This is the primary stage of the investigation. It happens when there is little or no background information on the problem the researcher intends to investigate.
Characteristics:
. Few or no antecedents
. Seeks to gain new knowledge of a phenomenon
. Formulate a problem to investigate with better precision
. It is a generalized investigation to become familiar with the subject and get information.
The hypothesis is not tested
It is qualitative in nature
It explains the "what", "how" and "when", but
does not determine the frequency or "how
many".
Steps of Exploratory Research
Survey of Literature
Try to propose a hypothesis. With a review of the literature you
may find hypotheses already proposed that you will have to
evaluate their usefulness in the present investigation.
The Experience of Survey
The experience of the respondents is relevant
to obtain information and to visualize new
perspectives on the problem.
It helps to create the best hypothesis
Fundamental contributions:
Possibility of behavioral
Knowledge of the installations
Control factor
Knowledge of the people helping
Case study
Studies the subject qualitatively
To know the factors and causes of the behavior of the
phenomenon to be investigated.
The observation of people outside or foreign to the research
is very useful
All dimensions and ramifications are studied.
Experimental Research Design
Types of Experimental Research
After-only experimental design
The control group and the experimental group are
similar and can be affected simultaneously by the
external factors.
Before – after experimental design.
The dependent variable is measured before and
after participation in the experiment.
Ex-post facto design
The researcher depends on the historical background.
Panel study
These are repeated observations on the same subject
in different time periods.
Characteristics:
The independent variable is manipulated to learn
about the behavior of the dependent variable.
It works with homogeneous groups, although it is
difficult to achieve this.
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis of a causal
relationship between variables.