Case study – a complete analysis and report of the status of an individual subject with
respect to specific phases of his personality. 3. Survey – the collection of information from a
fraction or sample of a population to arrive at generalizations about the population.
27. 16. 4. Key Informant Interview – the source of information depends largely on the recall
ability of individuals who have been participants in the given culture. 5. Participant
observation – a systematic process of data gathering which requires the researcher to
immerse himself/herself totally in the lives of the people and this is done through months of
residence in the community and involvement in the various activities of the people he is
studying.
28. 17. REFERENCES: Best, John. Research in Education .Eaglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall,
Inc., 1959. Good,Carter V. Dictionary of Education. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Book Company,
1956. Hillway,Tyrus. Introduction to Research.Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1956.
Turney, Billy and and George P. Robb. Research in Education: An Introduction. Illinois:
Dryden Press Inc, 1971

The Nature of Research

The research process is, for many of us, just the way we do things. We research the best buys in cars
and appliances, we research book reviews before shopping for books, we research the best schools
for our children and ourselves, and we probably perform some kind of research in our jobs. Our
search for information may lead us to interview friends or other knowledgeable people; read articles
in magazines, journals, or newspapers; listen to the radio; search an encyclopedia on CD-ROM; and
even explore the Internet and World Wide Web for information. We use our local public libraries and
our school libraries.

Research can be a way of life; it is the basis for many of the important decisions in our lives. Without
it, we are deluged with information, subjected to the claims of advertisers, or influenced by hearsay
in making sense of the world around us. This informal, experiential research helps us decipher the
flood of information we encounter daily.

Formal academic research differs from experiential research and may be more investigative in
nature. For example, it may require us to learn about an area in which we have little knowledge or
inclination to learn. It may be library-oriented or field-oriented, depending on the nature of the
research.
Academic research, like the everyday research we do, is associated with curiosity and intellectual
discovery. The writing associated with academic research is demanding and challenging, with a
methodology and discipline all its own. Although many of the concepts and processes of research
are generic, academic research is discipline-specific and demands a more rigorous methodology.
This chapter presents the methodology of academic research, many of the generic processes of
research writing, and suggestions for applying the concepts to various disciplines. The chapter ends
with a brief look at the structure of a research paper.

 Research is a natural day-to-day activity for the purpose of gathering information.

 Academic research is much like ordinary research, but it is more disciplined in its
methodology.

The Research Assignment

Why Perform Research?

Instructors assign academic research papers primarily to give you experience in

 finding and understanding raw data and information

 formulating informed opinions through study of research findings
 entering the discourse, or conversation, of other writers and scholars in your field
 learning how others in your field use primary and secondary resources

Research expands and augments your experience and knowledge, providing a broader base for
thinking and writing. It enables you to become an expert in areas not directly related to your
everyday life. When you engage in research, you build valuable critical skills that serve you in other
areas of life. You learn to ask probing and thoughtful questions, gather and interpret data, read
critically, form intelligent opinions, and manage and understand conflicting information. As you do
research in your chosen specialization, you become an expert in that area. In addition, when you
write about your discoveries, others come to respect your knowledge and value your opinion.

 The purpose of a research paper is to show a student how to enter the stream of discourse
within an academic community.
 Research papers also give you experience in manipulating raw data and information,
formulating informed opinions, and learning how others in your field use primary and
secondary resources.

The Research Assignment

When Is Research Needed?

Not all writing requires research. By the time we reach early adulthood, most of us have formed
some opinions and gathered some information that we can impart to others without research. Most
of us can write an ordinary letter or essay without the benefit of research.
When we are asked to investigate an area about which we may need more detailed knowledge,
however, we may engage in research. Research, a cognitively complex activity, requires some
discipline and sophisticated skills. It plays a role in creating knowledge about a subject, managing
conflicting information, and thinking about a field of study. Research helps us understand why
asking questions is important to our education.

Research is necessary when we don’t already have sufficient detailed information at our fingertips.

The Research Assignment

How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?

Students today have access to so much information that they need to weigh the reliability of sources.
Any resource—print, human, or electronic—used to support your research inquiry must be evaluated
for its credibility and reliability. In other words, you have to exercise some quality control over what
you use. When you use the print and multimedia materials found in your college library, your
evaluation task is not so complicated because librarians have already established the credibility and
appropriateness of those materials for academic research. The marketplace forces publishers to be
selective as well.

Data collected in interviews of persons whose reliability is not always clearly established should be
carefully screened, especially if you present this material as expert opinion or as based on
knowledge of your topic. You may have even more difficulty establishing trustworthiness for
electronic sources, especially those you find on the World Wide Web and Internet.

