Page 27 - DLIS401_METHODOLOGY_OF_RESEARCH_AND_STATISTICAL_TECHNIQUES

Methodology of Research and Statistical Techniques

Notes will take an objective position and their approach will be to treat phenomena as hard and
real.
They will favour methods such as surveys and experiments, and will attempt to test hypotheses
or statements with a view to generalising from the particular. This approach typically concentrates
on measuring or counting and involves collecting and analysing numerical data and applying
statistical tests.
Qualitative Research
The alternative tradition is the qualitative approach. Here the investigator views the phenomena
to be investigated as more personal and softer. He or she will use methods such as personal
accounts, unstructured interviews and participant observation to gain an understanding of the
underlying reasons and motivations for peoples’ attitudes, preferences or behaviours. With
this approach, the emphasis is more on generating hypotheses from the data collection rather
than testing a hypothesis.

In reading around the subject you will find many alternative names for qualitative and quantitative
research. It is good to have an understanding of these and to recognise them when you see
them in research methods textbooks.
You should note the following points:
• Qualitative and quantitative research methods are not clear-cut nor mutually exclusive;
most research draws on both methods.
• Both approaches can generate quantitative and qualitative data.
• The difference between the two methods is in the overall form and in the emphasis and
objectives of the study.

Outcome of Research

Applied Research
Applied research is problem-oriented as the research is carried out to solve a specific problem
that requires a decision, for example, the improvement of safety in the workplace, or market
research. For your dissertation it is not usually acceptable to carry out applied research as it
is very much limited to one establishment or company and you are required to look at issues
of wider significance, perhaps to your industry as a whole or to a sector of it. You may have
already carried out a problem-based piece of research related to your placement. It is important
to understand that the dissertation requires you to carry out some form of basic research.

Basic Research
Basic research is also called fundamental or pure research, and is conducted primarily to
improve our understanding of general issues, without any emphasis on its immediate application.
It is regarded as the most academic form of research since the principal aim is to make a
contribution to knowledge, usually for the general good, rather than to solve a specific problem
for one organisation. This may take the form of the following:
• Discovery– where a totally new idea or explanation emerges from empirical research
which may revolutionise thinking on that particular topic. An example of this would be
the Hawthorne experiments. (Gillespie, 1991)
• Invention– where a new technique or method is created. An example of this would be the
invention of TQM (total quality management).

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