The Importance of Research in Daily Life

Meaning of Research

Research is a process of executing various mental acts for discovering and

examining facts and information to prove the accuracy or truthfulness of your
claims or conclusions about the topic of your research.

Research requires you to inquire or investigate about your chosen research

topic by asking questions that will make you engage yourself in top-level
thinking strategies of interpreting, analyzing, synthesizing, criticizing,
appreciating, or creating to enable you to discover truths about the many
things you tend to wonder about the topic of your research work. (Litchman
2013)

Importance of Research in Daily Life

It promotes peoples interdependence or interpersonal relationships that the

world needs for solving its societal problems.

Research studies happen in any field of knowledge. Anthropology, Business,

Communication, Education, Engineering, Law, and Nursing, among others,
turn in a big number of research studies that reflect varied interests of
people.

Resulting from internal aspects, people cannot measure worldviews but can
know them through numbers. Obtaining world knowledge in this manner
directs you to do a research called Qualitative Research. This is a research
type that puts premium or high value on peoples thinking or point of view
conditioned by their personal traits.

As such, it usually takes place in soft sciences like social sciences, politics,
economics, humanities, education, psychology, nursing, and all businessrelated subjects.

In a qualitative research, the reality is conditioned by society and peoples

intentions are involved in explaining cause-effect relationships. Things are
studied in their natural setting, enough for you to conclude that qualitative
research is an act of inquiry or investigation of real-life events.

The scientific approach of research gives stress to measurable and

observable facts instead of personal views, feelings, or attitudes. It can be
used in researches under the hard sciences or STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Medicine) and natural sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry).

The naturalistic approach is people-oriented and focuses on discovering the

real concept or meaning behind peoples lifestyles and social relations.

It is useful in social sciences, which to others exists as soft sciences.

Considered as soft sciences are Anthropology, Business, Education,
Economics, Law, Politics, and all subjects aligned with business and all those
focused on helping professions such as, Nursing, Counseling, Physical
Therapy, and the like. (Babbie 2013)

From a social science researchers viewpoint, these qualitative data resulting

from naturalistic approach of research serves as the basis for determining
universal social values to define ethical or unethical behavior that society
ought to know, not only for the benefit of every individual and community but
also for the satisfaction of mans quest for knowledge. (Sarantakos 2013;
Ransome 2013)

In the field of Humanities, mans social life is also subjected to research

studies. However, researchers in this area give emphasis not to mans social
life, but to the study of the meanings, significance, and visualizations of
human experiences in the fields of Fine Arts, Literature, Music, Drama, Dance,
and other artistically inclined subjects.

Researches in these subjects happen in any of the following humanistic

categories:

Literature and Art Criticism where the researchers, using well-chosen

language and appropriate organizational pattern, depend greatly on their
interpretative and reflective thinking in evaluating the object of their study
critically.

Researches in these subjects happen in any of the following humanistic

categories:

1. Philosophical Research where the focus of inquiry is on knowledge and

principles of being and on the manner human beings conduct themselves on
earth.

2. Historical Research where the investigation centers on events and ideas

that took place in mans life at a particular period.

Qualitative research is important in promoting a full understanding of human

behavior or personality traits in their natural setting.

Research is instrumental for positive societal changes.

It engenders respect for peoples individuality as it demands the researchers

careful and attentive stand toward peoples world views.

Just like in other subjects under soft sciences such as marketing, mans
thoughts and feelings still take center stage in any research studies.

The importance of any researches in any of these two areas in business are to
increase mans understanding of the truths in line with markets and
marketing activities, making him more intelligent in arriving at decisions
about these aspects of his life. Research types that are useful for these areas
are the basic and applied research. (Feinberg 2013)

Research helps in a way of understanding and interpreting social interactions.

Research increases the researchers interest in the study as it includes the

researchers experience or background knowledge in interpreting verbal and
visual data.

It offers multiple ways of acquiring and examining knowledge about

something.

Characteristics, Process, and Ethics of Research

Characteristics of Research
1. Accuracy
It must give correct or accurate data, which the footnotes, notes, and
bibliographical entries should honestly and appropriately documented or
acknowledged.
2. Objectiveness
It must deal with facts, not with mere opinions arising from assumptions,
generalizations, predictions, or conclusions.
3. Timeliness
It must work on a topic that is fresh, new, and interesting to the present
society.
4. Relevance
Its topic must be instrumental in improving society or in solving problems
affecting the lives of people in a community.
5. Clarity
It must succeed in expressing its central point or discoveries by using simple,
direct, concise, and correct language.