Because the Internet and web are easy to use and readily accessible, web material is volatile—it
changes, becomes outdated, or is deleted. Its inconsistency and sometimes crude form make web
information suspect for people who use it for research. Because there is frequently no quality control
over web information, you must critically evaluate all the material you find there, text and graphics
alike.

You can use the following checklist, adapted from “Evaluating Internet Resources” (UMUC, 1998), to
evaluate any of your sources, but especially those on the web. Ask yourself these questions about
your sources. The higher the number of questions answered yes, the more likely it is that the source
is of high quality.

Checklist for Evaluating Research Sources

✓
 Is the authority in this material clear and legitimate? Is the
Authority
writer qualified?

Can the factual information be verified by legitimate

Accuracy
authority? Can one opinion be verified against another?

Is the material objective and free of advertising, bias, and

Objectivity hidden agendas? Is the language impartial? Is the statistical
evidence credible?

Is the material updated frequently to ensure currency? Does

Currency
the material reflect the most up-to-date research?

Is the material complete, partial, or out of context? If the

material is out of context, is there a path to find the source?
Coverage
If the material is out of copyright, has it been updated to
make it more current?

Print Checklist

Evaluate sources of information by examining them for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and
coverage.

Research Resources

What Are Research Resources?

Research resources are usually thought of as primary sources and secondary sources. Primary
sources can be firsthand accounts of actual events written by an eyewitness or original literary or
artistic works. They may be letters, official records, interviews, survey results, or unanalyzed
statistical data. These sources contain raw data and information, such as the original work of art or
immediate impressions. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are usually discussions, evaluations,
syntheses, and analyses of primary- and secondary-source information. You will no doubt use both
primary and secondary sources throughout your academic career. When you use them, and in what
combination, usually depends on what your research inquiry is and the discipline for which you are
writing. If you are unclear about which sources to use, ask your instructor for guidance.
Your research resources can come from your experiences; print media, such as books, brochures,
journals, magazines, newspapers, and books; and CD-ROMs and other electronic sources, such as
the Internet and the World Wide Web. They may also come from interviews and surveys you or
someone else designs. You may develop your own field research where you collect data through
observation or experimentation. For example, before you interview your candidates for a study on
adolescent girls, you may use library research to get some background information on adolescent
girls and their current issues. You may also want to observe them in a school setting, noting certain
behaviors, dress, or mannerisms, depending on your focus. You may also want to review other
studies on adolescent girls to see how the studies were conducted and the data interpreted. You may
even design a survey to collect firsthand information from the girls themselves or from their
teachers.

Your research question and the kind of research you do will guide the types of resources you will
need to complete your research. Students now have easy access to a wider range of information than
ever before. Conducting research today requires that you understand how to locate resources—in
libraries and frequently online—and that you have the skill and motivation to work with librarians
and library technology. Identifying and managing those resources within your research project is as
important as integrating them into your own words and your research writing voice.

 Primary sources include firsthand accounts, raw data, and other original material.
 Secondary sources include material that interprets and analyzes primary sources.

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Research Resources

Where Are Research Resources Found?

Research resources are found in various places, both within and outside the traditional library. In
addition to the library, your instructor, and other people, broadcast journalism and the Internet and
World Wide Web offer rich sources of material and information for your research assignments. When
using these sources, you must exercise your critical thinking skills to distinguish credible from not-
so-credible information. Chapter 6, “Using Library Resources,” is a systematic introduction to library
resources addressed to UMUC students.

Resource material may be found in libraries, online, in broadcast media, and in many other places.

https://coursedev.umuc.edu/WRTG999A/chapter4/ch4-01.html
Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Creating good research writing is demanding, challenging, and exciting. Mastering this complex
academic skill will prepare you to enter the discourse community of your chosen area of study. Many
students struggle with assembling a research paper because it seems overwhelming and mysterious,
but the following 10 steps in the process can be practiced and learned.

1. Find a Topic and Get an Overview

2. Survey the Literature
3. Ask a Research Question
4. Manage Your Resources
5. Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing
6. Cite Sources
7. Outline
8. Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research
9. Collect Evidence
10. Draw Conclusions

Structuring the Research Paper

Informal Research Structure

Not all research assignments require a formal organizational structure, but the formal academic
research paper usually does. For the less formal assignments, such as essays or short research
pieces, you can do well using one of the organizational patterns discussed in chapter 3, “Thinking
Strategies and Writing Patterns” (Patterns for Presenting Information). Chapter 3 also describes
several kinds of academic forms that might be used for less formal research:

 problem-process-solution
 problem-cause-solution
 discussions of raw data
 summaries and abstracts
 critiques
The four main approaches

Types of research

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is generally associated with the positivist/postpositivist paradigm. It usually

involves collecting and converting data into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be
made and conclusions drawn.

