Exploratory research is the method that is used to examine and Collect information and data on topics that have not been previously researched. It is normally a form of qualitative research method. Although, if research is conducted on a large scale in an exploratory manner, then it can be a form of quantitative research method.
If a researcher wants to understand the problem questions in greater depth, he prefers this research method. But remember that this research method can’t provide results on those research problems in a precise manner. Because of this, a researcher used this method to explore the causes of research problems and conclude results with the help of other research methods.
The major advantage of exploratory research is that a researcher can arrange the collected information and data using this research in any structure according to its requirements. This research is generally conducted when you can’t find any data or information on your research problem. This research method is also called interpretive or systematic method because it is used to explore the behaviour of people in a systemative way.
Let’s take an exploratory research example to understand its concept
Suppose a burger-selling owner wants to increase his customers. He feels that increasing the variety of burgers will help in increasing customers. He is not sure about his idea. For this sake, he decided to conduct exploratory research to notice the behaviour of people. He increased the variety of burgers and started noticing people’s reactions. Using this research method, he can determine whether his idea is good or not.Different Types & Methodologies of Exploratory Research
Using exploratory research, you may find it very difficult to collect information and data on new topics. This research has a number of research methods, and you can easily collect the perfect information and data about the topic. There are two different methods to conduct research using this type of research. That are:- Primary Research Method
- Secondary Research Method
Methods of Primary Research
Primary research is used when you need to collect information on a topic that was not covered previously. In this research, you can collect data directly from the audience. The audience of your research is people, and they can be individuals or in a group, depending on your research’s requirements. This research has the benefit that you can conduct it by yourself or from any other person on your behalf. The purpose of primary research is to investigate a research problem that requires a thorough investigation. You can use different methods in this research to find the solution to the research problems. These different primary methods are interviews, surveys, observations, and market surveys. When you are researching information about your topic using primary research, you should collect the data that is in raw form. Because of this, primary research is also known as original research.Interviews
You can find a variety of information from different sources. But sometimes, you need to investigate the research problem in its depth of knowledge. For this sake, you can plan interviews with different types of people to notice their behaviour or reaction to a specific issue. If you want to explore different people’s points of view on any problem or thing, conducting an interview is the best method. You can interview people in both ways, like individual and group. An interview is the form of qualitative research method. Hence, you can collect qualitative data about the topic using conducting this method. Using interviews, you can collect data and information about the topic with more understanding rather than collecting from a general public source.Surveys
When you want to collect information from a predefined group of people, you can use the survey method. This exploratory research method provides you with the collection of quantitative data because it is a form of quantitative research method. The survey research method is used to explore people’s opinions, solutions, and trends on different problems. You have two ways to conduct a survey on any issue from people. These ways are online surveys and in-person interviews. With the help of modern technologies, you are now able to conduct your survey online. You can send your survey to your audience on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media. Additionally, in these modern days, you have immediate access to this data. Most organisations now provide participants with short surveys and benefits to increase response rates.Observations
This research method is a form of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. That means you can collect both qualitative data and quantitative data using observations. To conduct this primary research method, you don’t need to interact with different people. This research method explores people’s unexpected reaction to any situation, thing, or place. You can also do video or voice recording to observe people’s behaviour later. Video recording helps you to understand the behaviour of people in depth.Market surveys
It is another method that is mostly used for research in exploratory research. In this research method, you must select a group of people and collect their opinions on any issue. However, it is crucial to ensure that when selecting the participants in a focus group, they should have similar backgrounds and experiences.Methods of Secondary Research
Secondary research is another method of conducting information about the topic using exploratory research. It is used when you want to collect information and data that has been previously observed. In this research method, you have the objective of collecting the second-hand information about the topic that is present in publications, books, research papers, and journals. You should conduct this method of research from different secondary sources. These sources include publications, journals, case studies, magazines, dissertations, research papers, newspapers, and a thesis.Online Research Method
