Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research 2022

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Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
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Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Introduction
Research can be defined as a creative and systematic technique of gathering
and validating information on specified range of topics (Goertz and Mahoney,
2012). Scientists and researchers apply wide range of research techniques to
gather and analyze data with an aim of producing and validating information
through imperial and logical validity. Research can be classified into different
categories depending on its purpose, the role of the researcher, the methods
of data collection applied, the analysis performed and the methods used to
interpret and present the results of the research (Leavy, 2017). Based on the
role of the researcher and the methods of data collection, analysis
interpretation and presentation applied, research can either be qualitative or
quantitative. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the distinguishing
features of qualitative and quantitative research.
First and foremost, qualitative research comprises comprehensive and in-
depth examination of phenomenon and variables. It focuses on answering
the “why” instead of the “what” aspect of a social phenomenon. Qualitative
research depends on human experiences as the main source of information
and applies multiple inquiry systems to study different aspects of human
lives including case studies, historical analysis, biography, grounded theory,
discourse analysis, phenomenology and ethnography (Amarto, 2017). On the
other hand, Quantitative research comprises the quantification of problems
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through generation of data that have the capability of being transformed into
meaningful statistics. It quantifies defined variables such as behaviors,
attitudes and opinions and generalizes the results based on a larger sample
population (DeFranzo, 2019).
Sample selection in quantitative research is based on the use of random
probility sampling where every member of the of the specified population
has an equal chance of being selected for inclusion in the final sample.
Emphasis is placed on the selection of large sample sizes so that they cam
be representative of the true characteristic and attributes of the entire
population (Cleland, 2015). On the contrary, qualitative research does not
apply the use of random probability sampling in selection of samples which
makes members in a population to not have equal chances of being included
in the final sample. In this form of research, small specific samples are used
in studies to understand the social aspects of human phenomenon
(Oflazoglu, 2017).
Qualitative and quantitative research employ distinct techniques and
procedures in sampling design for quality purposes. Quantitative research
uses a wide range of statistics sampling design techniques for error
estimation and quality. They include stratified and multistage cluster
sampling, simple and systematic random sampling. The sampling techniques
allow for the selection of samples that are representative of the entire
population thereby reducing the margin of error and increasing the quality.
On the contrary, qualitative research employs sampling techniques that are
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