LESSON 2

NATURE OF
RESEARCH
MEANING OF RESEARCH

• Is a process of executing various mental acts for discovering and examining facts and information to prove the
accuracy or truthfulness of your claims or conclusions about the topics of your research. (Litchman 2013)
• Is analogous to inquiry, in that, both involve investigation of something through questioning. However, the
meaning of research is more complicated than inquiry because it does not center mainly on raising questions
about the topic, but also carrying out a particular order of research stages.
• Central of this research is your way of discovering new knowledge, applying knowledge in various ways as well
as seeing relationships of ideas, events, and situations. Reasech then puts you in a context where a problem
exist.You have to collect facts, information, study such data, and come up with the solution to the problem
based on the results of your analysis. It is a process requiring you to work logically or systematically and
collaboratively with others. (Bakde 2012; Silverman 2013; De May 2013)
CHARACTERISTIC OF RESEARCH

1. Accuracy. It must give correct or accurate data, which the footnotes, notes, and
bibliographical entries should honestly and appropriately documented or acknowledged.
2. Objectiveness. It must deal with facts, not with mere opinions arising from assumptions,
generalizations, predictions, or conclusions.
3. Timeliness. It must work on a topic that is fresh, new, and interesting to the present society.
4. Relevance. It topic must instrumental and improving society or in solving problems affecting
the lives of people in community.
5. Clarity. It must succeed in expressing its central point or discoveries by using simple, direct,
concise, and correct language.
6. Systematic. It must take place in an organized or orderly manners.
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

1. To learn how to work independently

2. To learn how to waork scientifically or systematically
3. To have an in-depth knowledge of something
4. To elevate your mental abilities by letting think in higher-order thinking strategies (HOTS) of
inferring, synthesizing, appreciating, applying, and creating
5. To improve your reading and writing skills
6. To be familiar with the basic tools of research and the various techniques of gathering data and of
presenting research findings
7. To free yourself, to a certain extent, from the domination or strong influence of a single textbook
or the professor’s lone viewpoint or spoon feeding
TYPES OF RESEARCH

1. Based on application on research methods- is the research applied to the theoretical or practical issues? If it
deals with concepts, principles, or abstract things, it is a pure research. This type of research aims to increase
your knowledge about something. However if your intention to apply your chosen research to societal
problems or issues, finding ways to make positive changes in society, you call your research, applied research.
2. Based on purpose of the research- depending on your objective or goal in conducting research, you do of
any these types of research: descriptive, correlational explanatory, exploratory or action.
A. Descriptive Research- this type of research aims at defining or giving a verbal portrayal or picture of a
person, thing, event, group, situation, etc. This is liable to repeated research because its topic relates itself only
to a certain period or a limited numbers of years.
B. Correlational Research- a correlational research shows relationships or connectedless of two factors,
circumstances, or agents called variables that affect the research. It is only concerned in indicating the
existence of a relationship, not the causes and ways of the development of such relationship.
TYPES OF RESEARCH

C. Explanatory Research- this type of research elaborates or explains not just the reasons
behind the relationship of two factors, but also the ways by which such relationship exists.
D. Exploratory Research- is to find out how reasonable or possible it is to conduct a research
study on a certain topic. Here, you will discover ideas on topics that could be trigger you interest
in conducting research studies.
E. Action Research- this type of research studies an ongoing practice of a school, organization,
community, or institution for the purpose of obtaining results that will bring improvements in the
system.
TYPES OF RESEARCH

3. Based on Types of data Needed- qualtitaive research requires non-numerical data, which means that
the research uses words ruther than numbers to express the results, the inquiry, or investigation
about people’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings, views, and lifestyle regarding the object of the study.
-Meanwhile quantitavie research involves measurements of the data. Thus, it presents research findings
referring to the number of frequency of something of numerical forms (i.e., using percentages,
fractions, numbers).
-the data you deal with in research are either primary or secondary data. Primary data are obtained
through direct observation or contact with people, objects, artifacts, paintings, etc. primary data are
new and original information resulting form your sensory experience. However, if such data have
already been written about our reported on and are available for reading purpose, they exist as
secondary data.
APPROACHES TO RESEARCH

• The first is the scientific or positive approach, in which you discover and measure information
as well as observe and control variables in an impersonnel manner. It allows control of variable.
• Data given by these techniques are expressed through numbers, which means that this method
is suitable for quantitative research.
• The second approach is naturalistic approach. In contrast to the scientific approach that uses
numbers to express data, the naturalistic approach use words.
• This research approach directs you to deal with qualitative data that speak of how people
behave towards the sorroundings.
• These are non- numerical data that express truths about the way people perceive or
understand the world.
APPROACHES TO RESEARCH

• It is possible to plan your research activities based on these two approaches?

• Combining these two approaches in designing your research leads you to the third one called
triangulation approach.
• in this case you are free to gather and analyze data using multiple methods, allowing you to
combine or mixed up research approaches, research types, data gathering, and data analysis
techniques. Traiangulation approach gives you the opportunity to view every angle of the
reseach from different perspectives. (badke 2012; Silverman 2013)