The quantitative questionnaire method versus the qualitative focus group method - Essay Example

?The quantitative questionnaire method versus the qualitative focus group method Within data collection, there are two different methods to ascertaininformation. These include the quantitative questionnaire method and the qualitative focus group method. Both of these aim to find out the pertinent details with the research that is being conducted yet these are inherently different in their intent and purpose. The reason for this is that one of these, i.e. questionnaire brings out just numbers and information while the focus group methodology aims to explore how and why these numbers or information sets have come up from and what are the exact reasons behind the very same. The manner in which questionnaires and focus groups are seen as significant have brought to the fore the importance of understanding how and where to employ them and what kind of research knowledge would be handy for making use of either of these methodologies. Without a doubt, both quantitative questionnaire method and the qualitative focus group methodology make use of the sample which remains an imperative tangent of any research, be it marketing or business. For the extent of this paper, focus would be on these two different tools, both of which come under different headings – quantitative and qualitative. The data collection remains an important part of any research which is being completed in order to satisfy a need or requirement. It is for this reason that data collection is given the significance as it studies how research will be used and what are the pros and cons to diversify the basis and extent of this research which has been employed. Since data collection always comes about when a sample has been chosen, it is necessary that the respondents are told exactly what their collection would do in order to bring about a research in the first place. If this research helps the business to grow as a whole, then there is no reason why this research should not be conducted. In fact recent research studies have depicted and highlighted the fact that data collection and indeed the selection of samples would make the entire research process a sure success, and there are reasons available to provide evidence for the same (Patzer 1996). One must understand that sample selection is always a random act and it should not be a forceful measure because there are certain sets of audiences which would not appreciate the idea of being researched upon and taken within the sample itself. Hence it is always a good exercise to think of the sample as being comprehensive and complete from all sides, without any bias or prejudices whatsoever. Data collection is therefore dependent on the sample selection measures which are deemed as important because this will bring in the much needed value and quality within the research process and also make it look more real and genuine. The research studies which are being conducted in this day and age are usually imaginary and depend a great deal on how people manage time constraints. If proper understanding and analysis regimes are followed, this research would bear fruit and make the whole exercise of conducting the said research an important one (Bryman 2001). A questionnaire is basically a research instrument which includes a series of questions in order to gather information from the prospective respondents. The questionnaires are usually designed for statistical analysis of the responses which have been envisaged. This form of data collection was invented by Sir Francis Galton. These questionnaires are comparatively different from the surveys as these are cheap in cost and hence do not require that much effort from the questioner when one compares these questionnaires with telephone surveys or even verbal ones. The respondents in essence have standardized responses/answers which are simple and easy to collect and combine data. For the sake of the users, this collection of data might just be very frustrating as the respondents have to read the questions and hence answer them accordingly. It has been noted that for some demographic groups, collecting answers might not be a practical undertaking. Questionnaires usually have exactly the same problems related with the question construction as well as wording which exist within the opinion polls. There are a number of question types within these questionnaires (Dornyei 2003). These can include the dichotomous where the respondents are offered two options; the nominal-polytomous where the respondents have more than a couple of options which are unordered; the ordinal-polytomous where the respondents have more than two ordered options, and lastly the bounded continuous where the respondents are given a continuous scale. Some of the most basic rules for questionnaires include the fact that they should always be used in the form of statements which are taken on by the members of diverse subpopulations with the population of the interest. Also they must be used in statements where people who have different opinions or characteristics shall be giving different answers (Fowler 1995). Making use of correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and comprehensible wording is the need of the hour as far as devising these questionnaires are concerned. On the other hand, a focus group is a kind of qualitative research where a group of individuals are found out regarding their perceptions, views, opinions, attitudes and beliefs. They do so in order to gauge the extent or evaluate the basis of a product, service, campaign, concept, idea or developmental phases. These questions within the focus groups are asked in the form of an interactive group where different participants are allowed to talk at their will to other group members regarding the subject at hand. Sociologist Robert K. Merton created the first focus groups but the term was instituted by marketing expert Ernest Dichter. When the talk goes out loud regarding collection of valuable feedback, focus groups do the trick as these find out how new products can be analyzed, and how various other topics can be studied at length. Indeed focus group is a kind of an interview which has been arranged by a moderator who is well trained and who knows his job well. The focus group activity is conducted in an unstructured way which looks very natural in its right as respondents are allowed to give their respective views freely coming from different aspects and perspectives (Vicsek 