Q4 ENGLISH

• Research


  A scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic/area
• The word "research" originated from the old French word "recerchier" meaning to search and search again
• Research literally implies repeating a search for something and implicitly assumes that the earlier search was not exhaustive and complete in the sense that there is still scope for improvement
• Research


  A search for knowledge
• Objectives/Purposes of Research

  • Exploration
  • Description
  • Causal Explanation
  • Prediction
• Exploration


  • Finding out about some previously unexamined phenomenon, particularly useful when researchers lack a clear idea of the problems they will meet during the course of the study
• Description


  • Data based information-gathering activities, trying to discover answers to the questions who, what, when, where and sometimes how
• Causal Explanation


  • An explanatory study that goes beyond description and attempts to establish cause-and-effect relationship between variables
• Prediction


  • Seeks to answer when and in what situations an event will occur, if it can be provided plausible explanation for the event in question
• Qualities of a Good Research


  • Systematic
  • Logical
  • Empirical
  • Replicable
• Systematic


  • Research is structured with specified steps to be taken in a specified sequence in accordance with the well-defined set of rules, does not rule out creative thinking but rejects the use of guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions
• Logical


  • Research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning and the logical process of induction and deduction, makes research more meaningful in the context of decision making
• Empirical


  • Research is related basically to one or more aspects of a real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for external validity to research results
• Replicable

  • Research results are to be verified by replicating the study and thereby building a sound basis for decisions
• Classification of Research


  • Basic Research
  • Applied Research
  • Evaluative Research
  • Historical Research
  • Descriptive Research
  • Correlational Research
• Basic Research


  the solution to the research problem has no apparent applications to any existing practical problem but only to the scholarly interests of a community of researchers, has no practical value or has little direct impact on action, performance or policy decision
• Applied Research


  variously known as action research, a type of research that covers a wide range of social science areas, inspired by the needs of social action and aims at finding a practical solution for an immediate problem of sociality making optimal use of the available resources
• Evaluative Research

  Concerned with the evaluation of such occurrences as social and organizational programs or intervention, attempts to assess implemented activities, examine effects of activities, assess short-term effects, determine the impact of a program, and evaluate success of intervention
• Historical Research


  Utilizes historical sources like documents, remains, etc. to study events or ideas of the past, including the philosophy of persons and groups at any remote point of time, with the purpose of arriving at conclusions concerning trends, causes or effects of past occurrences
• Descriptive Research


  deals with the question ‘what is’ of a situation; Includes case studies, surveys and fact-findings enquiries, with the major purpose of describing the state of affairs as it exists at present, where the researcher has no control over the variables and can only report what has happened or what is happening
• Correlational Research


  The most likely type of research to answer the relationship among variables or events, aims at determining the degree of relationship between two or more quantifiable variables and using the relationship for making predictions
• Significance of Research


  • Provides the basis for nearly all government policies in the economic system
  • Solves various operational and planning problems of business and industry
  • Develops strategies and models in rural development
  • Increases the role of research in several fields of applied economics
  • Inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and promotes the development of logical habits of thinking and organization
  • Attains a high position in the social structure for students writing a master's or PhD thesis
  • A source of livelihood for professionals
  • Develops new style and creative work for literary men and women
  • Generalizes new theories for analysts and intellectuals
• Descriptive studies 


  situations and events which are described through studies
• Induction


  the process of reasoning from a part  to  the  whole
• Deduction


  the process of  reasoning from some premise to a conclusion which follows  from that very premise
• Redman and Mary


  define  research  as  “a  systematized effort  to  gain  new  knowledge”.