Understanding Applied vs Basic Research

Research Types

• Basic Research: aims to test existing or generate new theories to advance knowledge or understanding; often identified when the research discovers new phenomena or new ideas of general interest
• Applied Research: aims to use the acquired knowledge to contribute directly to the understanding or resolution of practical issues; often identified when the research contributes to the solution of specific practical problems

Knowledge Types

• Empirical Knowledge: information gathered through experience and direct data collection
• Nonempirical Knowledge: roots from introspection, vicarious experiences, and people’s analysis of events
• Scientific Knowledge: a generalized body of laws and theories that explains a phenomenon acquired using the scientific method; can be imperfect or far from the truth since it is based on the various theories currently accepted at the time

Research Definition

• Research: a systematic investigation that requires data to be collected, analyzed, and interpreted of any social or natural phenomena where results and conclusions are aimed at contributing to generalizable knowledge
• Scientific Method: a standardized set of techniques for building scientific knowledge

Reasoning Methods

• Inductive Reasoning: aims to infer theoretical concepts and patterns from observed data; also known as Theory Building research
• Deductive Reasoning: aims to test concepts and patterns known from theory using new empirical data; also known as Theory Testing research

Research Methods

• Qualitative Research: often referred to as inductive research; aims to understand or make sense of the world based on the experiences and perceptions of individuals
• Quantitative Research: often referred to as deductive research; aims to understand the world by generalizability using controlled, value-neutral processes

Research Purposes

• Exploratory Research: often conducted in new areas of inquiry where it intends to scope out the magnitude of a particular phenomenon, problem, or behavior, to generate new ideas, and also to test the feasibility of undertaking an extensive study regarding the phenomenon
• Explanatory Research: provides explanations of an observed phenomenon by answering the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions; attempts to correct the dots by identifying causal factors and outcomes of the phenomenon
• Descriptive Research: often used to describe an aspect of life richly; answers the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, and ‘where’ questions

Research Design and Methodology

• Research Design: a strategic plan of how to go about answering the research questions; a plan on how to collect, analyze, and interpret the research data; touches on all parts of the research and acts as a blueprint
• Research Methodology: the rationale for the research design and is broader in terms of concepts on which it touches; justifies one’s choice of data collection, analysis method, and procedures