Purposes of Research: Exploratory, Descriptive &
Explanatory
Research exists to enhance society through knowledge. When a person publishes their research, it is in the hopes that the targeted audience will implement their findings through real-life applications
Research types
Exploratory research seeks to better understand the exact nature of a problem, although it does not necessarily provide a definitive answer to the problem itself. I
Exploratory research is conducted by first identifying the problem, next by creating a hypothesis,
Descriptive research is likely the second step in an attempt to gain knowledge about a research question. Its purpose is to explore situations while providing further information regarding the research topic.
In considering what is explanatory research it is important to state that it is causal, meaning it should occur as a way to give a cause as to why something is happening. The explanatory research definition includes determining how variables interact with each
Here are the steps to conduct this type of research along with specific explanatory research examples:
Develop a research question by identifying the problem or interest
Suppose a linguist is interested in studying language retention for native English-speaking middle school students who are in a Spanish immersion program.
- Formulate a hypothesis
Develop a hypothesis by giving an educated guess regarding what results from the data could provide “The participation and duration of the exposure to a language for 6th-8th graders will lead to a positive effect on language retention and use as students go through high school.”
Design the methodology and collect data
Here, the researcher would choose how they want to gather their information. The data collection method is an essential catalyst for data analysis.
Analyze data
For this example, it was essential to establish a range and include any new information that was discovered.
Interpret results and provide suggestions for future research
The interpretation of results for this example is “Those students who participated in the Spanish immersion program and who were able to continue to speak conversationally with other Spanish-speaking students led to more language retention.
• Exploratory research provides the foundation in regard to a problem the researcher suspects are present; therefore it is usually the first form of research conducted.
• Explanatory research is unstructured whereas exploratory research is very structured.
Edgar Sanum