FACULTY OF EDUCATION

ERS5900 KAEDAH PENYELIDIKAN

RESEARCH METHOD
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 LECTURE 02
At the end of this lecture you should
be able to differentiate between
1.basic research and applied research;
2.Qualitative and quantitative
research; and
3.Various types of research designs.

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 Research are classified based on

A. Function/focus B. Methodology or approach

1. Basic research 1. Quantitative approach
2. Applied research 2. Qualitative approach
3. Evaluation research
4. Action research
5. Orientational research

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 BASIC APPLIED
Basic research is carried Basic research is
out to build or improve carried out to solve
theory problems

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 Basic Research
• Also known as pure research
• Purely to add to the existing human
knowledge - new knowledge
• Research that has the intellectual
goal of expanding current knowledge
• This research is based on a desire
to know something
• An investigation into the
environment without special purpose
to solve a problem
• Includes research on terrestrial,
submarine, outer space and celestial
bodies
Applied Research
• To gain new knowledge for human
benefit.
• Aim to collect information or
knowledge to be used.
• Always use theory as a starting point
and the theory is born from basic
research.
• The goal is to solve the problem or
issues of practice in the local
situation.
• Certain actions can be taken
regarding a problem in practice.
• Example: To identify effective
teaching methods for teaching TESL
among middle school students in
Malaysia.
 Basic Research
• Static if the theory found can not be
tested by a researcher.
• If tested and found to be incorrect,
the fundamental researchers will
redo or repeat basic research to
improve their model or theory.
• Emphasize on in-depth study of
existing educational theories.
• The aim of basic research is to
collect empirical data that can be
used to expand and evaluate a
theory.
• Less emphasis on problem solving
practices.
Applied Research
• Basic research and applied research
complement each other
• Applied research researchers use
the theory built in fundamental
research to formulate hypotheses
• Basic research relies on applied
research to validate a theory
• Examples: Physical scientists
discover atomic structures
comprising nuclei, protons and
neutrons (Basic research).
• Other scientists use the knowledge
of atomic structures to build atomic
bombs (Applied research)
Quantitative and
Qualitative
Reseach
Approaches

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 Definitions of Quantitative and
Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research Qualitative Research
A type of educational A type of educational research
research in which the in which the researcher relies
on the views of participants;
researcher decides what to asks broad, general questions;
study; asks specific, narrow collects data consisting largely
questions; collects of words (or text) from
quantifiable data from participants; describes and
participants; analyzes these analyzes these words for
numbers using statistics; themes; and conducts the
and conducts the inquiry in inquiry in a subjective, biased
an unbiased, objective manner.
manner.

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 Features of Qualitative research
• Characterized by Humanity
• Related to attitude and behavior
• Undertaken to answer 'why' and 'how' the phenomenon
occurred
• Giving meaning to an event
• The oldest research approach - his goal of understanding
human phenomena through observation and interpretation
• Based on the belief that data can not be translated into
numbers
• Does not test hypothesis
• Does not use multiple random samples

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 Qualitative research
• Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, B.F. Skinner and
Abraham Maslow are among researchers who use
qualitative approaches - they form many concepts,
theories and ideas of psychology through perception
and understanding.
• Example: A research was conducted to understand
why effective TESL teachers were using teacher-
centered T&L methods although it was suggested to
use student-centered methods.
• ... use the word "how" ....

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 Historic Trends:
Qualitative Philosophical Ideas

• Naturalistic inquiry or constructivism

– Consider the participant’s point of view
– Describe participant’s view within a setting or
context

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 Historic Trends:
Qualitative Procedural Developments
• Central phenomenon rather than research question
or hypothesis
• Methods such as observations and interviews
• Qualitative Research Designs are
a) ethnographic studies,
b) case studies,
c) grounded theory, and
d) narrative

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 Quantitative Research
• Done to get an overview of phenomena.
• Emphasize to the group rather than the individual (Thomas
Kuhn, 1970).
• Quantitative research questions 'what' and not 'why'.
• As a result, the meaning of a phenomenon is interpreted by
the researcher rather than by the subject being studied.
• Try to approach the theory (truth).
• Data is considered as an empirical evidence of numerals or
numbers obtained through measurement and hypothesis
testing.
• Researchers need to assume evidence before data is
collected.

