CLASSIFICATION OF
RESEARCH METHODS
Research methods can be broadly classified into two main categories:
quantitative research and qualitative research.
1. Qualitative research
2. Quantitative research
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, motivations, and opinions.
It involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data, such as words, images, observations, and symbols, to explore and
comprehend social phenomena. This approach focuses on exploring people's experiences, perceptions, beliefs, and
behaviors in their natural settings.
Qualitative research employs various techniques to gather data, such as interviews, focus groups, observations, case studies,
and content analysis. Researchers often use open-ended questions to encourage participants to share their thoughts and
experiences in their own words, allowing for rich, detailed insights into a particular subject.
TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative research encompasses various methods and approaches that allow researchers to explore and understand social
phenomena, behaviors, and experiences. Here are some common types of qualitative research methods:
▪ Interview
▪ Focus group
▪ Ethnography
▪ Text Analysis
▪ Case Study
▪ INTERVIEW RESEARCH
An interview research is like having a chat or a talk with someone to learn more about what they think, feel, or know about
a particular topic. It's a way for researchers to ask questions and listen carefully to the answers.
FOR EXAMPLE: let's say a researcher wants to learn about people's favorite hobbies. They might talk to different individuals
and ask questions like, "What do you enjoy doing in your free time?" or "Can you tell me about a hobby that makes you
happy?" By having these conversations, the researcher gathers information and learns what hobbies people like and why
they find them interesting. Interview research helps understand what people think or do by asking them questions directly.
▪ FOCUS GROUP
Focus group research is a method used by researchers to gather information and opinions from a small, diverse group of
people about a specific topic. It involves a structured discussion led by a facilitator where participants share their thoughts,
feelings, and experiences related to the subject.
FOR EXAMPLE: Imagine a few friends talking about a new game they played and sharing what they liked or didn't. In focus
groups, a small group of people get together to talk about a specific topic, like a new product or a TV show. They share their
thoughts, ideas, and feelings. For example, a focus group about a new TV show might discuss what they found exciting or
boring, helping TV creators understand what viewers like or dislike. It's like having a friendly discussion to learn from each
other.
▪ ETHNOGRAPHY
Ethnography is like being a curious detective who wants to learn about a particular group of people by watching and talking
to them a lot. It's a way for researchers to deeply understand a community, their culture, and their way of life by immersing
themselves in it.
FOR EXAMPLE: imagine a researcher living with a tribe in a jungle, eating their food, joining their activities, and asking lots
of questions to understand their traditions, beliefs, and daily routines. This helps the researcher gain rich insights into the
lives and perspectives of that community, like understanding why they do things in certain ways or how their culture shapes
their lives. Ethnography is about getting up close to learn from people directly, just like a friend trying to really understand
another friend's life.
▪ TEXT ANALYSIS
Text analysis is like looking carefully at written or spoken words to find important information or patterns. It involves
examining text to understand what it's talking about, find common themes, or discover hidden meanings.
FOR EXAMPLE: Imagine you have a collection of restaurant reviews. By reading through them and noticing repeated words
like "delicious," "friendly staff," or "slow service," you can analyze these reviews to understand what people like or dislike
about the restaurant. This process helps you figure out the main points or common opinions within the reviews without
reading every single word
▪ CASE STUDY
A case study is like telling a detailed story about one specific person, group, event, or situation. It's like zooming in and
looking closely at just one thing to understand it better.
FOR EXAMPLE: Think of a case study as a detailed report about a successful business. Researchers might study one
company's journey from its start to where it is now, exploring what strategies they used, their challenges, and how they
achieved success. By focusing deeply on this one business, researchers can understand its unique story, the decisions made,
and what led to its success. Case studies help us learn a lot about something specific by diving deep into its details.
QUANTITAIVE RESEARCH
Quantitative research is a way scientists and researchers gather information by collecting numerical data and analyzing it
using mathematical and statistical methods. It involves systematically observing and measuring things to find patterns,
relationships, or trends. This type of research relies on objective measurements to understand or predict behaviors,
attitudes, or characteristics within a population. It often involves surveys, experiments, or structured observations to gather
data that can be analyzed using statistical techniques to draw conclusions or make predictions.
TYPES OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Quantitative research generally falls into several types, each with its own specific focus and methods. Here are some
common types:
▪ Survey Research
▪ Descriptive Research
▪ Correlational research
▪ SURVEY RESEARCH
Survey research involves asking questions to a group of people to collect data about their opinions, behaviors, or
characteristics, helping researchers understand trends or patterns within a larger population. It aims to gather information
by using standardized questionnaires or interviews to draw conclusions or insights.
FOR EXAMPLE: Imagine a school wanting to know students' favorite subjects. They create a questionnaire with questions
like "What subject do you enjoy the most?" or "Which class do you find most interesting?" They distribute this survey to all
the students and collect their responses. After gathering the answers, the school can understand which subjects are more
popular among the students based on the survey results.
▪ DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
This type aims to describe characteristics or traits of a population or phenomenon. It doesn't try to establish relationships or
causality but rather provides an overview. Surveys and observational studies are often used in descriptive research.
FOR EXAMPLE: Imagine you're interested in knowing how many people in a city prefer different modes of transportation to
commute to work. Conducting a survey to collect data on the number of individuals who use cars, bikes, public transport, or
walk would be an example of descriptive research.
Let's say the survey results show that 60% of people in the city use cars, 25% use public transport, 10% prefer biking, and 5%
walk to work. This data simply describes the current preferences without delving into why people choose these modes or
how these preferences might change.
▪ CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
Correlational research is about finding out if two things are connected or related in some way. It doesn't tell us that one
thing causes the other, just that they tend to happen together or change in a predictable way.
FOR EXAMPLE: Consider a study investigating the relationship between the number of hours parents spend reading to their
children and the children's vocabulary development. Researchers collect data from families, noting the weekly duration of
parent-child reading sessions and assessing the children's vocabulary skills. Upon analysis, they might find that children
whose parents read to them more frequently tend to have larger vocabularies. This positive correlation suggests that as the
time spent reading to children increases, their vocabulary development also tends to improve.
THANK YOU
