Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Research
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This essay discusses the differences between quantitative and qualitative research methods, including data collection, analysis, and philosophical underpinnings. Thematic analysis is explored in detail, including its application to both quantitative and qualitative research.
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Running head: COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Comparison of quantitative and qualitative research Name of the Student: Name of the University: Author Note:
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1COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Qualitative and quantitative research is two opposite sides of a coin. Qualitative research is more investigative and involves in-depth understanding and can have different interpretations based on one situation (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015).The projections from this kind of research and recommendations depend on how the information from the cohort experiencing the problem is interpreted by the informer. Quantitative research on the other hand, is purely based on numerical evidence and is more methodical in nature (Gray & Payne, 2014). It has only one interpretation usually which comes out from statistical or numerical analysis. This method involvesalotofmeasuringandcalculatingtoforecastappropriateoutcomesandbase recommendations on the same. While qualitative research follows a more deductive approach, quantitative follows a more inductive method of approach.The robustness of the results of a quantitative research depend upon the research skills and experience of the researcher. However, there is no such scope for quantitative research. The results in this case completely depend upon the statistical software or tools chosen to come to the conclusion. Hence the two are generally used for different purposes of research and also sometimes depend upon the hypothesis.It is also commonly observed that sometimes combinations of the two are used (Mertens, 2014). As the two modes of research completely differ so do the methodologies.In this essay the various differences starting from data collection methods to analyzing the same are discussed in greater detail. Also, the underlying philosophical underpinnings involved in case of qualitative and quantitative research methods are discussed. While discussing the various methods of analysis, the concept of thematic analysis is described vividly and its application to qualitative and quantitative research is also explored. The focus of the essay is to show how quantitative and qualitative methods of research vary with respect to all the aspects from data collection to
2COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH organization to analysis and interpretation of results with special attention to the case of thematic analysis. The collection methods of quantitative and qualitative data are very different.However, both involve the collection of primary and secondary data from different kinds of sources. In case of primary data collection, the qualitative data is usually collected with the help of interviews based on self study or study of the focus group and field survey (Silverman, 2016). In case of secondary data collection, the qualitative data is usually collected from previously conducted researches which are also descriptive or qualitative in nature. The primary and secondary data collection methods for quantitative research are however slightly different. In case of primary data collection, generally data is collected with the help of surveys and questionnaires, company reports and government data bases (Weigold, Weigold & Russell, 2013). The scope of secondary data collection in case of quantitative data is however a little limited as compared to qualitative data. Under this kind of data collection, information and data is generally taken and used from already conducted quantitative researches which are present in the form of books, articles, journals or reports.After data collection, the researcher needs to organize the data and perform analysis of the same based on in depth methods followed by researchers in case of qualitative research and statistical models and tools in case of quantitative analysis which is discussed in the later parts of the essay. The approach basically differs in the fact that the qualitative method is comprehensive and the quantitative method is directive. Philosophical underpinning involves the base on which the structure of the essay depends. It involves the construct and skeleton of the research on which the relevant materials will be added on to. There are broadly three kinds of philosophies which are positivism, interpretivism and realism (Collis & Hussey, 2013). As mentioned earlier, qualitative research
3COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH methods generally involve interpretation of perspective of the people who are a part of the sample (Ponterotto, 2013). It generally involves open ended questions and has no definite option for the individual under observation. The data collected is generally explored further to form an in depth meaning. It looks deep into the similarity or differences in the opinions and the thought processesunderlyingthoseopinions.Inthiscase,theresearcheristhesoleownerof interpretation of the observations and his experience, knowledge and intentions govern as to how the results and outcomes will vary. All components of the research vary depending on how the researcher predicts the narration of the interviewer of the focus group under consideration. Thus, it can be interpreted that this method is very subjective in nature and can have varied outcomes. In researches, where only qualitative research is used, the underlying philosophy used is generally interpretivism. When this kind of philosophy is used, it is very vital for the researcher to appreciate and acknowledge the differencesin thoughtsof the different people being interviewed. This is so because the only instruments used are languages, expressions and consciousness. Quantitative underpinning however involves proper data based calculations and evidence derived out of the same. It generally involves building relations amongst different variables which are either discrete or continuous. No amount of reflection or reflexivity is involvedinthiskindof research.Therearedefiniteoutcomesbasedon thehypothesis constructed, variables chosen and software or application or method used for the calculation of results and outcomes. Hence this is more close ended in nature and the questionnaires and surveys conducted involve questions which have options. These options help to calculate the values of different variables. Also, in case of quantitative research the research is generally conducted to study existing trends and patterns and hence there is no involvement of biased interpretation of meaning depending upon the researcher. In this case, bias may arise out of
