Research Qualitative versus Quantitative Research: James Neill

Methods Key Points in a Classic Debate

Features of Qualitative & Quantitative Research

Qualitative Quantitative

"All research ultimately has "There's no such thing as qualitative data.

a qualitative grounding" by Donald Everything is either 1 or 0" by Fred
Campbell Kerlinger

The aim is to classify features, count them,

The aim is a complete, detailed
and construct statistical models in an
description.
attempt to explain what is observed.

Researcher may only know roughly in Researcher knows clearly in advance what
advance what he/she is looking for. he/she is looking for.

The design emerges as the study All aspects of the study are carefully
unfolds. designed before data is collected.

Researcher uses tools, such as

Researcher is the data gathering
questionnaires or equipment to collect
instrument.
numerical data.

Data is in the form of words, pictures or Data is in the form of numbers and
objects. statistics.

Subjective -- individual’s interpretation

Objective -- seeks precise measurement &
of events is important ,e.g., uses
analysis of target concepts, e.g., uses
participant observation, in-depth
surveys, questionnaires etc.
interviews etc.

Qualitative data is more 'rich', time Quantitative data is more efficient, able to
consuming, and less able to be test hypotheses, but may miss contextual
generalized. detail.

Researcher tends to become subjectively Researcher tends to remain objectively

immersed in the subject matter. separated from the subject matter.
 (the two quotes are from Miles & Huberman (1994, p. 40). Qualitative Data Analysis)

Recommended Links
1. Qualitative versus Quantitative -
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research/Qualitative/qualquan.htm
- a table (similar to above), summarizing characteristics of qualitative
and quantitative research in more detail
2. Qualitative versus Quantitative Design -
http://www.kelcom.igs.net/~nhodgins/quant_qual.html - another table
(like above)
3. The Qualitative versus Quantitative Debate -
http://writing.colostate.edu/references/research/gentrans/pop2f.cfm -
good overview, but the layout is flat and difficult to skim-read
4. Qualitative vs Quantitative analysis -
http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/monkey/ihe/linguistics/corpus3/3qual.htm
- reasonable overview, with linguistics focus

Framework for Course Design:

I. Basic issues in qualitative research methods：
A. Sampling
B. Interviewing techniques
C. Data collection methods
D. Content analysis for grounded theory

II. Basic issues in quantitative research methods

A. Research questions and hypotheses
B. Questionnaires
C. Data collection methods
D. Data analysis for interpreting findings

III. Integration of qualitative and quantitative methods (mixed-method designs)