Qualitative Vs Quantitative Research method - Article Example

Qualitative Vs Quantitative Research method of unit of Registration number Qualitative Vs Quantitative Research method Qualitative and quantitative methods of research are essential in establishing certain truths about a phenomenon. Quantitative research has four main characteristics that are descriptive, experimental, exploratory and quasi-experimental (Brown, 1988). Qualitative research is descriptive, multi-perspective, cyclical, naturalistic, and inductive and has an open inquiry (Friedman, 2011).

The two may be used in a well-blended mix that is more conclusive to the research question. However, this paper focuses on the difference in the types of questions the two research approaches conclusively address. There is a further analysis on the strengths and limitations of the two research approaches. Debra A. Friedman (2011), presents qualitative research to contain questions that have an open approach to the subject under investigation. The questions by researcher give him the benefit to expect anything from the correspondence hence approach the topic with an open mind.

The definition by James Dean Brown (1988) of Quantitative research help in understanding more on what type of questions characterize this type of research approach. James definition is based on trying to understand things that are continuous in a bid to derive patterns that arise because of the continuation factor in the aspect under study. The definition narrows the questions of Quantitative research to be Consistent that ensures dependency and verifiable through the different mathematical models employed in this type of research (mean, t-tests, mode, median and variance).

The questions must have fidelity that ensures the answers are credible and aim at a meaningful result this is with the aim of being able to interpret the questions with different tools of mathematics or transferable. Qualitative research has the characteristics of the manner in which the question is, and the setting of the question is crucial in this approach of doing research. Donald Freeman (2009), states that the above characteristic makes the difference between qualitative and quantitative research questions.

Freeman explains that the findings that the research aims at dictate the setting of the questions and the main reason that warrants these claims is the line separating the questions in the two types of researches. All the research questions are at finding a given inquiry that makes up the main purpose of the research. To illustrate the difference between the questions we use a common inquiry of a reporter to a correspondent on the ground about a political rally. Quantitative research questions: How many people have attended the rally?

What is the average talking time of each of the political leaders?Qualitative research Question: What is the mood on the ground in terms of the attendance? Have all the political leaders’ adequate time to talk?The latter set of questions gives the correspondence a free will to give his opinion on the attendance and political leaders. While the first set of questions are more specific. Qualitative research mostly involves interviews, visits and observation. Quantitative is mostly through surveys that employ the use of questionnaires.

The merits of the Qualitative are the fact that it gives the researcher a bigger picture compared to the specific questionnaires in quantitative research. However, there is usually a challenge of generalizing findings as each has a particular view. In quantitative, it is possible to have desired precession and mathematical proof of the findings. Conclusion There are instances when one wants both the merits of one method of research to complement the weakness of the other research. In such cases, both Qualitative and quantitative research method is applied.

It is most common in the military researchers and other projects of national importance. James Dean Brown refers to this method as mixed researchBibliographyBrown, J. (1988). Understanding research in second language learning. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press.Friedman, D. (2011). How to Collect and Analyze Qualitative Data. Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition, [online] pp.180-200. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781444347340.ch10 [Accessed 2 Nov. 2014].Heigham, J.

and Croker, R. (2009). Qualitative research in applied linguistics. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire [England]: Palgrave Macmillan