Draw the distinctions among exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory (or analytic or causal) research. What conditions are most appropriate for each of the three major research purposes?

What will be an ideal response?

Exploratory research is usually conducted when relatively little is known about the phenomenon under study; that is, the research topic is itself relatively new and unstudied. The researcher explores the topic in order to become familiar with it and to gain ideas and knowledge about it. Exploratory research may also be undertaken when the researcher is examining a new area of interest. In other words, the topic of interest has been studied by others, but not by the researcher. It may also be used when testing the feasibility of a new methodology. It may have been studied before, but the researcher is now interested in using a new methodology, and the results of the study will guide larger, more complex studies. Exploratory research typically uses qualitative methods, such as case studies, focus groups, or guided interviews. When exploring a topic about which they have little knowledge and there is limited literature on the topic under study, researchers often use these methods to help determine the relevant variables and whom to study.

Descriptive research is conducted to explain a phenomenon. This type of study summarizes the characteristics of particular individuals, groups, organizations, communities, events, or situations as completely, precisely, and accurately as possible, with the ultimate purpose of formulating these descriptions into conceptual categories. The nature of the description differs from exploratory research in that descriptive study is much more structured, carefully conceived, deliberate, systematic, accurate, and precise. It provides detailed numerical descriptions of relatively few dimensions of a well-defined subject. It can be an independent research endeavor or, more commonly, part of a causal research project. Descriptive research frequently employs survey methods and gathers information from a set of subjects or cases carefully selected to enable the researcher to estimate the precision and generalizability of the findings.

Explanatory research, also called analytic or causal research, seeks answers to research hypotheses or problems. It studies the mechanisms and causes behind a phenomenon with experimentation, and may be conducted to explain factors associated with a particular phenomenon, answer cause–effect questions, or make projections into the future. While exploratory research is concerned with questions of “what” and descriptive research with questions of “how,” explanatory research answers questions of “why” or “what will be.” It differs from descriptive research in the scope of the description. Whereas descriptive research seeks information about isolated variables, explanatory research examines the relationships among these variables and is inherently more in-depth. Explanatory research is often associated with experimental research designs that randomly select and assign subjects to experimental and control groups. It relies heavily on multivariate analyses and model-building techniques based on sound theoretical frameworks.