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4COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH improper sampling techniques or choice of tools used to analyze the data. This method of research is thus very objective in nature and generally do not lead to varying outcomes.The philosophy underlying quantitative research generally is positivism which studies facts and figures and connects dots to interpret future figures or results. As realism involves an approach which is an amalgamation of the positivism and interpretive approaches, it is generally used in case of researches which involve both quantitative and quantitative research processes (Brannen, 2017). However, this again involves a scientific approach to reasoning and understanding the data under consideration. There are mainly five processes or methods by which analysis of the qualitative data is performed. Content analysis in qualitative research involves the investigation and reading of artifacts and books and texts of various kinds including videos, conversations, audios or even pictures. These are then systematically examined and interpreted by the researcher on which the results are based (Crowe, Inder & Porter, 2015). Narrative analysis involves the interpretation of the narratives. Generally, this is done with the help of videos or audios recorded under circumstances where the research ethics are maintained. In case of certain qualitative researches depending upon the circumstances, the researcher is expected to sometimes observe and interpret a particular scenario based on the narration of an individual or the discussion of a particular focus group under consideration.This is the most subjective of all the different methods of analysis involved under qualitative research. Discourse analysis involves the study of language or grammar or genre or approaches which involve a broad concept and this involves three forms ofanalysiswhicharelinguistic,empiricalandcriticalanalysis(Fairclough,2013).The framework analysis of qualitative research is broadly used to study both the similarities and differences in between the answers and mind sets of the people being interviewed. It involves in
5COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH depth comparison of responses to the parameters on which the interview is based. Thematic analysis is generally used in case of qualitative research and involves studying a pattern inherent in the responses received and trying to form a meaning out of the same that in turn addresses the research question under consideration. It is subjective in nature as it involves the perspective of the researcher based on his/her conversation with the person interviewed. The analysis and interpretation of quantitative data is usually straightforward and follows a single path. It generally involves selection of a sample from a population that is relevant to the hypothesis or the research question under consideration (Palinkas et al., 2015). A sample is a group of people selected for survey from among a larger mass of people who are exposed or are relevant to the research topic under consideration.The sample size consists of the people who are included in the sample. The process of selecting the sample is known as sampling. Sampling has to be carried out in such a way so that the results interpreted can be applied to the entire population from where the sample has been chosen.In case of probability sampling technique every unit in the population has equal chances of being chosen and the chances of every unit being chosen can be calculated and determined. The methods used under this involvesimple random sampling technique,systematic sampling method,stratified sampling methodandcluster or multistage sampling method.Non-probability sampling technique differs from the above technique in terms of some of the units not having any chancesof being selected.The methodsinvolve convenience, quota and purposive sampling. After completion of sampling and collection of data of the relevant variables under consideration, their values are simulated to generally find the effect of one on another. This can either be done manually or with the use of softwares like SPSS or SAS using rigid and complex statistical tools or models. This leads to the generation of
6COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH parameters which are then interpreted to form meaningful answers to address the research question. Though thematic analysis is generally used for the analysis of qualitative data, it can also be used in the context of quantitative research. In this case the sample is not fragmented into smaller groups and a whole theme or pattern is observed to reach the results and draw conclusions. Under thematic analysis of quantitative research, the responses of the survey for a particular variable are compared and collated with the other variables under consideration. The general trend observed for thematic analysis in case of quantitative data is that the questionnaires or the survey questions are open ended so that along with the numerical values the thought process or the perspective of the person interviewed can be linked (Fugard & Potts, 2015). This is basically done not only to include but also expand the theme of the underlying research. It also helps to gain knowledge and access to the scenarios or thoughts of the sample interviewed which is not captured by the questions asked in the survey. As mentioned earlier in the essay, as thematic analysis involves comparison of similarities and differences between the responses of the interviewees, in case of quantitative research, it corresponds to following the pattern of similarities in the responses and the deviations of certain responses that do not fall in the pattern. Thematic analysis is most widely used to analyse qualitative data. In this case again instead of considering small fragments of the entire cohort of data, the entire data is studied to note patterns and a theme that dominates the entire scenario which leads to the answer of the research question.It involves thorough examination and exploration of trends. Generally there are six phasesofqualitativedataanalysisusingthematicapproachwhicharecodegeneration, exploration of theme within the codes generated, revising of the themes formed, naming of the themes and finally producing the results out of the analysis (Vaismoradi, Turunen, & Bondas,
