How Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) React to Music

Qualitative and quantitative methods allow researchers to investigate, explore and inquire the nature of the phenomenon being studied. It is important that the researcher develops a clear understanding of the problem and design a plan to investigate it (Cresswell, 1998, para. 1). There are a variety of research methods; nevertheless, it is important to consider which research method is appropriate for the study. Qualitative research focuses on human experiences while quantitative research relies on numbers, measurements, and testing. Nevertheless, qualitative and quantitative methods use similar approaches to conduct research and collect data. For example, observations and interviews are approaches used in both research designs; however, the approaches are used and viewed otherwise. This will be discussed later in the paper.

Controversy between qualitative and quantitative research designs

The two research methods, qualitative and quantitative, are dissimilar and according to Brewer (1999) controversy between the research methods have been about for decades regarding which research design delivers a more thorough and objective data (p. 245). Nevertheless, according to the literature reviewed, mix methods appear to be an appropriate solution to this subject matter. Mix methods combine qualitative and quantitative approaches and according to Abusabha and Woelfel (2003), combining both research designs has its advantages:

First, all data have both an objective and a subjective component. Numbers can be easily assigned to all qualitative data (such as open-ended questions in surveys), and any number obtained by a quantitative study is interpreted using a subjective or qualitative judgment. Second, using differen...

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... objective in nature, thus producing accurate data. Nevertheless, Allington and McGill-Frazon established that “reduction of a complex phenomenon to a few quantifiable variables can lead to over simplification of the phenomenon” (p.445). In other words, for observations to be complete, a combination of qualitative and quantitative data is necessitated in order to explain the totality of the phenomenon. An advantage of pre-test and post-tests designs is that it can be conducted with a single group or a control group. In the projected research topic, a pre-test and post-test was used with a group to maximize the internal validity. Neverthess, in the projected research topic, the experimental design is used to illustrate a cause and effect between two variables. The disadvantage is that external elements pose a threat to accuracy (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, p.230).