Research methods are the strategies used to collect data for projects. There are different types of research methods for different needs. Sometimes, research methods may be combined in one project.
Types of research methodologies:
Quantitative
- Quantitative research is the systematic investigation of numerical (quantifiable) data which can be ranked, measured, or categorized through statistical analysis.
- It assists with uncovering patterns or relationships, and for making generalizations, establishing cause and effect, and in science, may aim to produce replicable results.
- This type of research is useful for finding out how many, how much, how often, or to what extent.
- Instruments: Surveys, questionnaires, experiments, tests, assessments, data sets.
Qualitative
- Qualitative research aims to understand lived experiences, meaning, and social phenomena using non-numerical data. It is often used to determine how or why events occur or to generate new theories or ideas.
- Qualitative data from surveys and document analyses may be coded so that it can be quantified.
- Instruments: interviews, focus groups, observations, document analysis, free response questionnaires.
Mixed Methods
- Mixed Methods research integrates quantitative and qualitative methods.
- It enables triangulation, or verification, of the data from two or more sources.