Introductio

n to
Research
T.TARUGARIRA
This module gives you a solid foundation
for carrying out and compiling your final
research project before graduation as well
as prepare you for any other research
work that you may wish to undertake
outside your current academic studies..”

T.TARUGARIRA
Module overview
Throughout this module we will cover the following key areas of research and research methods:

 Definitions

 Research approaches

 Stages of the research process

 Background reading & information gathering

 Data collection

 Ethical issues in research

Rationale for studying research
methods
Research can be one of the most interesting features of any
diploma/degree course as it,

a.) offers you a measure of control and autonomy over what you learn.

b.) It gives you an opportunity to confirm, clarify, pursue – or even

discover – new aspects of a subject or topic you are interested in.
Research Definition
Generally, research is the organised and systematic method of finding answers to questions.

It is systematic because it is a process broken up into clear steps that lead to conclusions.

Research is organised because there is a planned structure or method used to reach the conclusion.

Research is only successful if we find answers, whether we like these answers or not.

Development of research is focused on relevant, useful and important questions. If there are no
questions, there can be no research.
So what is research?
Research is a process of enquiry and investigation and is systematic, methodical and ethical; research
can help solve practical problems and increase knowledge.

According to Leedy, research is a procedure by which we attempt to find systematically, and with the
support of demonstrable fact, the answer to a question or the resolution of a problem. (1989, p).

It’s an objective formal process of systematically collecting, analyzing and interpretation of data for
the purpose of providing functional information to managers for decision making.
Key elements of the definition are formal, objective, systematic, data collection, analysis and problem
solving.
 Misuse of the term “Research”
The following do not constitute a research because they lack all the basic elements of research definition;

• Mere gathering of facts or information.

• Moving facts from one situation to another.

• Esoteric activities, far removed from practical life. Reember, research is an activity which is prompted by
our need to satisfy our natural curiosity and our wish to make sense of the world around us not a mere
adventure into some mysterious processes e.g. laboratory experiments.
• As a word to get your product noticed. Very often the term ‘research’ is used in an emotive fashion to
impress and build confidence yet if you would ask for evidence of the research from people who market
their products, you would get none.
 PURPOSE(S)/USE(S) OF
RESEARCH
So what do we use research for?

The primary purpose of a research is to seek and provide answers or solutions to problems that communities face..

According to Collins & Hussey, 2003) the purpose(s) of research are to;

-Review or synthesize existing knowledge

-Investigate existing situations or problems

-Provide solution(s) to problems

-Construct or generate new procedures or systems

-Explain new phenomenon

-Analyse more general issues to generate new knowledge (Collis & Hussey, 2003)
 How research helps us to solve
problems
Research allows us to find the right solutions to key issues in our communities by:

providing facts that will help us to analyse the problem;

testing the feasibility and the impact of programmes;

finding better solutions to the challenges.

Here is an example of questions that research will help to answer in community development work:

Is it feasible to start a new project? For example, the Department of Agriculture may want to conduct a study on
whether food gardens are sustainable in drought prone areas of our country.

What impact has a project or programme had on a community? For example, a community-based organisation
may want to measure the impact of its environmental awareness programme in the local community.
Classification of research
Research can be grouped into three classes.
Uses of research…
OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
Research is focused on the following objectives;

• Categorization
◦ Involves forming a typology of objects, events, or concepts. This can be useful in explaining
what ‘things’ belong together and how e.g we could have categories of single, married, divorced,
and widowed women.

• Explanation
◦ Issues that we do not fully understand are better explained through research.

• Prediction
◦ Research makes it easier to predict future events e.g it’s easier to predict Covid 19 infection rates based on
already established researches on the disease.
Research objectives….
• creating understanding

• providing potential for control

• Evaluation
◦ It is making judgements about the quality of objects or events
WHAT MOTIVATES RESEARCH?
Government directive- Research can be directed by the government to try and get a solution for the
nation or society

Organizational problems may motivate research e.g. a company may have high rate of staff turnover.

