Department of Administrative and Financial Sciences

Sultanate of Oman

Scientific Research Methods –103202

Chapter – 1
Semester 2023-4
 What is Research?

• Research is a process of systematic inquiry

that entails collection of data; documentation
of critical information; and analysis and
interpretation of that data/information, in
accordance with suitable methodologies set by
specific professional fields and academic
disciplines.
• (https://www.hampshire.edu/what-research)
 More Definitions
• Research is a systematic, formal, rigorous and
precise process employed to gain solutions to
problems or to discover and interpret new facts
and relationships. (Waltz and Bausell, 1981).
• Research is the pursuit of truth with the help of
study, observation, comparison and
experiment; the search for knowledge through
objective and systematic method of finding
solutions to a problem (Kothari, 2006).
 What is the Purpose of Research?

• The research purpose is a statement of "why"

the study is being conducted, or the goal of
the study.
• The goal of a study might be to identify or
describe a concept or to explain or predict a
situation or solution to a situation that
indicates the type of study to be conducted

(Beckingham, 1974).
 The Purpose Statement
• The purpose statement identifies the variables, population and
setting for a study.
• Every study has an explicit or implicit purpose statement.
• The research purpose should be stated objectively or in a way that
does not reflect particular biases or values of the researcher.
• Researchers which do not recognize their values might include their
biases in their research.
• This car: lead the researcher to generate the answers they want or
believe to be true and might add inaccurate information to a
discipline's body of knowledge
(Kaplan, 1964)

The purpose is generated from the research problem and clearly focuses
 Types of Research
1. Application of research study: Pure and Applied Research
• Pure research: Basic research also known as Fundamental research or
Pure research is performed without thought of practical ends. It results
in general knowledge and understanding of nature and its laws. The
general knowledge provides the means of answering a large number of
important practical problems, though it may not give a complete
specific answer to any one of them. (Vannevar Bush, 1953)
(Source: National Science Foundation. Retrieved 09/10/2023)
• Applied Research, Applied research is original investigation
undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge; it is, however, directed
primarily towards a specific, practical aim or objective (OECD,
2015). It is about using the existing stock knowledge with the
appropriate methodology towards a specific objective, which is
usually related to the resolution of a practical problem. (Marotti de
Mello, A. and Wood Jr, T. (2019)
 2. Method of processing of data involved:
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Quantitative research is based on the measurement being in
numeric terms and is applicable to phenomena that can be
expressed in terms of quantity. There is a need to look at the
accuracy and trustworthiness of different kinds of quantitative
data along with their reliability and validity in quantitative
research.
• Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with
qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or
involving quality or kind. Qualitative data refers to all non-
numeric data or data that have not been quantified. Researchers
can obtain qualitative data by means of open-ended questions in
a questionnaire or from interviews. These data are always in the
form of a large amount of unstructured textual material and
cannot be analyzed straightforwardly (Bryman & Bell, 2003).
 3. Based on Objectives in Undertaking the Research:
Descriptive and Analytical
• Descriptive research are used to describe specific behaviour
as it occurs in the environment. It aims to specifically describe
a population, situation or phenomenon.
• It can answer the what, where when and how questions, but
not why questions.
• Descriptive research involves gathering of data which describe
events and then organises, tabulates and describe the data
collection. ( Glass and Hopkins)
• Analytical Research: It calls for using analytical skills, using
critical analytical thinking abilities and assessing data and
information pertinent to the research project.
 4. Inquiry Mode Employed:
Explanatory and Exploratory
• Explanatory research explains the causes of social phenomena.
– It aims to establish a relationship between variables, i.e., how one is the cause of the
other, or how when one variable" occurs the other will also occur. For instance,
explaining the relationship between broken families and juvenile delinquency, or
between drug abuse and the lack of family control, or between a students' strike in a
college and the apathy to solving students' grievances.
• Explanatory (or causal) research is mainly concerned with causes, or the
'why' factor, about a phenomenon. It does not involve comparison and the
factors of change. For instance, research on violence against women would
like to answer the question why men commit violence. Then, it is an
example of explanatory research. The hypothesis in an explanatory
research expresses the relationship between two (or more) variables, and
the research design focuses on ascertaining the 'why' aspect of the co-
relationship. Two variables in a hypothesis may be related to each other
either positively or negatively but may not have a causal relationship.
 Characteristics of Research

There are 8 core characteristics that all research projects should

have. These are:
1. Empirical – based on proven scientific methods derived from
real-life observations and experiments.
2. Logical – follows sequential procedures based on valid
principles.
3. Cyclic – research begins with a question and ends with a
question, i.e. research should lead to a new line of questioning.
4. Controlled – vigorous measures put into place to keep all
variables constant, except those under investigation.

(https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/what-is-research-purpose-of-resear
ch
 Characteristics of Research
5. Hypothesis-based – the research design generates data that sufficiently
meets the research objectives and can prove or disprove the hypothesis. It
makes the research study repeatable and gives credibility to the results.
6. Analytical – data is generated, recorded and analysed using proven
techniques to ensure high accuracy and repeatability while minimizing
potential errors and anomalies.
7. Objective – sound judgments is used by the researcher to ensure that
the research findings are valid.
8. Statistical treatment – statistical treatment is used to transform the
available data into something more meaningful from which knowledge
can be gained.

(https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/what-is-research-purpose-of-researc
h
)
 Methods of Research

Research methods for data collection fall into one of

two categories:
1. Inductive methods
and
2. Deductive methods.

(https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/what-is-research-p
urpose-of-research
)
 Methods of Research

Inductive research methods focus on the analysis of an

observation and are usually associated with qualitative
research. Deductive research methods focus on the
verification of an observation and are typically
associated with quantitative research.

(https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/what-is-research-p
urpose-of-research
)
 Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is defined as a market research

method that focuses on obtaining data through open-
ended and conversational communication. This
method is not only about “what” people think but also
“why” they think so.
For example, consider a convenience store looking to
improve its patronage.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research
 Four types of Quantitative Research

There are four main types of Quantitative research:

1. Descriptive
2. Correlational
3. Causal-Comparative/Quasi-Experimental and
4. Experimental Research. attempts to establish
cause- effect relationships among the variables.
These types of design are very similar to true
experiments, but with some key differences.