Welcome again!
Today we’ll start with the various types
of Research Methods.
Now, this is a very very important topic I
would say, for NET examination.
Before we start understanding why do we need
various types of research methods or there
are difference types of research method.
Let’s understand, why there is a need for
different research methods?
So, let’s say I have case 1 where there
was a Tsunami, and after the Tsunami I’m
studying the effect of it on the people in
that area.
In case 2 I have a kind of new drug that has
been released in the market and I am trying
to understand the impact of the drug on the
age group Say 5 – 15 years.
Now these two are Different cases and the
methodology or the approach that I would use
for case 1 & case 2 would be entirely different.
Since in case 1 there is something that has
already happen and we are studying the impact
after the event is over, we would be using
a kind of ex post facto research.
We’ll see further what it means?
In case 2 we are trying to do an experiment
of a new drug that has been released on in
age group of 5 – 15 years enhance we would
be using a kind of experimental design.
So, the approach or the methodology that I
am using to study case 1 and case 2 is entirely
different.
So, it is important to understand the various
research methods are which method should be
applied where is in integral part of it.
Now, most simple question when they are asked
you have either a case study or a scenario
given or an event given and then you are asked
to say or asked “what kind of research would
be applied on this” in a case like this.
So, in all those cases you need to be very
clear about the concepts of the various types
of research.
Now before we move further to the individual
types of research, let’s first understand
the basic frame work.
Now the framework says, we have already covered
this on the session on the research methodology
that we have covered previously.
Now here we would be trying to understand
is we have a kind of research problem.
We have the logic of the research.
Why we are using the certain research and
then we use a type of research and this is
what we’ll be focusing today.
Our entire focus would be exclusively on the
type of research design today.
And finally, based on the type of research
design that you are using, you device a methodology.
For E.G. if say all my research is quantitative,
I use more of the statistical analysis.
So, the methodology that would be used would
be determined by the type of research design
that I’m using.
Now, let’s start with the various research
method.
Now, we are classifying the research methods
under 14 major heads.
Now, this would be considered as one major
head however there are two types of researches
that we would be discussing.
Now, the basic research versus applied Research.
Basic research is also known as pure research
or fundamental research, basic research tries
to devise or move forward to understand the
new knowledge
So, what is the importance under the basic
research is we are trying to formulate a new
theory so it’s advancement of the exiting
theory or a step towards formulating a new
theory.
That’s what we deal under the basic research
or pure research or fundamental research what
we say.
Now this kind of research is usually done
in technical language so a person in a specific
subject matter who is an expert in a subject
matter can very well comprehended but a common
man cannot understand it.
For example if I do a basic research and say
physics a person from a background a physics
would be well able to comprehended.
But a person from a background of a humanities
may or might not be able to a comprehend that.
The next type of research is that we are talking
about is applied result now applied research
aims to solve specific problems, so that’s
the key here under fundamental research we
are trying to gain a new knowledge so we are
trying to explore all the areas why, what,
how, where so all those would come under fundamental
research.
But when it comes to applied research we are
nearly focusing on the specific problem so
when we are focusing on one single problem
our aim is to get an immediate solution from
the problem so immediate solution to the problem
is another aim and since applied research
is aimed at a specific problem it is usually
in a common man’s language that everyone
from all backgrounds can understand.
The next type of research is fixed v/s flexible.
Now fixed research is a research where you
have a kind of design that is fixed.
It is driven by theory and it is measured
quantitatively so since you have fixed parameters
the only way you give major is through numbers
so it’s quantitative measurement
However under flexible research you have more
freedom of data collection i can say i am
collecting data through interviews, through
surveys, through telephonic interviews or
telephonic question is so all those who come
under a flexible research where i am having
more than one dimension of research and finally
you have the flexible research is qualitative
in nature
The next type we’ll understand is quantitative
vs. Qualitative
Now as the name goes quantitative works with
data collection or numbers so what we are
trying to do here is understand the various
collection methods and analysis of the data.
So this data is mainly statically analysed
and the data that is obtained is the mainly
in the form of questions, stickiest or surveys.
This quantitative method assumes that world
is stable and what we can do is we can major
on quantify the data.