2010). There are a number of focus group types which can be analyzed here. The two-way focus group is the kind where one focus group watches another focus group and then discusses the interactions and conclusions which have been observed over a period of time. The dual moderator focus group has one moderator which guarantees that the session goes about in a smooth way while another moderator makes sure that all the topics are covered and that there are no hindrances meanwhile (Morgan 1996). The teleconference focus group includes a telephone network within the focus group study or activity while within an online focus group; computers connected to the Internet are made use of in order to analyze a product or a topic at hand. Similarly, a client participant focus group is one where one or more client representatives take part in the discussion in a covert or an overt fashion. The mini focus groups are those groups which are comprised of four or five members instead of the usual 6 to 12 members. It has been noted that the conventional ways of focus groups are the keepers of more accurate information and hence are less expensive than other kinds of traditional marketing research regimes. However the costs attached with these are important to ascertain because these could be higher. It is noteworthy to state here that the usage of focus groups has been steady over a period of time and has become quite widespread in the present day and age. Apart from focus groups, one can also make use of surveys which are pretty closely matched with questionnaires as they are one form of interviewing in essence. There is the observation tool as well which is random and can take place at any time. It has been seen that it has quite a huge response in terms of the best results which are possible. As has been witnessed here, both the questionnaires and the focus group methods have their significant advantages and drawbacks which are imperative for a marketing student or even a professional to know. This is because he needs to properly weigh in the tools with respect to each other to bring in the much touted value and quality within his research study. The questionnaires give only the quantitative results, which are not at all expressive and hence remain subdued for a number of reasons as far as the research study is concerned (Edmunds 1999). However the use of the focus groups is entirely the opposite, as there is more qualitative study that is being done to bring about better results in the long run. The focus groups would emphasize a great deal on how the expressive bit of the research is taken into consideration and not just numbers alone, which is linked directly with the questionnaires (Cheng 2007). In essence, the problems and criticisms attached with questionnaires and the focus groups are immense and there is a dire need to comprehend how these two could be kept alongside each other to weigh in the benefits and the drawbacks in the long run. For the sake of the research that is being conducted, it is always a good exercise to know that quality would matter more than mere quantity and numbers. When one compares the questionnaires with the focus groups, there are bound to be serious differences in the results within the research studies. The two tools are not properly in line with one another and hence the element of ‘missing link’ exists between them. The qualitative and quantitative differences suggest that the focus groups and the questionnaires have entirely different and diverse answers for the sake of the research agents or the moderators who are undertaking the focus group activities. A focus group would bring in a lot of information rather than a questionnaire where the scope seems to be very limited in its extent. When one wants to find out peculiar information, it is pertinent that the same must be collected through focus groups and not merely interviews as the latter does not bring about sound results and analyses from a number of different angles and perspectives. The moderator within the focus group activity can dig deep into certain areas if he feels that there are certain links which need to be studied further. The questionnaire does not give such an impression as the scope is limited and less amount of information can be extracted from the respondents (Gottlieb 2003). What is important is the fact that the moderator can exactly curtail and steer the focus group activity as he wishes, and there are no hindrances in his way as such if he has the desire to bring about solid results for the sake of the research study that is being conducted through the focus group in the first place. In the end, it would be safe to suggest here that the focus groups are better suited to research regimes than the questionnaires as there is a lot of room for improvement within the latter. If the focus groups are not bringing in the desired results, then one can expect that the moderator is not doing his job in a proper way and there are bound to be serious issues within the research that is being conducted. In essence, it is always a good exercise to find out the weaknesses within the focus groups as well as the questionnaires because both of these are deemed as the most potent tools within the research process (De Vaus 1991). The questionnaires and focus groups bring to light the notion of marketing and business research yet the benefits and drawbacks of both of these tools are indeed immensely different. What can be done now is to comprehend that each one of these tools would be employed differently and that there would be entirely different and diverse results which could be had at the end of the day. Works Cited Bryman, A. Social Research Method. Oxford University Press, 2001 Cheng, K. A Study on Applying Focus Group Interview on Education. Reading Improvement, Vol. 44, 2007 De Vaus, D. Surveys in Social Research. Routledge, 5th ed., 1991 Dornyei, Z. Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003 Edmunds, H. The Focus Group Research Handbook. NTC, 1999 Fowler, F. Improving Survey Questions: Design and Evaluation (Applied Social Research Methods). Sage Publications, 1995 Gottlieb, M. Managing Group Process. Praeger, 2003 Morgan, D. Focus Groups. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 22, 1996 Patzer, G. Experiment-Research Methodology in Marketing: Types and Applications. Quorum Books, 1996 Vicsek, L. Issues in the Analysis of Focus Groups: Generalisability, Quantifiability, Treatment of Context and Quotations. The Qualitative Report, Vol. 15, 2010 Read More