The process

Researchers will have one or more hypotheses. These are the questions that they want to address
which include predictions about possible relationships between the things they want to
investigate (variables). In order to find answers to these questions, the researchers will also have
various instruments and materials (e.g. paper or computer tests, observation check lists etc.) and a
clearly defined plan of action.
Data is collected by various means following a strict procedure and prepared for statistical
analysis. Nowadays, this is carried out with the aid of sophisticated statistical computer packages.
The analysis enables the researchers to determine to what extent there is a relationship between two
or more variables. This could be a simple association (e.g. people who exercise on a daily basis have
lower blood pressure) or a causal relationship (e.g. daily exercise actually leads to lower blood
pressure). Statistical analysis permits researchers to discover complex causal relationships and to
determine to what extent one variable influences another.
The results of statistical analyses are presented in journals in a standard way, the end result being
a P value. For people who are not familiar with scientific research jargon, the discussion sections at
the end of articles in peer reviewed journals usually describe the results of the study and explain the
implications of the findings in straightforward terms
Principles

Objectivity is very important in quantitative research. Consequently, researchers take great care to
avoid their own presence, behaviour or attitude affecting the results (e.g. by changing the situation
being studied or causing participants to behave differently). They also critically examine their
methods and conclusions for any possible bias.
Researchers go to great lengths to ensure that they are really measuring what they claim to be
measuring. For example, if the study is about whether background music has a positive impact on
restlessness in residents in a nursing home, the researchers must be clear about what kind of music
to include, the volume of the music, what they mean by restlessness, how to measure restlessness
and what is considered a positive impact. This must all be considered, prepared and controlled in
advance.

External factors, which might affect the results, must also be controlled for. In the above example, it
would be important to make sure that the introduction of the music was not accompanied by other
changes (e.g. the person who brings the CD player chatting with the residents after the music
session) as it might be the other factor which produces the results (i.e. the social contact and not the
music). Some possible contributing factors cannot always be ruled out but should be acknowledged
by the researchers.

The main emphasis of quantitative research is on deductive reasoning which tends to move from the
general to the specific. This is sometimes referred to as a top down approach. The validity of
conclusions is shown to be dependent on one or more premises (prior statements, findings or
conditions) being valid. Aristotle’s famous example of deductive reasoning was: All men are mortal
àSocrates is a man à Socrates is mortal. If the premises of an argument are inaccurate, then the
argument is inaccurate. This type of reasoning is often also associated with the fictitious character
Sherlock Holmes. However, most studies also include an element of inductive reasoning at some
stage of the research (see section on qualitative research for more details).

Researchers rarely have access to all the members of a particular group (e.g. all people with
dementia, carers or healthcare professionals). However, they are usually interested in being able to
make inferences from their study about these larger groups. For this reason, it is important that the
people involved in the study are a representative sample of the wider population/group. However,
the extent to which generalizations are possible depends to a certain extent on the number of people
involved in the study, how they were selected and whether they are representative of the wider
group. For example, generalizations about psychiatrists should be based on a study involving
psychiatrists and not one based on psychology students. In most cases, random samples are
preferred (so that each potential participant has an equal chance of participating) but sometimes
researchers might want to ensure that they include a certain number of people with specific
characteristics and this would not be possible using random sampling methods. Generalizability of
the results is not limited to groups of people but also to situations. It is presumed that the results of a
laboratory experiment reflect the real life situation which the study seeks to clarify.
When looking at results, the P value is important. P stands for probability. It measures the
likelihood that a particular finding or observed difference is due to chance. The P value is between 0
and 1. The closer the result is to 0, the less likely it is that the observed difference is due to chance.
The closer the result is to 1, the greater the likelihood that the finding is due to chance (random
variation) and that there is no difference between the groups/variables.
Qualitative research

Qualitative research is the approach usually associated with the social constructivist paradigm which
emphasises the socially constructed nature of reality. It is about recording, analysing and attempting
to uncover the deeper meaning and significance of human behaviour and experience, including
contradictory beliefs, behaviours and emotions. Researchers are interested in gaining a rich and
complex understanding of people’s experience and not in obtaining information which can be
generalized to other larger groups.