However the qualitative data on the other
hand says that the world is unstable it’s
not coherent so every idea of one people differs
from the idea of another people so it’s
not uniform and what we need to major is through
non-humaric ways like observation, interview
so, all these behaviour techniques would come
under qualitative assessments.
Again qualitative assessments is more narrative
and field focus and the basic idea here is
the approach is inductive or imparacle however
under quantitative the approach is deductive
or logical.
Now let’s quickly recap what we had talked
about the deductive and the inductive approaches.
Now inductive I’ll remind again the call
it is isg is the best way to remember so move
from specific to journal and inductive approach
and vice versa under deductive approach.
So this is the cycle if you move from theory
to data and finally to theory you would have
a kind of deductive approach.
However under inductive you move from specific
data and come up to a theory.
So under inductive approach we also call it
as ethnographic inductive logic what we do
is we read we gain experience we describe
the implications and explain it.
However under hypothetico deductive logic
what we do is we read we develop the idea
we gather evidence test the findings and finally
discuss the findings.
Now the next type of the research here is
experimental vs. Non-experimental
Experimental as I said there is a kind of
very simple way to explain it.
There are two groups let’s say a control
group and a experimental group.
For control group I’m not manipulating the
independent variable.
However for experimental group I’m manipulating
the independent variable.
We will be discussing variables more in a
separate topic.
Just for now we will talk about the difference
between independent variable and dependent
variable.
Let’s say age varies with IQ.
So what is warring here is age so age becomes
the dependent variable.
However age is dependent on what parameter
it is dependent on IQ so IQ becomes the independent
variable.
So under experimental settings what we are
trying to do is we are trying to manipulate
the independent variable and we are trying
to see the effect of change of independent
variable on the dependent variable.
So this is run under a control setting.
So now what kind of controls can you use under
an experiment.
These can be physical controls.
So i am limiting the number of people who
are sitting in the room.
So that’s the kind of physical control I
am checking out the ambiance so that the person
who is working on the questionnaires is not
distracted.
It can be selective so i am picking up specific
age group so that is another kind of control
or it would be statistical while calculating
So all this we talk about under the experimental
study and experimental studies primarily based
on cause and effect relationship.
However non experimental studies use theory
and reasoning and they have a much wider scope
the common types of non-experimental research
that we talk about are exploratory, descriptive
and historical.
Let’s understand these one by one.
Now the first one is exploratory vs. the confirmatory
approach.
Now let’s talk about the confirmatory approach
first.
Confirmatory approach is a kind of A priory
hypotheses they talks about the outcome predictions
that are made before the measurement phase
begins.
So i have a kind of measurement that i am
trying to do and before that I have kind of
outcome predictions in mind.
If this would be the event these would be
the outcome so that’s the kind of confirmatory
research and these are used to derive from
a theory or the result of a previous study
that has been already done.
However exploratory is much wider you are
trying to explore new possibilities, new areas
where there is existing polity of knowledge.
So let’s see there are many few people who
are doing research in say how to land on the
moon or how to establish or how to prepare
homes at mars for e.g.
So that’s the kind of exploratory study
so what you are doing is there is a little
knowledge about whether there is life is possible
at mars or not.
So what the study would involve is a kind
of testing of hypotheses becomes very difficult
here.
So it’s a kind of A posteriori hypotheses
that we try to do where we are examining the
dataset and looking on to the potential relations
that could be establish between the variables.
So that is what is exploratory.
Again, exploratory research has high degree
of uncertainity do not know whether my research
would be successful or not and you are ignoring
the subjects you are not bothering about the
subjects per say.
So, you are ignoring the subject and you are
only focuses on generating some new discoveries
which can be by means of case study, by means
of projective techniques or by means of ethnography
where you are discussing about different cultures
So all those would be kind of exploratory
study
The next is explanatory
Now be very careful there is a difference
between exploratory and explanatory.
So these are totally two different types of
research methods.
Explanatory is also known as casual research
and it talks again about the cause effect
relationships similar to an experiment but
we are not exactly doing an experiment here
so it would not be a kind of laboratory experiment
or field experiment that we are doing but
we are trying to understand the cause effect
relationship.
