Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methodologies - Essay Example

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; identify the major characteristics of both methodologies. By Yours Name Course name Tutor Name University Name Department Name 29th December 2014 Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; identify the major characteristics of both methodologies. Introduction: Purpose of this essay to compare the strenghts and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Qualitative and quantitative research arroaches have strengths and weaknesses. To plan and implemntation of a research study, selection of either qualitivative and quantitaive research methods determine the weaknesses and strengths of a research. Sometimes, mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research approaches are used for research studies. It is important to know that which of research methodology is superior with its advnatges and disadvantages. Qualitative Research: A research method that includes the collection of words and illustration through the text comes under the research methodology called as qualitative research method. It does not include the numerical values for elaboration of the research approach (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The investigation of real-time study of scenario is the best way to understand the related positive and negative aspects (Cresswell, 2009). Characteristics of Qualitative Research Methodology: The qualitative research methodology presents a huge related textual material regarding the concerned matter. The views and beliefs of different authors from the literature are presented in quantitative research method. Also the actual field study results and views are generated and compared to other practitioners that leads towards the final wording about the underlying challenges. The real world scenarios are studied under this method and presented in a theoretical form. In the qualitative research method, less number of respondents are found, because each of them has to pay his/her time for conducting the survey prepared by the qualitative research analyst. It consumes time of another person for gathering the information. Without having the knowledge of field persons, only literature is not enough to understand the phenomena that cannot produce the exact outcome of the concerned matter. The selected individuals have to answer the open ended questions, which take much time as compared to close ended queries. The qualitative analysis uses different kinds of techniques for the collection of data (Cresswell, 2009). Quantitative Research: The assessment of data through the numerical values comes under the definition of quantitative research methodology. The results generation procedure is composed of tables, graphical presentation, and statistical analysis (BSBA, 2012). Characteristics of Quantitative Research Methodology: The quantitative research methodology requires proper procedure for sampling. All collected results regarding a single question is measured numerically and statistical analysis is performed for checking the effectiveness and accuracy of the answer. In qualitative research method, standards are applied for assessment of results, and policies are followed that produce the accuracy in the results. This is a good practice for the situations that demand a high degree of accuracy and performance improvement. In the quantitative research method, a large number of respondents are possible to collect the information. They have to answer the close ended queries and respond quickly that ultimately generates results from the answers given by the selected individuals or groups (Jugenheimer et al., 2014). Comparison of Qualitative & Qualitative Research Methodologies: Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Qualitative method is good for research where in depth and detailed analysis is required. Quantitative method gives the overall comprehensive analysis for underlying problems. For getting a better understanding about the behavior of underlying problem qualitative analysis is applied. Quantitative analysis is applied where comparison is required among relations and it also gives the overall idea about the concerned data where it is used. For the exploration and making good understanding about the phenomena qualitative method of research is used. The accuracy in terms of facts and figures is obtained through the techniques of quantitative method of research. It provides the detailed information and elaboration about the selected topics. Different kinds of opinions, beliefs and thinkings are collected from the selected theme. It provides the general and overall exploration regarding the concerned issues. The data used in qualitative research method is in the form, where it could be observed but cannot measure in figures. The data used in quantitative research method is in the form, where it could be observed in numerical values (Newman and DeRouen, 2014). It is composed of the textual material mainly and also includes the pictures, audio and video. It is composed of the numeric values of amounts, measurements, and etc. The types of questions asked in the qualitative research are open ended and related to how, what and why. The types of questions asked in the quantitative research are closed and related to what and how many. The whole situation is under observation and analyzed accordingly. The specific features are observed as it is pre-assigned as target of research. The methods used in the qualitative research are: interviews from individual concern people, format is designed for conducting the interview, semi-structured type of interview is conducted, and method of observation is also used. The methods used in the quantitative research are: surveys methods, sampling procedures, structured interviews, counting of numeric values. The design of study used in qualitative research is flexible to add new things (Jugenheimer et al., 2014). The design of study used in quantitative research is not flexible, rather than it is fixed type and uses standards for conducting the research. The open types of questionnaire are designed in the qualitative research methodology. There is no hard rule for making the questions is any specific arrangement. The questions added in the questionnaire for quantitative research methodology are pre-determined, selected and arranged in sequence. The method of inductive reasoning is applied in the qualitative research type. For searching iterations are used and information is added, which is considered most relevant. The statistical measures are presented as elaboration of concerned matter. The descriptor type of analysis is presented as result in the end of the research. The descriptive and statistical types of results are generated at the end of research. As viewed scientifically, qualitative research is the bottom-up approach. In this method the hypotheses are developed on the basis of data collected from the field. As viewed scientifically, quantitative research is the top-down approach. In this method the pre-defined hypotheses is evaluated through the actual data. The justification of results is performed through the implication of standards. The justification of results is performed through the practical evaluation. The strategy for conducting research is changing with respect to situation and social environment. The regular and predetermined type of strategy is applied for conducting the research. The exploration is observed in the qualitative type of research method. The explanation is expected to present in the quantitative type of research method. The wide range of results is organized through the qualitative research method. To the point testing and the achievement of a result is targeted. The nature of the observation is performed in a natural way and adopt changes according to the situation and the environment. The controlled, organized