How does qualitative research deepen the findings of quantitative research?
When collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. Both are important for gaining different kinds of knowledge. Show
Common quantitative methods include experiments, observations recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed-ended questions. Quantitative research is at risk for research biases including information bias, omitted variable bias, sampling bias, or selection bias. Qualitative researchQualitative research is expressed in words. It is used to understand concepts, thoughts or experiences. This type of research enables you to gather in-depth insights on topics that are not well understood.Common qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts and theories. Qualitative research is also at risk for certain research biases including the Hawthorne effect, observer bias, recall bias, and social desirability bias. Table of contents
The differences between quantitative and qualitative researchQuantitative and qualitative research use different research methods to collect and analyze data, and they allow you to answer different kinds of research questions. Qualitative vs. quantitative researchQuantitative researchQualitative ResearchFocuses on testing hypotheses and theoriesFocuses on exploring ideas and formulating a theory or hypothesisAnalyzed through math and statistical analysisAnalyzed by summarizing, categorizing and interpretingMainly expressed in numbers, graphs and tablesMainly expressed in wordsRequires many respondentsRequires few respondentsClosed (multiple choice) questionsOpen-ended questionsKey terms: testing, measurement, objectivity, replicabilityKey terms: understanding, context, complexity, subjectivityData collection methodsQuantitative and qualitative data can be collected using various methods. It is important to use a data collection method that will help answer your research question(s). Many data collection methods can be either qualitative or quantitative. For example, in surveys, observational studies or case studies, your data can be represented as numbers (e.g., using rating scales or counting frequencies) or as words (e.g., with open-ended questions or descriptions of what you observe). However, some methods are more commonly used in one type or the other. Quantitative data collection methods
Qualitative data collection methods
When to use qualitative vs. quantitative researchA rule of thumb for deciding whether to use qualitative or quantitative data is:
For most research topics you can choose a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods approach. Which type you choose depends on, among other things, whether you’re taking an inductive vs. deductive research approach; your research question(s); whether you’re doing experimental, correlational, or descriptive research; and practical considerations such as time, money, availability of data, and access to respondents. Research questionHow satisfied are students with their studies?Quantitative research approachYou survey 300 students at your university and ask them questions such as: “on a scale from 1-5, how satisfied are your with your professors?” You can perform statistical analysis on the data and draw conclusions such as: “on average students rated their professors 4.4”. Qualitative research approachYou conduct in-depth interviews with 15 students and ask them open-ended questions such as: “How satisfied are you with your studies?”, “What is the most positive aspect of your study program?” and “What can be done to improve the study program?” Based on the answers you get you can ask follow-up questions to clarify things. You transcribe all interviews using transcription software and try to find commonalities and patterns. Mixed methods approachYou conduct interviews to find out how satisfied students are with their studies. Through open-ended questions you learn things you never thought about before and gain new insights. Later, you use a survey to test these insights on a larger scale. It’s also possible to start with a survey to find out the overall trends, followed by interviews to better understand the reasons behind the trends. How to analyze qualitative and quantitative dataQualitative or quantitative data by itself can’t prove or demonstrate anything, but has to be analyzed to show its meaning in relation to the research questions. The method of analysis differs for each type of data. Analyzing quantitative dataQuantitative data is based on numbers. Simple math or more advanced statistical analysis is used to discover commonalities or patterns in the data. The results are often reported in graphs and tables. Applications such as Excel, SPSS, or R can be used to calculate things like:
Analyzing qualitative dataQualitative data is more difficult to analyze than quantitative data. It consists of text, images or videos instead of numbers. Some common approaches to analyzing qualitative data include:
Frequently asked questions about qualitative and quantitative researchWhat’s the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods? Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses. Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail. What is mixed methods research? In mixed methods research, you use both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods to answer your research question. How do I decide which research methods to use? The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question.
What is data collection? Data collection is the systematic process by which observations or measurements are gathered in research. It is used in many different contexts by academics, governments, businesses, and other organizations. How do you analyze qualitative data? There are various approaches to qualitative data analysis, but they all share five steps in common:
The specifics of each step depend on the focus of the analysis. Some common approaches include textual analysis, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
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