So let’s say the impacts of x on y so impact
of rain fall on agriculture for E.G. would
be a explanatory study so we can say if the
rain fall is less the agriculture would be
less so that’s a kind of cause effect relationship
it employees statistical data it can sometime
employ experimental methods but it is not
exactly the experimental method note again
these two are different we have experimental
method that is different from explanatory
method.
However explanatory method can employ experimental
method as one of it’s ways to do the research
again explanatory research is much more conclusive
i have strong results when I come up with
a findings of an explanatory research and
this conclusive research has to establish
a good relation between the cause variable
and the effect that has been predicted.
So, this was the explanatory or casual research
and this is very different from the exploratory
research where you are trying to explore the
new possibilities.
The next is descriptive
Now descriptive research is again interesting.
The only thing that you need to know here
is you are not dealing with how.
The only thing that you are dealing with is
what and why.
you are not into how things are form, how
things work.
So, all that parameter of how where you have
element of a functioning is totally ignored
from the descriptive research so what are
the benefits of multimedia text book as compared
to print text book.
So let’s say if you have an Examrace book
you would see the you tube links embedded
within the books so that would be kind of
multimedia textbook so what would be the advantages
of that over print media you can say ok I
am reading the topic on research methods and
I have a link for that types of video so that’s
well and fine I can have the theory as well
as the video so it would be a kind of audio
visual way of study and so that would be kind
of multimedia textbook
The next is the descriptive method more structured
as compare to exploratory method because under
exploratory you are trying to define new boundaries.
This is further divided either into static
or dynamic.
Static deals with one single phenomena.
For E.g. let’s say!
Public opinion, however dynamic is based on
two methods cross sectional and longitudinal.
Longitudinal means how it varies over time.
So, let’s say 10 years back and 10 years
from now.
How the things would be related a kind of
longitudinal study.
Cross sectional study would be over the same
time period.
So, you have the time period that remains
the constant but you are trying to understand
the different aspect of the study at the same
time so that is the cross sectional study.
Now, Descriptive research can further be done
in the three heads.
You have either the survey studies where you
are trying to access the characteristics of
whole population.
Interrelationship studies where you are trying
to see the inter relationship among data it
can be in the form of case studies, casual
comparative or correlational study will be
understand the casual comparative and correlational
studies further.
Then you have the developmental study which
talks about changes with time.
So, pre-dominantly a kind of longitudinal
study.
And this would help you understand the growth,
trend and the model development.
The next is historical research now.
As a name suggested it deals with the past
events.
Since it is dealing with the past events it
is more qualitative.
You are not exactly working on data and numbers.
So, it’s kind of qualitative study.
What Harappans use to do, how was there lifestyle
and how is our lifestyle.
So, that’s the kind of historical research
we are doing.
How the lifestyle or settlement patterns have
evolved over the years.
Now, the historical research can be done or
the data for it could be collected by two
ways primary source and secondary source.
Primary source as the name of the direct source.
So, any artefacts or any remains or any relets
that you find from the Ancient time would
be the primary source.
The secondary source would include textbooks,
news papers, periodicals and generals.
The criticism for historical research can
again be divided into two.
External criticism and internal criticism.
The external criticism would say the source
that I’m using is not genuine so let’s
say I’m using some relic or I’m using
some artefact but that is not a genuine source
it’s not as old as a harappan civilization
so that’s a kind of a external criticism.
The internal criticism talks about the bases
for the accuracy and a competence of a writer.
So the person who is writing the text who
is writing in the periodical or the journal
is not the competent writer and there are
flows with the accuracy of the data or the
accuracy of the information.
Now as we said we will be discussing the casual
comparative and the co-relational study and
other inter-relational studies those are here.
So casual comparative is also known as ex-post
facto.
Now the simplest way to understand ex-post
facto is it’s after the fact has happened.
So it’s ex-post facto.
So once the fact has happened you are studying
it and that is what is ex-post facto and most
of the students get struck up and what is
ex-post facto the name only appears difficult
to most of them.
Now important thing to note here is it implies
or it use of quasi experimental designs quasi
experimental designs is a design where participants
are not randomly assign so you have two groups
which have different independent variables
and you are comparing them on a dependent
variable.
