1. DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH 

 

Descriptive research design is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way. The descriptive research attempts to describe, explain and interpret conditions of the present i.e. “what is’. The purpose of a descriptive research is to examine a phenomenon that is occurring at a specific place(s) and time. A descriptive research is concerned with conditions, practices, structures, differences or relationships that exist, opinions held processes that are going on or trends that are evident.  

The results from a descriptive research can in no way be used as a definitive answer or to disprove a hypothesis but, if the limitations are understood, they can still be a useful tool in many areas of scientific research. Several methods which are used to for the descriptive research are as Follows: 

 

 

a) Correlational Research

b) Causal-Comparative Research

c) Case Study

d) Ethnography

e) Document Analysis

f) Analytical Method

 

 

2. ANALYTICAL RESEARCH

 

Analytical or explanatory research is a continuation of descriptive research. The researcher goes beyond merely describing the characteristics, to analyzing and explaining why or how the phenomenon being studied is happening. Thus, analytical research aims to understand phenomena by discovering and measuring causal relations among them. For example, information may be collected on the size of companies and the levels of labor turnover. A statistical analysis of the data may show that the larger the company the higher the level of turnover, although as we will see later, research is rarely that simple. An important element of explanatory research is identifying and, possibly, controlling the variables in the research activities, as this permits the critical variables or the causal links between the characteristics to be better explained. A variable is a characteristic of a phenomenon that can be observed or measured.

 

3. APPLIED AND BASIC (FUNDAMENTAL) RESEARCH

 

A standard classification of research divides projects into applied research and basic research. Applied research is a study that has been designed to apply its findings to solving a specific, existing problem. It is the application of existing knowledge to improve management practices and policies. The research project is likely to be short-term (often less than 6 months) and the immediacy of the problem will be more important than academic theorizing. For example, you might be investigating the reorganization of an office layout, the improvement of safety in the workplace or the reduction of wastage of raw materials or energy in a factory process. The output from this type of research is likely to be a consultant’s report, articles in professional or trade magazines and presentations to practitioners.  

 

When the research problem is of a less specific nature and the research is being conducted primarily to improve our understanding of general issues without emphasis on its immediate application, it is classified as basic or pure research. For example, you might be interested in whether personal characteristics influence people’s career choices. Basic research is regarded as the most academic form of research, as the principal aim is to make a contribution to knowledge, usually for the general good, rather than to solve a specific problem for one organization.  

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Basic research may not resolve an immediate problem but will contribute to our knowledge in a way that may assist in the solution of future problems. The emphasis, therefore, is of academic difficulty and the strength of the research design. The output from basic research is likely to be papers presented at academic conferences and the articles published in academic journals.