Research in any field has value, as it provides an opportunity to learn new information about any phenomenon or phenomenon. Moreover, scientific research contributes to the deepening of existing knowledge and the improvement of established theories. Thus, it is of particular importance to consider and gain an understanding of what research theory is and the differences and similarities of various types of research. This provides an opportunity to make the right choice and get the most effective and successful outcomes of scientific work.
First of all, before starting to compare different types of scientific research, it is necessary to gain awareness of what the phenomenon under study is. Thus, Salkind (2017) stated that “research is a process through which new knowledge is discovered” and “theory helps us to organize this new information into a coherent body that explains and predicts events” (p. 3). Following this information, it follows that research is the basis for the construction of theories and theoretical approaches. The main component of this aspect is that it is based on data and information that has been deduced earlier by other scientists and forms universal conclusions (Perna, 2020). In other words, the results and findings of any scientific work can be used regardless of the attached setting. Moreover, all research is united by the fact that it can be generalized and necessarily related to theory. However, the most essential characteristic is that any research is apolitical and aimed at improving society.
The next step is to compare the different types of research that can be selected by researchers. There are four main ways to acquire new information and improve existing ones, among which are non-experimental and experimental research and accurate experimental and quasi-experimental research (Salkind, 2017). Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, which depend on what goals and objectives are faced by researchers making a choice. Awareness of the unique features of these methods is an integral part of the preparation for experimental scientific work.
First of all, all methods of conducting research differ in the ways of collecting information. Hence, non-experimental research is characterized by the fact that it includes several methods at once. Among them, there are various surveys among a specific population, information analysis, or correlation, which is based on the study of relations between variables. Salkind (2017) defines this approach as “examines the relationship between variables, without any attention to cause and effect relationships” (p. 10). Another distinctive feature that follows from the information provided is the lack of control over the facts or the precision of the work being carried out. Thus, this approach can be practical when studying current or past events.
On the other hand, the experimental approach has a higher control over the accuracy of the study and the information that researchers need. A distinctive feature of this method is also considered to be that it “examines the cause-and-effect relationship between variables” (Salkind, 2017, p. 13). The similarity between the experimental and non-experimental approaches is the limited time frame for the study of present or past phenomena. An example of experimental research is conducting a case study.
Another type of scientific work that requires attention within the framework of this paper is quasi-experimental research. This method, like the experimental one, is based on the study of cause and effect, but in this case, they are collected with preassigned groups (Salkind, 2017). In other words, researchers use populations with certain characteristics that correspond to the topic in question to gain information. As in the non-experimental method of conducting research, in a quasi-experiment, researchers do not have control over who is assigned to which group.
The last type, but no less valuable, is accurate experimental research. As in the previous method, it is based on the fact that groups of populations are based on treatment variables or treatment conditions, that is, certain characteristics (Salkind, 2017). In addition, research stated that “this is the ideal model for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship because the researcher has clearly defined the possible cause (if indeed it results in some effect) and can keep very close tabs on what is happening” (Salkind, 2017, p. 14). Moreover, this is a consequence of the fact that it has an exceptionally high level of control over the conduct of the experiment and the data obtained during it. True experimental research is based on the examination of current events and most often uses the study of the function of the cause of comparison between effects.
In conclusion, the research theory is of particular value when acquiring new information and making changes to the already received. Depending on the goals and objectives set by scientists, such methods as experimental and non-experimental research and true experimental and quasi-experimental research can be chosen. Each of them has common characteristics inherent in all of the above methods. At the same time, each of them is unique in the way of collecting information, the level of control and precision, and the time of analysis.
References
Perna, L. W. (2020). Higher education: Handbook of theory and research. Springer.
Salkind, N.J. (2017). Exploring research. Pearson.