CHAPTER 5: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
5.12 Nature of research design
134
variables is imperative. This is advantageous because the researcher is more objective about the findings of the research.
135
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2012) suggest that exploratory studies can be conducted by:
a search of the literature
talking to experts in the field, and
conducting focus group interviews.
After the establishment of the main constructs or even variables, it may be possible to conduct explanatory or interpretive research. However, caution is that the drawing of definite conclusions should be priority because of a lack of or no knowledge in that specific field (Saunders et al., 2012).
The main advantage of exploratory research is its flexibility, that it can accommodate new knowledge as it emerges during a study (Saunders et al., 2012). The flexibility and dynamic nature of exploratory research generally provides a deeper understanding of a situation or an issue.
The primary disadvantage is that exploratory research seldom offers adequate answers to research questions (Saunders et al., 2012). Exploratory studies are moreover on many occasions not definitive because the individuals studied may not be typical of the larger population of interest.
5.12.2 Explanatory research
Another type of research is explanatory research, which aims comprehensively to explain data that emanates from the descriptive data. It simply means an explanation of the analysis of the data of the study.
Explanatory research explain why things are the way they are, and therefore looks at what might be the causes and also reasons for a specific problem (Blanche et al., 2010). Thus, in explanatory research, a use of theories that pre-exists, in order to develop first ideas of a possible explanation for a question before further data is collected to verify or modify the description (Saunders et al., 2012).
It must be said, though, most of the time that this type of research requires a large number of cases (Saunders et al., 2012) to ensure that data is collected quantitatively, after which the data is subjected to further analysis.
136
It is therefore imperative to highlight that choosing between exploratory and explanatory research designs depends on the research questions and objectives, and to a greater extent, hypotheses as these latter affects what information is collected (De Vos et al., 2011; Fouché and Schurink, 2011).
The advantage of exploratory and explanatory research designs is that researchers use a number of research methods to broaden or open up the problem and start searching for answers. However, the primary disadvantage more often than not is that this kind of study does not offer adequate answers to the researcher’s questions, but can point them towards the answers (Saunders et al., 2012).
5.12.3 Interpretive research
Interpretive studies seek to explore peoples’ experiences and their views on or perspectives of these experiences (Babbie, 2013a; De Vos et al., 2011). Interpretive studies are typically inductive in nature and often associated with qualitative approaches to data gathering and analysis. This design represents an effort to gain an understanding of the views of respondents.
Interpretive methodologies position the meaning-making practices of human actors at the centre of scientific explanation, which is closer to the experiences of the people. Here, the researcher does not commence with concepts that are predetermined, but rather seeks to allow these to emerge from the research study (De Vos et al., 2011).
The advantage of this kind of research is that the variables that are studied are often located within particular linguistic, historic and value-related standpoints (Saunders et al., 2012). The primary disadvantage of this research type is that the researcher allows concepts to emerge without predetermination, and this could pose a challenge to an inexperienced researcher.
5.12.4 Descriptive research
The descriptive research provides a picture of a situation as it naturally happens (Babbie, 2013b), and its use is more into justifying the current practice and make judgement.
A number of authors, including Babbie (2013b), Leedy and Omrod (2010) and Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2012), agree that descriptive studies report summary data such as measures of central tendency, which, inter alia, reflect the mean, median, mode, deviance from the mean, variation, percentage and correlation between variables. Survey research
137
commonly includes that type of measurement, but often goes beyond descriptive statistics in order to draw inferences.
Descriptive research is unique in the number of variables employed. Similar to other types of research, descriptive research can include multiple variables for analysis yet, unlike other methods, it requires only one variable (Leedy and Omrod, 2010).
In some other instances, a descriptive study might for example, employ methods for analysing the correlations between multiple variables by using tests such as Pearson's Product Moment correlation and regressions analysis (Leedy and Omrod, 2010).
Descriptive statistics utilise data collection and analysis techniques that yield reports concerning the measures of central tendency, variation, and correlation (De Vos et al., 2011).
The combination of its characteristic summary and correlational statistics, along with its focus on specific types of research questions, methods and outcomes, is what distinguishes descriptive research from other kinds of research.
De Vos, Strydom, Schulze and Patel (2011) further highlight that descriptive statistics utilise data collection and analysis techniques that yield reports concerning the measures of central tendency, variation and correlation.
However, with the descriptive method, the researcher does not attempt to establish a causality relationship between variables (Leedy and Omrod, 2010). What the researcher does is merely to give a comprehensive description of the relationships between or amongst variables without saying that one variable causes the effect observed in the other variable.
The primary advantage of descriptive research studies is therefore that data can be gathered on one occasion through a questionnaire (Saunders et al., 2012), moreover, report summary data such as measures of central tendency, including the mean, median, mode, variation, and percentage.
The disadvantage of this kind of research is that the researcher does not attempt to establish a causality relationship between variables (Saunders et al., 2012). Furthermore, respondents are not always truthful in their responses. They will only give information that they think the researcher wants to hear or see.
In addition to the above-mentioned notions, the researcher will only record information that seeks to address the hypotheses of the research study, and in the process miss salient
138
features, which might have aided the researcher with discovering more information (Saunders et al., 2012). The main disadvantage is that in some instances the researcher might be tempted to direct some of the responses to achieve what they intended.
5.12.5 Research strategy
Research strategies are manifold. They provide the study with orientation while relying on an established structure for the research design (Saunders et al., 2012). In general, a strategy is the action plan in achieving a goal (Saunders et al., 2012). Moreover, a research strategy is a plan of how the study will answer research questions (Babbie 2013b; Leedy and Omrod, 2010; Saunders et al., 2012).
In line with the arguments advanced by Babbie (2013b), Leedy and Omrod (2010) and Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill(2012) in their studies, highlighted that the research strategy is a tool that a scientist employs for addressing the research hypothesis. To test the hypothesis, the researcher needs a plan that guides how to go about it.
5.12.6 Justification of the research survey
For the purposes of this study a number of research designs, for example, exploratory, explanatory, interpretive and descriptive, were explored and the advantages and disadvantages of each design, in line with the hypotheses, objectives and questions of the study were reflected.
Therefore, the use of the research survey (descriptive) fits in well with the study. Surveys enable the researcher to obtain data about practices, situations or views at the same time through questionnaires or interviews (Saunders et al., 2012).
Descriptive research was found to possess the following advantages: data can be gathered at the same time by means of a questionnaire, and descriptive studies furthermore report summary data such as measures of central tendency, including the mean, median, mode and percentage.
Notwithstanding the fact that the descriptive study was appropriate for this research study, it has some drawbacks. One drawback is that in descriptive research, it is difficult to measure changes in the population unless if there is a use of two or more surveys at different stages.
Such repetition is often expensive and time-consuming. Frequent periodic surveys are
139
therefore impractical. However, descriptive research is appropriate for this research study as data was collected using a questionnaire.