Experimental Research: Explore the Best 3 Types!
Experimental research is the adventurous explorer of the scientific world, setting out on a quest for knowledge. In this engrossing blog, we will examine its complex tapestry, exploring its goals, methods, and its profound effects on our comprehension of the cosmos.
Join us as we travel through the carefully orchestrated chaos of experiments, where theories are put to the test, new information is discovered, and the boundaries of human understanding are pushed. Welcome to the world of experimental research, where questions have no limits and solutions can be found in the data.
What Is Experimental Research?
As the name suggests, it is a type of research conducted by the researchers. In this research, the information collected by the researchers uses a very scientific approach which includes two sets of variables – dependent or constant variable and independent variable.
Experimental research is all about conducting an experiment with the sets of variables where an independent variable is the one that is manipulated and applied on a dependent variable in order to prove a hypothesis formed at the beginning of the research, to be true or false. This kind of research work has to have a controlled environment and should be conducted for a longer period of time in order to collate enough information, analysis and conclusion on both sets of variables.
Experimental research, by definition, might seem a little hectic but that is not the case precisely. Rather, this research is used by researchers in almost all fields to gather information and provide some base, proof and confirmation rather than just relying on facts.
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Examples Of Experimental Research
The definition of experimental research is no rocket science and so you would have gotten the basic understanding on this type of research. In this section, we will develop a deeper understanding of experimental research by looking at an example. We will try to understand how the research goes around with its two sets of variables.
Let us assure that the product manager of ABC ltd. comes with the conclusion that there needs to be a certain change in their existing product as this change will result in higher level of sales and hence increased revenue. But before taking this to the upper management for approval, the product manager must have some base or proof for what he will be proposing to the higher management.
For this purpose, the product manager conducts an experimental research where he puts up some samples of the improved version of the product in some stores for sale. In this scenario, the product becomes the constant or dependent variable while the other variables that are controlled by the product manager become the independent variables. These independent variables might include the location of the store, target audience and many others.
The product manager decides to conduct the test for two months to collate sufficient data on sales and revenue figures. Once the required data is collected, the product manager can analyse the data and come to a conclusion which will either support his hypothesis (proposal for the improved product to launch in the market) or will reject it.
This is just a hypothetical example to generate its deeper understanding. But on the same lines, this research is taking place in every aspect like advertising, demographics, product designs, proving solutions and many more.
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Importance Of Experimental Research
Experimental research can prove to be extremely beneficial in all the domains, especially the businesses and different ideas and suggestions relating to it. This is so because the nature of the this research is so that it can help you in giving a base supported with the actual customer data to make up a foundation for your idea or hypothesis.
It can be important as it can help you in quality decision making rather than some vague idea or fact. The structure of the research is so that it will also be helpful in analysing data easily. Not only this, it might also help you in focusing the area that required the actual attention.
It can be of importance as it gives the result in the most saturated form. By taking place in the controlled environment, experimental research does not allow other unnecessary variables to affect the analysis. By having boundaries and taking sufficient time, this research increases the reliability of the data and the research conducted.
The quality of the research conducted might get degraded if the researchers missed to give sufficient time and attention to this research in the initial stages before actually conducting the research.
Types Of Experimental Research
Now that you have a clear understanding of experimental research, it’s time to dig a little deeper and know more about it. In the previous two sections you looked and understood this research and its importance along with a hypothetical example where it was shown to be used in the real world. In this section, we will be focusing on the different types or designs of experimental research.
Please note that its design is nothing more than the different ways of data collection that is the different way of classifying different subjects of research, different conditions that might be applied and many more.
Pre-experimental research design
It is a type of experimental research design which uses the method of observation to conduct research. This is the most basic research design of this type research where a group or a number of different groups are put under observation after applying the required cause and effect research factors.
In this research, researchers get to know if any further study is required to be conducted or not. This type of research design can be further classified into three types –
One shot case study research design
In this type of research design, a single group of research participants is exposed to stimulus who are then tested till the end of it. This research design helps researchers analyse each individual research subject.
One group pretest-posttest research design
In this type of research design a test is applied on the subject groups both pre and post exposing them to the stimulus. This helps researchers in gathering comparative data before and after the stimulus.
Static group comparison
In this type of research design, two groups are put to test but only one of the two groups is exposed to the stimulus. This helps researchers in differentiating the data for the two groups – the one with stimulus and the other without it.
True experimental research design
It is the type of experimental research design which requires three conditions to be satisfied – the presence of a dependent and independent variable, the right to manipulate the variable and the requirement for a random distribution. Of all the research designs of this type, only true experimental research design is capable of forming a cause and effect relationship. This type of research design is static in nature which makes it more capable of giving out the most accurate research results.
Quasi-experimental research design
It is the type of experimental research design, much similar to that of true experimental research design. Infact, the meaning of the term ‘Quasi’ itself means ‘similar’. The condition of having random distribution of variables is not allowed in this research design. It becomes either irrelevant or not required for the research if you go for quasi-experimental research design.
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Advantages Of Experimental Research
Knowing the importance and the different types of experimental research might make you feel confident to use it for your research purpose. Well, you should feel confident but at the same time, there is nothing more than knowing the benefits that this type of research can provide you. This knowledge might be useful for you to set up clear expectations from experimental research that you might be planning to conduct.
- It provides researchers complete control and authority over the variables involved in the respective research which gives them the benefit of trying to obtain the desired output.
- The nature of this research is so that it is extremely flexible which makes it of use in different fields and verticals, irrespective of the subjects or the industry.
- It does not give any vague results. Rather, the result received is in the most specific and conclusive form.
- It is also capable of providing the flexibility to researchers to apply the finding of one research to another if they are for a similar context or phenomenon.
- It can prove to be very useful when you want to test a hypothesis as it gives a clear result based on data if the mentioned hypothesis is true or not.
- The authenticity of the research is not tarnished even when the researchers manipulate the data in order to obtain the desired output.
- It also leaves the space open if the researchers want to analyse and form any other relationship using the variables.
- It not only gives out the result but also helps in forming and understanding the cause and effect relationship between the variables.
- The nature of this type of research is so that the same test can be replicated and tested either to study other variables or to confirm the previously obtained results.
- It does not leave any aspect open and gives you a complete understanding about all the whereabouts of the respective environment that you are studying.
Disadvantages Of Experimental Research
By looking at the advantages of experimental research and the fact that it leaves minimal space for error, it seems to be very convincing and intriguing to use it for your research work. As convincing as it seems, this type of research brings with it some of the flaws that you should not be overlooking before getting to use it for your research.
- Experimental research is a time taking research work and requires a lot of time and money.
- The complexity of this research is so that as compared to other researches, it’s not easy conduct.
- With the over manipulation of variables by the researcher, it can lead to the formation of an artificial environment.
- Even though it leaves little to no space for mistakes, it is sensitive to any mistake made in the methodology of its conduct.
- Any mistake made while conducting the research takes the researchers back to square one where they need to conduct a new research.
- In some of the researches, there might be some variables which cannot be manipulated or seems very impractical to take forward the research.
Conclusion
Now you know all about the experimental research in order to get started with it. Before you actually begin with it, make sure that you have the objective of your research in mind.
This will help you in trying to understand whether it will be an ideal research for the topic that you want to cover. With its disadvantages in mind, you can look for an alternative research method if experimental research is too much.
FAQs
What makes experimental research different from other research?
The ability of experimental research to form a cause and effect relationship among the variables is the unique factor, differentiating it from other research.
What are some of the variables that cannot be manipulated in an experimental research?
All specific variables like gender, personality type, grade and many more are the ones that cannot be manipulated.
