Types of research (I like this quote from 'I'm too hot now' - by Roger Neighbour):

"Quantitative research asks, 'What is true?'

Qualitative research asks, 'What is interesting?'

Contemplative research asks, 'What matters?'

In other words have you ever thought that human values and priorities and assumptions should be - are - integral to deciding what we should enquire into, then you will incline towards contemplative research. If you've ever scanned the literature and found precious little you cared a toss about, no article you'd dream of reading if it was just you and the journal on a desert island, then you are a contemplative researcher at heart.....

Think of it this way, Both quantitative and qualitative research deliver 'bottom-up' views of reality. They focus on small component parts and how they articulate one with the other, trusting that in time the big picture will become discernible. Contemplative research, by vontrast, is 'top-down'. Comtemplative researchers say to themselves, 'That would be a good thing to have a picture of; let's see what we'd need in order to create one. That's an important problem; let's see what might be getting in the way of understanding it. That's an interesting idea; but I wonder what evidence would look like.'"