Q & A - INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS

Research is framed as a systematic, objective, scientific search for answers to documented research problems—and that foundation matters because it determines whether later choices in data collection, analysis, and interpretation make sense. The core idea starts with the word itself: “re-search” signals repetition. Researchers keep searching because knowledge changes over time, so what counted as “new” yesterday can become outdated today. The gap at the center of research is between what literature already says and what researchers still need to know. That gap never truly closes, since new studies, new policies, and new social conditions keep shifting the evidence base.

A research problem is not a vague complaint or a personal curiosity. It is a measurable mismatch between documented knowledge and current questions—often tied to human behavior in social science. The lesson uses examples to show why “known” problems still require new research. When COVID-19 emerged in 2020, scientists raced to understand strains and develop solutions; later, vaccines and ongoing studies reduced deaths by 2024. Similarly, education outcomes can be documented at national level, yet remain uncertain at local level. If examination reports claim boys outperform girls in science, a researcher still needs to test whether that pattern holds in a specific school, county, or village—because local conditions may differ and because dynamic knowledge can lose relevance.

From that problem-driven starting point, the session lays out how research differs from everyday activity. Everyday “checking” (like comparing supermarket prices) may be informal and useful, but academic research must follow clear steps. The definition emphasizes systematic process, objectivity, and scientific investigation: research should be methodical rather than half-hazard, grounded in evidence rather than emotion, and built on direct observation and collected data. “Empirical” research is highlighted as evidence-based work that relies on real-world phenomena and direct observation, not on hearsay or untested personal experience.

The lecture then connects research purposes to practical outcomes. Research can (1) describe phenomena (the what and how), (2) explain them, (3) enable prediction, (4) support control by removing extraneous influences, and (5) develop and test theory—where theory is an explanation of observed patterns. To ensure quality, the session lists characteristics: purposiveness (a definite, focused aim rather than convenience), carefulness (methodology aligned to the research problem), testability (measurable objectives and hypotheses), replicability (results supported when similar methods are used in comparable settings), objectivity (reporting facts even when inconvenient), generalizability (for quantitative work, applicability to similar settings), and high ethical standards (privacy, confidentiality, and protection of respondents’ identities).

Finally, the session distinguishes basic versus applied research. Basic research—also called fundamental or pure—builds theory and expands scientific knowledge, often without immediate practical use. Applied research targets specific practical problems, typically driven by a client or real-world need, and is common in graduate work aimed at solving concrete issues. The lesson closes by positioning research as inquiry-based learning: students and researchers identify problems and questions, test hypotheses, and generate knowledge under guidance, rather than passively receiving answers.