Class 3

• A research strategy is a plan for conducting research, outlining the approach, methods, and goals of the study.
• Research objectives are the aims of a research project, specifying what the study will investigate and what it hopes to achieve.
• Quantitative research orientation uses a deductive approach to test theories, is based on a positivist approach inherent in the natural sciences, and regards social reality as an objective fact.
• Qualitative research orientation uses an inductive approach to generate theories, rejects positivism by relying on individual interpretation of social reality, and sees social reality as a constantly shifting product of perception.
• Nomothetic explanations involve attributions of cause and effect, expressed in terms of general laws and principles, and are typically quantitative.
• Idiographic explanations involve a rich description of a person or group and seek to explain the particular, are typically qualitative, and are not meant to apply to persons or groups who were not part of the study.
• The objectives of a research project delineate the intentions of the researchers and the nature and purpose of the investigations.
• Formulating research questions involves identifying the purpose of the study, specifying what will be investigated, and outlining the approach and methods.