So you are comparing two different groups
with different independent variables on a
common dependent variable.
So independent variable becomes the cause
here which is prior to study and affects to
the dependent variable that’s the effect.
So as i said tsunami hit areas and studying
the people of the tsunami hit area after the
tsunami has accrued would be a kind of ex-post
facto research and under this study what is
important is researcher cannot alter so i
cannot let’s say I am doing a study where
we talk about the impact of over weight on
a person’s behaviour.
So to study that i cannot ethically make a
person over weight so that’s one of the
major limitations I would say of this ex-post
facto research or what it implies is studies
what researcher cannot alter.
So this is something I cannot alter, I cannot
make a person over weight just because I want
to study the overweight persons behaviour.
So this is something that is very very important
to understand you cannot alter the study under
ex-post facto.
The next is correlation research.
As the name suggest what you are trying to
do is, you are trying to apply correlation
here.
So, you are trying to study relationship between
two variables.
When you are studying the relationship between
two variables.
It’s kind of quantitative studies that you
are using and you are moving from the minus
one zero to plus one that’s the range of
co-relation.
That means a strong positive co-relation is
plus one, minus one is strong negative co-relation
and zero stands for no co-relation
So let’s say age varies with IQ if i say
the value is plus one that means age varies
with IQ is strongly co-related and as you
increase in the age the IQ increases.
If i say they are not co-related that means
they are independent and all the parameters
would be randomly distributed.
So i do not know what is the effect of age
on IQ when i say age varies with IQ i would
say when it is negative one it means it declining
so as you increase an age as you grow in age
the IQ would decline.
So these are the three cases that we try to
understand under a co-relational research.
The next is evaluation research.
It deter minds the impact of social intervention.
So the impact of programme of any specific
social problem would be studied under evaluation
research it implies four different methods.
The first is scientific experimental method
that has good accuracy and objectivity the
next is management oriental strategy.
That implies either PERT approach or CPM approach.
CPM approach talks about the critical path
that should be followed and finally the programme
evaluation and review.
So these are the two methods which work under
management technique under qualitative anthropological
model we talk about the importance of observing
and finally under participant oriented we
talk about whether the approach is client
centered or stakeholder approach so whether
it is focused on a client or it is focused
on the stakeholder.
So these are the various ways under which
we try to understand evaluation research the
most important idea to know here is evaluation
research understands the impact of social
inter so any phenomena that accures it’s
impact on social sittings or how it deals
with social problem is important.
Under evaluation we again had two different
types either a formative evaluation or a summative
evaluation.
Summative evaluation accrues towards the end
so it’s the final outcome you are trying
to examine the effect or the final outcome.
And it’s similar to the FA and the SA exam
that you had used to have in boards so it’s
the formative assessment and the summative
assessment so summative evaluation you have
towards the end so what is important as you
studying the outcome the impact is much broader
then the outcome that’s the second parameter
under summative evaluation
The next is secondary analysis and meta analysis.
Secondary analysis you re-examine the data
to address new questions so whatever new question
come up you try to understand those and you
try to re-examine the data based on the new
questions to answer the new question that
come up.
And meta analysis is integrating the various
outcomes from multiple studies so let’s
say the outcome from four different studies
and integrated under one hand and that would
be meta analysis when we talk about formative
our aim is to improve the object being evaluated
so that it performs well when it comes to
summative assessments we can say that in simple
terms so formative is a kind of midterm assessments
so what we are trying to do is we are trying
to help students we are trying to help to
participant understand how you could perform
better next time it again involves four strategies
so you have the need assessment when you are
trying to understand who needs what and how
great or how important that need is the next
is evaluative assessments you are trying to
see whether that evaluation is feasible in
that region or not we are trying to do a structured
conceptualization seeing that the participant
has a conceptional building on that idea he
is working and finally it’s implementation
should be transparent it should not be affected
by other parameters and that should be no
buyers and finally as we said this is the
process which aims to improve the object who
is being evaluated so ultimately it’s a
kind of determined for the object.
