Exploratory Research is the first research conducted on a hypothetical, theoretical or hypothetical idea. The researcher will have a hypothesis or observation and try to find out more. The purpose of an exploratory project is to lay the basis for future research or to find out if a theory can explain what’s being observed. Exploratory research usually lays down the foundations of future research.
Exploratory studies can be in two main forms: new topics or new angles.
New perspectives can be gained by a change in perspective. Computers are a good example. In the past, experiments could only involve a handful of people at the local station. Now, thousands of people can be involved.
Descriptive Research
After the foundation is laid, the newly-explored field requires more information. Descriptive research, also known as exploratory and explanational research, is the next step. It aims to explain a subject while providing more information. Here, the research attempts to fill in any gaps in our knowledge and describe events in greater detail. The goal is to gather as much data possible rather than making elaborate predictions or guesses.
The purpose of Explanatory research is to find out the problems that have not been studied in depth before. The purpose of the Explanatory Research is to help us understand the problem better. The researcher must be able adapt to new information and new insights that are discovered as they study the subject.
The researcher can explore the topic in varying depths.
Deductive reasoning involves “developing (or modifying) a hypothesis based on an existing theory and designing a strategy for testing the hypothesis”.
The term “deductive” is used to describe reasoning that moves from the particular into the general. It is possible that a causal link or relationship implied by a theory or example in a case could be true for many other cases. It is possible to test this relationship by using a deductive approach.
Deductive reasoning can be explained using hypotheses. Hypotheses are derived from propositions. Deductive approach involves deducing conclusions from propositions or premises.
Inductive reasoning or inductive approach begins with observations. Then, theories are developed as a consequence of those observations. Inductive studies “require the observation of patterns and the formulation of theories to explain them through hypotheses”. Inductive studies begin without any hypotheses or theories. After the research has started, the researcher may change the direction.
The inductive approach is not meant to disregard theories. This approach is designed to extract meaning from data sets in order to identify patterns, relationships and build a theoretical framework. However, the inductive approach doesn’t prevent researchers from using theories to formulate research questions. Inductive reasoning relies on experience to learn. In order to draw conclusions (or create a theory), we observe patterns, resemblances or regularities.
