Meta Title: Qualitative vs. quantitative research
Meta description: When you are given a research assignment at school or work, knowing what kind of results the lecturer expects from you will help you determine the type of research you will do. The choice is qualitative vs. quantitative research. This article will help you gain an in-depth understanding of the difference between the two.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative research
To understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative research, you need to define three key words; quality, quantity, and research. Quality is an uncountable level of excellence or an attribute that differentiates things or people, while quantity is a generic term used fundamentally to refer to the measurement of something. Research refers to the systematic study of or investigation into a source or material or a source to establish facts or draw conclusions. The results of any research can be qualitative, quantitative or both
Therefore, qualitative research is the investigation of materials or sources to come up with their attributes or descriptions. Quantitative research on the other hand is research done focusing on numbers and mathematical calculations.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?
There are some key differences between qualitative and quantitative research mainly because their results are so different. Some fields prefer one type of research to the other depending on what they were looking for. For example, engineers may prefer quantitative data while sociologists may prefer qualitative data. Here are seven differences between the two
- Quantitative data is collected and analyzed using statistics while qualitative data is collected through observation
- Quantitative data yields conclusive results while qualitative data is more exploratory.
- Quantitative data is numerical in form while qualitative data is more descriptive
- Quantitative data is objective meaning it’s based on facts while subjective information is more subjective and is therefore subject to interpretation and influence by feelings or opinions.
- Quantitative data is measurable involving lengths, prices amounts etc. while qualitative data isn’t. Qualitative data uses descriptive words and adjectives to refer to data
- Quantitative data is structured for analysis purposes while quantitative data is unstructured.
- People consider quantitative data to be more reliable and objective than qualitative data
Here is a tabular summary of qualitative vs quantitative research based on the data.
Qualitative data
Quantitative data
Collected through observation
Collect and analyzed using statistics
The research methodology is exploratory
The research methodology is conclusive
Data more descriptive
Data in numerical form
Data is subjective
Data is objective
Data isn’t measurable
Data is measurable
Data is unstructured
Data is structured
Data not considered more reliable and objective
Data considered as reliable and objective
What is qualitative research?
As has been highlighted, qualitative research yields data that is more textual i.e. that is non-numerical while quantitative data yields vdata or that that can be converted into numbers. Qualitative data is useful in exploratory stages of any project for example in the pilot stage of a project. It gives rise to the underlying thoughts, opinions, trends and motivations. The results of the qualitative analysis can either be considered to be conclusive or serve as the basis for further research.
Qualitative research techniques
Qualitative research techniques make use of both structured and unstructured techniques. Some examples of qualitative research methods are individual research interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation. An iterative study design can be applied whereby the questions asked and the data collected changes depending on what is learnt.
Analysis
Because qualitative data is typically presented in word that contain in-depth information, data analysis involves reading numerous amounts of transcripts. The goal of qualitative data analysis is uncover similarities and differences in the data. This analysis leads to the development of themes from the data and coming up with categories. In the past, qualitative data analysis was a tedious process involving many people and highlighting things in different colors but more and more software are being coded to aid the process
Features
Here are features that make qualitative research what it is
Approach – The qualitative researcher is concerned with understanding the phenomenon under study through inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning refers to the derivation of general principles from specific observations.
Goal –Qualitative research focuses on the depth of knowledge (Getting in-depth knowledge on a particular subject) and consequently generating a hypothesis
Setting–Qualitative research is collected in a naturalistic environment
Sampling – Qualitative research uses purposive sampling. That means, the subjects are selected because of their ability to illuminate on a particular matter
Data collection- Data is collected using focus groups, observation and interviews
Data analysis–Qualitative data analysis is iterative.
Examples of qualitative research topics
Here are some topics that would require qualitative research
- What are the effects of underage drinking on the participants in future?
- Which branch of the government is more important?
- What are the effects of sleep deprivation on drivers?
- What is the perfect age a person should be allowed to drink?