The process

The approach adopted by qualitative researchers tends to be inductive which means that they
develop a theory or look for a pattern of meaning on the basis of the data that they have collected.
This involves a move from the specific to the general and is sometimes called a bottom-up approach.
However, most research projects also involve a certain degree of deductive reasoning (see section on
quantitative research for more details).

Qualitative researchers do not base their research on pre-determined hypotheses. Nevertheless, they
clearly identify a problem or topic that they want to explore and may be guided by a theoretical lens -
a kind of overarching theory which provides a framework for their investigation.

The approach to data collection and analysis is methodical but allows for greater flexibility than in
quantitative research. Data is collected in textual form on the basis of observation and interaction
with the participants e.g. through participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups. It is
not converted into numerical form and is not statistically analysed.

Data collection may be carried out in several stages rather than once and for all. The researchers may
even adapt the process mid-way, deciding to address additional issues or dropping questions which
are not appropriate on the basis of what they learn during the process. In some cases, the researchers
will interview or observe a set number of people. In other cases, the process of data collection and
analysis may continue until the researchers find that no new issues are emerging.

Principles

Researchers will tend to use methods which give participants a certain degree of freedom and permit
spontaneity rather than forcing them to select from a set of pre-determined responses (of which none
might be appropriate or accurately describe the participant’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes or
behaviour) and to try to create the right atmosphere to enable people to express themselves. This
may mean adopting a less formal and less rigid approach than that used in quantitative research.

It is believed that people are constantly trying to attribute meaning to their experience. Therefore, it
would make no sense to limit the study to the researcher’s view or understanding of the situation and
expect to learn something new about the experience of the participants. Consequently, the methods
used may be more open-ended, less narrow and more exploratory (particularly when very little is
known about a particular subject). The researchers are free to go beyond the initial response that the
participant gives and to ask why, how, in what way etc. In this way, subsequent questions can be
tailored to the responses just given.

Qualitative research often involves a smaller number of participants. This may be because the
methods used such as in-depth interviews are time and labour intensive but also because a large
number of people are not needed for the purposes of statistical analysis or to make generalizations
from the results.

The smaller number of people typically involved in qualitative research studies and the greater
degree of flexibility does not make the study in any way “less scientific” than a typical quantitative
study involving more subjects and carried out in a much more rigid manner. The objectives of the
two types of research and their underlying philosophical assumptions are simply different. However,
as discussed in the section on “philosophies guiding research”, this does not mean that the two
approaches cannot be used in the same study.
 Pragmatic approach to research (mixed methods)

The pragmatic approach to science involves using the method which appears best suited to the
research problem and not getting caught up in philosophical debates about which is the best
approach. Pragmatic researchers therefore grant themselves the freedom to use any of the methods,
techniques and procedures typically associated with quantitative or qualitative research. They
recognise that every method has its limitations and that the different approaches can be
complementary.

They may also use different techniques at the same time or one after the other. For example, they
might start with face-to-face interviews with several people or have a focus group and then use the
findings to construct a questionnaire to measure attitudes in a large scale sample with the aim of
carrying out statistical analysis.

Depending on which measures have been used, the data collected is analysed in the appropriate
manner. However, it is sometimes possible to transform qualitative data into quantitative data and
vice versa although transforming quantitative data into qualitative data is not very common.

Being able to mix different approaches has the advantages of enabling triangulation. Triangulation is
a common feature of mixed methods studies. It involves, for example:

 the use of a variety of data sources (data triangulation)

 the use of several different researchers (investigator triangulation)

 the use of multiple perspectives to interpret the results (theory triangulation)

 the use of multiple methods to study a research problem (methodological triangulation)

In some studies, qualitative and quantitative methods are used simultaneously. In others, first one
approach is used and then the next, with the second part of the study perhaps expanding on the
results of the first. For example, a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews or focus group
discussions might serve to obtain information which will then be used to contribute towards the
development of an experimental measure or attitude scale, the results of which will be analysed
statistically.
Advocacy/participatory approach to research (emancipatory)

To some degree, researchers adopting an advocacy/participatory approach feel that the approaches
to research described so far do not respond to the needs or situation of people from marginalised or
vulnerable groups. As they aim to bring about positive change in the lives of the research subjects,
their approach is sometimes described as emancipatory. It is not a neutral stance. The researchers
are likely to have a political agenda and to try to give the groups they are studying a voice. As they
want their research to directly or indirectly result in some kind of reform, it is important that they
involve the group being studied in the research, preferably at all stages, so as to avoid further
marginalising them.
The researchers may adopt a less neutral position than that which is usually required in scientific
research. This might involve interacting informally or even living amongst the research participants
(who are sometimes referred to as co-researchers in recognition that the study is not simply about
them but also by them). The findings of the research might be reported in more personal terms, often
using the precise words of the research participants. Whilst this type of research could by criticised
for not being objective, it should be noted that for some groups of people or for certain situations, it
is necessary as otherwise the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of the various members of the group
could not be accessed or fully understood.

