Advantages and Disadvantages of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Techniques - Essay Example

RESEARCH METHODS I Quantitative Research Methods: Quantitative Research Quantitative research incorporates the statistical element and asks how many, designed to quantify the extent to which a research group are aware of, think this, believe that or have a tendency to behave in a certain way. Types of Quantitative research: Experimental and Non experimental Research Experimental Quantitative Research Experiment is a typical quantitative research method that aims to provide a better understanding of the relationship between a causal hypothesis and a specific phenomenon which represents either theoretical or practical interest for the researcher. True experimental study design or random experimental design is the preferred method in quantitative research, especially in evaluation studies for it is the best option to ensure as great amount of control as possible and thus allow close examination of causal relationship(Kaplan,2004) Three major features characterize the experimental design: Manipulation: The researcher manipulates at least some of the participants involved in the study; Control: The experimenter introduces one or more controls over the experimental situation. Randomisation: The researcher assigns participants to different groups randomly(Clark-Carter,2004) Non-experimental Quantitative Research Non-experimental research is required as there exists many independent variables, which cannot be manipulated for some reason or the other (e.g., for ethical reasons, for literal reasons and for practical reasons). Non-experimental research studies what naturally occurs or has occurred; and how variables are related to each other. It lacks manipulation of the independent variable. Steps in Non experimental Research Determine the research problem and hypotheses to be tested. Select the variables to be used in the study. Collect the data. Analyze the data. Interpret the results Samples( Quantitative) For reliable conclusions to be drawn from the research, samples for quantitative research must be representative of the research group. There are a different ways of achieving this, in varying degrees - random samples often being regarded as the most 'pure and statistically correct' (and usually the most costly), quota samples (selecting respondents to match certain criteria, e.g. socio- emographic) the more cost-effective, and still reliable. While it may seem most cost-effective to buy in a mailing list (which may be sold as a "sample"), it is highly likely that the poor quality of the list, and the resultant low response rate will produce highly misleading and unreliable results. A larger sample is better than a smaller one, but not in direct proportion; for example, for the analysis to be twice as good, a sample needs to be four times as large, and to be three times as good, nine times as large. A professional agency will be able to advise on the way to achieve the best balance between quality, quantity and cost in sampling to produce reliable findings. Quantitative Data Collection Different methods are used to go ahead with a quantitative research including telephone, postal , on-line and face-to-face methods . In addition, observation studies are growing in popularity. Each has its pros and cons, depending on the time and budget constraints and objectives of the research. For example, postal surveys or self completion surveys are likely to be recommended only in certain circumstances. Quantitative Question-Design Very distinct skills are required to undertake qualitative or quantitative research effectively. Researchers have to be able to design questions which are clear, consistently interpreted, widely understood, unambiguous, meaningful, relevant and tightly defined a more difficult task than it may appear to outsiders. In addition, the full questionnaire must be capable of extracting rich and relevant information which will help managers to make more effective decisions. The questionnaire used in quantitative research, and topic guide used in qualitative research, are actually sophisticated documents which need to be compiled by the researchers. Each research method has its advantages and disadvantages in different situations and need to be applied with strict adherence to sound principles of sampling to ensure acceptable quality. Quantitative Analysis While doing a quantitative analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics are used to summarise data and depict the tendencies of averages and variables. The following diagrams would help understand the descriptive and I inferential statistics better. Steps to be undertaken for data analysis Data Preparation: Cleaning and organizing the data for analysis This will involve logging and checking the data in; checking accuracy in the data; entering the data into the computer, data transforming; and developing and documenting a database structure that will integrate the different quantitative measures. Descriptive statistics :Describing the data As the name suggests, descriptive data is about describing the basic features of the study. They provide summaries about the measures and the samples. Together with simple graphics analysis, they form the basis of almost every quantitative analysis of data. Descriptive statistics is nothing but describing what the data shows. Inferential Statistics :Testing Hypotheses and Models Inferential Statistics will be used to investigate models, questions and hypotheses. In a number of cases, the conclusions derived out of infernal statistics extend beyond the immediate data alone. Inferential statistics would be used to know what the University students think .It will also be used to make judgments of the probability that an observed difference between groups is a dependable one or one that might have happened by chance in this study. Hence, inferential statistics will be used to make inferences from our data to more general conditions; descriptive statistics is simply to describe what's going on in our data. II QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Qualitative research involves an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern human behaviour. