MCRS part A week 1

Question 1

What is ‘fundamental research’

Answer 1

Research to fill a knowledge gap, to contribute to science.

Question 2

What is ‘applied research’

Answer 2

When there is a problem of practice and you want to acquire knowledge to solve the problem.

Question 3

Definition of scientific research

Answer 3

A systematic process of gathering theoretical knowledge through observation.

Question 4

Three characteristics of scientific research

Answer 4

1. Public (it should be verifiable and open to criticism)
2. Predictive (it should result in predictions)
3. Objective (the research should be conducted through uniform rules and should not include subjective findings of the scientist)

Question 5

Differences between quantitative and qualitative research

Answer 5

Quantitative: no measurements, based on words and aimed to generate a theory
Qualitative: measurements based on numbers and aimed to test a theory

Question 6

Two types of research designs and their aims

Answer 6

1. Experimental; To find out an effect or causal relationship
2. Cross-sectional and longitudinal; To find a correlation or association.

Question 7

Three kinds of data collection methods

Answer 7

1. Research by observation (experiments or real life observations)
2. Posing questions (surveys and interviews)
3. Content analysis (analysing existing content like texts, videos and images)