There are quantitative and qualitative methods in the realm of academic research seem to be the most relevant to the domains of professional study at Henley-Putnam University. These methods involve the collection of different types of data to help better understand the world around us. Quantitative research is associated with the social science like chemistry, engineering, and mathematics such as measuring items quantitatively can consist of observing the distance between planets as they revolve around the sun. In other words, quantitative methods allow for measuring one thing to compare against another quantity to generate conclusions, sometime confirming hypotheses or creating new ones based on research outcomes. However, qualitative research is applied in the soft or social sciences, such as history, sociology and anthropology. According to Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), qualitative research seeks out the “why”, not the “how”, of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information. For instance, methodological discussions like According to Trochim, some researchers have sought to blend methodologies trying to leverage the strengths of both types. A burgeoning field such as Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides the opportunity for merging these methods using the observation of qualitative relationships and mathematical concepts. Some scientists have also criticized the scientific community and its overreliance on quantifiable methodologies (Trochim, 2006). Schwartz, a professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at New York University, wrote about assailing quantifiable methodologies and the unfortunate perception that it is a panacea in the academic research field (Schwartz,
Qualitative research aims to gather information from data collection methods and transform it into written words. Such as transcribing recorded interviews, taking field notes from observations, using words to outline images (Denscombe, 1998, p. 174). On the other hand, quantitative research aims to gather information from data collection methods and transform it into numbers. Such as analysing conducted surveys and pulling numbers to transform it into statistics, tables and graphs (Denscombe, 1998, p.174-177).
There are two types of research that can be conducted in research studies, these are qualitative and quantitative (Newman, 2011). Qualitative research is a process that uses detailed oriented methodology that tries to achieve a profound knowledge or understanding of specific incident and circumstance, wh...
Qualitative and quantitative methods allow researchers to investigate, explore and inquire the nature of the phenomenon being studied. It is important that the researcher develops a clear understanding of the problem and design a plan to investigate it (Cresswell, 1998, para. 1). There are a variety of research methods; nevertheless, it is important to consider which research method is appropriate for the study. Qualitative research focuses on human experiences while quantitative research relies on numbers, measurements, and testing. Nevertheless, qualitative and quantitative methods use similar approaches to conduct research and collect data. For example, observations and interviews are approaches used in both research designs; however, the approaches are used and viewed otherwise. This will be discussed later in the paper.
Qualitative and quantitative research have many differences. Qualitative is exploratory, interpretive, subjective, descriptive, emergent, looks to produce or reach a hypothesis by what is observed, has unknown variables, is flexible, and uses personal views. Qualitative research is confirmatory, predictive, objective, deduces and test the hypothesis, has known variables, is not flexible, but is a fixed, static designed to control variables, and tries to be bias-free. Qualitative research collects data through interviews, observation, surveys, review of artifacts, and self inqu...
According to Smith (1983) quantitative research is to explain, predict and develop laws that can be universally applied and Qualitative research is the interpretation and understanding of what people give to their situation. The researchers clearly stated the purpose of their studies, aim, objectiv...
Research can be quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research is objective and involves measuring the phenomena under investigation. Qualitative research is subjective, explores experiences and feelings, and involves the recording of phenomena that cannot easily be quantified (Toates, 2010, pp. 5-6). Both are empirical since they involve data collection (OU, n.d.).
Gelo, O., Braakmann, D., & Benetka, G. (2008). Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Beyond the Debate. Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science, 42(3), 266-290. doi:10.1007/s12124-008-9078-3
Quantitative research may be seen as the less contentious of the two because it is more closely aligned with what is viewed as the classical scientific paradigm. Quantitative research involves gathering data that is absolute, for example numerical data so that it can be examined as unbiased as possible. The main idea behind quantitative research is that it is able to separate things easily so that they can be counted. The researcher generally has a clear idea of what is being measured before they start measuring it, and their study is set up with controls. Qualitative research on the other hand is a more subjective form of research, in which the research allows themselves to introduce their own bias to help form a more complete picture. Qualitative research may be necessary in situations where it is unclear of what is exactly being looked for in a study, while quantitative research generally knows exactly what it is looking for. Questionnaires and surveys are quantitative socio-legal research, because it is the collection of numerical data, or data that can be easily being turned into a numerical form. In terms of analysing quantitative data, Excel is the b...
On the other hand, Quantitative research refers to “variance theory” where quantity describes the research in terms of statistical relationships between different variables (Maxwell, 2013). Quantitative research answers the questions “how much” or “how many?” Quantitative research is an objective, deductive process and is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables with generalized results from a larger sample population. Much more structured than qualitative research, quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys, personal interviews and telephone interviews, polls, and systematic observations. Methods can be considered “cookie cutter” with a predetermined starting point and a fixed sequence of
Quantitative research uses a deductive reasoning also known as top to bottom or (top down approach) starting with a theory, then the hypothesis, followed by observation and finally confirmation , going from the general to the more specific. Quantitative methods use numbers and statistics to show the results of the research exercise and mainly are concerned with mathematics and statistics. In quantitative research there are levels of measurement being firstly nominal which are names of things followed by ordinal sequence of things, interval where the sequence has equal distance between each item, and ratio where there is a true zero (Alston & Bowles, 2003, p. 7-9).
Social network analysis focuses on ties among, for example, people, groups of people, organisations, and countries. These ties combine to form networks, as social network analysts assume that interpersonal ties matter, as do ties among organisations or countries, because they transmit behaviour, attitudes, information, or goods. Social network analysis offers methodology to analyse social relations, it tells how to conceptualise social networks and how to analyse the, where the main gaol of social network analysis is detecting and interpreting patterns of social ties among actors (Nooy et al., 2005).
Quantitative studies are primarily numbers based. They deal with large cohort groups as well as analyze large amounts of data. “A quantitative researcher typically tries to measure variables in some way, perhaps by using commonly accepted measures of the physical world (e.g., rulers, thermometers, oscilloscopes) or carefully designed measures of psychological characteristics or behaviors (e.g., tests, questionnaires, rating scales)” (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, p. 94).
Traditional research may use quantitative or qualitative research method. According to Hendricks (2009), quantitative research is a general conclusion based on hard data. Hen-dricks describe quantitativ...
Social Network theory dates back to the 1950’s where Barnes (1954) is credited with coining the term. Social Network Theory is the study of how the social structure around a person, group, or organization affect beliefs or behaviors (Dunn, 1983) The theory views relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes can be defined as individual actors within networks, while ties are the relationships between the actors. (Dunn, 1983). These nodes and ties are often displayed in a diagram which shows the connection between them. Unlike traditional sociological studies, Social Network Theory does not assume that it is the attributes of individual actors, but rather the attributes of the individual are less important, but rather the relationships and ties with other actors within the network is what is important.
Quantitative research involves the collection and converting of data into numerical form to enable statistical calculations be made and conclusions drawn. It provides a measure of how people think, feel or behave and uses the statistical analysis to determine the results. However, this measurement results in numbers, or data, being collected, which is then analyzed by using quantitative research methods (Byrne, 2007).