i uci Dr. C. Rajendra KumarPublished by S.B. Nangia for APH PUBLISHING CORPORATION 4435-36/7, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110 002 Tel. 23274050 23285807 Fax © 91-011-23274050 Email: aphbooks@vsnI.net 2008 © Author Printed in India at Balaji Offset New Delhi1 Meaning, Types and Process of Research MEANING OF RESEARCH Research is an intensive and purposeful search for knowledge and understanding of social and physical phenomena. Research is a Scientific activity undertaken to establish something, a fact, a theory, a principle or an application. It is an academic activity. Research in Common Parlance refers to a search for knowledge. One can also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. Infact, research is an art of scientific investigation. Research as a movement, a movement from the known to the unknown. It is actually a voyage of discovery. We all possess the vital instinct of inquisitiveness for, when the unknown confronts us, we wonder and our inquisitiveness makes us probe and attain full and fuller understanding of the unknown. This inquisitiveness is the mother of all knowledge and method, which man employs for obtaining the knowledge of whatever the unknown, can be termed as research. Definition of Research The Term ‘research ‘ has been defined by several experts which are enumerated below: |, According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested, solutions, collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making, deductions and reaching conclusions, and at last carefully listing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. 2. Redman and Mary define research as systematized effort to gain new knowledge.we Research Methodology D.Sleringer and M.Stephenson in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences define research as “the manipulation of things concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge ends in constructions of theory or in the practice of an art. John W. Best defines research as the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may leave to development of generalizations, principles or theories result in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events. Webster’s Twentieth century dictionary defines the term Research as a careful, patient, systematic, diligent inquiry or examination in some filed of knowledge undertaken to establish facts a principles. Advanced learner’s Dictionary of current English lays down the means of research as “a careful investigation or inquiry specially throughout search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. Research is, thus, an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. It is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment. In short, the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solution toa problem in research. The system approach concerning generalization and the formulation of a theory is also research. An examination of the above definition leads to draw the follow characteristics of Research. Research is a systematic in inquiry. 2. Research is an investigation into a subject or specific field of knowledge. 3. Research is undertaken to establish facts or principles. 4. Research is an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. Purpose of Research Many do research for various purposes. However, the main purpose tesearch is to discover answers to questions through the application of scientific procedures. The purpose of research is to find out the truth whichMeaning, Types and Process of Research 3 is hidden and which has not been discovered so far. While there are some researchers who do research to counter the challenge in solving the unsolved problems, there are some researchers who have undertaken research work on account of direction of government, curiosity about new things to create social awareness social thinking and social awakening ete., We may think of research purpose as falling into a number of following broad grouping. 1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it. 2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual situation or a group 3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else. 4. To test ahypothesis ofa casual relationship between variables. HUMAN KNOWLEDGE All human knowledge is knowledge of a man himself, which he was above to experience through natural environment. According to HUNT, E.F and Colander D.C. Human knowledge is classified into three major fields 1, Natural Science 2. Social Science 3. Humanities While Natural Science deals with material environment in which man is placed, social science in the field of human knowledge that deals with all the aspects of the group life of a man. The humanities deals with certain aspects of human culture life through religion, philosophy, music, art and literature. Social Science Social Science today is such a vast and complex field that includes economics, history, geography, political science, sociology, psycho anthropology. Social science is defined by Random Hose dictionary as the study of society and social behavior, a science or filed of study as history and economics dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity. Webster’s Dictionary defines social science as the study of people4 Research Methodology and how they live together as families, tribes, communities , races etc.. and several studies as history. economics, civics etc dealing with the structure of society and the activity of its members. RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH The problem of relevance arises because research is financed by public expenditure and thus in the ultimate analysis by people at large. Social scientists have considered the issue of relevance arising mainly because of the following features of social sciences 1. Principles of Adequacy and validity 2. Social Responsibility 3. Ethical thinking RESEARCH METHODS VERSUS METHODOLOGY To know the difference between research methods and research methodology. Research methods may be understood as all those methods. techniques that are used for conducting of research. Research methods or techniques, thus refer to the methods the researcher use in performing research operations. In other words , all those methods which are used by the researcher during the course of studying his research problem are termed as research methods. Since the object of research, particularly the applied research, is to arrive ata solution for a given problem, the available data and the unknown aspects of the problem have to be related to each other to make a solution possible. Keeping this view research methods can be put into the following three groups. |. Inthe first group we include those methods which are concerned with the collection of data. These methods wil! be used where the data already available are not sufficient to arrive at the required solutions. 