The Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative Research - Essay Example

The difference between quantitative and qualitative research is something that each and every researcher and/or scholar must consider; both with respect to the research designs and methodologies that are created as well as the research designs and methodologies that are read, understood, or applied. Whereas it may here as it the differential between qualitative and quantitative research is quite clear, for many stakeholders and unique applications, is not. Accordingly, the following analysis will present a more nuanced and definitive discussion with respect to the different definitions and applications for which both qualitative and quantitative research are best suited. It is the hope of this author that such a level of discussion and analysis will be beneficial with respect to providing a basis through which the reader can more effectively comprehend the differential between these two and seek to apply the approach that suits their needs and research goals to the highest degree. Finally, the two different research methods themselves will be illustrated by a short analysis and review of respective articles that illustrate how they can be leveraged within the field of nursing practice and inquiry. Firstly, before delving into the nuances and differentials the these two forms of research and methodologies, a discussion and analysis of the definitions of both qualitative and quantitative research will be performed. As such, qualitative research is ultimately a site exploratory research. As such, is often used to help understand or to find underlying reasons, motivations, or opinions with regard to specific topic. Moreover, it helps to generate insights into the specific issue and help to develop ideas or answers/hypotheses or further quantitative research as such, qualitative research oftentimes forms an introductory level of scope and analysis which further researchers can then focus on specific details or attributes of a given issue as a means of seeking to draw inference. Further, by providing trends and delving deeper into issues, qualitative research performs functions quite unlike quantitative research in that it can construct models of understanding concerning human feelings, emotions, reactions, and thoughts. Whereas it is true that quantitative research can perform many of these same functions, the underlying nuances and differentials that it is oftentimes able to capture are greatly reduced as compared to qualitative research. Whereas an exhaustive listing of qualitative research methods is not possible due to the brevity of this paper, it should be noted that some of the more common types of qualitative research that are performed quite regularly are concentric upon the use of focus groups, interviews, observations, and participatory studies of other varieties. As such, the reader can rapidly realize the overall level of contribution that this has to the field of nursing; due in part to the fact that treating the needs of any particular patient is not merely concentric upon speaking to symptoms or adjusting medication to match a given set of issues. Instead, unique psychological, neurological, sociological, individual, and physical issues are represented within each and every patient. In this way, seeking to understand these and address them in the most appropriate way possible oftentimes encourages the researcher to utilize qualitative research methods as a means of drawing wider inference upon a given group or population. Due to the unique nature of qualitative research, it oftentimes represents a smaller sample size as compared to quantitative research; nevertheless, the inference that can be gained from these samples is just as useful as compared to any other methodological approach that can be taken. Oftentimes, the student or the researcher is led to believe that qualitative research is secondary to the more measurable and statistically useful quantitative research. However, this is not the case. In much the same way as the nurse or medical practitioner would use different tools as a function of diagnosing and treating a patient, it is equally important to realize that different methodologies should be employed as a function of understanding a given issue or problem that is exhibited. Ultimately, the choice between the two is wholly concentric upon two issues: the first of these is the actual problem or research question itself and whether or not it is most amenable to one form or another of methodology, and the second is concentric upon what methodology will accurately reflect the issues or questions at hand that the researcher wants to answer. In such a manner, seeking to effect the appropriate measurements based upon the research question once again comes to be of vital concern for the researcher. In situations in which sociological forces and issues that do not lend themselves to adequate tabulation in terms of mathematic figures is exhibited, qualitative research necessarily serves as the best approach. However, in situations, such as those that might be exhibited in terms of a particular drug interaction and the levels of hardship or side effects that might be exhibited within a given set of patients, quantitative research is the best approach. For purposes of choosing a journal article that was emblematic of a quantitative research method, this author has settled upon one which sought to answer key questions relating to antidepressants and suicide entitled, “Suicide and Antidepressants What Current Evidence Indicates”. Whereas many questions can be answered by differing manners of inquiry, certain medical research questions must utilize quantitative information as a way to inform the reader/researcher as to the broad perspective, key trends, and verifiable extant information that exists regarding a given topic (Nischal et al., 2012). As a way of seeking to provide an example of just such a piece, this brief analysis will consider the given article, analyze it for its utilization of quantitative techniques, and seek to detail the type and manner of the content which was portrayed therein. The research question itself clearly has to do with the level of linkages that may be illustrated between the use of antidepression medication and an increased likelihood of suicide; something that has gained widespread media attention in the past several years. With reference to the way that the research itself was actually set up and carried out, the authors of the piece sought to set up a series of test which sought to measure the epidemiological affect that antidepressants had on the patient; up to and including what the researchers deemed as “suicidabiliy”. Controls and test groups were established, antidepressant