CHAPTER ONE

MEANING OF RESEARCH
1.0 Introduction
What is research? Depending on who you ask, you will likely get very different answers
to this seemingly innocuous question. Some people will say that they routinely research
different online websites to find the best place to buy goods or services they want. Television
news channels supposedly conduct research in the form of viewer polls on topics of public
interest such as forthcoming elections or government-funded projects. Undergraduate students
research the Internet to find the information they need to complete assigned projects or term
papers. Graduate students working on research projects for a professor may see research as
collecting or analyzing data related to their project. Businesses and consultants research
different potential solutions to remedy organizational problems such as a supply chain
bottleneck or to identify customer purchase patterns. However, none of the above can be
considered “scientific research” unless: (1) it contributes to a body of science, and (2) it follows
the scientific method. This chapter will examine what these terms mean.

1.1 The Term Research

The term ‘Research’ consists of two words: Re + Search. ‘Re’ means again and again and
‘Search’ means to find out something, the following is the process:

Therefore, research means to observe the phenomena again and again from different
dimensions. Therefore, the research is a process in which a person observes the phenomena again
and again and collects the data and on the basis of data he draws some conclusions.

1.2 Meaning of Research

There are two ways of looking at research: the everyday general (naïve) meaning and the
technical (scientific) meaning. In general meaning, research refers in any means of getting to
know. In this sense, any means of gathering information and arriving decision is a research. In

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scientific meaning, research is defined by both the process and the product (knowledge). The
process and the product of research must meet certain characteristics.

1.2.1 The Research Process

The research process must meet three characteristics and must be:
1. Systematic: research follows logical, sequential and ordered that lead into one another.
The research process has six main steps as follows:
i. Problem identification and definition.
ii. Possible/tentative solution (hypothesis).
iii. Data collection method.
iv. Data collection.
v. Analysis and interpretation.
vi. Conclusion = solution/answer = knowledge.

2. Guided: It is intended to answer certain specific questions. Only through these questions
we form the focus on the research. Any other question, no matter how important is out of
the scope or the boundaries of the research.
3. Intensive: It consumes resources (capital, personnel, equipment and time).

1.2.2 The Research Product (Knowledge)

The research product must meet three basic characteristics and must be:
1. Valid: it produces knowledge that is based on verifiable data.
2. Reliable: it produces knowledge that is reproducible at another time or by another
researcher, or by another method.
3. Generalizable: It produces knowledge that is usable in other areas or in other
populations.

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1.3 Research Vs. Other Methods of Gaining Knowledge
Over the years, human beings have used a variety of techniques to find new knowledge.
Some of these include: tradition, revelation, authority knowledge, personal experience, intuition,
trial and error, logical reasoning, sensory experience, agreement with others and scientific
research. However, research is the most popular and preferred technique of discovering
knowledge. This is because research is formal and the process can be replicated.

1.4 Characteristics of Research

Research is:
i. A systematic and a structured process with specific rules, steps and procedures for
carrying it out. One cannot just start from any point and proceed in any direction and still
hope to produce results that are valid, reliable and dependable. Research follows ordered
steps, and it can only be accomplished in that order.
ii. Logical: research follows a system that employs logic at every point. By logical
examination of the procedures employed, and in the context of internal validity,
researchers can check the validity of the conclusions drawn. Every step in research
process and every activity must be selected based on justifiable grounds and not on faith
or dogma.
iii. Empirical and reality referent: much deduction may precede its application, but data is
the end result of a research process. Any conclusion drawn must be supported by data. It
is this requirement (of data or evidence) that makes research empirical.
vi. Reductive: When a researcher applies analytic procedures to collected data, the confused
individual events and objects are reduced to more understandable categories and
concepts. In doing this, the researcher sacrifices some of the specificity and uniqueness
associated with individual objects and events, but gains in terms of the degree of
conceptualization. This process (reduction) attempts to translate reality into an abstract or

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 conceptual state in order to understand the relationship between events and predict how
these relationships might operate in other contexts.
v. Replicable and transmittable: Individuals, other than the researcher himself should be
able to use the results of the study. The processes and procedures of research should
themselves be transmittable, enabling others to replicate them and assess their validity.
Transmitability means that the results of a research can be used in other areas and by
other people who were not part of the study. Replicability is the requirement that if the
same research is done again by another researcher, or at a different time, or using a
different method, it will produce fairly similar results. A process that produces different
results at different times or under different methods (unless the circumstances have
themselves changed) does not qualify as scientific research.

1.5 Purpose of Research

The main role of research is to generate of knew knowledge, or verification of already
existing body of knowledge. There are other ways of gaining knowledge, but they all have
inherent weaknesses. The fact that these other methods have inherent weaknesses makes research
so important. But to further appreciate the role of research, it is necessary to first appreciate the
limitations of these other ways of gaining knowledge.

