Friday, May 3, 2024

Exploratory research: Definition, Types and Methodologies

exploratory research design

This type of research can be useful in exploring the range of opinions and attitudes towards a topic, identifying common themes or patterns, and generating ideas for further research. Secondary research is the collection of information from previously published primary research. In this type of study, the researcher gathers information from various sources such as case studies, magazines, newspapers, books, and so on (Gerring & Mahoney, 2020). Next, determine at what points and how you want to collect feedback on your product as you design and iterate it.

Explanatory Research – Types, Methods, Guide

When hypotheses are used to test a specific relationship between identified variables in a research problem, it is quantitative (Asika, 2004). Tegan (2021) also stated that exploratory research is frequently qualitative. A large-sample exploratory study, on the other hand, can be quantitative as well. Due to its flexibility and open-ended nature, it is also known as interpretive research or a grounded theory approach.

CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

The research procedure may change according to the transformation of the initial concept into a series of more precise and structured narrow subproblems. Major ways to implement exploratory research are literature search, expert surveys, focus groups and case analysis.Literature search is one of the fastest and cheapest methods of hypothesis referral. Search should be based on conceptual literature, commercial or official statistics. Qualitative research incorporates a range of methods including in-depth interviews, focus groups, ethnography and many others.26 Even within a single method, accepted approaches and standards for rigour vary depending on disciplinary and theoretical orientations. Correspondingly, qualitative research cannot be defined by a single theoretical approach or data collection procedure. Rather many, often debated, approaches exist with distinct implications for appropriate standards for data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Differences between Exploratory and Conclusive Research

In other words, researchers must understand what research designs are available to best address their research problems and guide them throughout the research process. With new researchers in mind, this article focuses on exploratory research design – its conduct and applications in management sciences. Compared with descriptive or comparative studies, exploratory studies approach the topic of study primarily in an inductive fashion to investigate the areas of potential research interest that remain mostly or wholly unexamined by the scientific community. Investigators undertaking exploratory studies typically have few expectations for what they might find, and their research design and approach may shift dramatically as they learn more about the phenomena of interest. An example of an exploratory study is a study that uses convenience sampling and unstructured interviews to explore what patients think about a new treatment in a single healthcare setting.

Exploratory Research Methods

You can gain valuable insights into their behaviors and decision-making processes by interacting directly with your target audience. Explore our customer satisfaction survey templates to rapidly collect data, identify pain points, and improve your customer experience. Other online sources of information include statistical information, the websites of competitors, and social media platforms, where prospective customers might be talking about your products or those like it. Literature research is the process of gathering data from published sources like textbooks, journals, magazines, and the like. This information might be available in hard copy, or you may be able to conduct your research through the Internet. For example, if you want to develop your own sustainability statement, you might gather the annual reports of a few businesses operating in your industry as these reports are usually readily available online.

Experts' perceptions on the use of visual analytics for complex mental healthcare planning: an exploratory study - BMC ... - BMC Medical Research Methodology

Experts' perceptions on the use of visual analytics for complex mental healthcare planning: an exploratory study - BMC ....

Posted: Thu, 07 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Given this intellectual diversity, it is inappropriate to use a single yardstick for all qualitative research. Rather, assessments of qualitative quality must begin with an assessment of a study’s theoretical orientations and research objectives to ensure that rigour is assessed on a study’s own terms. This framework and suggested approaches may help to advance evaluations of qualitative rigour that acknowledge and differentiate between the studies that report exploratory, descriptive or comparative study objectives.

Exploratory research: Steps to conduct a research

By observing their interactions and listening to their questions, answers, and comments, you can identify necessary changes to the product. This process will also give you insights into how customers will respond to it when it launches. Observation means observing subjects or a research phenomenon of interest in the field, and may involve the use of qualitative or quantitative methods, or both. For example, if you are trying to develop a placement strategy for a new retail product, you might observe the way that shoppers interact with the aisles and shelves at a local supermarket.

Self-efficacy in college athletics: An exploratory study - United States Sports Academy Sports Journal

Self-efficacy in college athletics: An exploratory study.

Posted: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This is used to clarify research problems and hypotheses and to establish research priorities. A hypothesis is a statement based on limited evidence which can be proved or disproved and leads to further investigation. Consequently, exploratory research designs, unlike the descriptive research or casual, are often used to establish an understanding of how best to proceed in studying an issue or what methodology would effectively apply to gathering information about the issue. You might have your product's models, drawings, or prototypes ready for testing.

Primary research methods

You can continue this type of interactive research with your target group or customer base throughout all phases of product development. This includes the design, manufacturing, market introduction, and customer experience phases. You will want to conduct exploratory research to determine how people will respond to your product. Your data may show that your potential customers have a different opinion than you expected. Once you receive the data, your perception of how to proceed with the product's design will become more apparent. In our above example, you might develop a market research survey on customers’ perceptions of the various products in order to test your hypothesis.

However, a few things have to be kept in mind while researching from these sources. Government agencies have authentic information but sometimes may come with a nominal cost. Also, research from educational institutions is generally overlooked, but in fact educational institutions carry out more number of research than any other entities. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. Before beginning your paper, you need to decide how you plan to design the study.

exploratory research design

The outcomes of this research provide answers to questions like what, how and why (Bernd, 2017).

This involves an in-depth analysis of a particular case or situation to gain insights into the underlying causes, processes, and dynamics of the issue under investigation. It can be used to develop a more comprehensive understanding of a complex problem, and to identify potential research questions or hypotheses. The research design establishes the decision-making processes, conceptual structure of investigation, and analytical methods used to address the study’s central research problem (Tegan, 2021). Taking the time to select an appropriate research design will assist  researchers in organising their thoughts, define the scope of their study, increase the reliability of their findings, and avoiding misleading or incomplete conclusions. As a result, if any aspect of research design is flawed or misappropriate, the quality and dependability of the results, as well as the overall value of the study, will diminish (Umesh, 2021).

If you're unwilling to be open to the results, bias can factor into data interpretation, rendering the data useless. Also, if you haphazardly assemble a quick study with a small sample, the sample size may not represent the target audience. The processes and methodology depend on your resources, team strengths, and at which points in the development process you need direction the most. Taking the time to budget for exploratory research has excellent cost-saving significance.

No comments:

Post a Comment

License Plates Custom Personalized, Vanity License Plates at SpeedySigns com

Table Of Content Law that ended single-family zoning is struck down for five Southern California cities Business Partner Automation Program ...