Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Studies - Essay Example

"Quantitative research is all about quantifying relationships between variables” (Hopkins, 2008). Quantitative research determines the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable to establish an association between the two variables.

Quantitative research is a better way to prove a hypothesis based on the numeric results of research. Relationship with What is Being Researched Another difference between qualitative and quantitative forms of research is related to the relationship, which the researchers have with what they are researching. In qualitative research, the researchers do not know much about the topic being researched; rather they have to make interactions with people to get a better understanding of the research topic.

The researchers are interested in getting awareness of the meanings created by the people. In a qualitative form of research, the researchers interact personally with what is being researched whereas in a quantitative research, the researchers are independent of what is being researched. “Qualitative research may be necessary in situations where it is unclear what exactly is being looked for in a study” (McGuigan, 2011). Qualitative research is purely fieldwork in which a researcher needs to go to different people at different places to observe their actions and behaviors, whereas quantitative research is based on the opinions of different people, which the researchers use to produce the facts.

In qualitative research design, researchers use focus group technique and in-depth interviews to explore attitudes and behaviors of people whereas in quantitative research design, the researchers measure opinions and behaviors of people using structured research instruments. In qualitative research, the primary instrument used for data collection and analysis is the research, whereas, in quantitative research design, researchers make use of interviews and questionnaires to collect data in a numeric form.

“Quantitative research involves gathering data that is absolute, such as numerical data so that it can be examined in as unbiased a manner as possible” (McGuigan, 2011). Time and Efficiency Another difference between the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research is based on the time and efficiency of the two forms of research.