Qualitative Research Essay

Research is an important part of higher education. Through the collection of accurate and objective data researchers can gather information and draw conclusions based upon the data. As defined by Richardson and American Educational Research Association, the most elementary meaning of quantitative-qualitative distinction is the association with data (Richardson & American Educational Research Association, 2001, p. 201). The second key component of research is the identification of research participants, which are critical to the science and practice of psychology, for generalizing findings, making comparisons and using evidence in research syntheses and secondary data analyses (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 29). Research occurs

Whereas, quantitative research is non-interactive as researchers frequently use paper-and pencil to collect data (p.7). Quantitative and qualitative approaches are strongly associated with objectivity (quantitative) and subjectivity (qualitative). Qualitative research is harder, more stressful and more time-consuming than quantitative. In addition Tomal (2010), explains quantitative research is very objective as the researcher is detached from the participants and qualitative researchers on the other hand are much more personally involved with the participants (Tomal, 2010, p.3). The four most popular types of quantitative research are: experimental, causal comparative, correlational, and descriptive and the four types of qualitative research are: historical, ethnography, phenomenology and cultural, and case studies. Understanding the differences between the two types of research methods may not always be clear when an individual first begins learning about each method. It’s best to associate quantitative research with the study of quantities or large groups, whereas qualitative research focuses on quality or more simply smaller groups of data

10). Therefore, qualitative research is an interactive process in which the participants studied teach the researcher about their lives. This type of research focuses on why and how to understand and interpret interactions. Usually small selected groups, as opposed to randomly selected groups, are studied using the qualitative research. As indicated by Tomal, qualitative research is naturalistic, emergent, and case oriented. For instance, a researcher studying monkey behavior may study monkey in their natural environment (2010, p.