Academic pursuance-your diploma completion requirements at Telone Centre For learning.

Desire to offer service to the society/to answer unresolved problems

To fill the gap in knowledge

Employment conditions - research stations people are employed to carry out research e.g.
Grasslands Research Station which specializes in Agricultural Research.
Research approach
 It is a plan and procedure that consists of the steps of broad assumptions to detailed methods of data
collection, analysis, and interpretation.

 It is, therefore, based on the nature of the research problem being addressed.

The research approach is essentially divided into two categories;

Data collection approach

Data analysis or reasoning.

Research approaches
Data collection research
approaches
QUANTITATIVE APPROACH QUALITATIVE APPROACH

It is objective and much emphasis is on Qualitative research is more subjective in

collecting and analysing numerical data; nature and involves examining and reflecting
on the less tangible aspects of a research
It concentrates on measuring the scale, range
subject, e.g. values, attitudes, perceptions.
& frequency.
It is often difficult to interpret and present the
It is highly detailed and structured, and
findings; the findings can also be challenged
results can be easily collated and presented
more easily.
statistically.
 Data analysis research
approaches
DEDUCTIVE APPROACH INDUCTIVE APPROACH

Deductive research moves from general Inductive research moves from situations to
ideas/theories to specific & particular situations: make or infer broad general ideas/theories.
the particular is deduced from the general, e.g.
broad theories. Inductive reasoning begins with an
observation, supports it with patterns and then
Deductive reasoning begins with a theory,
arrives at a hypothesis or theory,
supports it with observation and eventually
arrives at a confirmation e.g Imagine you wanted
to learn what the word ‘professional’ means to
a range of people.
 Classification of research
NB Research is classified according to purpose

A- Basic research or fundamental research (pure research)

oResearch carried out to provide broad and general principles, theories, results or information. It’s not focused on specific
information or problem but on providing basic information in general e.g. educational research on aims of education, motivation,
environment and its results are public.

Pure research is a source of most new scientific ideas, methods and theories used in applied research. It asks questions that seem
impractical such as causes of cancer in chickens and acts like an exploratory research aimed at gaining ideas and insights about a
research problem.

-Basic research can takes two forms:

i) Discovery of new theories

ii) Development of the existing theory

Research Classification…
B Applied research or field research (Decision Making Research)
This is research designed to offer practical solutions to a current problem or address the immediate
and specific needs of practitioners.
Applied research is used to answer a policy question and to test theories and laws discovered through
basic research and applying them into practice i.e. application of known theories.
It relies on quick, small scale study that provides practical results usable in the short term.

Primary consumers of this research are teachers, counsellors, practitioners, managers etc. Its results
may generate conflicts if the desired outcome is not the expected.
Research Classification
C Action research
It’s like applied research in many ways, hence regarded as another form of applied research with the
primary goal of facilitating social change or bring about a value oriented social change.
The difference is that applied research is carried out on a larger sample resulting in more universally
applicable findings while action research is conducted on an immediately available small sample in
order to solve the immediate problem for the same group.
 Research Classification….
D) Evaluation research
This is an applied research in which one tries to determine how well a program, theory or policy is
working.
Ethical and political conflicts may arise in this research because people may have opposing interests
in findings of a program or theory.
There are two types of evaluation researches;

Formative evaluation is built- in monitoring or continuous feedback on a theory or program.

Summative evaluation is one that looks at the final program or theory or end result
Research Classification
E) Social impact research

Is an applied research that documents social response to major changes introduced into a

community. It estimates the consequences of a planned change. *It is therefore concluded

that Action, Evaluation and Social impact researches are types of applied research.
Summary
Research is organized, systematic, objective and aims to solve problems.

 Major approaches to research are quantitative(scientific)/qualitative(non scientific) and

inductive/deductive
Researched is classified on the bases of its purpose.