Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods - Assignment Example

Research Methods Spring, Question 2: Qualitative and quantitative research methods represent two different approaches towards studying crime andcriminals.  Criminal justice researchers, when faced with a specific crime problem, must decide which method is best suited for a particular study. Part 1: 1. Discuss in detail the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods Qualitative and quantitative research methods are quite different from each other. Concisely, qualitative research method can be described as a methodology that gathers, evaluates, interprets and notes down the results of a study while quantitative research method can be described as a methodology that gathers data, evaluates it and notes down with the help of conventional quantitative instruments or tools for data collection (Hagan, 2011). In criminal justice or the field of criminology, both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used for collecting information and data that is evaluated to show certain results. The usage of quantitative methodology is more as compared to qualitative methodology in conducting a research in criminology (Tewksbury, DeMichele, and Miller, 2005). Quantitative research method is a scientific method and the researchers are able to obtain systematic and formal data that can be quantified. The criminological quantitative research illustrates the facts of the study in place of any values. The report writing is impersonal and formal (Babbie, 2002). In quantitative research methodology, the collected data is statistically evaluated in order to analyze claimed knowledge. The researchers of this kind of research are deductive in hypothesizing their research. For analyzing data, systematic models are employed. Quantitative method is numeric or number based (Hagan, 2011). For measurement and testing of pre-defined models, constructs or hypothesis, deductive techniques are employed for gaining results. It is more objective and its validity and reliability depends on the measurement tools or instruments employed by the researcher. The responding options are usually fixed and number based (Bernard, 2011). In a qualitative research, the researcher is inductive and collects data to analyze it by paying attention to the participants and their meaning. The research presented is elaborative and convincing in terms of its used language (Bernard, 2011). This kind of research requires more time consumption during data analysis, is detailed and comprehensive and is usually conducted for the field of social sciences. This research does not pursue specific or systematic procedures or models and is wide in terms of expression (Bernard, 2011). It is textual or text based. Unlike quantitative research, it is more subjective and involves the experiences of the participants. Its response options are usually unstructured or semi-structured. The results are not provided statistically and its results and their accuracy depend on the researcher’s capability to describe and present the study (Berg, 2007). In totality, qualitative research gives significance to human understanding and behavior. 2. Identify at least three research methods that represent each approach (for a total of six different methods) Qualitative and quantitative research methods use different methods for getting results. Quantitative research methods include surveys, structured interviews, experiments, and quasi-experiments whereas qualitative research methods include interviews, content analysis, case studies, observation, reviews and so on (Bernard, 2011; Jupp & Jupp, 2012). The surveys in quantitative research are formatted in order to get required information that can be linked to behaviors and concepts (Babbie, 2002). There are two kinds of surveys, open ended and close ended. They usually ask questions highlighting one subject at a time. They are used for collection of data on a wider basis and can be distributed to a large number of respondents. Surveys are quite supportive as they allow the researcher to collect a lot of information in one document only (Hagan, 2011). They are usually developed according to set standards and the responses received are usually fixed or restricted. Experiments are to evaluate cause and affect relationships. The concepts that are predefined are evaluated by researchers to judge a cause and affect linkage between concepts and their findings. An experiment is conducted in three stages that are pretest, experimental treatment and a posttest (Bernard, 2011). The participants involved can be divided in experimental groups and control groups. The pretest is conducted to acquire information about current situation and understanding of participants before implementation of the experimental treatment. With the help of the experimental stimulus, the researcher is able to evaluate the cause of a reaction. The posttest stage informs the researcher about any changes that can be noted after implementation of the experimental treatment (Bernard, 2011). The experimental groups undergo experimental treatment while control groups do not. The selection of participants for control and experimental groups is done on random basis. Experiments can be repetitive and their results are usually controlled (Hagan, 2011). Quasi-experiments in quantitative research can be described as those that are quite matching to experiments, but they lack the randomization of selection. Hence, they are nonrandomized (Hagan, 2011). They are advantageous like experiments as they try to find cause and affect relationship. They need some kind of similarity between the participants that are selected for experimental groups and for control groups. The researchers describe the differences, which can be noticed between the groups. They follow the same three stages of pretest, experimental treatment and posttest (Hagan, 2011). The qualitative method of interviewing requires face-to-face interaction or communication, phonic conversation, or any other form of technological communication that results in information collection through interviewing (Berg, 2007). The interviews can be about a person’s personal life or his experience about any specific event or happening. A certain phenomenon can evaluated by interviewing one or more people who have experienced that phenomenon (Berg, 2007). The researcher incorporates the participant’s understanding as well as his understanding. Content analysis is conducted for evaluation of textual data. The researchers give particular attention to the language used and the contextual sense of the text (Hagan, 2011). The text that is evaluated can be in any format, it can be pictorial, verbal or in print. With content analysis, the researchers are able to give significance to a certain topic and related information. Content analysis is usually done to comprehend a phenomenon and to provide information about it through analysis and further study of the phenomenon (Hagan, 2011). Case studies are a form of qualitative research and are usually conducted for the provision of detailed information about a case or many cases. Case studies involve in depth evaluation of any happening or event, person or group in order to understand the factors or reasons behind an event, person or group formation, or so on (Berg, 2007). The researcher has to identity his boundaries in order to keep his study focused (Bernard, 2011). 