This article aims to buttress the need, importance and uniqueness of engaging outdoor research in writing research papers and dissertations irrespective of the type or nature of research being done. It is very informative and would provide you with the necessary knowledge for starting and concluding your research journey.

Outdoor research is one of the less exploited areas in academic research, the era of doing basic research within a confined environment such as libraries, classrooms, cyber cafes, hostel rooms, offices etc. with the help of laptops, desktop computers, gadgets or printed materials is gradually becoming obsolete, this is not to say that indoor research isn’t worth it, but because of the need for data collection, physical sampling, field surveys and interview there is always a need for researchers to engage external elements and materials.

Outdoor research appears more comprehensive, detailed and elaborate when properly done than the traditional indoor research most people do. I must say at this point that many students do research from the comfort of their homes using basic known tools and equipment like telephones to interview respondents, computers to get relevant recent data from other scholarly papers on the internet and the engagement of survey monkeys, Google Doc or Google forms to get peoples’ opinions without stepping an inch in the field.

On the contrary, outdoor research is embraced as a better and more robust way of getting the required data for academic research. The data that can be obtained includes real-life (first-hand) information from the people on the street (those who are directly or indirectly affected by the subject being studied).

Often, people tend to avoid outdoor research because of the pains and rigours involved, particularly the financial burdens that come with outdoor queries. Moving out of one’s comfort zone to get data provides the researcher with unique perspectives on the issues or problems being studied and helps to improve the quality of work done at the end of the study.

How to Do Outdoor Research in Project Writing

Outdoor research is also known as external research or outdoor learning in academia. It involves a broad spectrum of events such as carrying out expansive fieldwork in remote areas within the scope of the study area and direct engagement with people of homogenous characteristics within a study area (the natural environment in focus). This is also relevant for studies that are about a natural environment, geography, ecology or physical human locations. Outdoor data collection methods such as the primary data, first-hand field data, and one-on-one interaction with respondents give the researcher a better understanding of the study thus boosting the chances of more robust research findings and conclusion.

Some research topics require physical visits to concerned locations until the research is concluded, meaning that all data are collected physically on-site (qualitative) and can be relied upon and referenced for further studies. For instance, the study of history would require visits to historical sites, buildings, museums etc. Studies on anthropology could inspire at least a visit to any relevant cultural events or rituals, while subjects on finance may cause a compulsory visit to financial institutions like commercial banks, mortgage institutions, microfinance banks, cooperative societies etc.

Why Outdoor Research?

Outdoor research is best engaged by professionals, scholars and experts in a specific discipline where they have adequate knowledge of the subject matter of study. The understanding of the topic being researched makes it difficult to make mistakes during research but if the study environment, topic or perspective is known to the researcher, it will produce an in-depth study on the topic as only relevant literature, subjects and case studies will be used.  

Challenges of Outdoor Research:

Outdoor research is usually the most expensive type of research since physical presence in the study areas is required. This involves transportation to the different areas that make up the scope of work, printing and distribution of data collection instruments, visits to respondents and revisiting to recover administered questionnaires, and other logistics and welfare of the researcher to experience a smooth and hassle-free study. Some research requires procurement or hiring of physical equipment, tools and apparatus for a study. Overall, there is the security of the researchers, delayed approvals from community leaders or unions in a study location and the possibility of not completing the research in good time due to time constraints.

Conclusion:

Indoor and outdoor research are just like a coin with two sides, whilst both aspects can be applied at the same time to achieve the research objectives, they can also be applied individually to get the required results depending on the nature of the research undertaken. Outdoor research may not be widely used in academia, but it is highly recommended in academic research.

For further clarifications on this article contact us here