2. The second group consists of those statistical techniques which are used for establishing relationships between the data and the unknowns. we The third group consists of those methods which are used to evaluate the accuracy of the results obtained. Research methods falling in the above stated last two groups are generally taken as the analytical tools of research.Meaning, Types and Process of Research 5 Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research * problems. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we are study the various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods techniques but also the methodology. Researchers not only need to know how to develop certain indices or tests, how to calculate the mean, the mode, the median or the standard deviation or chi-square, how to apply particular research techniques, but they also need to know which of these methods or techniques, are relevant and which are not and what would they mean and indicate and why, Research also needs to know the criteria by which they can decide that certain problems and others will not. All the means that it is necessary for the researchers to design his methodology for his problem as the some may differ from problem to problem. Research methodology has many dimensions and research methods do constitute a part of research methoddlogy. The scope of research methodology is wider than that of research methods. Thus, when we talk of research methodology we not only talk of the research methods but also, consider the logic behind the methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are using a particular methods or technique and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the research himself or by others. RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC METHOD Research can be termed as “an inquiry into the nature of , the reasons for, and the consequences of any particular set of circumstances whether these circumstances are experimentally controlled or recorded just as they occur”. Scientific method is the pursuit of truth as determined by logical consideration the ideal of science is to a achieve a systematic inter relations of facts. Scientific method attempts to achieve “this ideal by experimentation, observation, logical , arguments from accepted postulates _ . and a combination of these three in varying proportions”. In scientific method, logic aids in formulating propositions explicitly.and accurately so that their possible alternatives, become clear. Further logic develops the consequences of such alternatives, and when these are compared with observable phenomena. It becomes possible for the researcher or the6 Research Methodology scientist to state which alternative is most in harmony with the observed facts. All this is done through experimentation and survey investigations which constitute the integral parts of scientific method. The Scientific method is, thus, based on certain basic postulates which can be stated as under. 1. Itrelies on empirical evidence. 2. It utilizes relevant concepts. 3. It is committed to only objective considerations. 4. It presupposes ethical neutrality i.e. it aims at nothing but making only adequate and correct statements about populations objects. 5. It results into probabilistic predictions, 6. Its methodology is made known to all concerned for critical scrutiny and for use in testing the conclusions through replication. 7. It aims at formulating most general axioms or what can be termed scientific theories. Thus, “The scientific method encourages a rigorous, impersonal mode of procedure dictated by the demands of logic and objective procedure. “Accordingly, scientific method implies an objective, logical and systematic method i.e. a method free from personal bias or prejudice, a method to ascertain demonstrable qualities of a phenomenon capable of being verified a method wherein the research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning a method wherein the investigation proceeds in an orderly manner and method that implies internal consistency. TYPES OF RESEARCH The basic types of research are as follows: Descriptive Vs Analytical Descriptive research includes surveys and fact findings enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs, as it exists at present. In social science and business research we quite often use the terms ex-post fact research for descriptive research ‘studies. The main characteristics of this method are that the research has no control over the variables; he can only report what hasMeaning, Types and Process of Research 7 happened or what is happening. Most ex-post fact research projects are used for descriptive studies in which the researcher seeks to measures such items as for example, frequency of shopping, preferences of people, or similar data, Ex-post fact studies also include attempts by researchers to discover causes even when they cannot control the variables. The methods of research utilized in descriptive research are survey method of all kinds, including comparative and corelational methods. In analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze these to make a critical evaluation of the material. Applied or Fundamental Research Research can either be applied (action) research or fundamental (or basic or pure) research. Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial business organizations, ‘whereas fundamental research is mainly concerned with generations and with the formulation of a theory “Gathering Knowledge’s sake is termed “pure or “basic” research. Difference between pure research and applied research: Pure Research Applied Research 1. Aims to illuminate the theory Aims to solve a problem by by enriching the basic of a enriching the field of discipline application of a discipline 2. Studies a problem usually froin Often several disciplines the focus of one discipline collaborate for solving the problem . 3. Seeks generalizations Often studies individual cases without the objective to generalize 4. Tries to say why things happen Tries to say how things can be : changed 5. Works on the hypotheses that Recognizes that other variables variables not measured remains are constant by changing, constant 6. Reports in technical language —__ Reports in common language of discipline8 Research Methodology Quantitative Vs Qualitative Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that.can be expressed in terms of quantity. Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind, For instance, when we are interested in investigating the reasons for human behavior, we quite often talk of “Motivation Research”, an important type of qualitative research. This type of research aims at discovering the underlying motives and desires, using in depth interviews for the purpose. Other techniques of such research are word association teSts, sentence, completion tests, story completion test and similar other projective techniques. Attitude or opinion researches i.e., research, designed to find out how people fee! or what they think about a particular subject or institution is also qualitative research. Qualitative research is specially important in the behavioral sciences where the aim isto discover the underlying motives of human behavior. Though such research we can analyses the various factors which motivate people to behave ina particular manner or which make a people like or dislike a particular thing. It may be stated, however, that to apply qualitative research in practice is relatively a difficult job and therefore, while doing such research, one should seek guidance from experimental psychologists. Conceptual Vs Empirical Conceptual research is that related to some abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by philosophiers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones on the other hand, empirical research relies on experience or observatory alone, after without due regard for system and theory. It is data based research coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified by observation or experimental type of research, In such research it is necessary to get at facts firsthand, at their source, and actively to go about doing certain things to stimulate the production of desired information. In such research the researcher must first provide himself with a working hypothesis or guess as to the probable results. Empirical research is appropriate when proof is sought that certain variables affect other variables in some way. Evidence gathered through experiments or empirical studies in today considered to be most powerful support possible for a given hypothesis. Experimental Vs Non-Experimental Research According to another classification, research can be either experimental research or non-experimental research. Experimental research make changes’ in independent variables and studies their effects onMeaning, Types and Process of Research 9 ‘dependent variables under controlled conditions. The variables which is supposed to be the cause of change is known as the independent variable and the variable that varies as a consequence of change is called the dependent variable in time. It is the variable we predict to thus in a study where it is hypothesized that the sales man who are paid in a salary basis, the independent variable is the basis compensation (Salary or Commission) and the dependent to which the changes in sales performance can: be attributed to the form of compensation and the extend they can attributed to chance or to some other variable Non-experimental research is one which the research simply measures the present level of the independent variable. For example, if researcher wants to list the hypothesis whether increased autonomy of a job increases the level of satisfaction of workers, he may carry this out in two ways. First, he may take an existing job and redesign it to vary its levels of autonomy and see if these are cnacomitant variations in workers level of job satisfaction. This is conducting an experiment in which he actually manipulates autonomy, the study’s independent variable. Second, he may look at incumbents in jobs that differed in terms of autonomy all see if job with greater autonomy have given greater level of job satisfaction to their incumbents. This is conducting a non-experimental study (an Ex-post facto research ) where he is comparing the experienced job satisfactory level for the individuals on the several jobs to know if at all job autonomy is related to job satisfaction. Difference between experimental and non-experimental research Experimental Research Nan-experimental research 1. This type of research always In this type of research it is not begins with some hypothesis essential to always have a which the research wants to test hypothesis. All exploratory researcher and many descriptive researcher do not have any hypothesis. 2. Data generated by this research Data generated by this type of are used to establish cause-and research are not helpful in affect relationship between two establishing the cause and variables, On the basis of these effect relationships between data one can predict changes in variables. They can be used the independent variable. only to describe certain relationships without showing their functional interdependence.