Research Designs and Researchers’ Quest for Problems Solving Conclusions: Expressing Appropriateness in Designs Identification and Application

The social science epistemology has suffered continuing debate between pure and Applied Research even till the contemporary times. The knowledge of research methods and application is a vital pre-requisite for a dynamic social order. The society both advanced and developing got to its present stage of development partly with the help of deep knowledge and appropriate application of research designs. This paper examines the problem of inappropriate application of research designs by many graduate and Post-Graduate students as well as some research practitioners. With the aid of secondary data, combined with the more than a decade of teaching research methods, we combined qualitative analysis with the application of the isomorphic principle to explain the appropriateness of any identified research problem and the design(s) that will yield the expected result or conclusions. Among other things, the paper found that many undergraduate and graduate students as well some research teachers parade themselves with poor knowledge of design identification and appropriate application. Thus they make recommendations, yet the problems persist. This paper recommends among others, that World, Regional or National bodies be established and licensed to register and certify academics through appropriate tests and conditions before their institutions can assign them to teach Research methods courses. This way, the Social Science epistemological argument of it, being Applied or Natural Research can only be defined and understood.