Research Type
Choose a research type that is suitable and feasible
Empirical research (qualitative or quantitative) can find new constructs, better describe existing constructs, connect constructs, or causally link constructs. The corresponding research types are exploratory research, descriptive research, correlational research and experimental research:
Exploratory research, like grounded theory, uses data to "uncover" initially unknown or poorly defined constructs, so is useful for new topics.
Descriptive research, like interviews or focus groups, gathers data to better define constructs, and is useful for evolving or complex areas where the constructs are not clear.
Correlational research, like surveys, or longitudinal studies, shows connections between variables, but not what causes what, and is useful where one knows the constructs but not what relates to what.
Explanatory research, like experimental studies, establish cause and effect relations by manipulating a treatment (independent variable) and measuring its effect on a dependent variable.
While research control increases in the order given, realism usually decreases in the same order, e. g. case studies are usually more realistic than experiments. Exploratory research is the most widely applicable, and explanatory studies the most demanding. Different research types are not "higher" or "lower", merely more or less appropriate to different situations. To use exploratory research for a well established topic may be as misplaced as to do an experiment in a new and poorly understood area.
Tags: Logical, Literature Review
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