We explain what research methods are and which are the main ones. Also, what are the characteristics of each one.
What are research methods?
Research is an activity dedicated to obtaining new knowledge or its application to solve specific problems, through an understandable, communicable and reproducible procedure. It can be dedicated to different areas of human knowledge, and involve different types of reasoning and procedures, depending on the research method chosen.
The term method comes from the Greek goal-, “towards”, and hodos“path,” which suggests that its meaning is “the most appropriate path to an end.” That is to say, that A method is a procedure that we choose to obtain a predetermined goal..
Consequently, the research methods are the different models of procedures that can be used in an investigation specific, taking into account its needs, that is, the nature of the phenomenon we wish to investigate.
A perfect example of this is the scientific method.a series of logical and experimental procedures that allow a hypothesis to be tested through controlled, replicable and precise experiences, that is, through what we know today as science.
- Qualitative method
- Quantitative method
- Analytical method
What are the research methods?
Broadly speaking, the research methods They are classified as logical and empirical.. Logical research methods involve the use of thinking and reasoning to carry out deductions, analysis and synthesis.
On the other hand, empirical research methods approach knowledge through replicable, controlled and documented experiences, which we know as experiments.
Additionally, we can identify the following methods:
- Logical-deductive method. It consists of applying general principles to particular cases, based on certain links of judgments. This involves: 1) finding unknown principles from those already known, and 2) discovering unknown consequences of already known principles.
- Direct deductive method. Used primarily in logic and formal reasoning, it extracts a single, true conclusion from a finite set of proven premises.
- Indirect deductive method. It is the method based on the logic of syllogism, that is, the comparison of two initial premises to obtain a final conclusion. Generally the initial premise is general or universal, the second premise is particular, and the conclusion can be one or the other.
- Deductive hypothetical method. It is the method that starts from an initial hypothesis or explanation, and then obtains particular conclusions from it, which will then in turn be verified experimentally. That is, it includes an initial step of empirical inferences (observation, for example) that allow an initial hypothesis to be deduced that is then subjected to experimentation.
- Inductive logic method. It proposes the opposite path: from particular premises, universal or general conclusions are inferred, either through complete inductions (all the elements that make up the object of study are considered) or incomplete (only some of the elements that make up the object of study are considered) .
Continue with: Research project
References
- “Research” on Wikipedia.
- “Research methods and techniques” at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
- “Research methods in psychology” (video) in Educatina.
- “Research methods and techniques” in Gestiopolis.
