Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research
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This paper focuses on addressing the quantitative approach to research, a qualitative approach to study and the benefits and limitations of this research approaches.
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NURSING2 Introduction Research is defined as study which is conducted regarding a particular area of concern or a problem through the use of scientific methods. Research can also be defined as the process which is used to describe, explain, control and predict the observed phenomenon. There are several purposes which make scientists to conduct research(Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Research can be undertaken to explore research questions which may or may not provide a conclusion to the study been conducted. Investigations are performed to find solutions to new problems which have not been explored before. This paper focuses on addressing the quantitative approach to research, a qualitative approach to study and the benefits and limitations of this research approaches. A Quantitative Approach to Research The quantitative research approach is the investigation of a situation which gives exact measurements and qualifications which are attached to a rigorous and controlled design. The primary purpose of carrying out a quantitative research approach is to measure concepts and variables which are objectively in the numerical and statistical process. It is also carried out to measure the relationship between variables(Green & Thorogood, 2018). Quantitative research methods are obtained from research design, and it generally includes interventions, samples, data collection, instruments, and data analysis. In others situation, this approach requires the use of interviews, questionnaires, and computers(Neuman, 2013). In the medical area, quantitative research ranges from trials for new treatment techniques and medications to surveying patients and healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals use quantitative research design if the lack of solutions to particular medical issue and they want to research so that they can be able to gather useful information which can settle the problem. There are various types of quantitative
NURSING3 research approaches. The commonly used design approaches are experimental, quasi- experimental and non-experimental(Creswell & Creswell, 2017). A Qualitative Approach to Research Qualitative research is used to evaluate a social phenomenon. Researchers in this approach uses open end questions to interview individuals. A qualitative method is always applied when the problem is not well known. Qualitative research approach enables the researcher to be able to understand human behavior in depth. This is because it deals with social aspects of life(Berger, 2015). Researchers can reduce the number of errors which are encountered during the research through the use of interviews and creation of an environment in which people who are interviewed feel comfortable and as a result the answer interview questions correctly and thus minimizing errors(Punch, 2013). Most research prefers applying a case study in a qualitative approach. The purpose of the case study is usually to collect information which can be used by researchers to gain knowledge about people and the challenges which they are facing in various situations. There are different types of qualitative research design. This design includes ethnography research which reveals the way culture is defined in multiple societies and the behaviors which are associated with it. Phenomenology is the second qualitative design which is used to investigate individual experiences and the meaning of the skills which they have encountered in their life(Bell, Bryman & Harley, 2018). Grounded theory is the next design which studies the cation and the effects behavior to the culture of a particular community. The last type of qualitative research approach is historical research which examines the past through the use of recorded data such as objects and photos. Compare and Contrast Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research
NURSING4 The similarity between quantitative and qualitative analysis is that they are both research methodologies which are used by scientists to find solutions to challenging situations. Researcher opts to apply both of them to conduct research when one is not enough. Both of them make use of interviews to collect information and data(Bryman, 2016). Despite the similarities between the two research approaches, they have differences. The first difference is that in quantitative research, variables are identified before the study is carried out and the relationship between the variables can be established while in qualitative research the variables are very complex and they are not easy to measure, its variables emerge from the research data(Creswell & Creswell, 2017). The purpose of the quantitative research approach is very general, and researchers can easily predict the results, on the other hand, qualitative research is very contextual, and it used to provide necessary information and understanding. The role of quantitative approach research is detached and objective, while the purpose of qualitative research is emphatic, easy to understand and it, includes personal involvement. Benefits and Limitations of the Quantitative Approach of Research Quantitative research has several advantages that why most scientist applies it. The first one is that it allows formulation statistical data which is very accurate and can be used for future references. The problem which has to be solved is examined thoroughly by forming hypothesis which is derived from the theory. One of the most significant advantages of a quantitative research approach is that the results and data obtained from the study are valid, reliable and can be generalized to a large population. It is also the most preferred research technique when the study to be conducted involves numbers as such measuring gaps between different groups of individuals(Punch, 2013). Despite the various advantages of this research approach, it also has some limitations. The first limitation of quantitative research is that, to be able to collect accurate
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NURSING5 information. This research method should work well in the laboratory under very tight control conditions(Brannen, 2017). This approach cannot be used in situations which involve measuring human behavior in a natural setting. The next limitation of this approach is that it deals with numbers and some topics are too complicated to compute in numbers. Benefits and Limitations of the Qualitative Approach of Research Qualitative research has some advantages. It is used when researchers want to conduct social and behavioral studies because human interaction is very complicated as compared to molecular reactions which are carried out through the quantitative research approach. Qualitative research approach has the capability of obtaining large amounts of descriptive data about a social phenomenon through structured interviews and case studies. Qualitative research also has limitations despite the significant benefits attained from it. This research methodology takes a lot of time to complete a study. This is due to the method which is used to capture and analyze field data. The studies which are conducted through this method are not easily replicable, and they cannot be generalized to the general population(Bryman, 2016). A conscious and unconscious bias which are faced by researchers can interfere with their conclusion. This research techniques also lacks numerical data, and researchers as anecdotal information can dismiss qualitative findings. Conclusion Quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to come up with a solution which can solve a particularly challenging situation. Qualitative research is used to gain knowledge about a specific social phenomenon by conducting structured interviews in which individuals are made comfortable so that they can answer the interview question accurately. The quantitative
NURSING6 research method is used by organizations to analyze numerical data with the help of statistics. Both have benefits and limitations. Researchers should be encouraged to apply a qualitative approach when they are carrying out a social phenomenon study and quantitative approach when they have to analyze numbers through statistical methods.
NURSING7 References Bell, E., Bryman, A., & Harley, B. (2018).Business research methods. Oxford university press. Berger, A. A. (2015).Media and communication research methods: An introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches. Sage Publications. Brannen, J. (2017). Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches: an overview. InMixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research(pp. 3-37). Routledge. Bryman, A. (2016).Social research methods. Oxford university press. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017).Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications. Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2018).Qualitative methods for health research. Sage. Neuman, W. L. (2013).Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pearson education. Punch, K. F. (2013).Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. sage.