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7COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 2013). There is hardly any involvement of figures or surveys and the method of data collection are open ended interview questions or field study.It basically encompasses a wide horizon to interpret results instead of narrowing down the perspective of the researches. However, it is very important to note thatthere is a major mistake that can happen while preparing the interview questions, which is to base the questions on the a pre-decided theme. This leads to biased analysis as the answers will then become directed to fit into the pre-decided theme. Hence, it is very important to first decide the interview questions based on the research question or hypothesis and then perform proper coding in the pattern of answers to find out a theme that provides an overall umbrella to the results. Although used for both quantitative and qualitative research, thematic analysis has its own set of differences when applied in a quantitative research from when it is applied to a qualitative research. These are discussed in detail in the next portion of this essay. Thematic analysis can be broadly bifurcated into sections or types which are semantic and latent. Semantic thematic analysis is not an in depth concept and involves a surface overview of the data collected which is more applicable to quantitative research. On the other hand, latent thematic analysis involves going in depth and finding out the underlying thoughts or assumptions or concepts behind the data collected. While conducting interviews or focus group interactions or field study, it is very important to note down anything that is common to the whole cohort or anything that deviates from the common response. In case of performing a quantitative research or mixed research, it is important in turn to link these responses and patterns with the collected numerical data or figures from either surveys or government websites in case of primary research or other quantitative research papers in case of secondary research. In case of qualitative research however, the researcher can himself/herself explore the depth of the conversations or circumstances and no
8COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH linking is required. After, this phase in the next phase of analysis, where coding is done the data should be properly organised and structured either manually (usually in case of qualitative data) or using coding software (usually on case of quantitative data) (St. Pierre & Jackson, 2014). In the next phase, the themes are decided and formed on the basis of the patterns. The deciding of the theme also depends on the type of research, if it is quantitative, the scope of exploration being limited is not as broad as compared to qualitative research. However, as mentioned before, if the thematic analysis in case of a quantitative research is carried out in such a way that the questions not included in the survey, are also answered by the interviewees due to the open ended options, then the scope of the theme can also be broadened. In the next step generally, the theme or themes already formed and are either improvised or segregated or discarded based on the course of analysis and this is essentially the same for both quantitative and qualitative research. The next phase where the themes are named or renamed and sub themes are merged to form a single unifying theme that encompasses all the sub-divisions and connects the dots, there are no major differences in case of qualitative and quantitative research. The last phase is the most important step of a complete thematic analysis and varies from quantitative to qualitative research. In this step, the researcher describes the theme in depth and draws a relation between the same and the research question and establishes the answer based on the evidences found from the analysis. In case of qualitative research the results depend on the researcher views and perspectives to a large extent but in case of quantitative research, the scope is not that large as in this case the parameter is generated using statistical model and the scope of interpretation of the values of the parameters obtained is also limited. Thus, it can be rightly asserted that though thematic analysis is broadly used for both quantitative and qualitative analysis, it is broadly used
9COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH in case of qualitative research. Also, there are more differences in the method being applied to the two types of analysis than are the similarities. Thus, to conclude it can be asserted with confidence that the two methods of research, quantitative are very diverse and different. While one depends totally on the outcomes of statistical models and software, the other depends on the experience and thought process of the researcher. However, in certain cases both the methods can be combined to increase the scope of the results or interpretation and to make the research outcomes more robust. The general trend noticed in case of philosophical underpinning is that interpretivism mostly underlies qualitative research and positivism mostly underlies quantitative research. Also, in case of thematic analysis in a quantitative research the method is objective and tries to link and compare similarities and differences in the numerical data collected and also tries to gain perspective into matters that are not covered in the sample but answers the research question. For qualitative research on the other hand the major purpose of thematic analysis is to broaden the horizon or scope of thinking for the researcher as well as the reader, so instead of fragmenting the data collected, it is integrated into a bigger theme or umbrella.
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10COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH References: Brannen, J. (Ed.). (2017).Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge. Collis, J., & Hussey, R. (2013).Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan. Crowe, M., Inder, M., & Porter, R. (2015). Conducting qualitative research in mental health: Thematic and content analyses.Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,49(7), 616-623. Fairclough, N. (2013).Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Routledge. Fugard, A. J., & Potts, H. W. (2015). Supporting thinking on sample sizes for thematic analyses: a quantitative tool.International Journal of Social Research Methodology,18(6), 669- 684. Gray, L., & Payne, K. (2014). Quantitative data collection.An introduction to health services research London, Sage Google Scholar. Mertens, D. M. (2014).Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage publications. Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposefulsamplingfor qualitativedatacollectionandanalysisinmixedmethod implementation research.Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research,42(5), 533-544.
11COMPARISON OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Ponterotto,J.G.(2013).Qualitativeresearchinmulticulturalpsychology:Philosophical underpinnings, popular approaches, and ethical considerations. Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016).Qualitative research. Sage. St. Pierre, E. A., & Jackson, A. Y. (2014). Qualitative data analysis after coding. Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015).Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implicationsforconductingaqualitativedescriptivestudy.Nursing&health sciences,15(3), 398-405. Weigold, A., Weigold, I. K., & Russell, E. J. (2013). Examination of the equivalence of self- report survey-based paper-and-pencil and internet data collection methods.Psychological methods,18(1), 53.