The next research is diagnostic research under
diagnostic research we try to find the cause
so it’s when you have the things have already
happened so let’s say vary good e.g. would
be a case of medical you have a mosquito bite
and the person who already has malaria.
Now once you know the person is diagnosed
that he has malaria we are doing the diagnostic
research we are trying to understand the cause
and emerge from the problem by diagnosis and
providing the adequate medicine
However under prognostic research what you
do is that region is prone to malaria because
that region is a breeding from numerous mosquitos
so what we need to rule out is rule out the
breeding ground of mosquito so that is a kind
of prognostic research we are trying to find
a relationship between the outcome that is
malaria and the predictor here which is the
breeding areas so we are trying to find out
the relation between two and then you take
necessary force of action to prevent the outcome
so prognostic research focuses on early detection
and cure both of these are commonly used in
medical sciences.
The next important is action research which
was asked in January two thousand and seventeen
and since it was asked in January two thousand
seventeen it has it is being important for
the next upcoming examinations.
So we discuss this in detail.
Now action research as we talked about the
evaluative research or other evaluation research
action research is different it’s a kind
of more inclient towards applied research
because we are trying to solve an immediate
problem that’s the first key element we
are trying to solve the immediate problem
again you have the actors who are working
to solve that problem so the main people who
are working to solve the problems are known
as actors and since you have actors who are
working around you call this as action research.
This is led by a team and that would have
a practical approach or a participatory approach
so i can involve all the members of the team
and work around as a participatory approach
or i can have a much practical outlook and
work on the individual eminence.
So that is how you work around with action
research it might include observation, interview,
field note, survey or questionnaire now this
action research can be further classified
into three hands the individual research where
you are studying just one person you have
a collaborative research where you have two
or more group of person or you have a kind
of a school wide or region wide action research
where you are involving the entire group that
is present in that region be at school be
at collage or be at any reasons specific problem
what you are trying to address so you have
a kind of entire system that would works together.
So these are the basic three ways under which
you understand the action research
Now we have talked about the various types
of research now the most important thing here
is what kind of research should be applied
where
So let’s say exploratory research what we
are trying to do was explore new ideas explore
the possibilities so what kind of questions
they are asked what is the case what are the
key factors that’s the basic thing you must
keep in mind descriptive questions focuses
on how many what is the incidence of x or
how are the relationship between in x and
y
Now how many is fine but we are not talking
about how so be very careful previously we
said how is not a Part of descriptive research
so how things function would not be a part
but how many the count the basic what and
why would be a part of descriptive research
so how many can be a part of descriptive research
but how things work, how things function would
be not a part of a descriptive research casual
questions would ask why what are the causes
for x or y then you have evaluated research
that would understand what was outcome for
x or has been more successful than y so all
those question like these would be address
under evaluative research that under predictive
we are trying to see the impact of one on
the other so it’s effect of y on x so that’s
a kind of predictive research finally under
historical research what let to happening
of y or what were the events that led up to
y what cause y
So all these are a kind of study where you
are trying to understand a past elimence so
all these would be a falling under the historical
research so this was just to give you an idea
of what we had studied till now so that you
have a kind of mental picture while you need
to study the types of research and what are
the kinds of research.
Now again one important thing that we missed
during the seccion that was research design
and research methodology are two different
areas under research methodology research
design and focuses to work on the end goal
so i have to reach the final step by hook
or crook so that’s what is research design
However under research methodology my focus
is to work on the process how to reach my
goal so when you are focuses to reach the
end product the final step you either apply
historical study or exploratory study again
you have the point of departure that is driven
by the research problem or the research question
and it focuses on the logic of the research.
However when you are trying to reach the process
you would do either surveys you would do document
analysis you analysis by means of secondary
data primary data so all those would go under
the research methodology and this is driven
by the task you have in hands so it mainly
the data collection i would say when it comes
to quantitative research when it comes to
qualitative research it could be by means
of observation or by means of interviews
Now basic idea under research methodology
is to focus on individual steps and not on
the logic where is result design the total
aim to focus on the logic and move forward
to the end product so with this we covered
the types of research and the research methods
we would be working around with more topics
related to research methodology like sampling,
variable, hypotheses in the further lectures
have a good day.