medication administered and trials concentric upon interviews and close monitoring in the form of diary and journal approaches to the frames of mind that the patients expressed during the period were employed. In terms of what was hypothesized, the researchers believed that there would be a small, perhaps unrecognizable increase, of suicidal thoughts within the adult patients and a larger, but still statistically small increase in suicidal thoughts within the adolescent test subjects. The study ran a series of 26 different trials of no less than 15 individuals participating in each trial. For further purposes of the study, adults were identified as over the age of 18 with children being represented from the age of 9-18. As the researchers expected, the rise in suicidal thoughts and motivations within the patients that fell into the category of “adult” were no different than that of the control group. In other words, no noticeable rise in suicidal thoughts or intentions was determined from those patients that were over the age of 18 that participated within the study. However, the researchers found that the level of suicidal thoughts and overall “suicidability” that was exhibited within the group which could be considered children was higher than expected. Although statistically small, the results point and reinforced the fact that the overall risk to children taking antidepressants is higher than previously thought and a very real and measurable externality of pharmacology. The given study was necessary to be performed in a quantitative way as any other form of analysis or measurement would not have yielded the same results with respect to what degree and extent the patients analyzed exhibited suicidability. Although both quantitative and qualitative research both have their place within the field of medicine and scholastic research, the use of quantities and statistics to gain a level of inference on the way that certain factors affect other factors is a necessity of modern medical research and required in many different instances. By means of comparison and contrast, quantitative research, as the name implies, utilizes quantities as a means of drawing inference on specific research question. This numerical data is oftentimes represented in the form of statistics, charts, graphs, or other measurements that can inform the researcher and the audience with respect to given issue at hand. Furthermore, was it research utilizes data is measurable in order to formulate understanding and uncover patterns within research that might not be related in terms of the previously mentioned methodology; qualitative research. Some common forms of qualitative research include the use and analysis of online surveys, face to face interviews (which seek to collect measurable statistics and numbers), polls, and research of other kinds that can be applied to measuring numerically and statistically certain issues that correspond to the research question at hand. As a function of analyzing a particular piece of nursing research that utilized a qualitative approach, one can consider the piece entitled “Human patient simulation versus case study: Which teaching strategy is more effective in teaching nursing care for the hypoglycemic patient?”. Within this particular piece, the researchers seek to draw inference with respect to the interpretation of material that is presented to the students. Rather than taking a quantitative approach, it is determined that the best means of engaging an understanding on this particular subject is to seek to draw inference on the attitudes and perceptions that different groups of students exposed to different methodologies in teaching respond to; and in what way. Accordingly, even though quantitative research could have been used, it is likely that with respect to the specific research question at hand, it would not have been as useful or able to derive the same level of overall inference as compared to qualitative research (Gibbs et al., 2012). Furthermore, as was indicated in the initial definition and discussion of typical approaches to qualitative research, the test group that was indicated within this particular study was quite small; less than 30 individual students. Once again, this tracks with the metrics that have been denoted in terms of the fact that traditionally qualitative studies generally exhibit a much smaller test group as compared to quantitative analysis (Hatefi et al., 2014). Finally, as the ultimate inquiry was level of effectiveness, the reader can note once again that measuring this in terms of numbers and statistics would not necessarily reflect the most accurate information; instead, interviews with concerned stakeholders and questionnaires were utilized as a means of inferring whether or not a broad based consensus could be reached – thereby providing future researchers and instructions with valuable information that they could use in order to hone and re-define their approach to the subject matter. From the information that has been presented within this brief analysis, it is clear and apparent that no single approach is guaranteed to maximize the inference that the researcher can hope to draw in each and every case. Instead, prior to an approach being determined, the analyst should closely consider which of these two approaches will be able to integrate with their research question most seamlessly and attribute the greater level of inference. In some case, a mixed methods approach is encouraged; however, the overall number of these cases are relatively small as compared to those that can either be categorized as a qualitative or quantitative level of inquiry. Within the field of nursing, just as with any science, the researcher must be familiar with both approaches and equally aware of which one is the more effective within a given setting as compared to another. In such a way, the researcher must can analyze a particular issue and determine whether or not a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approach most effectively engages the research question. Reference Gibbs, J., Trotta, D., & Overbeck, A. (2014). Human patient simulation versus case study: Which teaching strategy is more effective in teaching nursing care for the hypoglycemic patient?. Teaching & Learning In Nursing, 9(2), 59-63. doi:10.1016/j.teln.2014.01.002 Hatefi, S. M., Torabi, S. A., & Bagheri, P. P. (2014). Multi-criteria ABC inventory classification with mixed quantitative and qualitative criteria. International Journal Of Production Research, 52(3), 776-786. doi:10.1080/00207543.2013.838328 Nischal, A., Tripathi, A., Nischal, A., & Trivedi, J. K. (2012). Suicide and Antidepressants: What Current Evidence Indicates. Mens Sana Monographs, 10(1), 33-44. doi:10.4103/0973-1229.87287 Read More