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Chapter 3: Developing a Research Question

3.2 Exploration, Description, Explanation

As you can see, there is much to think about and many decisions to be made as you begin to define your research question and your research project. Something else you will need to consider in the early stages is whether your research will be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. Each of these types of research has a different aim or purpose, consequently, how you design your research project will be determined in part by this decision. In the following paragraphs we will look at these three types of research.

Exploratory Research

Researchers conducting exploratory research are typically at the early stages of examining their topics. These sorts of projects are usually conducted when a researcher wants to test the feasibility of conducting a more extensive study; he or she wants to figure out the lay of the land with respect to the particular topic. Perhaps very little prior research has been conducted on this subject. If this is the case, a researcher may wish to do some exploratory work to learn what method to use in collecting data, how best to approach research participants, or even what sorts of questions are reasonable to ask. A researcher wanting to simply satisfy his or her own curiosity about a topic could also conduct exploratory research. Conducting exploratory research on a topic is often a necessary first step, both to satisfy researcher curiosity about the subject and to better understand the phenomenon and the research participants in order to design a larger, subsequent study. See Table 2.1 for examples.

Descriptive Research

Sometimes the goal of research is to describe or define a particular phenomenon. In this case, descriptive research would be an appropriate strategy. A descriptive may, for example, aim to describe a pattern. For example, researchers often collect information to describe something for the benefit of the general public. Market researchers rely on descriptive research to tell them what consumers think of their products. In fact, descriptive research has many useful applications, and you probably rely on findings from descriptive research without even being aware that that is what you are doing. See Table 3.1 for examples.

Explanatory Research

The third type of research, explanatory research, seeks to answer “why” questions. In this case, the researcher is trying to identify the causes and effects of whatever phenomenon is being studied. An explanatory study of college students’ addictions to their electronic gadgets, for example, might aim to understand why students become addicted. Does it have anything to do with their family histories? Does it have anything to do with their other extracurricular hobbies and activities? Does it have anything to do with the people with whom they spend their time? An explanatory study could answer these kinds of questions. See Table 3.1 for examples.

Table 3.1. Exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research differences (Adapted from Adjei, n.d.)

Degree of Problem Definition	Key variables not define	Key variables not define	Key variables not define
	“The quality of service is declining and we don’t know why.”	“What have been the trends in organizational downsizing over the past ten years?”	“Which of two training programs is more effective for reducing labour turnover?
	“Would people be interested in our new product idea?	“Did last year’s product recall have an impact on our company’s share price?”	“Can I predict the value of energy stocks if I know the current dividends and growth rates of dividends?”
	“How important is business process reengineering as a strategy?	“Has the average merger rate for financial institutions increased in the past decade?”	“Do buyers prefer our product in a new package?”

Research Methods for the Social Sciences: An Introduction Copyright © 2020 by Valerie Sheppard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Developing and executing an effective research plan

Affiliation.

1 University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
PMID: 18945867
DOI: 10.2146/ajhp070197

Purpose: Practical approaches to successful implementation of practice-based research are examined.

Summary: In order to successfully complete a research project, its scope must be clearly defined. The research question and the specific aims or objectives should guide the study. For practice-based research, the clinical setting is the most likely source to find important research questions. The research idea should be realistic and relevant to the interests of the investigators and the organization and its patients. Once the lead investigator has developed a research idea, a comprehensive literature review should be performed. The aims of the project should be new, relevant, concise, and feasible. The researchers must budget adequate time to carefully consider, develop, and seek input on the research question and objectives using the principles of project management. Identifying a group of individuals that can work together to ensure successful completion of the proposed research should be one of the first steps in developing the research plan. Dividing work tasks can alleviate workload for individual members of the research team. The development of a timeline to help guide the execution of the research project plan is critical. Steps that can be especially time-consuming include obtaining financial support, garnering support from key stakeholders, and getting institutional review board consent. One of the primary goals of conducting research is to share the knowledge that has been gained through presentations at national and international conferences and publications in peer-reviewed biomedical journals.

Conclusion: Practice-based research presents numerous challenges, especially for new investigators. Integration of the principles of project management into research planning can lead to more efficient study execution and higher-quality results.

