There are mainly two categories of educational research, which are :
(a) Quantitative research – research studies that investigate the quality of relationships, activities, situations, or materials . It has five types of research :
i) Experimental research – To establish cause and effect of relationship among variables.
ii) Single subject research – Data are collected and analyzed for only one subject at a time. Commonly use to study the changes behaviour in an individual exhibit.
iii) Correlational research – Also known as associational research. Investigate the possibility of relationships between two variables only. Use to help explain important human behaviours or to predict likely outcomes.
iv) Causal – comparative research – to determine the cause consequences of differences that already exist between @ among group of individual.
v) Survey research – focuses on the opinions of a large group of people about a particular topics or issues.
(b) Qualitative research – comparison between alternative methods of teaching; examining research among variables; comparing groups of individuals or interviewing different groups of professionals. Qualitative research can be divided into two parts which are :
i) Ethnographic research – usually consists of a description of events that occur within the life of a group – with particular reference to the interaction of individuals in the context of the sociocultural norms, rituals, and beliefs shared by the group.
ii) Historical research - generates descriptions, and sometimes attempted explanations, of conditions, situations, and events that have occurred in the past.
Reference :
Jack R. Fraenkel and Norman E. Wallen (2008).How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education. Seventh Edition McGraw Hill International Edition.
