There are many types of research, but today we want to talk to you about one in particular that will give you a new perspective on your objects of study, for that we have created this guide with everything you need to know about explanatory research. After all, what is the purpose of explanatory research?
What is explanatory research
Explanatory research is a method developed to investigate a phenomenon that had not been studied before or had not been well explained previously in a proper way. Its main intention is to provide us with details about where a small amount of information can be found.
With this method, the researcher gets a general idea and uses research as a tool to guide them quicker to the issues that might be addressed in the future. Its goal is to find the why and what for an object of study.
Explanatory research is responsible for finding the why of the events through the establishment of cause-effect relationships. In this sense, explanatory studies can deal with both the determination of causes (post-facto research) and effects (experimental research) through hypothesis testing. Its results and conclusions constitute the deepest level of knowledge, according to author Fidias G. Arias.
Characteristics
Among the most important characteristics of explanatory research are:
- It allows for increased understanding about a specific topic. Although it does not offer conclusive results, the researcher can find the reasons why a phenomenon occurs.
- It uses secondary research as a source of information, such as literature or published articles that are carefully chosen to have a broad and balanced understanding of the topic.
- It allows the researcher to have a broad understanding of the topic and can refine subsequent research questions to augment the conclusions of the study.
- Researchers can distinguish the causes why phenomena arise during the research process, and anticipate changes.
- Explanatory research allows them to replicate studies to give them greater depth and gain new insights into the phenomenon.
Types of explanatory research
The most popular methods of explanatory research:
- Literature research: It is one of the fastest and least expensive means of determining the hypothesis of the phenomenon and collecting information. It involves searching for literature on the internet and in libraries. It can of course be in magazines, newspapers, commercial and academic articles.
- In-depth interview: The process involves talking to a person who is knowledgeable about the topic under investigation. The in-depth interview is used to take advantage of the information offered by people and their experience, whether they are professionals within or outside the organization.
- Focus groups: Focus groups consist of bringing together 8 to 12 people who have information about the phenomenon under study and organizing sessions to obtain from these people various data that will help the research.
- Case studies: With this method, researchers can deal with carefully selected cases. Case analysis allows the organization to observe companies that have faced the same case and deal with it more efficiently.
Check out our library of QuestionPro Case Studies to learn more about how we help organizations conduct market research.
Importance of explanatory research
Explanatory research is conducted with the aim of helping researchers to study the problem in greater depth and understand the phenomenon efficiently.
The main use for explanatory research is problem-solving by finding the data that went overlooked or had never been investigated before; while it might not bring out conclusive data, it will allow us to understand the issue with more efficiency.
In carrying out the research process, it is necessary to adapt to new findings and knowledge about the subject. Although it is not possible to obtain a conclusion, it is possible to explore the variables with a high level of depth.
Explanatory research allows the researcher to become familiar with the topic to be examined and to design theories to test them.
This method is extremely valuable for social research. They are essential when one wants to convey new data about a point of view on the study. It allows researchers to find a phenomenon that was not studied in depth. Although it does not give a conclusion of such a study, it helps to efficiently understand the problem.
People who conduct explanatory research, do so with the objective of studying in detail the interaction of the phenomenon. Therefore, it is important to have enough information to carry it out.
Finally, we invite you to refer our market research guide. You can do incredible research and collect data for free with our survey software. Get started now!
