Research is pertinent in all areas of life because it can be carried out anywhere as long as the researcher has the interest and the available information and skills needed. Conducting research at home can even be more comfortable than at work or in an educational setting especially when researching on project topics for undergraduates. This is because the research will have an adequate environment to reflect on the issues affecting the common surroundings and try to provide solutions to them. Furthermore, the researcher would not only provide theoretical solutions, but also practical solutions that would benefit the affairs of living things. Though many scholars, including students, might believe that it is impossible to carry out research for education, especially in the face of staying at home among students of all federal universities in Nigeria due to strike action initiated by the ASUU for failed demands by the federal government, this article thus provides solutions on how research can be conducted while at home.

What is research?

Research is defined as the systematic, scientific study of studies that address a certain subject or topic. It is also described as a methodical investigation to identify, clarify, anticipate, and manage the observed occurrence. Both inductive and deductive techniques are used. “ The researcher has the choice to look into an observed event utilizing deductive or inductive research methods in this case. For any researcher working from home, both of these methods are crucial. Deductive methods, on the other hand, are more frequently connected with quantitative analysis, whereas inductive methods are associated with qualitative undergraduate project topics and guides.

The “Why” of Conducting Research

Among others, the following are the three main purposes of conducting research project :

1. Exploratory: As the name implies, exploratory investigations are carried out by researchers to investigate a set of topics. The solutions and analyses might not provide a resolution to the alleged issue. It is being done to address brand-new, previously unexplored problem areas. The groundwork for more thorough data gathering and analysis is laid by this exploratory procedure.

2. It focuses on gathering data in order to increase understanding of current challenges. In descriptive research, the behavior of a sample population is described. One variable is all that is required to conduct the study. The three basic objectives of descriptive research are to describe, explain, and validate the findings. Take, for instance, research done to determine whether time management affects organizational performance.

3. A causal or explanatory study is carried out to comprehend the effects of certain modifications to current standard operating procedures. The most common form is conducting experiments. Consider the education final year research work that was done to determine how ASUU affected academic achievement.

How to Conduct Research at Home

Every research, whether conducted in an institution or at home, aims to provide a solution(s) to a problem, so the following steps should be taken to conduct research at home:

Identify a problem first maybe around your neighbourhood or a trending issue you want to solve and try to explain them. For example. Academic performance of students after ASUU strike.
Explore what other researchers have reported about the issue you are trying to solve. For instance, examine literatures that reported about the effect of ASUU strike on students’ academic performance and ensure that you pick and cite the authors where necessary.
Identify the gaps you have discovered in the previous studies you have careful reviewed about your subject issue and marked them carefully as your present study will fill those dearth.
Careful chose the approach you will adopt to conduct your study. Is it qualitative (use of interviews and observations to get your data)? Or is it quantitative . Also, ensure that you know your population of interest and how to select them without bias. Know the statistics suitable for your study and adopt accordingly.
Highlight your result based on the analysis you have performed and discuss why you feel the result might be so. Evaluate the result by comparing it with previous studies as to whether they are in line with the findings of your study or not.
Highlight the findings of your study, conclude and then give recommendations based on the findings of your study.
Finally, ensure that every piece of work you have cited is properly referenced.