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