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research relies on reasons behind various aspects of behaviour .While quantitative research asks how many, what ,where and when; quantitative research asks why and how of decision making. Therefore , the need is for smaller but focused samples rather than large random samples , which qualitative research categorizes data into patterns as the primary basis for organising and reporting results. Our subject is of student's experience of University living experience, and that can be categorised as psychology research or human behaviour, among others.In psychology, qualitative research is a research whose findings are not arrived at by statistical or other quantitative procedures. Qualitative research is often said to be naturalistic in nature.Which means , its goal is to understand behaviour in a natural setting. Two other goals attributed to qualitative research are understanding a phenomenon from the perspective of the research participant, i.e the students and understanding the meanings people give to their experience. It attempts to do this by using so-called naturalistic methods - interviewing, observation, ethnography, participant observation ,focus groups and ethnography. Each of these methods seeks to understand the perspective of the research participant within the context of their everyday life. This means that the broad questions need to be made in a way that allow the students to answer in their own words. These methods allow the researcher to try to qualify their understanding during the research process through further probing questions. In addition, a method such as observation allows to observe people within natural settings - particularly those in public places. This has resulted in greater understanding of student's behaviours in for example - lifts, public transport, queues, and classrooms Qualitative research is sometimes said to have as its goal the understanding of the sample studied, rather than generalizing from the sample to the population. However, the results of qualitative research can be applied to other settings - as long as the reader of the research understands the limitations. For example, the research findings of a qualitative case study of University students in a particular University and their experience at the University living accommodation will tell us more about the accommodation experience of University students in the general population, than of others. However, the type of University (public or private), and also the accommodation ,where it was located, and the socio- economic background of the students need to be taken into consideration when applying any findings to other settings . Types of Qualitative Research Case study Throws light on a phenomenon by conducting an in-depth study of a particular case. The case can be an person, a group, or an organisation.But for us it would be a group of students or a particular student. Grounded theory Theory is developed inductively by a participant observer, from a corpus of data acquired by him. Phenomenology Describes experience as they present themselves to consciousness, without recourse to deduction, theory or assumptions from any other disciplines. Ethnography Generally, the ethnographer focuses on a community and deals with some socio cultural phenomenon. In this case a student's experience might vary according to his ethnography. Historical Systematic collection and objective evaluation of data related to past occurrences in order to test hypotheses concerning causes, effects, or trends of these events that may help to explain present student experiences and anticipate future experiences.(Gay, 1996). Ethical Considerations Ethical issues are always to be taken into consideration while undertaking a research.The qualitative method of research includes participant observation and also interaction with them, and it is quite obvious that ethical issues may arise. Miles and Huberman (1994) list several issues that researchers should consider while analysing data. Researchers are advised to be aware of these issues during the research is being conducted. Some of the issues involve the following: Informed consent (Do participants have full knowledge of what is involved) Risk and harm (Can the participants be hurt by the study) Honesty (Is the researcher honest in data presentation) Privacy and anonymity (Will the study invade too much into group behaviors) Advocacy and intervention (What should the researchers do if they witness harmful or illegal behavior from the participants) Apart from ethical issues concerning ethnography and participant observation,there also exists issues related to other sections: Issues with the integration and honesty with the organization which funds the research; the researcher cannot destroy or hide data from the concerned organisation Issues with the questionnaire Issues related to data collection Issues related to sampling and analysis Issues with plagiarism. Main Types of Qualitative Data Collection "Those who are not familiar with qualitative methodology may be surprised by the sheer volume of data and the detailed level of analysis that results even when research is confined to a small number of subjects"(Myers,2002) There are three main methods of data collection, which are: INTERACTIVE INTERVIEWING The aim of the interview is to find out the participant's perception, hence their views should be unbiased. Interviews can also be a group interviews. The answers should preferably not be, YES or NO, as that makes details unachievable. The researcher should choose an environment that makes the participants comfortable. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION The researcher should monitor observation and record personal bias of the participant. The researcher himself should be very neutral and not have any prejudice while observing participant. FOCUS GROUP The focus group session is, indeed, an interview (Patton, 1990) not a discussion group, problem-solving session, or decision-making group. Comprises of both the elements of both interview and participant observation. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS Ways of analyzing can vary from research to research. Our analysis would consist of two components. The first part would be the analysis of situational factors. In this part, I would discuss the similarities found in different situational factors for the research group, and also mention the differences between the research groups. This will be followed by a thematic analysis, in which I will concentrate on what they said in the interviews, and not how or through what interactions. I would rely largely on the ideas of mainstream social psychology, although some element of constructive approaches should also be used. The constructivist emphasize that even individual pollings are not neutral positions. While comparing what has been said in the focus group with what have been what has been written in the questionnaires, it cannot be assumed that questionnaires are faithful reflections of the individual 's opinions. III Critical Evaluation Quantitative methods are objective in approach, where the data is controlled and measured, to address the accumulation of facts to determine the causes of bahaviour. Qualitative methods view data from another's perspective and in doing so, attempts to find understanding and meaning, here concerns center on the changing and dynamic nature of reality. Quantitative researchers try to identify and isolate specific variables contained within the study framework-they seek correlation, relationships and casuality.They try to control the environment in which the data is collected to avoid the risk of variables, other than the one being study, accounting for the relation identified.. Whereas, qualitative researchers have a more holistic approach and will study documents and case histories and carry out observations and interviews. Their data is collected within the context of its natural occurrence. Like the student's reaction in public places(as mentioned earlier). But, both the research methods are inter related for sure. All qualitative data can be described numerically, and again all quantitative data is based upon qualitative judgments. The simplest way transform qualitative information into quantitative information is changing it into units and number .Although, it sounds trivial, but even that simple nominal enumeration can enable one to organize and process qualitative information more efficiently. After critically evaluating both the methods, it seems combining the two methods , (which is the mixed method) would also be a good idea. By using the fundamental principle of mixed research ,one can aim at achieving complementary strengths of both the methods and also weaknesses that are non overlapping. The disadvantages of both the previous methods would reduce. .The mixed method research has both thematic and numerous PART IV REFLECTIVE LOG Considering all the methods(quantitative,qualitative and mixed) has definitely added to my knowledge andunderstanding of conducting research, the following three points are what that I have gained of it. a. .Both quantitative research method and qualitative research methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. b. My observed advantages and disadvantages of the two are as below; ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES QUNATITATIVE ADVANTAGE 1.Provides room for objectivity and accuracy of results derived from numerical data 2. Replication of research is possible using standard means 3.Easily compared and analysed with studied which are similar 4.As Kruger(2003) confirms that" quantitative methods allow us to summarise vast sources of information and facilitate comparisons across categories over time." 5.Allows study in a broader way that involves a large number of subjects which enhances generalization of results. DISADVANTAGE 1.Can lead to 'structural' bias 2.Sometimes, it may procure dataset that is superficial and narrow 3.Limited results achieved as the results are numerical and not detailed human perception.It is not possible always to study the issue only by numbers 4.Can be" quite complex and require considerable investment for proper understanding and use"(Kruger,2003) Qualitative Advantage 1.Achieves greater level of depth and detail 2. Suitable for subjects that are sensitive and have to be dealt subtly like Risk management. 3.Open ness can be created between all the concerned parties and new theories can be generated. 4."It certainly seems reasonable to suggest that one may have a better understanding of a community member's situation by reading a descriptive passage than just looking at demographic statistics"(Kruger,2003) 5. Allows observation on unrevealed attitudes, and interrelationship. Disadvantage 1. Aggregation of data is different and hence making systematic comparisons is different. 2.Replication of research is difficult as there exists" lack of standardized procedures and structured design 3.Subjectivity of inquiry may lead to hindrances in establishing validity and reliability of information 4.Susceptibility to personal bias of the researcher 5. Due to in- depth and comprehensive gathering of data, the scope is limited. c. While quantitative methods asks how many, and qualitative asks what and how, mixed methods asks why. One of its strength is also that its validity and reliability standards. It has both closed ended measures and open observations. REFERENCES Bernard, HR. (2002) Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press Krueger, RA and Casey, MA. (2000). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Puchta, C. and Potter, J. (2004) Focus Group Practice. Sage Publications,london Yin R.K. (1994). Case study research: design and methods, 2nd ed. Sage. Publications, London Stake, R.E. (1994). Case Studies. In: Denzin, N. K and, Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Inc, London Strauss, A., and Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. 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