DOING A RESEARCH IN COLLEGE

Meaning of
Research
In college, you involve yourself in varied school activities such as academic
contests, sports fests, elocution contests, music festivals, college week celebrations,
art exhibits, research work, debate competitions, and many more. All of these
activities are aimed to let you develop a well-rounded personality. But one or two of
these gave emphasis in honing a particular ability, e.g., making you excel in
mathematics, science, arts, music.
One school activity that every college student has to excel in is research. This
is a hallmark of a university or college education. Your research abilities reflect the
quality of your school. If you graduate from a school with superb knowledge of
research work, you can tell yourself that,"I am a product of a quality college or
university'’ Hence, the greatness of a higher education institution depends on how
knowledgeable its faculty and students are about the ins and outs of research, more
so on the application of this to their everyday life for the progress of the whole
world.
”What is research? There are many definitions of the term “research" but such
varied
definitions boil down to the primary meaning of this word, which is:
Research is a process of executing various mental acts for discovering and
examining facts and information to prove the accuracy or truthfulness of your claims or
conclusions about the topic of your research. Research requires you to inquire or
investigate about your chosen research topic by asking questions that will make you
engage yourself in top- level thinking strategies of interpreting, analyzing, synthesizing,
criticizing, appreciating, or creating to enable you to discover truths about the many
things you tend to wonder aboa the topic of your research work (Litchman, 2013).
Research is analogous to inquiry in that both involve investigation
ofsomethingthrough questioning. However, the meaning of research is more
complicated than inquiry because it does not center mainly on raising questions
about the topic, but also on carrying out a particular order of research stages. Each
stage of the research process is not an individual
task because the knowledge you obtain through each stage comes not only from
yourself, but other people as well. Thus, similar to inquiry, research involves
cooperative learning.
Central to research is your way of discovering new knowledge, applying
knowledge in various ways as well as seeing relationships of ideas, events, and
situations. Research then puts you in a context where a problem exists. You have to
collect facts or information, study such data, and come up with a solution to the
problem based on the results of your analysis. It is a process requiring you to work
logically or systematically and collaboratively with others.
To sum up your concepts about the nature of research, the following will give you
the characteristics, purposes, classification, types of, and approaches to research (Badke,
20J 2; Silverman, 2013; De Mey, 2013).

Characteristics oYResearch
1. Accuracy. It must give factual and exact data in which should be correctly
and appropriately documented or acknowledged in the footnotes, notes,
and bibliographical entries.
2. Objectivity. It must deal with facts and not with mere opinions arising
from assumptions, generalizations, predictions, or conclusions.
3. Timeliness. It must work on a topic that is fresh, new,and interesting to the
present society.
4. Relevance. Its topic must be instrumental in improving society or in solving
problems affecting the lives of people in a community.
5. Clarity. It must succeed in expressing its central point or discoveries by
using simple, direct, concise, and correct language.
6. Systematic. It must take place in an organized or orderly manner.
7. Ethical. It must be geared toward what are advantageous or beneficial
rather than what are detrimental by respecting preferences on matters of
confidentiality, independence, or freedom.

