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Scholars on qualitative research methods
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods
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Qualitative research answers open-ended questions such as “why” or “how”. It helps me to remember this by seeing how closely the word qualitative resembles the word quality. Qualitative research is looking for qualities instead of sheer numbers. “Qualitative research methods allow research subjects to answer questions in their own words or even in ways that do not use words.” (Kolb, Bonita, 29) One example of a qualitative research method is a focus group. A focus group includes a moderator and a group of selected participants. In this focus group the moderator will not offer any opinions but simply ask questions of the group and keep the discussion on track. The participants will be able to veer away from the set questions prepared by the …show more content…
These surveys ask students opinions on course content and the instructors strengths and weaknesses. These surveys are conducted on scantron forms, allowing for the instant tabulation of responses. The responses are easily analyzed and used in a various number of ways by the school administrators. A second example of quantitative data is observation. Observation can be placed in either the quantitative or qualitative research category depending on how it is used. Here, I want to explain how observation can be used as a quantitative research method. Observation is done by watching members of the target demographic in a natural environment and analyzing what is observed. Observation research can be quantitative if the information being observed is answered by a yes/no, this/that or how many. An example of observation being used as a quantitative research method is an apparel store in the mall wants to know what percentage of shoppers stop to look at the display in front of the entrance before wandering deeper into the store. Researchers are simply observing to count how many shoppers look at the display. This is a simple question to answer because there is no middle ground, they either stop or they
Qualitative research aims to gather information from data collection methods and transform it into written words. Such as transcribing recorded interviews, taking field notes from observations, using words to outline images (Denscombe, 1998, p. 174). On the other hand, quantitative research aims to gather information from data collection methods and transform it into numbers. Such as analysing conducted surveys and pulling numbers to transform it into statistics, tables and graphs (Denscombe, 1998, p.174-177).
Research can be quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research is objective and involves measuring the phenomena under investigation. Qualitative research is subjective, explores experiences and feelings, and involves the recording of phenomena that cannot easily be quantified (Toates, 2010, pp. 5-6). Both are empirical since they involve data collection (OU, n.d.).
Why was a qualitative approach appropriate to answer the RQ? Qualitative approach is an appropriate to answer research question because it gives you the method used, accurate understanding, and meaning of the research. It gives the assumptions such as realities and truths behind the research questions. It also generates hypothesis, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. 3.
According to Smith (1983) quantitative research is to explain, predict and develop laws that can be universally applied and Qualitative research is the interpretation and understanding of what people give to their situation. The researchers clearly stated the purpose of their studies, aim, objectiv...
The term methodology refers to the way in which we approach problems and try to find answers and in social science, it applies to how research is conducted, our assumptions, interest and purposes shape which methodology we choose (Steven, 2016:3).Qualitative research is understanding people from their own perspectives, their viewpoint and experiencing reality as they experience it. Qualitative research has many approaches or methods of collecting data and one of them is an interview which I have chosen to explain further based on it as a method of collecting data. The interview is the most common method of data gathering used in qualitative research and it is used in deferent ways by every main theoretical and methodological approach.
On the other hand, Quantitative research refers to “variance theory” where quantity describes the research in terms of statistical relationships between different variables (Maxwell, 2013). Quantitative research answers the questions “how much” or “how many?” Quantitative research is an objective, deductive process and is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables with generalized results from a larger sample population. Much more structured than qualitative research, quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys, personal interviews and telephone interviews, polls, and systematic observations. Methods can be considered “cookie cutter” with a predetermined starting point and a fixed sequence of
Quantitative research is the oldest form of research; it is incredibly formal, stemming from positivism paradigm, or the outside looking in approach. The method is about trying to establish cause and affect relationships between variables. This method can be considered non biased as the researcher isn’t us...
This essay intends to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research which addresses young people and bullying using two journal articles. The first article (quantitative) aims to “establish the relationship between recurrent peer victimisation and the onset of reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in the early teen years” (Bond et al. 2001, p. 480) while the second article (qualitative) aims to “investigate the nature of teenage girls’ indirect aggression” (Owens et al. 2000, p. 70).The two articles will be critically compared in terms of research design, methods used, approach to data analysis, reported results and the plausibility and appropriateness of the conclusions and recommendations posed. The aim of this essay is thus to evaluate and assess the methods of social science research currently undertaken in published research.
Stejskal, S.M. (2010) Quatiative and Qualitative Research Methods are not and should not be Mutually Exclusive, Grinn Verlag.
Qualitative and quantitative research methods take different approaches to gathering and analysing information. Whether it is a qualitative or quantitative study, the research study begins with a question or series of questions. Both use rigorously designed studies to get the most accurate, detailed and complete results. Qualitative studies common methods are interviews, surveys and observation. A qualitative study aims to provide a detailed description of the study results, often using pictures and written descriptions to describe what the research revealed. A qualitative study looks at the big picture, helping researchers to narrow in on points of interest that then can be followed up on in a quantitative study. While a quantitative study has a narrower focus, it attempts to provide a detailed explanation of the study focus, along with this using numbers and statistics. And the results from a quantitative study can reveal bigger questions that call for qualitative study. Or vice versa a qualitative study may reveal at analysis that a more focus and direct approach may be needed. With both methods analysis is a key part of any study whether qualitative or quantitative.
Quantitative studies are primarily numbers based. They deal with large cohort groups as well as analyze large amounts of data. “A quantitative researcher typically tries to measure variables in some way, perhaps by using commonly accepted measures of the physical world (e.g., rulers, thermometers, oscilloscopes) or carefully designed measures of psychological characteristics or behaviors (e.g., tests, questionnaires, rating scales)” (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, p. 94).
Chapter four and five in Creswell (2013) helped me realize how important it is to focus on one type of qualitative research. This leads to writing a coherent paper in the approach chosen. It was also interesting to learn that because subjective and objective experiences, phenomenology lies somewhere in between both qualitative and quantitative research.
First we will begin my defining just what qualitative and quantitative data is. Qualitative data is data that can be observed, but not measured. It also deals with descriptions of variables: color, appearance, taste, etc. It is characterized by no numerical values. Quantitative data is data that can be measured. It deals with numbers: length, weight, time, etc. “While the goals of some data collection may be exclusively qualitative or quantitative, in many cases both are desirable (O’Rourke & O’Rourke, 2000).”
Qualitative research: Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative aspects involving quality or kind. For instance, when we are interested in investigating the reasons for human behaviour (i.e., why people think or do certain things), we quite often talk of ‘Motivation Research’, an important type of qualitative research. This type of research aims at discovering the underlying motives and desires, using in depth interviews for the purpose. Other techniques of such research are word association tests, sentence completion tests, story completion tests and similar other projective techniques. Attitude or opinion research i.e., research designed to find out how people feel or what they think about a particular subject or institution is also qualitative research. Qualitative research is specially important in the behavioral sciences where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour. Through such research we can analyse the various factors which motivate people to behave in a particular manner or which make people like or dislike a particular
Creswell (2009), states that there are three types of designs, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Smith and Davis (2010) states that qualitative research is a field of enquiry that is conducted in a natural setting by a researcher, who may be involved in, or may be part of the data collection process; as it utilizes the views of informants as the basis for the report. Qualitative research attempts to gain and in-depth, holistic picture of the phenomenon one wishes to study by interacting closely with the people being studied; the data collected are usually in the form of words or pictures.