and predefined conditions are used for the observation in a quantitative setting. Different types of techniques are used for the analysis of data. Only standardized techniques are applied for data analysis. The specific area is selected for experimentation and research is performed over there. In the quantitative because quantity matters a lot, so the researcher have to visit more places for the collection of data . This method of research is more suitable when time is short for conducting the research or if the number of resources are less. This method requires more time for gathering large data for statistical analysis. Less collected data cannot produce the accurate result. It definitely requires more resource for gathering of large amounts of data. The collected data is used for learning about the phenomena and general results are achieved through it. The more precise and accurate result generation requires the collected data should meet the desired outcome. The responses collected from the sampling must meet the accuracy in the development of results. Hypotheses are produced through the applicability of the qualitative research method. The testing of developing hypotheses is generated through the applicability of quantitative research method. It is used for proving the hypotheses developed for specific field of study and the concerned matter (Raoprasert and Islam, 2010). In the literature, mixed research method uses both types of research methodologies called as qualitative and quantitative research methods is performed to analyse the results in research study. The qualitative and quantitative methods are combined with having the required features from both sides and powerful results could be achieved through this process. This is also known as mix-method way for analysis, it increases the scope of research and also improves the power for concerned study. The mixed-method uses data collection techniques and techniques used for analyzing the data could be adopted through this method (Sandelowski, 2000). The qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are having different aspects of conducting the research. Both are equally important and provide best results according to the nature and demand of the underlying problem, situation and matter. In the latest research, both methodologies are collectively applied that include the required features from both of them and finally produce the best outcomes from the research conducted for the specific problem. In the concerned problem related to the criminal justice, it is observed that qualitative type of research method is more useful and accurate as compared to a quantitative method of research. The focus of quantitative method is about the number of cases, the facts and figures are counted through it. It is also necessary to understand the situation and environment of criminal for the reason it becomes criminal. This situation could have the both methods collectively for production of factual and exploratory result. However, if the demand is not having the figures as a count and research only needs to focus upon the situation and conditions of criminality, it is best observed through the qualitative method of research. The main difference between two research methodologies is regarding the text and numeric values. The qualitative analysis produces the textual statements about the concerned matter for which research is applied and the quantitative analysis presents the results in numeric values, tables or statistical method to elaborate the results. The graphical representation could also be added for depiction of results generated through the quantitative research method. In many research studies, both methodologies are used as a mixture for getting the precise result from the underlying research area. Initially in the start research is conducted through the qualitative analysis and statement is developed as hypotheses regarding the specific selected area, and further on the developed hypotheses is evaluated through the methodology of quantitative study and in the last it proved that the stated hypotheses is tested and verified through the statistical results. The contextual analysis uses the methodology of ethnography, which actually covers the field of study and gathers the most accurate data for a research study (Tewksbury, 2009). In quantitative analysis surveys is used as a tool for the collection of data and sampling method is applied for the collection of responses from the survey conducted through the individuals or groups. The detailed information gathered in the quantitative method is taken from the respondents (Washignton DC, 2000). In the social science research study, the qualitative and quantitative research methodologies play an important role and used as the combination for the generation of results. The poverty related research studies are analyzed initially through the contextual method and further on processed through the quantitative approach for visualization of the actual situation of poverty in the targeted area of research. Along with verbal analysis, quantitative analysis is equally important because for some situations, verbal communication might produce ambiguities, so for the removal of unclear statement tabular and graphical representation is used. The graphs and tables are the resources that quickly present the overall results as compared to the theoretical format. The clear, quick and easy method of understanding of research results is more useful for their concerned community that will work on it in the future. The questions defined at the start of research are searched out from the available literature and presented as the answer. The generation of answer in a qualitative research method in the recent literature is searched out and explored for the concerned problem. In the quantitative research method, the selected focus group is assessed and evaluated for specific criteria and results are produced according to the collected data. The quantitative and qualitative research approaches are different in their nature, mainly the objective is dissimilar moreover belongs to different categories of research questions, the techniques and methods used in the process of data collection are also different in nature and presented through separate methods. The resultant information is also different that means one is text based while the other is numeric based (Kura, 2012). From discussion about qualitative and quantitative research methods, each method has its advantages and disadvantages in concerned environment of study. In the scientific studies, quantitative research method is useful as compared to qualitative research method where critical results are nalysed for the real world problem solving. Conclusions: In this paper a clear difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods has been focused. Qualitative research method involves the dynamic process where purposive or random sampling is used. Quantitative research methods deals with the studies where statistics and tables are involved. Results of qualitative research are expressed in text form where as in the quantitative research as in the quantitative form. Advnatges, purposes, possibilities, designs and potential of mixed methods for qualitative, quantitative and mixed method remain unknown to researchers References: BSBA. (2012). Qualitative and Quantitative Research Techniques for Humanitarian Needs Assessment. Available from http://www.google.com.pk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parkdatabase.org%2Fdocuments%2Fdownload%2Fqualitative_and_quantitative_research_techniques.pdf&ei=zdigVOTQCcLsUt-bgMgL&usg=AFQjCNHpI6LA9CbBdwR0ncwfOUZbjf1HyA Accessed on 27/12/2014. Cresswell, J.W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. (3rd Ed.). Thousands Oaks, CA. Sage Publications. Jugenheimer D., Kelley L., Hudson J., and Bradley S. (2014). 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