PM^R«sesof Research
1. To learn how to work independently
2. To learn how to work scientifically or systematically
3. To have an in-depth knowledge of Something
4. To elevate your mental abilities by letting you think in higher-order
thinking strategies (HOTS) of inferring, evaluating, synthesizing,
appreciating, applying, and creating
S. To improve your readins and writing skills
6. To be familiar with the basic tools of research and the various
techniques of gathering data and of presenting research findings
7. To free yourself, to a certain extent, from the domination or strong influence of
a single textbook or of the professor’s lone viewpoint or spoon-feeding
types of Research
1. Based on Application of Research Method
Is the research applied to theoretical or practical issues7 If it deals with
ideas, principles, or abstract concepts, it is pure research. This type of research
may increase knowledge about a particular subject with its nature of discovery
and application. On the other hand, if it deals with societal problems or issues, it
is applied research. This research is conducted with the purpose of answering a
question or solving a problem.
2. Based on Purpose
Depending on your objective or goal in conducting research, you do any of
these types of research: descriptive, correlatfonal, explanatory, exploratory, or
actfon.
a. Descriptive Research
This type of research aims at defining or giving a verbal portrayal or
picture of a person, a thing, an event, a group, or a situation among
others. In contrast to analytical research that focuses on the why and how
of the characteristics of a person or a thing, desCriptive research centers
mainly on the what of the subject of the study, that is, it simply aims at
exactly establishing, describing, or naming what such person or thing is all
about.
One distinctive characteristic of descriptive research lies in its research
question. It normally begins with“What is.. For instance, in the world of
business or entrepreneurship, where you run your own business and ready
yourself for any risk in the financial aspect of your commercial
establishment, research questions on topics for research in this field may
appear this way:
• What is the impact of eco-design on the marketability of a
product?
• What is the right age for undertaking Entrepreneurship
Education?
• What are the attitudes, values, and motivations of an entrepreneur?
• What are the characcurfsr/ s anal /oati‹res of the financial world?
• What are the effects of changes on interest rates,taxation,and
inflation on individuals, households, and society?
The main purpose of descriptive research is to explain the nature or ins
and outs of present events or problems in the society by collecting data
capable of casting light to such Societal issue or problem. It likewise validates
findings
of research studies. Aside from explaining things, it also validates findings
of
previous research studies.
De5criptive research is liable to repeated research because its topic
relates itself to a certain period or limited number of years. Doinp further
studies on a topic subjected to a descriptive re5earch depends on your
objective assessment of the re5ults of sUch previous study. However, in
some cases, owing to how observations take place in this kind
ofquaIitativeresearch,a numberofdescrip tive research are not due for
further study or repeated research.
Data gathering techniques for descriptiveresearch include survey
records and documents. Existing literature like books, periodicals,
ofexisting
studies, and reports found in the library are the repository or storehouse of
the said references.
b. Correlational Research
A correlational research shows relationships or connectedness between
two factors, circumstances, or agents called variables that affect the research.
It is concerned with indicating the existence of a relationship and not the
causes of such relationship. Correlation coeGcient is the expression used to
specify a numerical value to represent the strength and direction of the
relationships of variables. The following are types o”f correlational
research:
Based on changes in variables:
• Positive Correlation - if the increase of one variable results in the
increase of another variable
° Negative Correlation — if the increase works to decrease the other
variable Based on data collection technique:
• Natural Observation - observations of variables happen in a natural
environment
Survey Research — data come from questionnaire
survey Archival Research —analysis of data collected
by others
Whatever type of correlational research it is, one common thing
among all of these types is their attempt to explain the relationship of
two variables.
c. Explanatory Research
This type of research is also called “causal research" in that it
focuses on the reasons behind the occurrence of something and on the
present or future effects of such happening. First, it makes you analyze and
understand the nature of something. Second, it establishes the connection of
such thing to another one as well as clarifies the pattern or manner of their
connectivity. Third, it gives you the changes resulting from the
relationship or connection of these two things (Creswell, 2008; Fox &
Bayat, 2007).
For instance, in conducting an explanatory research about
millennials’ entrepreneurship interests, first, determine the extent of their
knowledge about their financial status as well as the link of their financial
literacy to their desire to run their own business.To determine how literate
they are about financial matters, discover how much they know about
money use, money transactions, income management, financial planning,
budgeting, and rights and responsibilities of buyerswithrespect to legal
aspects offinancial transactions or business contracts. Having a good
understanding of the connection of these two, financial literacy and
business endeavor, will enable you to identify the magnitude or degree of
cause-effect relationship.
Exploratory - What kind of Entrepreneurship Education do millennials go
for?
Explanatory - Which between entrepreneurship education and financial
literacy will have stronger impact on one’s business acumen?
 d. Exploratory Research
An exploratory research, also known as ”formulative research,’ has the
purpose of exploring a certain topic, specifically, one that was not given
clear explanations or results in previous research studies. Labeled as
formulative research, exploratory research aims at obtaining clearer
understanding of the research problem and formulating exact hypothesis or
assumptions to ensure an accurate investigation (Shields, 2OJ 3).
Here, based on the data collected, you are able to discover an
aspect of the study that will trigger your interest in conducting research
studies. This is the reason that exploratory research is, to a certain extent,
also called Grounded Theory—one type of qualitative research that makes
you discover, during your data collection and analysis, a new theory to
support you study.
For example, in researching the characteristics of millennials, in general,
you become curious of the financial literacy of these young adults in your
school or several higher education institutions in your community. You want
to discover through an exploratory research what these techno sawy and
social-conscious- minded millennials know about money use, interest
rates, inflation, right bank products to use, and their decision-making
powers for effective money expenditures in this digital age given that few
have taken on the task to do such research and the topic has not been
explored as much as it should be.
The comparison-contrast of these three research types—descriptive,
exploratory, and explanatory—is shown by the following sample
research problems:
• Descriptive - What are the attitudes of millennials toward
Entrepreneurship Education?
Action Research
This type of research studies an ongoing practice of a school, an
organization, a community, or any institution for the purpose of obtaining results
that will bring about improvements in the system. This is an investigative act done
usually by people who have already been involved in a certain practice and
institutional operations to find ways and means for better management standards.
Action research is carried out in different areas of knowledge—sociology,
psychology, medicine, health and science, and tourism among others. However, it
isfrequentlyconducted in th¥'field of education.The impact of the ever-changing society
bears the need to discover fresh, innovative, and relevant educational ideas and
pedagogical practices related to curricular offerings, disciplinary measures, and
classroom management. Several methods of action research make you observe or
interview individuals or groups, take pictures of the subjects, record field notes, let
people accomplish survey questionnaire, use videotape recorders, and so on
(Coghan & Branneick, 2014).

