Quantitative vs. Qualitative research - Essay Example

QUALITATIVE vs. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH Due Introduction Quantitative research is research that produces numerical data or information that is convertible to numbers. On the other hand, qualitative research data produces non- numerical data. It‘s main focus is on collecting verbal information as opposed to measurements. The information gathered in this method is analyzed in a subjective, interpretative, impressionistic, or diagnostic manner.DiscussionThe main steps involved in quantitative research are coming up with a theory, then the forming a hypothesis.

Third step is developing the research design, then deriving of the measures of concepts, then the research respondents are selected, the next step is issuing research instruments and data collection, what follows is data processing and analysis, after this process finding are drawn and conclusions made. The main steps involved in qualitative research are: setting the overall research questions, then selecting necessary subjects and sites, then relevant data ought to be collected, then interpretation follows, then theoretical and conceptual work follows, the last step is writing up conclusions and findings.

In quantitative research, the quality issues involved are issues such as reliability, this deal with the measure of stability and consistency. Replication seeks to find out whether the study is repeatable. Validity seeks to establish whether what is measured is the one intended or if the conclusions are well founded. In qualitative research, quality issues are trustworthiness that entails credibility of the findings, transferability in terms of the applicability of the findings to other contexts; dependability is whether the findings apply at other times.

Conformability is whether the investigator’s values have intruded to a high degree. Relevance is the importance of a topic in the field of study and the contribution made by the literature in that field. Quantitative research has major preoccupations such as measurement and reliability validity, causality which entails explanation on reason as to why things are the way they are and the direction taken by the causal influence, that is, dependent and independent variables. Another of these preoccupations is generalization which covers the question on the scope of the context, sample and population, as well as the extent to which the samples are representative.

Replication is a value that seeks to reduce contamination of results by researcher values or biases, thorough procedure descriptions, and ability to duplicate in varying context. In qualitative research, the main pre occupations are viewing through the eyes of the population of study, another of these preoccupations is the description and stress on context. Flexibility and narrow structure is another preoccupation. The last preoccupation is theories and concepts entailed in data.Quantitative research mainly deals with numbers whereas qualitative research mainly takes into consideration words.

Secondly, quantitative research is carried out from the researcher’s point of view whereas qualitative research is carried out from the participant’s point of view. In quantitative research the researcher is far from the respondent whereas in qualitative research the researcher in close proximity to the respondents. Quantitative research entails theory testing while qualitative research is a product of theory emergent. Quantitative research is a static process whereas qualitative research is process- oriented.

Quantitative research follows a structured design with structured questions while qualitative research follows an unstructured technique with random questions.Conclusion Quantitative research entails generalization of issues whereas qualitative research requires contextual understanding. Quantitative research is based on hard, reliable data, whereas qualitative research requires rich, deep data. Quantitative research is macro in nature meaning that it covers a large environment whereas qualitative research is micro in nature meaning it covers a small environment.

In quantitative research behavior is of importance, whereas in qualitative research meaning of concepts is of the essence. Lastly, in qualitative research, the interviewing settings are artificial whereas in qualitative research the interviewing setting is natural.