Chapter 2: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed

ResearchA PowerPoint presentation by Roger Pence

Learning Objectives Describe the characteristics of quantitative

research

List and explain the different types of variables used in quantitative research

Explain the difference between experimental and nonexperimental research

Describe the characteristics of qualitative research

List and explain the differences among the different types of qualitative research

Describe the characteristics of mixed research

What is a research paradigm?

The set of shared perspectives, values, assumptions, concepts and practices shared by a community

An approach to thinking about and doing research

What is meant by the “incompatibility

thesis”? A notion or belief that both

quantitative and and qualitative research cannot exist in the same research study. (An either-or position)

The incompatibility thesis has been pushed out of favor by pragmatism, which states that whichever approach, even a mixture, that best answers the question should be used.

The Research Continuum

Salient characteristics of the three paradigms

Emphasis of each Research Paradigm

Feature Qualitative Research

Mixed Research

Qualitative Research

Scientific Method

Confirmatory or “top-down”Hypothesis testing

Confirmatory or Exploratory

Exploratory or “bottom-up”Hypothesis generation

View of Human Behavior

Behavior is regular and predictable

Behavior somewhat predictable

Behavior is fluid, dynamic, situational, social, contextual, personal

Most Common research objectives

Describe, explain, predict

Multiple objectives

Explore, discover, construct, describe

Research Paradigm Emphasis Continued…

Feature Quantitative Research

Mixed Research

Qualitative Research

Focus Narrow-angle lensSpecific hypothesis testing

Multilens focus Examines breadth and depth to learn what is going on

Interest General laws Connection between the local and the general

Local: particular groups and people

Nature of Observation

Controlled conditionsCause and Effect

Study in more than one context

Study in natural environments, contexts, multiple factors

Research Paradigm Emphasis Continued…

Feature Quantitative Research

Mixed Research

Qualitative Research

Nature of reality

Objective Pragmatism and realism

Subjective, personal, socially constructed

Form of data collected

Quantitative data based on measurement

Multiple forms Qualitative data based on interviews, observations, notes

Nature of data Variables Mixture of variables, words, images

Words, images, categories

Research Paradigm Emphasis Continued…

Feature Quantitative Research

Mixed Research

Qualitative Research

Data Analysis Identify statistical relationships

Quantitative and qualitative combination

Search for patterns, themes, holistic features

Results Generalizable findings

Provision of viewpoints

Present multiple perspectives

Form of Final Report

Statistical Report

Mixture of numbers and Narrative

Narrative report with contextual description and direct quotations from participants

Quantitative Research Methods Terms

Variable: Condition or characteristic that can take on different values or categories

Constant: A single category of a variable

Quantitative Variable: Varies by degree or amount (e.g. income)

Categorical Variable: Varies by type or kind (e.g. religion)

Independent Variable: Presumed to change another variable

Dependent Variable: Influenced by independent variable

Quantitative Research: Cause and Effect

Changes in independent variable produce changes in dependent variable (one changes causes another)

Example: More fertilizer produces bigger plants

Quantitative Research Terms: Other Variables

Intervening Variable: A variable that stands between the

independent and dependent variable and may also explain changes observed in the dependent variable

Moderator Variable: Changes the relationships between other variables (e.g. teaching delivery and personality style)

Quantitative Research:Experimental Research

Used to determine cause and effect relationships through manipulation of independent variable.

Must consider extraneous variables (a variable that may compete with the independent variable and change the experimental outcome) What if the results are due to some other

factor?!

Must also consider confounding variables (variable that was not controlled) Sorry, we couldn’t do anything about that!

Quantitative Research:Non-Experimental

Research

No manipulation of the independent variable and no random assignments to groups

Causal-comparative research: Primary independent variable of interest is a categorical variable (like religion, gender, etc.) More difficult to establish cause and effect

relationships

Correlational research: Primary independent variable of interest is quantitative (how does an amount of an independent variable change the dependent variable?)

Quantitative Research:Correlation

Coefficients Positive correlation: When the variable move in the same

direction

Negative correlation: When the variables move in opposite directions

Strength of correlation: Ranges from +1 to -1 with 0 representing no correlation at all

Qualitative Research Methods

Phenomenology: How does the experience of a phenomenon affect something? Example: How does divorce affect learning?

Ethnography: Interest in how a group’s culture influences a question. Example: Do skateboarders have a better innate

understanding of physics?

Qualitative Research Methods

Case Study Research: Detailed account(s) of one or more cases Example: Students using filmmaking to learn science

Grounded theory: Generating and developing a theory from qualitative research Example: Factors that affect student’s homework turn-

in rate

Historical Research: Research about people, places and events from the past Example: How did Sputnik affect science education?

Mixed Research

Fundamental principle of mixed research: It is wise to collect multiple sets of data using different research methods to “cover holes” that might exist with only one type of research.

Allows confidence to be placed in findings arrived at from more than one angle.

If data suggests conflicting conclusions, then more research will be needed to explore the phenomenon.

The mixed approach often best answers questions in a complex and ever-changing world.