The Quantitative and Qualitative Debate: Contrasting the Two Main Paradigms - Coursework Example

The quantitative/qualitative debate The Quantitative/Qualitative Debate: Contrasting the Two Main Paradigms Introduction Research into any denotes an in-depth study of the subject by reviewing the existing body of literature, conducting inquiries through a systematic process of data collection, analysis and interpretation, and, correlating the findings with the literature review part either to support or to disagree. The entire exercise should enhance the existing knowledge base and throw open questions for further investigation. The ultimate objective of all research is to benefit humanity through subjects such as pure & applied sciences, social sciences, business, art, etc. The purpose of the present essay is to focus on the debate on the two main paradigms of research methodology namely, the quantitative and qualitative methods. The objective is to understand the two processes, their contrasting merits / demerits, and to communicate the information in a normal research work format viz., literature search (for data collection), analysis, discussion, conclusions and references. Literature search i. Search method: The keywords of this assignment being ‘Research, quantitative method, qualitative method, and debate’, literature search was conducted using them for accessing information / data from online libraries, published books (including the books suggested in the course work) and the Internet. Internet search engines like Yahoo and Google and databases such as Emerald, JSTOR and ScienceDirect were used for gathering the required information. Search was limited to the past 15 years in order to ensure gathering the current thinking on the subject. The quantitative/qualitative debate 2 ii. Need for literature search: Several reputed authors point to the need and relevance of literature search as part of any research effort. Saunders et al., consider it as essential in order that the research work that is being undertaken is seen in the context of existing body of knowledge and to contribute to the same (2003, p.46). According to Fink, ‘A literature research is a systematic, explicit and reproducible design for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded documents’ (1998). Since preparation of the present essay does not involve any field work like surveys or interviews, literature search to find answers to the issues under discussion is appropriate. iii. Definitions: Research methods involve data gathering and generation, analysis and interpretation. By definition, quantitative research method relies substantially on numerical aspects of the data collected for interpretation, and in qualitative research method, data analysis and interpretation is based on opinions as expressed through narrative / words or in visual format like pictures, objects etc. (Neill, 2009). These definitions bring out the essential contrast between the two methods. iv. Description of methodology & methods: In the context of any research work, the word ‘methodology’ encompasses the plan, design, range of methods and the reasons for choosing a specific method. Quantitative method is based on measurements or counts. In order to be able to record the measured / counted data, the researcher must predetermine the specific parameters which he intends to measure from different sources (Neill, 2009). Having decided on the parameters for search, the researcher stands aloof from the data that is being gathered and his (or her) personal opinions or likes / dislikes are prevented from entering the data. The process is iterative or repetitive in nature for building up The quantitative/qualitative debate 3 statistical data on responses to identical queries. The data that is collected is subject to statistical analysis in a systematic and scientific manner to ensure objectivity. Statistical analysis presents a broad picture of the phenomenon under study and is likely to miss noticing or accounting for variations that are usually ignored as extreme values on both the lower and upper ends of a spectrum of data. While this may not by itself invalidate the entire exercise or influence the inferences, that this lacuna does exist is recognized. The quantitative method is a deductive process whereby the truth is sought to be deduced by mathematical analysis. However, ‘predetermination’ of parameters or questionnaire for gathering data automatically positions the researcher as a judge of what needs to be collected and what needs to be ignored and hence there is an element of subjectivity here too. Qualitative method of data gathering does not depend upon any structured or predetermined questionnaire (Neill, 2009). It is more impromptu in nature with the active application of the researcher’s own philosophy and interpretation. The accent in this method is more on the quality of an observation or its interpretation than on quantity. It is interactive to the extent that when new or interesting insights are revealed during the process of a discussion (interviews) or observation (action research) etc., the researcher follows up with such leads to probe deeper. In this respect, qualitative method can capture the nuances of a response from an important source and interpret it more accurately than the qualitative method. Accordingly the qualitative methodology is deemed as an interpretive process. Critics of this method point to the element of personal involvement and interpretation