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COMMENTS

3.2 Exploration, Description, Explanation
3.2 Exploration, Description, Explanation As you can see, there is much to think about and many decisions to be made as you begin to define your research question and your research project. Something else you will need to consider in the early stages is whether your research will be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory.
PDF Syllabus: Research Methodology
Introduction to Research: Meaning and importance of Research Types of Research Research Design and Stages Selection and Formulation of Research Problem, Objective(s) and Hypothesis Developing Research Plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation, Determining Experimental and Sample Design. Data Collection:
PDF UNIT 3 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.6 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH PLAN- EXPLORATION, DESCRIPTION, DIAGNOSIS AND EXPERIMENTATION the research problem. Once the researcher identifies the research problem, the researcher must organize their thoughts in a specific order, and he needs to define the terms r
Developing and executing an effective research plan
The development of a timeline to help guide the execution of the research project plan is critical. Steps that can be especially time-consuming include obtaining financial support, garnering support from key stakeholders, and getting institutional review board consent. One of the primary goals of conducting research is to share the knowledge ...
Research Process: An Overview, Problem Identification and Definition
Research Process involves identifying, locating, assessing, and analyzing the information you need to support your research question, and then developing and expressing your ideas. These are the same skills you need any time you write a report, proposal, or put together a presentation.
PDF AY800 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1-0-0-1 PART
Meaning and importance of Research - Types of Research - Selection and formulation of Research Problem Research Design - Need - Features - Inductive, Deductive and Development of models Developing a Research Plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation, Determining Experimental and Sample Designs.
PDF Ph.D. Course work Pre-Ph.D. Examination Syllabus
on, Induction, Deduction, Development of Models. Developing a research plan - Expl ration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentat
PDF SYLLABUS
Observation and Facts, Laws and Theories, Prediction and explanation, Induction, Deduction, Development of Models - Developing a research plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation - Determining experimental and sample designs.
PDF Department of Computer Science and Engineering
1. Research Methodology Introduction to Research: Meaning and importance of Research, Types of Research, Research Design and Stages, Selection and Formulation of Research Problem, Objective(s) and Hypothesis Developing Research Plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation, Determining Experimental and Sample Design.
PDF Research Methodology: An Introduction Meaning Of Research
Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense. 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 testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the ...
PDF Research Methodology: 4 Credits
Developing a research plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation. Determining experimental and sample designs. 7 hours Unit-2: Data Collection and analysis - I: Execution of the research - Observation and Collection of data - Methods of data collection — Modeling, Mathematical Models for research, Sampling Methods- Data ...
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Unit-III - Research design and methods - Research design - Basic Principles- Need of research design -- Features of good design - Important concepts relating to research design - Observation and Facts, Laws and Theories, Prediction and explanation, Induction, Deduction, Development of Models. Developing a research plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation ...
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The term 'research design' means drawing a tentative outline, a blue print and a scheme, planning or arranging a strategy of conducting research with a through knowledge about research methodology. It can enable certain guidelines and procedure to pursue authentic and relevant investigation with a professional standard.
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Developing a research plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation Determining experimental and sample designs. Data Collection and analysis: Execution of the research - Observation and Collection of data - Methods of data collection - Sampling Methods- Data Processing and Analysis strategies - Data Analysis with Statistical ...
PDF shcollege.ac.in
Research Design - Need - Features - Inductive, Deductive and Development of models Developing a Research Plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation, Determining Experimental and Sample Designs.
developing a research plan exploration description diagnosis and
Research Methods for the Social Sciences: An Introduction. Chapter 3: Developing a Research Question. 3.2 Exploration, Description, Explanation. As you can see... Types of Research Design: Descriptive, Diagnostic. Exploratory and Experimental. • A research design is a plan according to which observations are made and....
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Meaning and importance of Research-Types of Research-Research Design and Stages Selection and Formulation of Research Problem, Objective(s) and Hypothesis Developing Research Plan - Exploration, Description, Diagnosis, Experimentation, Determining Experimental and Sample Design.
PDF Ph.D. Coursework Curriculum Course Name Credits Total 18
Unit II Various types of Research - descriptive, analytical, fundamental, applied, qualitative, quantitative, conceptual, empirical, surveys, correlations, experimental and quasi-experimental ex-post facto research, critical and action-oriented research, biographical, phenomenological, ethnographical, case studies.
PDF Syllabus: B.Des.
Computational knowledge: Basic rules of sophisticated storage and retrieval of data, development of database structures and data base management, data processing and basic operation, sorting, indexing and primary keys, Network protocols, Development of web page, search of chemical in computer networks.
3.2 Exploration, Description, Explanation
Chapter 3: Developing a Research Enter. 3.1 Normative Versus Empirical Statements. 3.2 Exploration, Report, Explanation. 3.3 Developing a Researchable Find Question. 3.4 Hypotheses. 3.5 Quantitative, Qualitative, & Mixed Research Research Approaches. 3.6 Mixed-Methods Research Approaches.
Social Research Methods/Research Design
Whereby to purpose one research project The elements of explore promotions Measurement. Three Purposes of How. Social research can serve a variety of purposes. Thre of the most influential or common purposes of research are exploration, explanation and explanation. Exploration involves familiarizing a researcher with a topic. Exploration ...
Exploratory research: Definition, Types and Methodologies
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