Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods - Essay Example

? Compare and Contrast Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Your Qualitative and quantitative research methods are twodifferent methods used for research in psychology. Both methods are significant, and although they are different, psychologists work with both methods in order to obtain crucial understanding of human behavior. Qualitative research methods are described by Thomas (1997, p. 31) as ‘methods for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data on phenomenon that are not easily reduced to numbers, or that might be destroyed by any attempt to do so’. Qualitative methods are used in psychology to elucidate in detail a person’s grasp of his world: the qualities can be seen as objective variables (Smith, 2008). Examples of qualitative research methods that are commonly used include participant and non-participant observation; unstructured, semi-structured and focused interviews; ethnology, ethnography, and ethnomethodology. Quantitative research in psychology is the study of methods and techniques for the measurement of human attributes and behavior, and the statistical and mathematical modeling of psychological processes. Quantitative research fulfills the criteria of scientifically-based research (Mertens, 2010). It also involves analysis of psychological data using a variety of statistical tests. It is different from qualitative research, as it often seeks to test whether a hypothesis regarding a population is true or false (Maxim, 1999). Quantitative research involves generating a hypothesis, determining the study population, sample size, obtaining data from the population, often by dividing the population into two groups for the sake of comparison, and then evaluating the data collected through statistical tests that determine whether the data shows any significant associations in the population or not. Quantitative research thus starts with a null hypothesis, and the purpose of the study is to either reject or ‘fail to reject’ the null hypothesis, and thus assume it to be true. Quantitative research can thus be applied to determine causality, or the presence and effect of risk factors on behavior and outcomes in the population. An example of qualitative research relates to sociology, involving participant observation (Thomas, 1997). An anthropologist who would wish to study the lifestyle of an ‘undiscovered’ African tribe would embark on a project to live among them for a period, and gather ‘data’ in the form of the field notes, transcripts of conversations and cultural artifacts. A concern regarding bias in this scenario would be that if the researcher became personally involved in the lifestyle, his data gathering and interpretation would no longer remain objective, but would be influenced by his opinions and preferences, and would not report his observations completely. Qualitative research methods often involve an interview to gather information from the subjects (Thomas, 1997, p. 36). The interview may be structured and designed at the beginning of the research design, or it may by unstructured, to modify according to the field situations. In social science, the field of ethnomethodology employs qualitative methods to gather information: where the unconscious rules that govern people’s or a group of people’s behavior and culture, is studied. In contemporary psychology, the focus of research is on human experience, its construction and interpretation, which usually involves quantitative methods (Smith, 2008) such as one of those described above. A simple example is, to study the vocabulary used by persons to describe a particular visual experience (Mays, 2000). Qualitative research methods are useful for a wide variety of research questions. As explained above, they are useful for describing social phenomena, for one. Qualitative research is also useful for the generation of hypotheses and models, some cases of hypothesis testing, comparing the different perspectives of different social groups, and studying the interconnection between different population groups (such as doctors and patients). For example, studying the difference in opinion of doctors and their patients on a medical topic. Qualitative methods are, overall, best suitable for situations where we need to gain an understanding of the behavior, opinion and needs of particular people or particular groups of people. Qualitative research can be particularly useful for particular psychology areas, such as the study of adolescent health risk behaviours (Rich, 1999). Qualitative techniques are used by psychologists in observing, actively interviewing, receptively listening, evaluating narratives, integrating data from diverse sources while recognizing inherent biases, and analyzing the information in a flexible and critical manner. This information can then be used to form hypotheses regarding adolescent behavior, which could be useful in guiding their management. Qualitative research methods lay emphasis on an accurate description of a social reality. What qualitative research does not take into account is precision - numbers are not the essential piece of data that determine the value of the research. Quantitative research places a much greater reliance on the strength of numbers. Also, this means that qualitative research often does not need a calculation of sample size in advance, while sample size calculation is essential to quantitative research at the outset. Quantitative data uses numbers to reach conclusions. Statistical tests are used to generate a conclusion by using a precise cutoff value, with the aid of mathematical tools such as confidence intervals and P values. Qualitative research, on the other hand, uses percentages as numbers at most, to describe the strength of the respondent population that shared a common view or behavior. As qualitative research is not tied to specific calculations as quantitative methods, it allows smaller sample sizes to be acceptable. This means that in many scenarios where large sample sized are impractical, qualitative research methods may be preferred. As qualitative research tends to be descriptive, while quantitative research is often experimental, the practical application of qualitative research is to study a population and generate a hypothesis, and quantitative research is then used to test the hypothesis and generate a conclusion that can be supported by numbers. Thus, qualitative and quantitative research methods are mutually dependent and complementary, and both are necessary to provide reliable information. Quantitative research is suitable for testing hypotheses and to reach a valid conclusion, for example, in research to determine which kind of behavioral therapy among several, would best benefit a particular psychological disorder. This would involve subjecting different subjects with the disorder to different modes of therapy, noting the patient response, and using statistical tests to differentiate which therapy gave the best treatment response. The quality of qualitative research is often called into question, since it is not governed by the same strict statistical rules as quantitative research. However, various methods have been suggested to improve its validity, such as triangulation, respondent validation and reflexivity. These methods allow qualitative research to be acceptable to all researchers as a valid research method (Mays, 2000). Once a hypothesis is generated through qualitative research, the researcher must not take them for granted or as universal. The researcher must be prepared to use strategies for questioning the findings and interpretations, assessing their internal and external validity, and consider the effect of context and bias (Rich, 1999). Thus, qualitative research must also go through some background checking before it is awarded the same level of validity as quantitative research. Ethical concerns arise in all forms of research, and ethics is all the more relevant for social scientists, as the focus of their research is the behavior of other human beings. Thus, in psychology research, both the research design as well as the data collection process is subject to value conflict (Crano, 2008, p. 344). Ethics in research is meant to ensure that the participants are subjected to no harm or disadvantage, at least not knowingly, during the course of the research. However, it is inevitable, according to Crano (2008, p. 344) that scientific interests may conflict at times with the rights of the individual to privacy and self-determination. This is why the most important ethical concept in research, both qualitative and quantitative, is informed consent of the participant. It is unethical to subject a participant to the research without ensuring that he or she fully understands what is being asked of them, is aware of all the real and potential benefits and risks of being involved, and fully wishes to participate in the research. It is the right of the participants to know that they are being studied to be included in research. Also, researchers in their quest to gather information, may subject the participant to harm or pain that they otherwise would not have faced. This is unethical, unless the patient has given consent and understands the potential risk of this harm. Thus, qualitative and quantitative research are two different techniques, with different applications to psychology. Qualitative research has more relevance to psychology as it involves studying basic human behavior, however, the results of qualitative research often need to be followed with quantitative research to test the hypotheses generated, which can provide conclusions that are more reliably taken as facts. These facts can then be used as evidence to derive new interventional approaches. References Crano, W. a. (2008). Principles and Methods of Social Research. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Maxim, P. S. (1999). Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences. New York: Oxford University Press. Mays, N. P. (2000). Assessing quality in qualitative research. BMJ , 50-52. Mertens, D. M. (2010). Research and evaluation in education and psychology : integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Los Angeles: Sage. Rich, M. G. (1999). The Reason and Rhyme of Qualitative Research:Why, When, and How to Use Qualitative Methods in the Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of Adolescent Health , 371–378. Smith, J. A. (2008). Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods. London: Sage Publications. Thomas, C. (1997). Research Methods in Primary Care. Oxon: Radcliffe Medical Press. Read More