Qualitative & Quantitative Research

Prova Ummay Afzalean

Roll # 06 210 456 MA in ELT

Rajshahi University, Rajshahi.

Outline

Introduction History Definition Purpose Determinism Activities and Steps Hybrid of Qualitative and Quantitative Qualitative Vs Quantitative Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness Advantages and Limitations

Methods of Evaluating Qualitative Research Examples

What is research?

In a university setting, research is defined as an original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and understanding in a particular field

Research is a creative activity leading to the production of new knowledge

The term Qualitative Research refers to studies that investigate the quality of relationships, activities, situations, or materials.

The term Quantitative Research refers what to study. It deals in objective manner.

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History: Qualitative Researches started in the 1920/30 in

sociology (Chicago school) and anthropology (mead, Malinowski) as “the study of human group life”. Other disciplines such as Education, History, Political Science, Business, Medicine, Nursing, Social Works, Communication quickly follows in its wake.

Definition:

Qualitative Research:

A type of educational research in which the researcher relies on the views of participants, asks broad, general questions, collects data consisting largely of words ( or text) from participants, describes and analyzes these words fro themes, and conducts the inquiry in a subjective, biased manner.

“All research ultimately has a qualitative grounding” – Donald T. Campbell.

Definition ( Cont.)

Quantitative Research: A type of educational research in which

the researcher decides what to study, asks specific, narrow questions, collects numeric (numbered) data from participants, analyzes these numbers using statistics, and conducts the inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner.

“There’s no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0” – Fred Kerlinger

Purpose:

Qualitative:ContextualizationInterpretationUnderstanding actor’s perspectives

Quantitative:GeneralizabilityPredictionCausalExplanations

Determinism:

Use Quantitative if your research problem requires you to:

Measure variables. Assess the impact of these variables on an outcome. Test existing theories or broad explanations. Apply results to a large number of people.

Determinism ( Cont.):

Use Qualitative if your research problem requires you to:

Learn about the views of the people you plan to study. Assess a process over time. Generate theories based on participant perspectives. Obtain detailed information about a few people or

research sites.

Activities & Steps:

Qualitative approaches on: Literature review Explicating researcher’s beliefs. Role of participants: subject or informant Selection of participants. Setting for data collections Approach to data analysis Saturation.

Activities & Steps (Cont.):

Quantitative Approaches on: Define a research problem or question. Review the literature. Formulate hypothesis or refine question. Make operational definitions. Design or select instruments for data. Obtain ethical approval. Collect data. Analyze data. Interpret finding – Refer to Literature again. Determine Implications – Draw Conclusions.

Source: Based on H.J. Steubert & D.R. Carpeter (1999). Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the humanistic imperative 2nd ed. Philadelphia: JB Ippicott.

Hybrid of Qualitative and Quantitative:

Research Methods

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Hybrid or Mixed

TriangulationConcurrentSequential – ExploratorySequential – ExplanatoryCase StudyAction Research

Qualitative Vs. Quantitative:

QUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVE

Multiple realities Single reality

Reality is socially constructed Reality is objective

Reality is context interrelated Reality is context free

Holistic Reductionistic

Strong philosophical perspective Strong theoretical base

Reasoning is inductive Reasoning is deductive and inductive

Discovery of meaning is the basis of knowledge

Cause-and-effect relationships are the bases of knowledge

Develops theory Tests theory

Qualitative Vs. Quantitative (Cont.) :

QUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVE

Theory developed during study Theory developed a priori

Meaning of concepts Measurement of variables

Process oriented Outcome oriented

Control unimportant Control important

Rich descriptions Precise measurement of variables

Basic element of analysis is words Basic element of analysis is numbers

Uniqueness Generalization

Trustworthiness of findingsSubject matter is unfamiliarAnswers Why? How?

Control of error Subject matter clearly defined Answers How many? When? Where?

Qualitative Vs. Quantitative (Cont.) :

QUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVE Soft Flexible Subjective Political Speculative Grounded Return for new and refined observations Observe events and/or ask questions with open-ended answers Review data and draw conclusions

Hard Fixed Objective Value-Free Hypothesis-Testing Abstract Tabulate responses Observe events/present questionnaire with fixed answers Summarized data, analyse and draw conclusions.

Reliability , validity and trustworthiness:

Researchers want their findings to reflect the truth Quentitative researchers use several criteria to assess the quality of

a study, and two the most inmportant are reliability and validity Reliability refers to the accuracy and consistency (the property of

holding together and retaining its shape) of information Ex. if a thermometer measured bob´s temperature as 98.1ºF one

minute and as 102.5 ºF the next minute , the reliability of the thermometer would be highly suspect

Validity question is whether there is evidence to support the assertion that the methods are really measuring the abstract concepts that they purport to measure

Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness:

Qualitative researchers use somewhat different criteria and different terminology in evaluating a study’s quality

Qualitative researchers discuss methods of enhancing the trustworthiness of the study’s data

Trustworthiness encompasses several different domensions-credibility, trasferability, confirmability and dependability

Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness: Dependability refers to evidence that is

consistent and stable Confirmability is similar to objectivity, it is the

degree to which study

Advantages and Limitations: Focus on the whole of the human experience and the

meanings ascribed to them by participants They provide the researcher with deep insights that

would not be possible using quantitative methods The major strength of qualitative work is the validity of

the data it produces Participants true reality is likely to be reflected Major limitation is its perceived lack of objectivity and

generalizability Researchers become the research tools and may lack

objectivity

Methods of Evaluating Qualitative Research Developing standards of quality Lincoln and Guba’s classic work shed light on

how to assess truth in a qualitative report Offered four alternate tests of quality that

reflect the assumptions of the qualitative paradigm: Credibility Dependability Transferability Confirmability

Example of Quantitative Research:

Research that consists of the percentage amounts of all the elements that make up Earth's atmosphere.

Survey that concludes that the average patient has to wait two hours in the waiting room of a certain doctor before being selected.

An experiment in which group x was given two tablets of Aspirin a day and Group y was given two tablets of a placebo a day where each participant is randomly assigned to one or other of the groups. The numerical factors such as two tablets, percent of elements and the time of waiting make the situations and results quantitative