Assignment2 - Research Methodology (CSA-101) Name: Arun Kumar Submitted to Dr. (Mrs) Syamala Devi Enrollment No.

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Assignment 2: Explain and provide examples and case studies for following type of research. a) Basic Research b) Applied Research c) Quantitative Research d) Qualitative Research e) Empirical Research A. Basic Research Basic (fundamental or pure) research is driven by a scientist's curiosity or interest in a scientific question. The main motivation is to expand man's knowledge, not to create or invent something. Its objective is to gain fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomenon and of observable facts without specific applications toward processes or products in mind. There is no obvious commercial value to the discoveries that result from basic research. For example, basic science investigations probe for answers to questions such as:

How did the universe begin? What are protons, neutrons, and electrons composed of? How do slime molds reproduce? What is the specific genetic code of the fruit fly?

Most scientists believe that a basic, fundamental understanding of all branches of science is needed in order for progress to take place. In other words, basic research lays down the foundation for the applied science that follows. If basic work is done first, then applied spin-offs often eventually result from this research. Basic research goal is to find out how all things in nature work: It puts together all the pieces of nature's puzzle to form a complete picture of our lives, environment, world, solar system, and universe. Basic research discoveries are needed for applied research. This agenda helps us be partners with nature benefiting from its many wonders and learning to live safely together with its tsunamis and viruses. It's one of the most reliable tools for building civilized civilizations. It gives us the why and how of things. It is a "search and find" activity in which we never know the nature of what will be discovered until it is discovered. Basic research is the corner stone to our future. It is building a knowledge base that does not become obsolete. We have used the discoveries of the

past to get to here today. We need to expand our discoveries today to move on to the future. An example of basic research scientists at work which we all can identify with: Children, even as they pop out of the womb crying out for attention and information, they are little basic research scientists gathering data about how their world works. All of their senses - sight, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting - are gathering data and processing it. They use this data putting together a model of their world, just as a basic research scientist does, so that they can survive in it. As a child grows it gets new data some of it contradicting earlier experience. It revises its model making a more sophisticated one, just as the scientist does in basic research. Some other examples are: Intrusion Detection system for classifying user behaviour. Development of Web-based Health Care Services in Swedish County Councils: Strategies, Usage and Challenges Multiple antenna techniques in WiMAX Genomics and Post Genomics, Discovery of DNA, Neurotransmitters Condensed matter and Material Physics Principle of Electromagnetic Induction

References: Books: 1. C.R Kothari, Research Methodology 2. Sherri L. Jackson, Research Methods and Statistics: A Critical Thinking Approach Websites: http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/research-basic-defined-f.html http://www.scitechantiques.com/basic1/ http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/05/12/understanding-researchmethodology-5-applied-and-basic-research/ B. Applied Research Applied Research looks at real-world problems and moves towards their solution through increased understanding and the development of new approaches Applied Research focuses on a real-life problem or situation with a view to helping reach a decision how to deal with it specificity. Its objective is to gain knowledge or

understanding necessary to determine the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met. Applied research is to deals with processes or products solve specific, practical questions can be exploratory, but descriptive involves precise measurement of the characteristics and describes relationships between variables of a studied phenomenon can be carried out by academic or industrial institutions investigation directed to discovering new scientific knowledge that has specific commercial objectives with respect to products, processes or services Researchers can not spend much time in the small details of how things work. Their focus is on the details necessary to build and sell the products that we need and use every day at prices we can afford Questions can be thinks for applied research: How can Canada's wheat crops be protected from grasshoppers? What is the most efficient and effective vaccine against influenza? How can the Great Lakes be protected against the effects of greenhouse gas? Examples of Applied Research: Optimization of error detection in Embedded Systems. Software Performance Evaluation using UML Integration Flow Management:: Applying lean principles to complex airport logistics projects. Vaccinations against various diseases save countless lives each year. Edward Jenner developed a technique for vaccinating people against smallpox, a disease that once killed millions of people. More recently, Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio in 1953; an oral form of the vaccine was produced by Albert Sabin in 1961. Government of India conducts the Agricultural census in India in every five years to collect the Agricultural growth and to analyse the cropping pattern so that Policy for improvement in agricultural crop production can be made. Here to conduct the census is Phase 1 and to prepare and implement the policy for improving the cropping and fertility of land is comes under Phase 2 of applied research.