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 Quantitative Research
• The researcher should list the relevant variables and the
appropriate level of measurement before asking the subjects to be
studied.
• Often researchers use structured questionnaires or observational
schedules for data collection purposes.
• Quantitative evidence is assumed by researchers from the sample
population surveyed because they did not have the opportunity to
get evidence from all the populations in which the problem studied
existed.
• The researchers therefore assume that evidence on the population
is based on the data obtained from the sample.
• Random samples are required.
• The extent to which one's confidence in the assumptions is
dependent on hypothesis testing.

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 The Development of Quantitative
Research: Historical Trends
• Statistical procedures
– Correlational procedures
– Comparison of groups
– Cause/effect relationships
• Test and measurement practices
– Testing mental abilities (late 19th century)
– Measuring achievement
– Predicting achievement from standardized
measurements

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 Historical Trends:
Quantitative Research Designs

• Educational surveys (late 19th century)

• Simple experiments (early 20th century)
• Multiple groups and tests (by 1935)
• Longitudinal designs
• Books on research design (e.g., Campbell &
Stanley, 1963; Kerlinger, 1964)

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 Historical Trends and the
Characteristics of Quantitative
Research
• An emphasis on collecting and analyzing information
in the form of numbers
• An emphasis on collecting scores that measure
distinct attributes of individuals and organizations
• An emphasis on the procedures of comparing groups
or relating factors about individuals or groups in
experiments, correlational studies, and surveys

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Qualitative vs Quantitative
a summary

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 Characteristics of Quantitative and Qualitative
Research in the Process of Research
Quantitative Steps in the Research Qualitative
Characteristics Process Characteristics
•Exploratory/
•Descriptive/Explanatory Identify a Problem Understanding
•Major Role a Central Phenomena
•Justify Problem •Minor Role
Review the Literature •Justify Problem
•Specific
and Narrow •General and Broad
•Measurable/Observable Specify a Purpose •Participants’ Experience

•Predetermined •General, emerging form

Instruments •Text or image data
•Numeric Data
Collect Data
•Small Number
•Large numbers
•Text Analysis
•Statistical Analyze and •Description and Themes
•Description
of Trends Interpret Data •Larger Meanings of
•Comparisons/Predictions
Findings
•Flexible and Emerging
•Standard and Fixed Report and
•Objective and Unbiased •Reflexive and Biased
Evaluate
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 Ways in Which Quantitative and Qualitative
Research Are Similar

• They both follow the steps in the process of

research.
• The format for reporting the research problem
is the same.
• Both have data collection steps.

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 Relating Research Designs to
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
and Steps in the Research Process
Steps in the Research Process Two Approaches Research Designs
Quantitative
1. Identify a Problem Qualitative
Quantitative
2. Review the Literature Qualitative •Experimental
•Correlational
Quantitative
3 Specify a Purpose Qualitative
•Survey

Quantitative
4. Collect Data Qualitative •Mixed
•Action
Quantitative
5. Analyze and Interpret Data Qualitative •Ethnography
•Grounded

Quantitative Theory
6. Report and Evaluate Qualitative
•Narrative

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 Quantitative Designs and Uses
1. Intervention Research 2. Nonintervention Research

Explaining whether an Associating or

intervention influences relating variables
an outcome for one in a predictable Describing trends for
group as opposed to pattern for one the population of
another group group of people
individuals

Experimental Correlational Survey

Research Research Research

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 Qualitative Designs and Uses (cont’d)

Exploring common
Exploring the shared Exploring individual
experiences of
culture of a group stories to describe
individuals to
develop a theory the lives of people

Ethnographic Grounded Theory Narrative

Research Research Research

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 Combined Designs and Uses

Combining quantitative and Using quantitative and

qualitative data to understand and qualitative data for individuals
explain a research problem better. to study problems that they face
in their setting

Mixed Methods Action

Research Research

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 Choosing Whether to Use a
Quantitative or Qualitative
Approach

• Match the approach to the problem

• Fit the approach to your audience
• Relate the approach to your experiences

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 SEKIAN
…. WELL BE BACK!

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