6. Systematic
It must take place in an organized or orderly manner.
Process or Approach to Research
1. Scientific or Positive approach
You discover and measure information as well as observe and control
variables in an impersonal manner.
It allows control of variables. Therefore, the data gathering techniques
appropriate for this approach are structured interviews, questionnaires, and
observational checklists.
Data given by these techniques are expressed through numbers, which
means that this method is suitable for quantitative research.
2. Naturalistic approach
3. The naturalistic approach uses words.
4. It directs you to deal with qualitative data that speak of how people behave
toward their surroundings.
5. These are non-numerical data that express truths about the way people
perceive or understand the world. Since people look at their world in a
subjective or personal basis in an uncontrolled or unstructured manner, a
naturalistic approach happens in a natural setting.
3. Triangulation Approach
In this case, you are free to gather and analyze data using multiple methods,
allowing you to combine or mix up research approaches, research types, data
gathering, and data analysis techniques.
Triangulation approach gives you the opportunity to view every angle of the
research from different perspectives. (Badke 2012; Silverman 2013)
Ethics of Research
Honesty
Strive for honesty in all scientific communications.
Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication
status.
Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.

 Do not deceive colleagues, granting agencies, or the public.

Objectivity
Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation,
peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other
aspects of research where objectivity is expected or required.
Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception. Disclose personal or financial
interests that may affect research.
Integrity
Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency
of thought and action.
Carefulness
Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your
own work and the work of your peers.
Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research
design, and correspondence with agencies or journals.
Openness
Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new
ideas.
Respect for Intellectual Property
Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not
use unpublished data, methods, or results without permission.
Give credit where credit is due. Give proper acknowledgement or credit for all
contributions to research. Never plagiarize.
Confidentiality
Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for
publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.
Social Responsibility
Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through
research, public education, and advocacy.
Non-Discrimination

 Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race,

ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their scientific competence
and integrity.
Legality
Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.
Human Subjects Protection
When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and
maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy; take
special precautions with vulnerable populations; and strive to distribute the
benefits and burdens of research fairly.
-

Voluntary participation

Informed consent

anonymity

Even when clear ethical standards and principles exist, there will be times
when the need to do accurate research runs up against the rights of potential
participants.

There needs to be a procedure that assures that researchers will consider all
relevant ethical issues in formulating research plans.

Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research
It is primarily exploratory
research.
It is used to gain an
understanding of underlying
reasons, opinions, and
motivations.
It provides insights into the
problem or helps to develop
ideas or hypotheses for
potential quantitative research.
Qualitative Research

It is also used to uncover trends

in thought and opinions, and
dive deeper into the problem.
Data collection methods vary
using unstructured or semistructured techniques. Some
common methods include focus
groups (group discussions),
individual interviews, and
participation/observations.
The sample size is typically
small, and respondents are
selected to fulfill a given quota.

Quantitative Research
It is used to quantify the
problem by way of generating
numerical data or data that can
be transformed into useable
statistics.
It is used to quantify attitudes,
opinions, behaviors, and other
defined variables and
generalize results from a larger
sample population.
It uses measurable data to
formulate facts and uncover
patterns in research.

Quantitative Research
Quantitative data collection
methods are much more
structured than Qualitative data
collection methods.
Quantitative data collection
methods include various forms
of surveys online surveys,
paper surveys, mobile and kiosk
surveys, face-to-face interviews,
telephone interviews,
longitudinal studies, website
interceptors, online polls, and
systematic observations.

Standards

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Mental survey of reality

Results from social

interactions

Exists in the physical

world

Cause-effect relationships

Explained by peoples
objective desires

Revealed by automatic
descriptions of
circumstances or
conditions

Researchers involvement
with the object/subject of
the study

Subjective; sometimes
personally engaged

Objective; least
involvement by the
researcher

Expression of data, data

analysis and findings

Verbal language (words,

visuals, objects)

