1.

Market research is the process of collecting valuable information to help you find
out if there is a market for your proposed product or service. The information gathered
from market research helps budding entrepreneurs make wise and profitable business
decisions.

Exploratory Research
Exploratory research is defined as the initial research into a hypothetical or theoretical idea. This is
where a researcher has an idea or has observed something and seeks to understand more about it.
An exploratory research project is an attempt to lay the groundwork that will LEAD to future studies,
or to determine if what is being observed might be explained by a currently existing theory. Most
often, exploratory research lays the initial groundwork for future research.
To make this a little more understandable, imagine you are blindfolded or placed into a room without
light. You are not told if something is in the room, but you have a suspicion there is something in
there. You shuffle out slowly into the room, exploring with the tips of your fingers until you find
something.
Exploratory research can come in two big forms: either a new topic or a new angle. A new topic is
often unexpected and startling in its findings. For example, American psychologist John Watson
really began his behaviorism research with a new topic on the study of human behaviors and
learning: rats! Because humans have brains and rats have brains, it makes a certain kind of sense.
There was an attempt to find the universal laws of learning in all brains.
New angles can come from new ways of looking at things, either from a theoretical perspective or a
new way of measuring something. For instance, computers have allowed large populations to be
looked at. Old experiments can now involve thousands of people from around the globe instead of a
few people from the local train station.

Descriptive Research
Once the groundwork is established, the newly explored field needs more information. The next step
isdescriptive research, defined as attempts to explore and explain while providing additional
information about a topic. This is where research is trying to describe what is happening in more
detail, filling in the missing parts and expanding our understanding. This is also where as much
information is collected as possible instead of making guesses or elaborate models to predict the
future - the 'what' and 'how,' rather than the 'why.'
Remember that room you're blind in? Descriptive research is the act of exploring the thing in the
dark, creating a fuller picture of what you are looking at. It is not quite as tentative as exploratory, but
you still are not 100% sure what you've found, although you're starting to get an idea. You begin to fill
in what you know with what you find.

A psychological example is the use of CT scans, MRI, fMRI, PET, and SPECT imaging to describe
the living brain. We now have the clearest picture in all of history of the thinking, living brain. Just a
few decades ago, a person who wanted to look at a living brain had two options: a really blurry CT
scan without any detail or to crack open the skull and peel back the protective layers around the
brain.
Both options are better than a century ago, where you kind of had to wait for someone to die to
examine their brain. Research over the last few decades has been expanding our understanding,
providing descriptions of the active processes in the brain.
One field that is quickly growing is the field of forensic psychology. Over the last few decades,
studies exploring the decision making process of police officers, the techniques used to question
witnesses and the jury processes are all being examined. There has been an active interest in many
researchers to explore the field that the judicial system needs.
For instance, looking into eyewitness memory studies reveals research explaining and describing the
factors that influence what people see. For example, did you know that a person with different lights
shining at different angles on a person's face can alter a person's entire look, including their
ethnicity? How about that even in broad daylight, people still get gender of perpetrators and victims
mixed up?

Interviews
The interview is undoubtedly the most common source of data in qualitative studies. The person-to-person format is most
prevalent, but occasionally group interviews and focus groups are conducted. Interviews range from the highly structured style, in
which questions are determined before the interview, to the open-ended, conversational format. In qualitative research, the highly
structured format is used primarily to gather sociodemographic information. For the most part, however, interviews are more open
ended and less structured (Merriam, 2001). Frequently, the interviewer asks the same questions of all the participants, but the
order of the questions, the exact wording, and the type of follow-up questions may vary considerably.
Being a good interviewer requires skill and experience. We emphasized earlier that the researcher must first establish rapport
with the respondents. If the participants do not trust the researcher, they will not open up and describe their true feelings,
thoughts, and intentions. Complete rapport is established over time as people get to know and trust one another. An important
skill in interviewing is being able to ask questions in such a way that the respondent believes that he or she can talk freely.
Kirk and Miller (1986) described their field research in Peru, where they tried to learn how much urban, lower-middle-class people
knew about coca, the organic source of cocaine. Coca is legal and widely available in Peru. In their initial attempts to get the
people to tell them about coca, they received the same culturally approved answers from all the respondents. Only after they
changed their style to asking less sensitive questions (e.g., How did you find out you didnt like coca?) did the Peruvians open
up and elaborate on their knowledge of (and sometimes their personal use of) coca. Kirk and Miller made a good point about
asking the right questions and the value of using various approaches. Indeed, this is a basic argument for the validity of
qualitative research.
Skillful interviewing takes practice. Ways to develop this skill include videotaping your own performance in conducting an
interview, observing experienced interviewers, role playing, and critiquing peers. It is important that the interviewer appear
nonjudgmental. This can be difficult in situations where the interviewees views are quite different from those of the interviewer.
The interviewer must be alert to both verbal and nonverbal messages and be flexible in rephrasing and pursuing certain lines of
questioning. The interviewer must use words that are clear and meaningful to the respondent and must be able to ask questions
so that the participant understands what is being asked. Above all, the interviewer has to be a good listener.
The use of a digital recorder is undoubtedly the most common method of recording interview data because it has the obvious
advantage of preserving the entire verbal part of the interview for later analysis. Although some respondents may be nervous to
talk while being recorded, this uneasiness usually disappears in a short time. The main drawback with recording is the
malfunctioning of equipment. This problem is vexing and frustrating when it happens during the interview, but it is devastating
when it happens afterward when you are trying to replay and analyze the interview. Certainly, you should have fresh batteries and
make sure that the recorder is working properly early in the interview. You should also stop and play back some of the interview to