Vulnerable groups are rarely in a position of power within society. For this reason, researchers are
sometimes members of the group they are studying or have something in common with the members
of the group.

Research is simply a detailed and focused study, using scientific

methods, to understand why something happens and/or what are its
applications. Research is basically done for two purposes: to understand
the world around us or why things or process work the way they do and
to understand the applications of these processes. In other words, either
pure research is carried out or applied research is carried out. Pure
research is conducted to determine why/how something works and can
be anything (not necessarily related to science), such as how heart
works or why we like sugar in our tea? Applied research is dedicated to
finding the applications of known processes. Examples can be designing
the best mechanical pump based on our heart or finding out how to
transport sugar safely in airplanes or spacecrafts so people (or
astronauts) can enjoy tea.

Hope this helps.

Psychological research helps to shape our society - from the way we raise our children to the way
we treat our criminals and military enemies. But what is research and who conducts it? This lesson
explores the purposes of research in psychology and the individuals who observe, record, and alter
our behavior.

Research Definition
Research is a careful and detailed study into a specific problem, concern, or issue using the
scientific method. It's the adult form of the science fair projects back in elementary school, where you
try and learn something by performing an experiment. This is best accomplished by turning the issue
into a question, with the intent of the research to answer the question.
Research can be about anything, and we hear about all different types of research in the news.
Cancer research has 'Breakthrough Cancer-Killing Treatment Has No Side Effects in Mice,' and
'Baby Born with HIV Cured.' Each of these began with an issue or a problem (such as cancer or
HIV), and they had a question, like, 'Does medication X reduce cancerous tissue or HIV infections?'
But all I've said so far is what research has done (sort of like saying baking leads to apple pie; it
doesn't really tell you anything other than the two are connected). To begin researching something,
you have to have a problem, concern, or issue that has turned into a question. These can come from
observing the world, prior research, professional literature, or from peers. Research really begins
with the right question, because your question must be answerable. Questions like, 'How can I cure
cancer?' aren't really answerable with a study. It's too vague and not testable.
Having a question creates an internal state of 'I need to know something.' To continue the baking
example, this internal state of wanting something is like having a hankering for apple pie. Since you
are reading this in a psychology section, we will put a psychological slant on this, and hopefully lose
some of the baking metaphors.

Purpose of Psychological Research

Psychological researchers want to learn and understand human behavior. It can be about how
people think, how they feel, how they behave, or some combination of these issues. Research, and
the understanding that follows, trickles down from the scientists and alters society. There is constant
and competing research. For example, about what is the best way to punish and rehabilitate
criminals (such as Zimbardo's prison experiment), the best and worst ways to raise children (Bowlby
and attachment, Spock and children), and how to treat the mentally ill (with too many to count).
More specifically, psychological research is used to measure, describe, and categorize human
behavior. This can result in understanding what might be called normal behavior. More interesting
and more often researched are the abnormal behaviors, those that eventually become categorized
and labeled with a diagnosis. A diagnosis is a constellation of common behaviors, thoughts, and
feelings that occur together.
For example, many people suffer from depression, and research has found that exercise,
psychotropic medication, and therapy have reduced and sometimes eliminated the feelings of
sadness, guilt, and worthlessness that come from depression.
Example of Research and the Scientific Method
Research begins with an issue that comes from an observation. Let's say I am walking down the
street and I see two pigeons sitting at two different windows. I'm weird, so I'll call the first pigeon Stu
and the second pigeon Bill. When I walk past Stu the pigeon, I see him pecking at the glass.
When I walk past Bill the pigeon, I see him just sitting there, chilling like pigeons do. So, I formulate a
question: 'Why is Stu the pigeon pecking at the glass, while Bill the pigeon does not?' Next, I should
do a little research into pigeons and why they might peck at things. This is background research to
help me understand what I am looking for or at.
Next, I have to figure out how to answer my question. There are many ways a question can be
answered; most psychological studies use laboratory experiments or naturalistic studies, which will
be explored in more in depth in another lesson.
I plan on observing Stu and Bill every day I walk past them to answer my question. It isn't the most
elegant or accurate study, but it should give me an answer. I create a hypothesis, which is like
creating a prediction of what I think is happening: that Stu is being fed while Bill is not.
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