Numerals, statistics

Research plan

Takes place as the

research proceeds
gradually

Plans all research aspects

before collecting data

Behavior toward research

aspects/conditions

Desires to preserve the

natural setting of research
features

Control or manipulation of
research conditions by the
researcher

Purpose

Makes social intentions

understandable

Evaluates objectives and

examines cause-effect
relationships

Sampling technique

More inclined to purposive

sampling or use of chosen
samples based on some
criteria

Random sampling as the

most preferred

Obtaining knowledge

Multiple methods

Scientific method

Characteristics and Kinds of Qualitative Research

Characteristics of Qualitative Research

1. Human understanding and interpretation
Data analysis results show an individuals mental, social, and spiritual
understanding of the world. Hence, through their worldviews, you come to
know what kind of human being he/she is, including his/her values, beliefs,
likes, and dislikes.
2. Active, powerful, and forceful
As you go through the research process, you find the need to amend or
rephrase interview questions and consider varied ways of getting answers,
like shifting from mere speculating to traveling to places for data gathering.
You are not fixated to a certain plan. Rather, you are inclined to discover your
qualitative research design as your study gradually unfolds or reveals itself in
accordance with your research objectives
3. Multiple research approaches and methods
Qualitative research allows you to approach or plan your study in varied
ways. You are free to combine this with quantitative research and use all
gathered data and analysis techniques.
Being a multi-method research, a qualitative study applies to all research
types: descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, case study, etc.
4. Specificity to generalization
Specific ideas in a qualitative research are directed to a general
understanding of something.
It follows an inductive or scientific method of thinking, where you start
thinking of particular or specific concept that will eventually lead you to more
complex ideas such as generalizations or conclusions.
5. Contextualization
A qualitative research involves all variables, factors, or conditions affecting
the study. Your goal here is to understand human behavior. Thus, it is crucial
for you to examine the context or situation of an individuals lifethe who,
what, why, how, and other circumstancesaffecting his or her way of life.
6. Diversified data in real-life situations
A qualitative researcher prefers collecting data in a natural setting like
observing people as they live and work, analyzing photographs or videos as

they genuinely appear to people, and looking at classrooms unchanged or

adjusted to peoples intentional observations .
7. Abounds with words and visuals
Data gathering through interviews or library reading, as well as the
presentation of data analysis results, is done verbally.
In some cases, it resorts to quoting some respondents answers. Likewise,
presenting peoples world views through visual presentation (i.e., pictures,
videos, drawings, and graphs) are significantly used in a qualitative research.
8. Internal analysis

Here, you examine the data yielded by the internal traits of the subject
individuals (i.e., emotional, mental, spiritual characteristics).

You study peoples perception or views about your topic, not the effects of
their physical existence on your study.
In case of objects (e.g., books and artworks) that are subjected to a
qualitative research, the investigation centers on underlying theories or
principles that govern these materials and their usefulness to people.
Kinds of Qualitative Research
1. Case Study
Usually takes place in the field of social care, nursing, psychology,
rehabilitation centers, education, etc.
This involves a long-time study of a person, group, organization, or situation.
It seeks to find answers to why such thing occurs to the subject.
Varieties of data collection methods such as interviews, questionnaires,
observations, and documentary analysis are used in a case study.
2. Ethnography
Falling in the field of anthropology, ethnography is the study of a particular
cultural group to get a clear understanding of its organizational set-up,
internal operation, and lifestyle.
A particular group reveals the nature or characteristics of their own culture
through the world perceptions of the cultural groups members.
3. Phenomenology

 From the word phenomenon, which means something known through

sensory experience, phenomenology refers to the study of how people find
their experiences meaningful.
Its primary goal is to make people understand their experiences about death
of loved ones, care for handicapped persons, friendliness of people, etc.
4. Content and Discourse Analysis
Content analysis requires an analysis or examination of the substance or
content of the mode of communication (letters, books, journals, photos, video
recordings, SMS, online messages, emails, audio-visual materials, etc.) used
by a person, group, organization, or any institution in communicating.
A study of language structures used in the medium of communication to
discover the effects of sociological, cultural, institutional, and ideological
factors on the content makes it a discourse analysis.
5. Historical Analysis
Central to this qualitative research method is the examination of primary
documents to make you understand the connection of past events to the
present time.
The results of your content analysis will help you specify phenomenological
changes in unchanged aspects of society through the years.
6. Grounded Theory
This theory takes place when you discover a new theory to underlie your
study at the time of data collection and analysis.
Through your observation on your subjects, you will happen to find a theory
that applies to your current study.
Interview, observation, and documentary analysis are the data gathering
techniques for this type of qualitative research.
Meaning of Research Problem

The ultimate goal of the research is not only to propose ways of studying
things, people, places, and events, but also to discover and introduce new
practices, strategies, or techniques in solving a problem.

The word problem makes you worry and pushes you to exert considerable
effort in finding a solution for it.

You consider research as the remedy for getting over any problem.

When you decide to do research, you begin with a problem that will lead you
to a specific topic to focus on.

For instance, you are beset by a problem of year-by-year flash floods in your
community. This problem drives you to think of one topic you can investigate
or focus on for the solution to your communitys flood problem. Perhaps, you
can research only one aspect of the flood problem, like examining only the
neighborhood lifestyle in relation to floods in the area, the need to construct
anti-flood structures, or the practicability of more footbridges in the area.
(Gray 2013)

Background of the Problem

First, spend time getting background knowledge about the problem that
triggered off your research topic to discover its relation to what the world,
particularly the experts, professionals, and learned people know about your
topic.

Also, reading for rich background ideas about the problem is also another
way to discover some theories or principles to support your study. (Braun
2014; Woodwell 2014)

Research Questions

The research problem enables you to generate a set of research questions.

To get a good idea of the problem, you must have a rich background
knowledge about the topic through the RRL (Review of Related Literature),
which requires intensive reading about your topic.