Research done to improve the energy efficiency of homes, offices, or modes of transportation

References: Books: 1. C.R Kothari, Research Methodology 2. Sherri L. Jackson, Research Methods and Statistics: A Critical Thinking Approach Websites: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/garnet/wares.html http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/research-applied-history-f.html http://www.scitechantiques.com/basic1/ http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/05/12/understanding-researchmethodology-5-applied-and-basic-research/

C. Quantitative Research Research is based on measurement of quality or amount of phenomena that can be measured in quantity [1]. Quantitative research refers to the process of systematic empirical (Experimental) investigation of social phenomena via any computational technique (Statistical or Mathematical) for obtaining quantifiable information. This research method is used:

To describe variables; To examine relationships among variables; To determine cause-and-effect interactions between variables.'

The research is conducted as a controlled quantitative research study in which data are collected before and after the intervention. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Commonly Used Techniques for Quantitative Research 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Correlation t-tests Regression Factor Analysis Perceptual Mapping Cluster Analysis z-tests

Reference: [1]. C.R Kothari (2011), Research Methodology, p.3 [2]. Burns N, Grove SK (2005) The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique, and Utilization (5th Ed.). St. Louis, Elsevier Saunders [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_research [4]. http://thefutureplace.typepad.com/files/quantitative-research-june-2009-1.pdf

D. Qualitative Research Qualitative research is based on phenomena related to quality or kind [1]. It is a research undertaken to gain insights concerning attitudes, beliefs, motivations and indepth understanding of behavior of individuals (human behavior) and the reasons that govern such behavior to explore a social or human problem and include methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, observation research and case studies. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed than large samples. Qualitative research is the method of choice when the research question requires an understanding of processes, events and relationships in the context of the social and cultural situation. Instead of generating supporting numerical data, qualitative research aims to produce factual descriptions based on face-to-face knowledge of individuals and social groups. Qualitative research is useful for obtaining insight into situations and problems concerning which one may have little knowledge. This method is commonly used for providing in depth description of procedures, beliefs and knowledge related to health issues, or for exploring the reasons for certain behaviors including the opinions of respondents about particular issues. Qualitative research is useful to measure the ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how People experience a given research issue. It provides information about the human side of an issue that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals. Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such as social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion, whose role in the research issue may not be readily apparent. When used along with quantitative methods, qualitative research can help us to interpret and better understand the complex reality of a given situation and the implications of quantitative data. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Data of Qualitative research often categorizes into patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting results. Following methods are used for information gathering in Qualitative research. 1. Participant Observation 2. Non-participant Observation 3. Field Notes 4. Reflexive Journals (This is a type of diary where a researcher makes regular entries during the research process) 5. Structured, Semi-Structured and Unstructured Interview 6. Analysis of documents and materials The ways of participating and observing can vary widely from setting to setting. Participant observation is a strategy of reflexive learning, not a single method of observing. In participant observation researchers typically become members of a culture, group, or setting, and adopt roles to conform to that setting. In doing so, the aim is for the researcher to gain a closer insight into the culture's practices, motivations and emotions. It is argued that the researchers' ability to understand the experiences of the culture may be inhibited if they observe without participating. Example:

Hargreaves (1967) and Lacey (1970), using mainly qualitative methods in a secondary modern and a grammar school respectively, generated data from which they produced a theory that suggested that where students were differentiated by ability, as in streaming, then a polarisation of attitudes into proand anti-school would occur among them. It will be seen that this work bears on processes within the school. Both were concerned to study the schools in their natural state, and to discover the meanings and understandings of students and teachers.

