General Types of

Research
Research can be classified into three
general categories: descriptive
research, correlation or association
research and experimental or
intervention research (Fraenkel and
Wallen,1996)
Descriptive Research
 The descriptive type of study finds
answer to the questions
who,what, when, where and how.
 This type of research describes a
situation or a given state of affairs
in terms of specified aspects or
factors.
 What may be described are
characteristics of individuals
or groups( farmers, students,
administrators, entrepreneurs,
patients, etc.)
 What may be described are
characteristics of individuals or
groups( farmers, students,
administrators, entrepreneurs,
patients, etc.)
Explanatory or
Correlation
•An explanatory study goes beyond
description of the problem or situation. It
attempts to explain the possible factors
related to a problem which have been
observed in a descriptive study.
•This type of study answers the questions
why and how?
•The factors related to the problem,
however, need not be viewed as real
“causes” of the problem but factors which
are associated with or may contribute to
the occurrence of the problem.
•The explanatory type of study is also called
correlation research, in which the research
investigates relationships between factors or
variables.
•Certain factors are “assume” to explain or
contribute to the existence of a problem or a
certain condition or the variation in a given
situation.
•The researcher usually uses a theory or
a hypothesis to account for or explain the
forces that are “assumed to have caused”
the problem.
For example, relationships between the following pairs of
variables can be studied:

 Local Government employees’

knowledge -------------------------- Work Performance
about the local government code

 Gender --------------------------------------- Grades

 Knowledge about cancer ----------------------------------- Compliance With

Medical Regimen
Intervention or Experimental
Research
•The intervention or experimental type of
research evaluates the effect or outcome of
a particular intervention or treatment.
•It studies the “cause and effect”
relationship between certain factors on a
certain phenomenon under controlled
conditions.
•The subjects of the study are randomly
assigned to the experimental group and to
the control group and both are exposed to
similar conditions except for the
intervention/ treatment.
Other Dichotomies
of Research
•There are other classifications
of research. Research may also
be classified as either pure or
applied, either exploratory or
explanatory and either
quantitative or qualitative.
1. Pure Basic vs. Applied Research
Pure Basic
 This type of research attempts to describe an
existing situation and /or explain certain patterns of
behavior using either both qualitative and
quantitative research techniques.

 The goal of pure research is to offer better

descriptions and better explanation of human
behavior. The intention is to accumulate knowledge
about a certain phenomenon.
Applied Research

 It aims to see an immediate solution to a

problem.
 This type of research focuses on variables or
factors which can be changed by intervention
in order to achieved a desired goal,like
improvement of health, a school achievement
or performance or increase in revenue.
2. Exploratory vs. Explanatory
Exploratory Research
 Exploratory studies are designed to
describe an existing problem situation
and examine the underlying factors
that contribute to the emergence of
the problem, the nature of which is
not yet well known.
Explanatory Research
 The primary goal of an explanatory study is to
understand or explain a prevailing situation or
explain a relationship between factors which
may have already been identified in
exploratory studies and why the relationships
exists.
 Explanatory studies seek more specific
answers to “why” and “how” questions.
3. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
 This type of research seeks to quantify or
reflect in numbers the observations on
the characteristics of the population being
studied.
 It measures the number of respondents
or objects possessing a particular
characteristic.
Quantitative Research
 It emphasizes precise measurement and
often times requires statistical analysis of
data or the testing of hypotheses based
on a sample of observations.
Qualitative Research
 This type of research emphasizes verbal
descriptions and explanations of human
behavior and practices in an attempt to
understand how the units or members of
the study population experience or
explain their own world.
Qualitative Research
 To gather information, the researcher
makes use of one or a combination of the
following techniques : participant
observation, key informant interview,
focus group discussion, direct
observation and in-depth analysis of a
single case.
Research
Methods
There are various research methods
which one can use to study a
problem (Mercado, 1994).
1.Experimental Method

 Used to determine the effectiveness of a

treatment or an intervention or the “
cause and effect” relationship of certain
phenomena under controlled condition.
2.Survey Method

 Obtains data to determine specific

characteristics of a group. The purpose of a
survey is to get a general picture of the
characteristics of a study population at a
particular time.
 The use of the survey approach is appropriate
for most descriptive and correlation studies.
3.Historical Method
 The historical approach is used to determine
the growth and development of a group,
organization or institution.
 The description is based on information about
organization or institution.
 Most of the data are collected from secondary
sources such as records, documents, written
materials, accounts, etc.
4.Content Analysis
 It is usually used when the intention of the
researcher is to ascertain the quality of
message or information found in a document
or in mass media.
 This method is also used to test the level of
readability of certain books.
Research as a
Scientific Method
Science is defined as a systematized body of
knowledge ( Webster, 1984) Research as
scientific method, involves a systematic way of
gaining knowledge or the process of testing
ideas to see if an idea holds true in a given
situation or under controlled conditions.
As a scientific method, research involves the
following steps:
1.Identification of a problem
2. Formulation of Hypotheses
3. Data collection
4.Data analysis
5. Drawing conclusions
 Thank
You !!!
Discussant:

Ms. Lachel Joy G. Tahinay

38