In a school setting, a poem analysis essay on poems by a particular authors is an example of a qualitative research task.
Uses
Qualitative data can be used to come up with themes, similarities and differences that come up in the data. Sometimes, it’s used to generate a hypothesis that will then undergo quantitative research
What is quantitative research?
As was mentioned, quantitative research deals with numbers and figures. Quantitative research is used to quantify attitudes, behavior, motivations, opinions and other variables. The goal of quantitative research is to support or refute a hypothesis. The results can then be contextualized to the wider population.
Quantitative research techniques
Quantitative research methods are explicit on what is to be measured and how it is to be measured. For this reason, quantitative data collection is more structured than qualitative data. They typically use surveys, questionnaires and structured interviews to collect data. The data collected should be generalized to the general population without significance discrepancies. For this reason, surveys are classified into twoon the basis of time
- Cross-sectional studies – These surveys allow the researchers to come up with conclusions on a specific subject at a particular time. The surveys are conducted across the target population at that particular time so the results match the time. Based on their nature, cross0-sectional studies study new people each time they are carried out
- Longitudinal studies – These surveys are great for coming up with trends in the research subject. They are conducted over a considerable period. For example, a study on people’s behavioral trends during Christmas time would need the researchers to conduct several surveys at Christmas time over several years so that they can be able to project the data better. For consistency, longitudinal studies study the same set of people over the duration of their study.
Analysis
The data collected from quantitative research is analyzed and formulate facts and uncover patterns that can then be generalized to the larger population. There are many quantitative data analysis methods. Here are 5 examples
- Cross-tabulation – This is the most widely used method. The data is inputted into tubular form then analyzed. Information is then inferred from the data whether it is connected or mutually exclusive
- Trend analysis – This method is great for analyzing data from longitudinal studies. It is used to track and note changes in the data over time particularly when one cariable is unchanging.
- Gap analysis. This method uses a side-by-side matrix to present quantitative data. Analysis is then done to measure the difference between the actual performance and the expected performance. It measures the gap in the performance and what can be done to bridge this gap.
- Text analysis – This is an advanced data analysis method that can help quantify qualitative data. It uses intelligent tools that make sense of and quantify open ended and qualitative data into understandable quantitative data.
- MaxDiff analysis – This analysis method is used to gauge customer preferences for their products as well as what parameters rank higher than the others. This method is also called the ‘best-worst’ method.
Features
Here are the top features that make quantitative analysis what it is
Approach –The researcher is concerned with generalization, prediction, outcomes and causal relationships. He derives these things from the data using deductive reasoning.
Goal – The goal of quantitative research is to discover the breath of new knowledge of the subject under study. The other goal is to test a hypothesis.
Setting – Quantitative research is conducted in a controlled environment such as a clinical or laboratory setting.
Sampling – Quantitative research normally uses random sampling. They also normally have larger sample sizes than qualitative research samples.
Data collection – Quantitative surveys and structured interviews are very common in quantitative research
Data analysis – Statistical tests are done to come up with conclusions in quantitative research
Examples of qualitative research topics
Here are example of topics that would benefit from quantitative research
- What is the relationship between underage drinking and dropping out of highschool
- Relationship between high social media use among teenagers and increased rates of depression for the same age group
- How increased smartphone use has reduced office productivity
- Evaluate the effect of using standardized tests on student performance in long run.
Uses
Quantitative research is used to uncover the relationship between variables. If the data collected is to be used to make decisions, quantitative data forms a more solid basis than qualitative data.
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Here is a side by side comparison of the qualitative vs quantitative research features.
Feature
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Approach
Inductive approach
Deductive approach
Goal
Depth of knowledge
Generate hypothesis
Breadth of knowledge
Test hypothesis
Setting
Natural
Experimental
Sampling
Purposeful sampling
Random sampling
Data collection
Interviews, focus groups and participant observation etc.
