Research Paper on:
Research Methodologies

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
researchers have increasingly developed structured approaches to carrying out the research process that are intended to maximize the results of ones efforts. However, looking at these processes superficially, purely in  terms of their outward approach to research, one might have difficulty discerning the relative value of research methods in differing contexts. Instead, one must strive to develop a deeper understanding  of the philosophical underpinnings of all research methodology. Every approach to research is, intrinsically, a statement of metaphysical and epistemological assumptions. This is because every research is based in differing  philosophical takes on how knowledge can best be acquired, and how significant that knowledge is in terms of truly understanding the external world. This paper will explore the various philosophical  concepts that reside at the core of research methodology. This paragraph helps the student explore empiricism and quantitative research. To begin with, we might look at one of the most  commonly used of all research methodologies: quantitative research. Quantitative research is, as the name suggests, research that deals in specific numerical values - for instance, the majority of statistical research  is quantitative in nature, as statistics makes use of numbers to determine the significance of correlations between measured phenomena. Underlying all quantitative research methodology is the philosophical assumption of empiricism.  Empiricism is an epistemological theory which holds basically that humanity has only one source of information about external reality: ones sensory faculties. Therefore, any information taken through the senses is  held to be an accurate measurement of the external world, and inferences based upon sensory experience and data are held to be reliable. This is in keeping with the quantitative  method which adopts a similarly objective approach to knowledge. The scientific method, for instance, is at the heart of research. It involves the establishment of carefully controlled experiments to