Research Designs and Methods Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research Designs and Methods - Term news report ExampleIf we were to not use scientific research, we would defend to rely on intuition, sham and whims. All through with(predicate) history, one can see examples of how important decisions can go wrong because the decision ecclesiastic relied on these. Intuition is lots influenced by a few events that are not representative of the norm. The decision maker whitethorn not even realize how much weight a particular incident may be given simply because it has had an emotional impact on them and not because it is really relevant. Statistical studies have shown that any one of a number of guesses has exactly the same chance of being right as any other in the set. Nevertheless, we often make the mistake of believing that a particular guess has a greater probability of being right. This is a fallacy that motivates every gambling situation. The whims and ideas of monarchs have often been their downfall. Major decisions of corporations, coun tries and even individuals, if taken without the backing of facts and research can often lead to costly mistakes sometimes irreversible... (Baily, 1994 76-83). A majority of the type of research mentioned is conducted by using mathematical and statistical functions. But when the target area of study is a human being, quantitative measurement of phenomena is not always possible. Human experience is inherently qualitative, and often it is best reported thus. A number of researchers have understood this, and choose to study phenomena from a qualitative and descriptive point of view. While such research is often criticized for not being qualified to present hard data, the insight it provides into the human experience makes it well worth the effort. It is, of course, difficult to generalize from essential data a strength of objectively collected data. In some cases, there is no get at all to apply the findings in a larger context. Qualitative research is also much fallible in its i nterpretation. But in spite of all its flaws, qualitative data especially in the Social Sciences can provide an understanding and a perspective that empirical data cannot afford.