Quantitative vs Qualitative Data in Health Sciences

Study Notes

Quantitative vs Qualitative Data

Both quantitative and qualitative data can be used to study certain phenomena, such as attitudes
Quantitative data measures attitudes through numerical values, while qualitative data examines attitudes through words, images, and other forms of data

Forms of Qualitative Data

Words: recorded interviews, written documents, field notes, documents created by others, diaries, books, and newspapers
Images: photographs, videos, and other visual data
Sounds: audio recordings, music, and other auditory data
Physical objects/artifacts: objects, artifacts, and other tangible data
Combination of all the above: mixed-methods approach that incorporates multiple forms of data

Interviews: Structure and Control over Responses

Structured interview: scheduled, formal, uses exact same interview guide with questions in same order every time, questions can be open or closed-ended
Semi-structured interview: scheduled, formal, uses interview guide with set questions and prompts, can change order of questions, add or delete questions during interview, questions are open-ended
Unstructured interview: scheduled, formal, general topics to cover are set in advance, but not necessarily the exact questions or the order, usually no interview guide used
Informal interview: not scheduled, questions not set in advance, often occurs in participant observations

Types of Interviews

One-on-one interview: individual interview, in-depth interview, or independent interview
Group interviews: multiple people answering questions, often unstructured, heterogeneous group, and occurs in participant observations
Focus group interviews: typically uses a group of 5-12 people similar on one or more characteristics, focusing on one overall topic

Sampling

Probability sampling: used in quantitative studies, goal is to create a sample representative of the population, every member of the population must have a known and nonzero probability of being selected
Nonprobability sampling: used in qualitative studies, goal is not to create a representative sample, but to gain depth of knowledge on a topic, knowledge about hard-to-access groups, or knowledge from experts or key informants

Types of Nonprobability Sampling

Case study: selects only one person, program, institution, event, or activity and studies it in depth
Convenience sample: selects whomever is able and willing to be studied, quicker, cheaper, and easier
Purposive sample: participants intentionally selected to represent predefined characteristics, researcher decides what purpose the participants will serve and then goes out and finds some

Description

Learn about the differences between quantitative and qualitative data, with a focus on health sciences research. Understand how to measure attitudes quantitatively and qualitatively, and explore the role of word data in qualitative research.