3. Explain whether one approach (qualitative versus quantitative) is superior to the other.  Justify your response.  There is a debate about superiority of a research method over the other. Although, both types of researches are advantageous for the researchers, however, researchers have their own views about better research method. In criminology, quantitative research methodology is regarded somewhat superior to the qualitative (Bernard, 2011). The reason behind such a consideration is the generalization of quantitative approach. According to Hagan (2011), quantitative research methods are regarded to be governing the criminological research because the data collected provides better chances for the generalization of results. This generalization leads to coverage of more population. Quantitative research is also regarded as superior because many researchers can obtain the same data and results by conducting this research about similar topics due to which, the reliability and validity of information gets approved. The qualitative research is much detailed and can result in diversity. However, quantitative research is much focused and fixed (Jupp & Jupp, 2012). Therefore, as per my consideration, quantitative research is regarded superior to the other. Part 2: A judge has asked you to study why juveniles in rural areas in your state, having successfully completed drug court, are rearrested within a year for additional charges related to personal drug use.  The scope of the study is entirely up to you, as long as you are able to provide the judge with one relevant finding pertaining to why these juveniles are recidivating.  Answer all of the following based upon the task assigned by the judge: 1. Identify the specific research question you would construct for this study. The research question for the study will be: “Why do the juveniles in rural areas recidivate after successfully completing drug court?” 2. Select the general research approach (qualitative or quantitative) you would use to study this problem. The research approach that appears suitable here is quantitative. However, a mixed methodology can also be employed that can involve case studies as a qualitative research method and survey in form of questionnaire as a quantitative research method. Quantitative research method will provide information in a structured format with quantifiable analysis while for the descriptive part, qualitative method can be used. 3. Explain which specific research method you would employ to study juvenile recidivism for graduates of this drug court program, including the variables to be studied (if applicable.)  Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this method. As mentioned earlier on, I will use surveys for getting information about juvenile recidivism and role of drug court. The graduates of the drug court program will be accessed and given the surveys to be filled in. Survey is quite advantageous as it enables the researcher to involve a large number of participants in the research and can keep the study impersonal (Babbie, 2002). With the help of surveys, a lot of information will be collected about the juveniles, drug courts, drug usage and recidivism. They will also be informative about answering the research question, as the answers obtained from them can be evaluated for getting results about the issue. The case studies will also be used and some of the graduates of this drug court program will be selected who are rearrested. The case studies will help the researcher in gaining detailed information about the problem and its reasoning (Bernard, 2011). They will be supportive in reaching to the root of the problem. Case studies are quite advantageous in gaining an insight about the participants and their understanding about the issue (Berg, 2007). 4. Identify the type of data you would require in order to conduct this study, and explain how you would obtain this data.  To conduct this study, I would require the rate of rearrested juveniles, reasons for their arrest, rate of juvenile recidivism, number of arrested juveniles with drug usage charges, self-perceived reasons for drug usage, and so on. This data will be obtained with the help of surveys that will be divided among a large number of participants. The participants will not only be the juveniles, but also the law enforcement officials and members of drug court. All these participants will help me to come up with conclusions regarding the increasing rate recidivism among juveniles along with recommendations and precautionary measures that can be adopted for decreasing this rate. The case studies will target some of the rearrested juveniles who will be accessed for details regarding their reasons for recidivism. 5.     Discuss how the findings from your study, in the approach you are designing, would help the judge understand why juveniles in his/her drug court program continue to recidivate after successfully graduating from the program. The findings of the study will elaborate the weaknesses of the program, reasons of recidivism, people involved, trends in drug usage by juveniles, social set up for juveniles, role of law enforcement officials, role of members of the drug court program, recommended steps that can be taken to control the increasing rate of recidivism and much more. With the collected information, I can evaluate the reasons as to why the juveniles in his/her drug court program continue to recidivate after successfully graduating from the program. These reasons along with other relevant details will be provided to the judge in order to make him understand about the problem and its recommended solution. References Babbie, E. (2002). The basics of social research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Berg, B. L. (2007). Qualitative research methods for social sciences. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Bernard, H. R. (2011). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rowman Altamira. Hagan, F. E. (2011). Essentials of Research Methods for Criminal Justice. Prentice Hall. Jupp, V. R., & Jupp, V. (2012). Methods of criminological research. Routledge. Tewksbury, R., DeMichele, M. T., & Miller, J. M. (2005). Methodological orientations of articles appearing in criminal justice’s top journals: Who publishes what and where. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 16, 265-279. Read More