Quantitative and Qualitative Research Method

Question: Discuss about the Quantitative and Qualitative Research Method. Answer: Introduction: Quantitative Research is an objective research and it is appropriate to use it for studying relationship between different variables which could be independent, dependent or extraneous. The questions in this kind of research start with when, how, do/does etc. Questions like How often do you visit a movie theatre? require the use of this method for collecting numerical data as this research deals in numbers and focuses more on numeric and unchanging data (Castellan, 2010). Different types of instruments used in this research include surveys and questionnaires. The questions used are mostly close-ended but may provide an option for subjectivity to understand the outliers. These close-ended questions help the researcher quantify the data from the number of responses. A Likert scale is a 5 or 7 point scale which ranges from Strongly agree to strongly disagree (Figure 1) and is used when underlying attitudes or opinions to a particular question have to be measured. Numerical data having a baseline along with improvements being depicted by a line graph can be collected in cases where there are variations in one or more variables over a time period that is continuous. They are useful in identification of trends and patterns in the data like turning points, large changes and seasonal effects for example annual rates of unemployment and monthly rainfall. Statistical data analysis is employed particularly for supporting hypotheses and providing the credibility to both the research methodology as well as the conclusions. It is used when researchers need assistance in evaluating the usefulness and credibility of the information and making appropriate decisions based on it (Leedy Ormrod, 2016). Qualitative Research Qualitative research is a subjective research and intends to understand peoples experiences of a particular issue. Being exploratory in nature, it does not start with a preconceived hypothesis. It is used when the researcher doesnt know what the responses to a research would be and hence would want to discover the same through research (Burnard, Gill, Stewart, Treasure, Chadwick, 2008). Qualitative methodology is useful for collecting narrative data at times when the real life experiences have to be investigated by the researcher(Paiva, 2008). The questions for this research would be open-ended and would normally start with what or how. For example - how do college students celebrate their Independence day? Data collection is mostly in form of words which requires the researchers to go through the whole transcript of interviews several times for understanding the experience of each participant. Researchers themselves are the instruments and they observe the behaviors of people while collecting the data. This is one of the reasons why Qualitative research has emergent design i.e. the method of their study may change, during the process of collecting the data for a particular research, because some new data has come to light which will impact the purpose of the study and the researcher needs to include/observe for himself the impact of the new data. Quotations can be collected for reflecting the experiences of the participants particularly in cases where sales and marketing presentations have to be made. The own words of the participants on the meaning and value of solutions and products provide high credibility levels and are invaluable for marketing and selling products (Weddle, 2013). Bibliography Burnard, P., Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., Chadwick, B. (2008). Analyzing and presenting qualitative date. British Dental Journal , 429 - 432 . Castellan, C. (2010). Quantitative and Qualitative Research: A View for Clarity . International Journal of Education . Leedy, P., Ormrod, J. (. (2016). Practical research Planning and design. Boston, MA: Pearson. Paiva, V. (2008). Narrative research: an introduction. Weddle, A. (2013, March 4). In Participants Own Voices: Using Quotations from User Research Ethically. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from UX Matters: https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/03/in-participants-own-voices-using-quotations-from-user-research-ethically.php