In this modern world, collecting information online is most of the fastest way. You can find thousands of articles, publications, and research papers written on almost every topic. It is the most convenient way of collecting data and information on the topic. You don’t need to conduct any interviews, surveys, or observations and analyse or interpret the raw information. Just sit at the table, open the laptop and start researching the data about the topic. The important aspects of such research are the authenticity and validity of these online sources from where you collect the information and data.Background Research
Another important research method of secondary research is background research. It is one of the cheapest methods for identifying a theory by determining its background information. The variety of data available in books, publications, magazines, journals, and even private databases is significant. It would be best to ensure some points while collecting the information using these sources. National authorities have accurate information, but sometimes you need to pay a few charges to obtain that information. Moreover, research conducted by academic institutions is usually ignored, even though they conduct more research than any other type of organisation.Research Project Analysis
You can easily understand the concepts of your topic by analysing the previous research projects covered on that topic. Analysing the topic problems in greater depth is very important for understanding the concepts. Because it will help you in providing recommendations on those problems. It would be best if you carefully analyse the interpretation, results, and recommendations to complete your research perfectly.Guidelines to Perform Exploratory Research
Here are some guidelines that will help you to understand how to conduct exploratory research:Determine the Research Problem
Before starting a research, you need to carefully read the task and understand the problem of the research. Determining the research problem will help you to understand what type of information you require for your research. Remember that you can only use exploratory research when you find that your topic is new and no previous research has been conducted.Identify the Background Theory
After identifying the research problem, your next step is finding the topic’s background theory. It will help you to understand the nature of the topic.Create a Hypothesis
Developing a hypothesis based on the questions acquired while identifying the research problem would be best.Select your Research Methodology
After that, select a research methodology for your research. Using this research methodology, you will collect data and information about the topic.Conduct Research to Collect Information & Data
After selecting a research methodology, your next step is researching and collecting information and data about the topic. You can collect the data from various sources depending on your research methodology.Analyse the Collected Data about the Topic
It would be best to analyse the collected information and data about the topic. This will help you understand whether you need further research or not. If required, you can conduct more research to collect information to complete your research.Pros of Exploratory Research
- This type of research is very flexible because of its open-ended nature.
- It is very cost-effective to research and collect information about the topic.
- It allows you to arrange the structure of information in any form, depending on your research requirements.
- Using this research type, you can easily understand the causes of research problems.
- With the help of exploratory research, you can give better recommendations for the future because you have a greater understanding of the concepts.
- If you want to apply changes in the information and paraphrase the collected information, raw data provide you with an opportunity to make changes.
- This research method allows you to collect information about the topic according to your requirements.
Cons of Exploratory Research
- The results obtained using this type of research are not perfect.
- Although it is cost-effective, it requires a lot of time and concentration to collect information and data about the topic.
- The major disadvantage is that you can collect qualitative data by using this research method. Interpretation and analysing the qualitative data is the most difficult process.
- This research can be conducted on a few people, and results obtained using these data do not apply to the whole population.
Significance of Exploratory Research
You must conduct exploratory research when you need to understand the topic in depth of its knowledge. Also, if you are unable to find the data on that topic, then you can use this research and collect the information by yourself. Instead of concluding the research, this research type has the objective of exploring the research problem widely. By selecting the best research methodology, you can build a strong framework for researching your ideas. You can aslo determine the main factors that are essential for the analysis with the help of this form of research.Conclusion
You should use exploratory research when you need to research a topic that other researchers have not previously observed. Normally, you can collect qualitative data using this research method. Using this research method, you can get the audience’s opinions on any situation, topic, or problem. This research is only used to understand the topic, the results obtained from this research can not be applicable on a large scale.The post Exploratory Research: Explanation, Types & Methods appeared first on Blog | Affordable-Dissertation UK.
This post first appeared on Dissertation Writing Services In UK, please read the originial post: here
