Research Types and Examples — John Benney C.

Albito | 11-Pamplona

Quantitative

 Experimental
1. A researcher noting the differences between two plant samples, one plant being
exposed to sunlight and the other kept away from sunlight
2. A researcher comparing the effectiveness of two fertilizers by applying both to a group
of plants and measuring their growth over time
 Single-Subject
1. A researcher measures how many baskets someone makes while shooting for 2 minutes
2. A researcher identifies environmental determinants of behavior disorders through
functional analysis of precursor behaviors
 Correlational
1. You want to know if there is any correlation between the number of children people
have and which political party they vote for
2. You want to know if there’s a correlation between how much people earn and the
number of children that they have
 Casual-Comparative
1. A researcher wants to know how pre-school attendance affects social maturity at the
end of the first grade
2. A researcher wants to know how having a working mother affects a child’s school
absenteeism
 Descriptive-Survey
1. An academic institution may wish to compare the performance of its junior high school
students in English language and Mathematics
2. A student wishes to evaluate faculty and teachers’ stress levels amidst the COVID-19
pandemic learning modality

Qualitative

 Ethnographic
1. An anthropologist travels to an island, lives within the society on said island for years,
and researches its people and culture through a process of sustained observation and
participation
2. An ethnographer may study medical personnel inside a high-volume hospital to
understand hospital culture and how the staff handles stress
 Phenomenological
1. A researcher studying the lived experience of parents of young children with autism
receiving special education services
2. A researcher studying the lived experience of women who underwent breast biopsy
 Grounded Theory
1. Grounded theory is used by marketing departments by letting marketing executives
express their views on how to improve their product or service in a structured way
 2. Grounded theory is often used by the HR department. For instance, they might study
why employees are frustrated by their work. Employees can explain what they feel is
lacking. HR then gathers this data, examines the results to discover the root cause of
their problems and presents solutions
 Historical
1. Analyzing diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, photographs, videos,
public opinion polls, and government records about World War 2 and relating them to
the modern day
2. Analyzing a speech made during Martial Law and its effect/impact on the modern day
 Case Study
1. Sigmund Freud’s case study on Anna O., who was experiencing symptoms of a condition
that was then known as hysteria
2. Sigmund Freud’s case study on Phineas Gage whose personality and behavior changed
greatly after a terrible accident at work that damaged his brain
 Action Research
1. A school’s admin staff conduct focus group sessions with parents to identify top
concerns. They gather these concerns to be discussed later
2. Kindergarten teachers observe other teachers handling class transition techniques to
share best practices

Mixed-Methods

 Exploratory
1. A researcher wants to know what effect does using a digital notebook have on the
attention span of middle schoolers
2. A researcher wants to find what outcomes are associated with an authoritative
parenting style
 Explanatory
1. A researcher wants to know why do multilingual individuals show more risky behavior
during business negotiations than monolingual individuals
2. A researcher wants to know how marital status affects labor market participation
 Triangulation
1. A researcher researches what makes people behave in cooperative vs. selfish ways.
They want to understand what motivates people to work with others in team
environments.
2. A researcher uses behavioral, survey, and neural data to get a complete picture of what
motivates people to behave cooperatively
 Advocacy Lens
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