see whether the person is speaking into the microphone loudly and clearly enough and whether you are getting the data. Some
participants (especially children) love to hear themselves speak, so playing back the recording for them can also serve as
motivation. Remember, however, that machines can malfunction at any time.
Video recording seems to be the best method because you preserve not only what the person said but also his or her nonverbal
behavior. The drawback to using video is that it can be awkward and intrusive. Therefore, it is used infrequently. Taking notes
during the interview is another common method. Occasionally note taking is used in addition to recording, primarily when the
interviewer wishes to note certain points of emphasis or make additional notations. Taking notes without recording prevents the
interviewer from being able to record all that is said. It keeps the interviewer busy, interfering with her or his thoughts and
observations while the respondent is talking. In highly structured interviews and when using some types of formal instrument, the
interviewer can more easily take notes by checking off items and writing short responses.
The least preferred technique is trying to remember and write down afterward what was said in the interview. The drawbacks are
many, and this method is seldom used.

Focus Groups
Another type of qualitative research technique employs interviews on a specific topic with a small group of people, called a focus
group. This technique can be efficient because the researcher can gather information about several people in one session. The
group is usually homogeneous, such as a group of students, an athletic team, or a group of teachers.
In his 1996 book Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, Morgan discussed the applications of focus groups in social science
qualitative research. Patton (2002) argued that focus group interviews might provide quality controls because participants tend to
provide checks and balances on one another that can serve to curb false or extreme views. Focus group interviews are usually
enjoyable for the participants, and they may be less fearful of being evaluated by the interviewer because of the group setting.
The group members get to hear what others in the group have to say, which may stimulate the individuals to rethink their own
views.
In the focus group interview, the researcher is not trying to persuade the group to reach consensus. It is an interview. Taking
notes can be difficult, but an audio or video recorder may solve that problem. Certain group dynamics such as power struggles
and reluctance to state views publicly are limitations of the focus group interview. The number of questions that can be asked in
one session is limited. Obviously, the focus group should be used in combination with other data-gathering techniques.
Observation
Observation in qualitative research generally involves spending a prolonged amount of time in the setting. Field notes are taken
throughout the observations and are focused on what is seen. Many researchers also record notes to assist in determining what
the observed events might mean and to provide help for answering the research questions during subsequent data analysis
(Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Pitney & Parker, 2009). Although some researchers use cameras to record what is occurring at the
research site, that method is uncommon and most researchers use field notes to record what has occurred in the setting.
One major drawback to observation methods is obtrusiveness. A stranger with a pad and pencil or a camera is trying to record
peoples natural behavior. A keyword here is stranger. The task of a qualitative researcher is to make sure that the participants
become accustomed to having the researcher (and, if appropriate, a recording device) around. For example, the researcher may
want to visit the site for at least a couple of days before the initial data collection.
In an artificial setting, researchers can use one-way mirrors and observation rooms. In a natural setting, the limitations that stem
from the presence of an observer can never be ignored. Locke (1989) observed that most naturalistic field studies are reports of
what goes on when a visitor is present. The important question is, How important and limiting is this? Locke suggested ways of
suppressing reactivity, such as the visitors being in the setting long enough so that he or she is no longer considered a novelty
and being as unobtrusive as possible in everything from dress to choice of location in a room.
Other Data-Gathering Methods
Among the many sources of data in qualitative research are self-reports of knowledge and attitude. The researcher can also
develop scenarios, in the form of descriptions of situations or actual pictures, that are acted out for participants to observe. The
participant then gives her or his interpretation of what is going on in the scenario. The participants responses provide her or his
perceptions, interpretations, and awareness of the total situation and of the interplay of the actors in the scenario.
Other recording devices include notebooks, narrative field logs, and diaries, in which researchers record their reactions,
concerns, and speculations. Printed materials such as course syllabi, team rosters, evaluation reports, participant notes, and
photographs of the setting and situations are examples of document data used in qualitative research.