Post on 07-May-2015
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Methods
Two Approaches to Research• Quantitative
– Emphasizes numbers, measurements, control, and experimentation
– This is the traditional scientific research
• Qualitative– Emphasizes natural
settings, observations, verbal narratives, and interpretations
– Emerged from sociology
Goals
• Quantitative– Test hypothesis
(theory)– Establish facts– Show relationships– Predict– Statistically
describe– Outsider meaning
• Qualitative– Build theory– Develop understanding– Describe multiple
realities– Capture naturally
occurring behavior– Insider meaning
Design
• Quantitative– Structured
– Predetermined
– Formal
– Specific
• Qualitative– Evolving (emerging)
– Flexible
– Informal
– General
Sample
• Quantitative– Large
– Representative
– Random Selection
• Qualitative– Small
– Non-representative
– Purposeful
Data
• Quantitative– Quantities– Counts– Measures– Instruments– Numbers– Statistics
• Qualitative– Verbal descriptions– Field Notes– Observations– Documents– Photographs– People’s own words– Narrative
Methods
• Quantitative– Experiments– Quasi-experiments– Corr. /Surveys– Ex Post Facto
• Qualitative– Case studies
– Ethnographies
– Verbal Protocol Analysis
Mixed Methods
• Involve different combination of quantitative and qualitative methods at the level of:– Data collection– Data analysis
Example: A combination of questionnaire and interview.
History of Mixed Methods
• Over the past 15 years, mixed methods have been used as a third approach in research methods.
• Mostly introduced in the 1970s with the introduction of the concept of “triangulation:– Using different methods and data sources
Typology of Mixed Methods
• Notations:– ‘QUAL’ or ‘qual’ stand for qualitative method– ‘QUAN’ or ‘quan’ stand for quantitative method– Capital letters denote priority or increased weight– Lowercase letters denote lower priority or weight– A plus sign (+) represents a concurrent data
collection– An arrow () represents a sequential collection
of data
Nine possible combinations
1. QUAL + QUAN
2. QUAL + quan
3. QUAN + qual
4. QUAL QUAN
5. QUAN QUAL
6. QUAL quan
7. Qual QUAN
8. QUAN qual
9. quan QUAL
Which Approach is Best?
• The problem you are studying determines which approach to take.
• One is not better than the other.
Which Would You Select?
• Research problem: Error correction: Yes or no?
• Get with a partner and quickly design a study to investigate this problem.– Decide whether to approach this problem
quantitatively or qualitatively or mixed– Tell What you would do and Why– What are the advantages and disadvantages of
your approach