A Critical Review of the Range of Research Methodologies

A Critical Review of the Range Of Research Methodologies Appropriate To Research in Education And /Or Training

Research is a methodical investigation of some aspect of society by the collection of evidence of information.

Educational research can be conducted to investigate behavioural patterns in pupils, students, teachers or other participants in schools and educational institutions.   The methods of educational research are derived mainly from the social sciences and in particular from psychology.

There are two main approaches to research, Quantitative and Quantitative depending on which kind of data needs to be collected.   Haralambos and Holborn (2004) state that “some of the factors that influence the choice of research topic can also influence the choice of research method used to study that topic.   For example, the source of funding for a proposed project might well specify the type of method to be employed.   Many funding bodies support the use of more quantitative methods.” They then go on to say “some topics lend themselves more readily to the use quantitative techniques such as questionnaires: for example, research into voting in Great Britain tends to involve large-scale studies using quantitative statistical techniques because of the sheer numbers necessarily involved in the research if the data are to be of any use.   Other topics, such as behaviour in classrooms, lend themselves more readily to qualitative methods.”

Quantitative research is based more on facts, figures and percentages and is used to measure statistics but can also be used to measure attitudes, satisfaction and commitment.   Quantitative research evidence is gathered mainly through techniques such as surveys and questionnaires.   Quantitative research is a good basis for theory building.

Qualitative research involves a more in-depth understanding of human behavior and looks into the feelings and viewpoints of people and reasons that govern human behavior.   Qualitative...