aspects which might reduce the objectivity of a study. The quantitative/qualitative debate 4 v. Philosophical issues and research methods: A paradigm consists of three elements viz., ontology, epistemology and methodology according to Denzin and Lincoln (1994). Ontology deals with the researcher’s world view or knowledge that forms the basis for a research work (Jankowicz, 2005). Epistemology is about the understanding of knowledge itself and what counts as knowledge in a specific instance (Jankowicz, 2005). A researcher superimposes his ontological position or his world view to arrive at his epistemology, before proceeding with his research work. Others ask whether knowledge is a ‘hard’ fact that can be effectively communicated or a ‘soft’ and hence subjective matter (Eldabi et al., 2002). A world view relates to whether the subject of research is a people oriented or a process oriented one. Qualitative methodology is considered more appropriate for the former while quantitative methodology is generally followed for the latter. Having said that, it may appear that qualitative methodology is more susceptible to the subjective interpretation of data by the researcher. Knowledge that can be gleaned as hard facts is easier to convey and convince people. Hence, quantitative methodology which is suitable for collecting hard data is more appropriate for academic and scientific research work. vi. The debate: The debate surrounding the methodologies can be gauged by two well-known quotes: ‘All research ultimately has a qualitative grounding’ (Campbell, D), and ‘Theres no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0’ (Kerlinger, F) (both as quoted in Qualitative Data Analysis, Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 40 and commented upon by the Colorado State University in their website). In the earlier paragraphs, it has been noted that the element of subjectivity exists in both the methods and the same also The quantitative/qualitative debate 5 appears to be true among the proponents of the two methods. On the other hand, Collis and Hussey point out that in the process of analysis, qualitative data changes into numerical data ‘to a greater extent than many (phenominologists) care to admit’ (2003, p.254). Quantitative method (deductive approach) is considered more useful in situations where there already exists considerable knowledge or data which can be used to formulate a hypothesis (Saunders et al., 2003). In a similar manner, qualitative method (inductive or interpretive approach) is considered to be ‘moving from specific to the general … because it involves moving from individual observations to statements of general patterns or laws’ (Collis and Hussey, 2003). Conclusions A research work necessitates identification of an issue or problem or gaps in knowledge that need to be researched. Existing body of literature helps greatly in identifying the work done so far in the specific or related fields as well as identifying gaps that can be addressed as research questions. Alternatively, even the existing knowledge can be challenged by formulating a new hypothesis and proving it by the research work. The two main methods viz., the quantitative and the qualitative methods are definitive methods of research work. Each method has greater relevance and applicability in specific situations. Quantitative method which deals with measurements or counts etc. is more suited for all scientific and academic research work while qualitative method that deals with interpretation of a phenomenon is considered relevant for societal issues. However, it is seen that both methods have element of subjectivity to a lesser or greater The quantitative/qualitative debate 6 degree, and both methods have to fall back upon ‘quantifying’ as a means to give meaning to the data analysis. Discussion It is not surprising that the debate on the merits / demerits of the two main methods of research is academic in nature to a large extent since the relevance and commonality (however limited) of both methods have been conclusively established. One method overlaps the other and this has given rise to a third and equally popular method called the triangulation method. Several authors point to the benefits of triangulation as a method to eliminate the shortfalls of the other two methods while retaining the best elements. (Word count: 1498) The quantitative/qualitative debate 7 References Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2003) Business Research, Basingstoke, Palgrave. Denzin, N. and Lincoln. Y., (1994) Introduction: entering the field of qualitative research : Handbook of Qualitative Research, London, Sage Publications. Eldabi, T., Irani, Z., Paul, R.J. and Love, P.E.D. (2002) “Quantitative and qualitative decision–making methods in simulation modelling”, Management Decision, Vol.40, No.1., pp.64-73. Fink, A. (1998) Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From Paper to the Internet, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Jankowicz, A.D. (2005) Business Research Projects, 4th edition, London, Thomson Learning. Miles, M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Neill, J., (2009). Qualitative versus quantitative research: Key points in a classic debate, Available: http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html (accessed August 18, 2009). Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003) Research Methods for Business Students, Third Edition, Harlow, Prentice Hall. Read More