Reflective Journal: Learning about Social Research Methods

This reflective journal entry discusses the author's learning experience in a social research module. The author emphasizes the importance of social research for knowledge development and its benefits to society. Before the module, the author lacked knowledge about different data collection methods, but now understands the vastness and methodological nature of social research, including the significance of selecting appropriate research methods. The entry highlights the distinction between primary and secondary research methods, discussing their advantages and disadvantages. It underscores the need for careful planning, the role of empirical research, and the importance of reliable data sources. The author concludes by advocating for increased funding for research from universities, governments, and private organizations to support societal knowledge development.

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Lenovo

Social research is important for the human growth. While completing this module, I learnt
that social research is important for developing knowledge, which can benefit the mankind.
Before undertaking this module, I did not have any knowledge about different data collection
methods. I realized that the field of the social research is vast and highly developed. I realized
that it is important to select appropriate research methods before completing a research. There
are several methods such as primary and the secondary research methods, which can be used
to complete research process. I realized that the social research is a methodological process
and requires comprehensive planning. Moreover, the social research has several aspects and
requires thorough planning for the selection of the research tools. I realized that selecting
inappropriate tools can jeopardize the overall conclusion of the research (Paradis et al. 2016).
There are different aspects of research such as research design, research approach and
research paradigm. The researcher has to decide all these aspects before undertaking the
research.
The skills required for the selection of the research process come with experience and
knowledge. I realized that there exist different categories of research; however, empirical
research is very important for the knowledge development. It is a research process, in which
experiments are conducted to complete the research.
The empirical research requires that the data is collected from diverse sources. Prior taking
the subjects, I had little knowledge about the types of research methods. However, I realized
that the data can be collected from different resources, albeit the data should be extracted
from reliable and valuable resources. In the present era of internet, information is present
everywhere. However, it is important to differentiate reliable information from unreliable
information. It can impact the authenticity of the results of the research. I realized that the
research methods can be broadly divided into two categories, namely, primary research
methods and secondary research methods (Gill et al., 2008). The primary research methods

are those, in which the data is directly collected from the research participants. On the other
hand, in secondary data collection, the data is obtained from the previous research studies.
There are different benefits and disadvantages of different methods. Firstly, primary data is
not cheap and requires extensive labour from the researcher. However, secondary research
data can be analysed for authenticity. The data has to be analysed for relevance too, as it is
obtained for some other research work, and hence for other research questions.
Overall, I realized that research is a labour-extensive process and requires extensive efforts
from the researcher. I assumed that there is no specific methodology required for the
research. However, now I understand that the researcher as to plan the entire research
process. Research is a contribution to the mankind and supports the knowledge development
of the society. Therefore, it is important for the Universities, governments and the private
organizations to give grant, which can foster research process in the society and academic
field.

References
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in
qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. British dental journal, 204(6), 291.
Paradis, E., O'Brien, B., Nimmon, L., Bandiera, G., & Martimianakis, M. A. (2016). Design:
selection of data collection methods. Journal of graduate medical education, 8(2), 263-264.