I. INTRODUCTION A. What is Research? As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Research means: (1) to search or investigate exhaustively (2) studious inquiry or examination; especially, investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws (3) the collecting of information about a particular subject While according to Leedy (2010), research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others. Reference(s): Merriam-Webster as cited in http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit01/infoage01_03.phtml Chet Leedy (2010), Research in Education, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall B. Kinds and Classifications of Research As stated in Analytictech (2013), there are 6 conflicting kinds of research. First conflicting pair is, Applied vs Basic research. Applied research is research designed to solve a particular problem in a particular circumstance, such as determining the cause of low morale in a given department of an organization. Basic research is designed to understand the underlying principles behind human behavior. For example, you might try to understand what motivates people to work hard at their jobs. This distinction is discussed in more detail in another handout. Another pair is the Exploratory vs Confirmatory research. Exploratory research is research into the unknown. It is used when you are investigating something but really don't understand it all, or are not completely sure what you are looking for. It's sort of like a journalist whose curiousity is peaked by something and just starts looking into something without really knowing what they're looking for. Confirmatory research is where you have a pretty good idea what's going on. That is, you have a theory (or several theories), and the objective of the research is to find out if the theory is supported by the facts. And lastly, Quantitative vs Qualitative research is cited. Quantitative studies measure variables with some precision using numeric scales. For example, you might