Surveys and structured interviews
Data analysis
Iterative interpretation
Statistical tests and modelling
Qualitative and quantitative research data collection methods
The two methods need different types of data and therefore their research methods vary. This section will analyze some of the research methods used by each type of research.
Quantitative data collection methods
Qualitative data must be richly detailed so that you have information to work with to analyze. Some qualitative data collection methods include:
- Open-ended survey questions –When a question is open-ended, it means that the respondent’s response is not limited to a set of options. Instead, after the question is a text box that allows the respondent to give their answers based on what they know, feel or understand.
- Expert opinions – This kind of research method involves selecting your sample for a specialized group of people in the field both within and out of the organization. Because the respondents are experts, the information is deemed to be of high quality
- Interviews – An interview is a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the respondents. They can be face to face, virtual or even mobile but the researcher has to communicate directly with the subject. These types of surveys are great because the researcher can seek further information that was not in the set questions but that would provide better insight on the subject
- Case studies – This is an in-depth study of a group, an organization or an individual normally over a period of time. Usually, several methods are combined in the study and several sources are used to find information
- Focus group discussions– When conducting a focus group discussion (FBD) you bring together a group of people who have similar experiences or backgrounds to discuss a specific topic. They are guided by a moderator who will introduce the topic, encourage participation and guide the discussion. The goal is to uncover the opinions and ideas of these people and how they vary
- Observational research – This research method has the researchers observing the behavior of the subjects in their natural environment. It comes in response to findings that some people lie during interviews and surveys for various reasons including to make them look good to the researchers. There are three types of observational research. They are;
- Controlled observation – The subjects under study are observed from within a controlled environment for example a psych lab. In a controlled environment, the researchers can control some variables such as which participants will take place in the study, the place, time and circumstances surrounding the research
- Naturalistic observation –Here, the participant’s behavior is studies in their natural environment.
- Participant observation – This is similar to naturalistic observation in that the participants are observed in their natural environment. The difference is that the researchers insert themselves into the participants’ environment.
Qualitative data collection methods
For quantitative data, certain variables have to be measured and later analyzed. For this reason, some of data collection methods may be the same as but conducted differently. Three key quantitative data collection methods are;
Using closed-ended questions – unlike open-ended questions, the responses of participant on closed-ended surveys and interviews have limited response options.
They can measure degree with responses such as:
- Extremely likely
- Very likely
- Somewhat likely
- Not so likely
- Not at all likely
Closed-ended questions can measure time using options such as;
- Always
- Most of the time
- About half the time
- Once in a while
- Never
A closed-ended survey can also have options such as yes, no and maybe.
The point of closed ended questions is to be able to easily quantify the responses.
Observations–Quantitative data can be derived from observation particularly controlled observation. However, even the other types of observation methods can be used. The difference between qualitative research and quantitative research is that the researchers in quantitative research may be recording the number of times participants make a particular decision or performa particular action so that that can have quantitative data.
Experiments – In experiments, some variables are controlled or altered. The main goal with experiments is to establish cause and effect relationships.
Mixed methods
Mixed methods are becoming more common as time goes by. This is because researchers understand that by undertaking in one type of research over the other, they miss out on the valuable insights they would gain from the method they did not use. They therefore use both research methods for their projects and have reports that incorporate both types of data.
When to use qualitative vs quantitative research
The type of research you chose depends on a few factors. The table below will highlight the factors and what type of research to do in each case
Factor
Type of research
Generate a hypothesis or understand something
Qualitative
Test or confirm a hypothesis
Quantitative research
Open ended questions
Qualitative data
Closed-ended questions
Quantitative data
Experimental research
Quantitative data
Correlational research
Quantitative data
Descriptive research
Qualitative data
Other factors that determine what type of research to conduct include the sample size, how much money and time you have and the availability of data among others
To sum up
When you are conducting research to learn something, you have to determine what type of research will yield the best results for you. This means you have to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative research and how they are conducted. The results you want will also help you decide what method to go to. If you have the resources, a mixed research will give you the best of both worlds.