Apart from having a clearer picture of the topic, it will also help you in
adopting an appropriate research method and have a thorough
understanding of the knowledge area of your research.

To give your study a clear direction, you have to break this big, general
question into several smaller or specific research questions.

The specific questions, also called sub-problems, identify or direct you to the
exact aspect of the problem that your study has to focus on.

Beset by many factors, the general question or research problem is prone to

reducing itself to several specific questions, seeking conclusive answers to
the problem.

Research questions aim at investigating specific aspects of the research

problem.

Though deduced from the general or mother question, one specific question
may lead to another sub-problem or sub-question, requiring a different datagathering technique and directing the research to a triangulation or mixed
method approach.

Referring to varied aspects of the general problem, a set of research

questions plays a crucial part in the entire research work.

Through sub-questions, you can precisely determine the type of data and the
method of collecting, analyzing, and presenting data.

Any method or technique of collecting, collating, and analyzing data specified

by the research design depends greatly on the research questions.

The correct formulation of research questions warrants not only excellent

collection, analysis, and presentation of data, but a credible conclusion as
well. (Layder 2013)

Process of Selecting Related Literature

Meaning of Review of Related Literature

A review of related literature (RRL) is an analysis of mans written or spoken

knowledge of the world.

You examine representations of mans thinking about the world to determine

the connection of your research with what people already know about it.

In your analysis or reading of recorded knowledge, you just do not catalog

ideas in your research paper, but also interpret them or merge your thinking
with the authors ideas.

Hence, in doing the RRL, you deal with both formal or direct and informal or
indirect expressions of mans knowledge.

Purposes of Review of Related Literature (RRL)

1. To obtain background knowledge of your research
2. To relate your study to the current condition or situation of the world.
3. To show the capacity of your research work to introduce new knowledge
4. To expand, prove, or disprove the findings of previous research studies
5. To increase your understanding of the underlying theories, principles, or concepts
of your research

6. To explain technical terms involved in your research study.

7. To highlight the significance of your work with the kind of evidence it gathered to
support the conclusion of your research.
8. To avoid repeating previous research studies.
9. To recommend the necessity of further research on a certain topic.
Systematic Review of
Related Literature
1. Have a clear understanding of the research questions. Serving as the
compass to direct your research activities, the research questions tell you
what to collect and where to obtain those data you want to collect.
2. Plan your manner of obtaining the data. Imagining how you will get to
where the data are, you will come to think also of what keywords to use for
easy searching and how to accord courtesy and respect to people or
institutions from where the data will come such as planning how to
communicate your request to these sources of data.
3. Do the literature search. Using keywords, you look for the needed
information from all sources of knowledge: Internet, books, journals
periodicals, government publications, general references, and the like.
4. Using a certain standard, determine which data, studies, or sources of
knowledge are valuable or not to warrant the reasonableness of your decision
to take some data and junk the rest.
5. Determine the methodological soundness of the research studies. Use a
checklist or a certain set of criteria in assessing the ways researchers conduct
their studies to arrive at a certain conclusion.
6. Summarize what you have gathered from various sources of data. To
concisely present a synthesis of your report, use a graph such as a table and
other presentation formats that are not prone to verbosity.
Process of Selecting Related Literature

There are three basic types of literature sources: general references that will
direct you to the location of other sources; primary sources that directly
report or present a persons own experiences; and secondary sources that
report or describe other peoples experiences or worldviews.

Secondary sources of knowledge give the most number of materials such as

the Internet, books, peer-reviewed articles in journals, published literary
reviews of a field, grey literature or unpublished and non-peer reviewed

materials like theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, leaflets and

posters, research studies in progress, and other library materials.

Websites introducing materials whose quality depends solely on every

individual, social media networks (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts,
YouTube, video, etc.) and other online encyclopedia such as Wikipedia, are
the other sources of information that you can consult during this stage.

You may find these reading materials valuable because of their timeliness,
diversified knowledge or information, varied presentation formats (texts,
sounds, animation) and 24-hour availability. But they are not as dependable
as the other sources of knowledge. It is susceptible to anybodys penchant for
editing.

You can have an access to these various sources of data in two methods:
manually, or getting hold of the printed form of the material, and
electronically or having a computer or online reading of the sources of
knowledge.

Regardless of which method you use, all throughout your literature search,
your mind must be focused on the essence and purposes of the library
because most of the data you want to obtain are in this important section of
your school.

Having familiarity with the nature of your library will facilitate your
literature search.
Pointers in Selecting Related Literature

1. Choose previous research findings that are closely related to your research.
2. Give more weight to studies done by people possessing expertise or
authority in the field of knowledge to which the research studies belong.
3. Consider sources of knowledge that refer more to primary data than to
secondary data.
4. Prefer getting information from peer-reviewed materials than from general
reading materials.