As you saw in “Concept of Research,” there are so many categories of research, each encompassing different types. We can classify types of research based on different, where the main categorization is as follows: the purpose of research, approach to data, source of data, research design, nature of inquiry, nature of analysis, timeline of study, field of application, setting of research, and degree of control.

At this point in ARPL, you are not expected to dive so deeply into every category. However, if you are curious about any category we are not currently exploring, feel free to reach out to me or your mentor for guidance. Rest assured, if any of these categories are relevant to your research, your mentor will naturally guide you through them.

The types of research we will be exploring are as follows:

1. Field of Application

• Basic Research
• Applied Research

2. Purpose of Research

• Exploratory
• Descriptive
• Explanatory (Causal)

3. Approach to Data

• Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Research
• Mixed Methods Research

4. Source of Data

• Primary Research
• Secondary Research

5. Research Design

• Experimental
• Observational