1.6 Types of Research

Research can be classified by method or by purpose; and there are different types of
research depending on whether research has been classified by purpose or by method. However,
ideally, it is classification by purpose that results in the type of research. Classification by
method produces designs of research. The classification by purpose produces five main types of
research: basic, applied, participatory action research (PAR), research and development (R & D),
and operations research (OP). However, in this chapter, basic, applied and action research will be
dealt with.

1.6.1 Basic Research

Basic research (also known as fundamental or pure research) is found mostly in the field
of pure sciences. It is the work of scientists and others who pursue their investigations without

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conscious goals apart from the desire to unravel the secrets of nature. It is concerned with finding
solutions to questions that are intellectually challenging, but which may not have immediate
practical applications.
Basic research is conducted purely for the purpose of theory development and refinement
for the sake of science. It tests theories, studies relations and attempts to understand phenomena,
but with little or no emphasis on immediate applications of the results of such studies to practical
problems. It seeks only to discover basic truth and principles.

1.6.2 Applied Research

Applied research is designed to improve process or progress by carrying the findings of
basic research to a point at which they can be applied to meet specific needs through testing
theoretical concepts in actual problem situations. Applied research is conducted to apply or test
theory and evaluate their usefulness in solving problems.
Applied research includes most of the features of basic research, but differs from it in
terms of its goals. Whereas basic research is not focused on immediate application of findings,
applied research is directed towards practical application of scientific knowledge and to obtain
solutions to specific problems. As opposed to basic research, applied research:
i. Provides information that helps provide solutions to specific problems.
ii. Suggests new or different lines of basic research (e.g. a theory may be found
inappropriate in particular situation – hence it may suggest the alteration of theory).
iii. Can also lead to the development of theory.

Note:
Basic and applied research are closely intertwined, and none can exist without the other. In fact,
they complement each other. Knowledge is not useful if it is not applied. But knowledge cannot
be applied unless it is generated. So while basic research is concerned with establishing the
general principles of learning, applied research is concerned with the utility of those principles in
particular educational settings.

Note:
Basic and applied research have two major weaknesses. First basic and applied research creates

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the impression of a researcher as a special being out of reach of the common man. The idea of
somebody who generates or who tests theories conjures the image of some special person with a
unique brain and skills which are not available to the rest of us. But this is definitely not the case
because if it were, then research would be the preserve of only a few people in a few places.
Research is now a basic course in most tertiary educational institutions. In basic and applied
research, people are mere subjects without rights and privileges, and the researcher (that special
person) can do with them whatever he or she wants, how and when. However, this should not be
the case: people have rights and privileges which must be respected by researchers. People
should only get involved in research as informed participants, not mere subjects.

1.6.3 Action Research

Action research developed as a reaction to the weaknesses of basic and applied research
discussed above. Action research or more specifically, participatory action research (PAR) is
concerned with development of immediate solutions to concrete local problems in local settings.
Its main aim is social responsibility and improvement of practice with focus on social
applicability. The primary purpose of action research is generation of solutions to given societal
problems, but not necessarily contribution to science.
Participatory action research is “a family” approach to research, having at its core the
joining together of participants within a project or program, and whose benefit is confined
mainly to those conducting it. As opposed to pure and basic research, participatory action
research is not principally concerned with whether the results are generalizable to other settings,
although they often are. Because of this, participatory action research lacks the rigid controls that
characterize other types of research.

Note:
Participatory action research has two major weaknesses:
i. Though considered a scientific research, action research does not meet the full criteria of
scientific research since it lacks the rigidity and rigor that characterize basic and applied
research. Lack of these scientific controls also lowers the validity and reliability of
participatory research results.
ii. Low generalizability of participatory action research results. Because it lacks the kind of

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 controls in basic and applied research, its results are not always applicable beyond the
local setting. This checks knowledge development as true scientific progress requires
sound theories which have universal application. One sound theory that includes several
principles of learning may eliminate the need for hundreds of would-be participatory
action studies.

1.7 Challenges of Research

Research is facing many challenges. As university students, suggest and explain the
reasons why research is not regularly conducted in our country?

Study Questions
1. Define research and explain how it differs from other ways of gaining knowledge.
2. Name and describe the basic features of scientific research.
3. Distinguish between basic, applied and participatory action research, and explain the
major characteristics of each of therm.

Assignment I: Library Search

This activity lets you learn more about books and helps you learn to identify key parts of a
physical textbooks. This information will have you prepared for research projects later on. So,
immerse yourself in the library and read preferably in your area of study or any other field until
you correctly identify and write down parts of a textbook/thesis/articles on a piece of a paper.