Reference: [1]. C.R Kothari (2011), Research Methodology, p.3 [2]. www.oxfordjournals.org/tropej/online/ce_ch14.pdf [3].http://www.fhi360.org/NR/rdonlyres/etl7vogszehu5s4stpzb3tyqlpp7rojv4waq37el pbyei3tgmc4ty6dunbccfzxtaj2rvbaubzmz4f/overview1.pdf [4]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research [5].http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/qualitative%20methods %202/qualrshm.htm Qualitative research vs. Quantitative research Quantitative and qualitative researches are not in contraposition to each other. In fact different methods enable the researcher to gain access to different types of knowledge. These types of knowledge are not necessarily hierarchically arranged. Also they cannot be added together to provide a bigger or better picture of what is really happening. They may even come up with conflicting perspectives. Quantitative and qualitative researches have to be thought of as complementary and are to be used to generate a richness of understanding and interpretation. In all research there are three phases viz. i) Preliminary ii). Principal iii). Validation. The preliminary stage is one of concept formulation and definition of objectives, often leading on to piloting. Qualitative research can be invaluable in the early preliminary stage of concept formulation with a view to understanding social and cultural phenomena in natural settings in the light of experiences, meanings and views of all participants. It is also increasingly used to supplement quantification during the principal phase of research. Most research projects rarely include a validation stage of checking the conclusions against further data sets, or testing the feasibility of policy recommendation. By using a multi-method approach a research topic can be examined at different levels. In the validation stage also the contribution of qualitative research can be of great value. Certain phenomena or subjects are just not amenable to quantitative research. Here qualitative research can be extremely useful. Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in: . Their analytical objectives The types of questions they pose The types of data collection instruments they use The forms of data they produce The degree of flexibility built into study design E. Empirical Research The word empirical denotes information acquired by means of observation or experience alone, often without due regards for system and theory [1] . In a

second sense "empirical" in science may be synonymous with "experimental." In statistics, "empirical" quantities are those computed from observed values, as opposed to derived from theoretical considerations. This type of research involves using the scientific method at its core. Therefore, before any research is undertaken, it is important to be aware of the steps. The conclusions of this data-based research are verifiable. It is also called experimental research. In this research fact are taken as first hand to simulate the production of desired information. In empirical research researcher must take some hypothesis or guess as the probable result. Then Researcher works to get facts (data) to prove or disprove his hypothesis. After proving or disproving the hypothesis, researcher can set up experimental design for other object to bring forth the desired information. It is a research by experimental control over the variables under study. This research is appropriate when proof is sought that certain variables affects other variables in some way.

Example Study done by A. S. Greer, S., Burnam and A. D. Brook, R. B. for Measuring the Quality of Outpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia (complex mental disorder) . The study was chosen because it standardized the evaluation, assessment and measurement of a crucial subjective concept, namely the quality of outpatient care. The authors developed a standardized approach to measuring the quality of outpatient care for schizophrenia (complex mental disorder) and used it to evaluate and to empirically test and assess care. The measurement of quality of care was based upon comprehensive review and national treatment recommendations and an advisory panel of experts who selected the criteria for it. The patients, themselves, were evaluated beyond their symptoms and condition. Two clinics were compared in the study in terms of the quality of care their patients were receiving based on the criteria and methods devised by the authors. This provides the assessment of care in different settings. While undoubtedly there is a problem of generlising from two clinics to the situation in other clinics, the scope of the study was to devise valid, standardized methods of defining and evaluating the quality of care. A limited setting is required in order not to complicate data gathering. Other clinics can be compared using the approaches devised in this study. Reference: [1]. C.R Kothari (2011), Research Methodology, p.4 [2]. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [3]. http://people.bath.ac.uk/pspas/empexam.htm