Explanatory and Exploratory Approaches to Research

Discussion on Explanatory and Exploratory Approaches to Research & Justification for a Qualitative Research Method
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Discussion on Explanatory and Exploratory Approaches to Research & Justification for a Qualitative Research Method
The topic I question is Mental Health and Depression, with ‘quantitative’ as the term used in the search process of peer-reviewed articles. The initial search was successful because it resulted in 22/50 (or 55%) valuable hits. Using the term ‘quantitative’, the aim was to limit search results to studies that only had quantitative measures regarding depression and mental health. As a continuation, the current paper seeks to discuss the type of studies necessary for the appropriate research on the topic.
Explanatory vs Exploratory Study Types
Explanatory studies involve the collection of data so that a particular phenomenon can be explained. It is the pursuit of a situation that has never been studied before or has not been well described by existing research. The goal is to answer the question ‘how’, and researchers who use it seek to explain why a phenomenon is how it is (Bentouhami, Casas, & Weyler, 2021). While this study may help researchers understand a subject, it does not provide predictions for the future. Thus, people who conduct explanatory research only seek to understand and have no specific real-life application in mind. On the other hand, exploratory studies seek to explore a question without necessarily trying to provide a definitive solution to a problem. Often in focus are issues yet to be clearly defined or explained (Hallingberg et al., 2018). The primary research methods include surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups, and observations. Secondary research methods used include literature and online research.