Quantitative and Qualitative Research PDF

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH  QUANTITATIVE as the name suggests, is concerned with trying to quantify things; it asks questions such as ‘how long’, ‘how many’ or ‘the degree to which’. Quantitative methods look to quantify data and generalize results from a sample of the popula...

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH  QUANTITATIVE as the name suggests, is concerned with trying to quantify things; it asks questions such as ‘how long’, ‘how many’ or ‘the degree to which’. Quantitative methods look to quantify data and generalize results from a sample of the population of interest Quantitative research is perhaps the simpler to define and identify. The data produced are always numerical, and they are analyzed using mathematical and statistical methods. If there are no numbers involved, then it’s not quantitative research. Example: turning opinions into numbers  If you wish to carry out statistical analysis of the opinions of a group of people about a particular issue or element of their lives, you can ask them to express their relative agreement with statements and answer on a five- point scale, where 1 is strongly disagree, 2 is disagree, 3 is neutral, 4 is agree and 5 is strongly agree.  Such scales are called Likert scales, and enable statements of opinion to be directly translated into numerical data.  The development of Likert scales and similar techniques mean that most phenomena can be studied using quantitative techniques. Sources of Quantitative Data  Surveys, whether conducted online, by phone or in person. These rely on the same questions being asked in the same way to a large number of people;  Observations, which may either involve counting the number of times that a particular phenomenon occurs, such as how often a particular word is used in interviews, or coding observational data to translate it into numbers; and  Secondary data, such as company accounts. Qualitative research is any which does not involve numbers or numerical data. It often involves words or language, but may also use pictures or photographs and observations. Qualitative analysis results in rich data that gives an in-depth picture and it is particularly useful for exploring how and why things have happened.  Some pitfalls to qualitative research, such as:  If respondents do not see a value for them in the research, they may provide inaccurate or false information. They may also say what they think the researcher wishes to hear. Qualitative researchers therefore need to take the time to build relationships with their research subjects and always be aware of this potential.  Although ethics are an issue for any type of research, there may be particular difficulties with qualitative research because the researcher may be party to confidential information. It is important always to bear in mind that you must do no harm to your research subjects.  Sources of Qualitative Data  Although qualitative data is much more general than quantitative, there are still a number of common techniques for gathering it. These include:  Interviews, which may be structured, semi-structured or unstructured;  Focus groups, which involve multiple participants discussing an issue;  ‘Postcards’, or small-scale written questionnaires that ask, for example, three or four focused questions of participants but allow them space to write in their own words;  Secondary data, including diaries, written accounts of past events, and company reports; and  Observations, which may be on site, or under ‘laboratory conditions’, for example, where participants are asked to role-play a situation to show what they might do.  QUALITATIVE – concerned with a quality of information, qualitative methods attempt to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons and motivations for actions and establish how people interpret their experiences and the world around them. Qualitative methods provide insights into the setting of a problem, generating ideas and/or hypotheses.