Research: meaning, types and approaches
Research is a systematic, objective search for new knowledge. It is classed by purpose (basic, applied, action) and by philosophy: positivism or post-positivism.
Types of research
| Basis | Type | Key idea |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Fundamental (basic, pure) | Builds or tests theory; adds to knowledge for its own sake |
| Purpose | Applied | Solves a practical problem using existing theory |
| Purpose | Action research | A practitioner studies and improves their own setting at once; local, not meant to generalise |
| Objective | Exploratory, descriptive, explanatory | Explore a new area; describe what is; explain why |
| Data | Quantitative, qualitative, mixed | Numbers and statistics; words and meanings; both |
| Time | Cross-sectional, longitudinal | Different groups at one point in time; the same group over a long period |
Positivism vs post-positivism
| Point | Positivism | Post-positivism |
|---|---|---|
| Key name | Auguste Comte | Karl Popper |
| Reality | Single, objective, fully knowable | Real, but known only imperfectly and probably |
| Researcher | Detached and value-free | Values and theory can colour observation |
| Logic | Verify hypotheses through observation and measurement | Try to falsify; treat results as provisional |
| Methods | Quantitative: experiments, surveys, statistics | Multiple methods, including qualitative; triangulation |
Characteristics of research
- Systematic: follows planned, ordered steps.
- Empirical: based on observation and evidence, not opinion.
- Objective and logical: conclusions follow from the data.
- Replicable: another researcher can repeat and check it.
- Controlled: other variables are kept in check.
- Critical and self-correcting: findings stay open to revision.
- Generalisable (in most quantitative work): findings extend beyond the sample.
NET gives a research scenario and asks its type (action, applied, fundamental), sets statement questions on positivism, and asks which features make an inquiry count as research.
Typical MCQ: “A teacher studies why her own students miss deadlines and tries a fix in the same term. What research is this?” Action research: a practitioner solving an immediate local problem; results are not meant to generalise.
Typical MCQ: “Which philosophy holds that valid knowledge must be observable and measurable?” Positivism (Auguste Comte), the basis of quantitative research.
Basic builds theory, Applied applies it, Action acts on your own class. Positivism tries to prove; Popper's post-positivism tries to disprove.