EXPLANATORY RESEARCH: CHARACTERISTICS, TECHNIQUES, EXAMPLES - SCIENCE - 2024

The explanatory research aims to establish the causes of a phenomenon. It is a type of quantitative research that discovers the why and why of a phenomenon.

The causes and effects of what has been studied are revealed from an explanation of the phenomenon deductively from theories or laws. Explanatory research generates operational definitions referring to the phenomenon studied and provides a model closer to the reality of the object of study.

When research attempts to determine the causes of a phenomenon, we speak of post-fact research. But if what matters is to inquire into its effects, it is an experimental investigation.

The results and conclusions of this type of research represent a deep level of knowledge of the object studied.

Whoever conducts explanatory research intends to analyze how things interact, so it is important to have a sufficient prior understanding of the phenomenon. There are explanatory studies to make diagnoses, predictions and evaluations.

Explanatory research characteristics

Increase understanding of the phenomenon

Even when it does not offer conclusive conclusions, explanatory research allows the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the phenomenon and its causes.

Diversify sources

In explanatory research, the use of secondary sources is allowed. For the same reason, the researcher should be attentive when selecting his sources, ensuring that they are diverse and impartial.

Improve conclusions

When the results of this research are available, the questions that will guide subsequent work become clearer.

Better understand the object of study, guarantees the usefulness of the research conclusions.

Anticipate the effects of changes

An explanatory study helps to distinguish the causes of many processes, which at the same time allows anticipating the possible effects that some changes may generate.

Increase the chances of

This type of research can be replicated in other circumstances to try to investigate possible new versions of the phenomenon.

Systematic selection of subjects

By rigorously selecting study subjects, internal validity is added to the research.

Other characteristics could be:

• Determine which of the possible explanations for a phenomenon is the best.
• Helps to verify the accuracy of the underlying theory.
• Reveal the validity of a hypothesis.
• It implies capacity for analysis and synthesis on the part of the researcher.

Techniques

Some of the methodologies used in explanatory research are:

Case studies

They help to specify the why and how of the phenomenon to be investigated.

Causal studies

They allow to establish empirical correlations of the variables.

Longitudinal studies

Because when studying a phenomenon over time, its possible changes and its immutable aspects can be detected.

Correlational studies

With this method, relationships between the variables of a given phenomenon can be identified. Generally this method is applied to the field of social phenomena or that of the laws of physics.

Bibliographic review

In any type of research, a bibliography review is required to have the background of the work and a state of the art of what has been done with respect to the object of study in the scientific field.

The bibliographic search is faster and less expensive than other methodologies and can include: electronic or digital files, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, letters, commercial and academic literature, etc.

In-depth interviews

This method is a kind of deeper or higher level of literature review.

It is about accessing specialized and first-hand information, from the mouth of people who have had the experience with the object of study.

It should include a battery of semi-structured questions that guide the conversation to obtain the relevant data within the investigative work.

Focus groups

This method consists of bringing together people with common characteristics in relation to the object of study in order to obtain relevant data from them on the phenomenon studied.

It can be groups of between 8 and 15 people. A meticulous record must be made of everything that happens during that encounter to later process the information found.

Examples

Here are some examples of what could be considered explanatory research:

• If a distributor of children's and youth books wants to know why sales are declining, they may need to do an in-depth interview with administrators, parents, and teachers.
• It is intended to determine the impact of foreign direct investment on the levels of economic growth of a given country.
• We want to analyze the effects of the change in the image of a product on its sales levels.
• The impact of the inclusion of a school transport on the punctuality levels of the students is studied.

The cause in scientific research

A cause in the context of explanatory research is that which originates a particular phenomenon. But phenomena, as a rule, have several causes, each of which must be regarded as a necessary but insufficient condition.

If each of the possible causes is viewed as a set, they function as a sufficient condition. That is, a sufficient condition is the sum of all the necessary conditions.

So, in the field of explanatory research, the cause is the necessary and sufficient condition for the phenomenon studied to occur. In an explanatory investigation, causation must meet three requirements:

Concomitant variation (correlation)

When there is a correlation between two variables, there is causality. However, it is not enough that there is a correlation. The other two requirements need to be met.

Temporary ordering

This requirement implies that for X to actually be the cause of Y, X must always occur before Y. At least simultaneously.

Elimination of other possible causal factors

The possible existence of other causal factors must be ruled out.

Themes of interest

Documentary research.

Basic investigation.

Field research.

Exploratory investigation.

Scientific method.

Applied research.

Pure research.

Descriptive research.

Observational study.

References

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