Evaluation of Research Methodology - Essay Example

We will examine the different types of approaches and methods that favored by all the three types of researchers. We will discuss quantitative-qualitative debate and examine the advantages and disadvantages of both the methods. These research styles are set within their philosophical, political and practical context. During the discussion there is an emphasis on the need to adopt a critical and reflexive approach to research. In the process of discussion we will evaluate all the three main research methods.

We will also look at the possibilities for combining different approaches and methods in the same research project through a process. This multi-method approach and strategy would argue that this is helpful for researchers in seeking to reduce the impact of personal bias and maximize validity in research. While it is difficult to define precisely what social research actually is, there are certain aspects of the nation 'research' which can largely be agreed upon. The first of these is that researches is not an arbitrary activity, but follow certain rules and procedures.

There are many types of research method available, and some of these in common usages include for instance social surveys, experiments, observations and depth interviews. Further more, we are interested in generating information of sorts, either to develop further insights into an area - to explain or explore a particular phenomenon - or to solve a problem, perhaps at work or in our local community. Various research methods: Research methods are conventionally divided into quantitative, qualitative and participatory research methods, each with differing underlying approaches, tools and techniques, faced with the glowing claims of proponents and often strident critiques and counter - claims of opponents, one would be forgiven for thinking that they belong to different words traditional disciplinary divides are, however, becoming increasingly breached.

More over new tools and new solutions to short comings of old tools are continually being developed. The different methods can be integrated into a coherent research process, which builds on the relative strengths and weakness of each. Underlying the discussion are assumption about the main criteria for choosing between methods: the relevance of the information to the questions being asked and to the context; the reliability and credibility of the information and analysis; the ethical considerations in both means and ends of research; the manageability in relation to skills, resources and time available.

Quantitative method: Quantitative, Qualitative and Participatory approaches have different disciplinary origins, and have developed distinctive tools and each and each has developed its critique of the other approaches (Hulme, 2000; Kanbur, 2003). In development research, quantitative methods have typically been the main focus, with qualitative and participatory methods often relegated to desirable frills. This is partly because of the overwhelming