3. Based on Types of Data Needed

The kind of data you want to work on reflectswhetheryou wish to doa
quantitative or a qualitative research.
 Oualitative research fequires non-numerical data, which means that the
research uses content that highlights the human experience. It is largely an
investigation of data that cannot be measured but are reflective of people’s
thoughts, beliefs, feelings, views, and lifestyles. Quantitative research, on the other
hand, involves measurement of data that presents research findings in reference
to numerical forms, i.e., using percentages, fractions, and numbers.
The data you deal with in research are either primary or secondary data.
Primary data are obtained through direct observation or contact with people,
objects, aftifacts, paintings, and the like. Primary data are new and original
infofmation resulting from your sensory experience. However, if such data have
already been written about or reported on and are available for reading
purposes, they exist as secondary data.

Approaches to Research
After choosing your topic for research, what is your next move? In other words,
how are you going to approach or begin your research, deal with your data, and
establish a connection among all things or activities involved in your research?
There are three approaches that you can choose from.
The first is the scientific or positive approach, in which you discover and
measure information as well as observe and control variables in an impersonal
manner. It allows control of variables.Therefore, the data gathering techniques
appropriate for this approach are structured interviews, questionnaires, and
observational checklists. Data given by these techniques are expressed through
numbers, which means that this method is suitable for quantitative research.
The second approach is the naturalistic approach. In contrast to the scientific
approach that u5es numbers to express data, the naturali5tic approach uses words.
This re5earch approach directs you to deal with qualitative data that speak of how
people behave toward their surroundings. These are non-numerical data that express
truths about the way people perceive or understand the world. Since people look at
their world in a subjective or personal basis in an uncontrolled or unstructured manner,
a naturalistic approach happens in a natural setting.
Is it possible to plan your research activities based on these two
approaches? Combining these two approaches in designing your research leads
you to the third one called triangulation approach. In this case, you are free to gather
and analyze data using
› multiple methods, allowing you to combine or mix up research approaches,
research types, data gathering, and data analysis techniques. Triangulation approach
gives you the opportunity to view every angle of the research from different
perspectives (Badke, 2012; Silverman, 2013).