Design Differences Qualitative and Quantitative Essay
The quality of any research work depends on the research design to a great extent. As a research work is a process, it requires different actions which include identification of the research objectives, collecting information, presentation of the findings. The research design can be qualitative and quantitative. It is known that there are important differences between these two methods.
My goal in this paper is to discuss and compare these differences.
Main characteristics of the qualitative study
Qualitative study is a type of scientific research which represents an investigation that not only seeks some certain answers to the question but also collects evidences, produces findings. This type of study is very effective in getting culturally specific information concerning the public opinions, behaviors and various social contexts of particular social group. In other words, it gives information regarding the human side of the question including emotions and relationships of the individuals. For example, social norms, religion and ethnicity, gender roles and so on. (Bernard, 1995, p.13)
The qualitative research methods include the following ones:
participant observation which is used for collection information on natural behaviors of individuals in their usual contexts.
In-depth interviews which are used for collecting information concerning the personal histories of the individuals, their experiences. It can be related to investigation of some sensitive issues.
Focus groups which are used to find out information concerning the cultural norms of the group or to make broad overview of the issue. (Qualitative Research Methods, p.3)
These three methods generate the following types of data: field notes, audio/video recordings, interviews, transcripts. (Qualitative Research Methods, p.5)
Main characteristics of the quantitative study
It is known that Fred Kerlinger wrote in one of his works that “there is no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0”. (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p.121)
The quantitative study includes the following characteristics:
The main goal of the qualitative research is to classify different features and to count them in order to built a so called statistical model which will help to give the explanation to the issue discussed.
The researchers are aware of what they are looking for.
The researchers use such tools as questionnaires, surveys and special equipment for collection numerical information.
The collected data represents numbers in the form of statistics.
The quantitative data is considered to be more effective to test the hypotheses but at the same time it may miss some contextual details which are very important.
This type of research is deductive because it tests the theory.
The results of the quantitative research can be easily generalized.
In the quantitative study the researcher is an observer who does not influence the study. (Bernard, 1995, p.67)
The main types of the qualitative research include the following ones: descriptive, quasi-experimental experimental. The last ones examine cause and effect of the situation or issue. The descriptive research studies the variables and behavior in their natural environment. (Bernard, 1995, p.43)
Comparison of differences between the qualitative research design and the quantitative research design
It is known that the qualitative research design and the quantitative research design differ not only in their analytical objectives but also in types of questions they raise, in types of data collection instruments they use and the forms of data they provide. (Smith & Davis, 2009, p.11)
For example, the qualitative research is used to explore phenomena but the quantitative research is used to confirm hypotheses regarding phenomena.
One more difference is that the qualitative research in inductive and the quantitative research is deductive.
The qualitative research analyzes individual experiences but the quantitative research analyzes characteristics of population.
Another difference is that the qualitative study uses so called purposeful sampling while the quantitative study uses random sampling. (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p.61)
There is an obvious difference in question format. The qualitative research represents open-ended questions and the quantitative study represents closed-ended questions.
There is also a difference in data format. The qualitative study includes textual data while the quantitative study includes numerical data which is obtained by numerical values to responses. (Bernard, 1995, p.47)
The major difference between these two methods lies in their flexibility. It is known that the qualitative methods are more flexible. It means that they provide more spontaneous interaction between the participant and the researcher. The participants are free in giving responses to the open-ended questions, they can give more complex responses (with details) than just yes/no. (Bernard, 1995, p.53)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to say that although there are certain differences between the qualitative and the quantitative researches, the use of both types of researches in the work will help to understand better the complex reality of the discussed situation or issue. It is a mixed research where the researcher will use a combination of the above mentioned methods. (The Qualitative/Quantitative Debate, para.3)
