Albert Szent-Gyorgyi once said research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody

else has thought. Qualitative and quantitative research are two types of research that have their differences, but at the same time they are both striving towards the same goal, to figure out the unknown. The trouble with research is that it tells you what people were thinking about yesterday, not tomorrow. Its like driving a car using a rearview mirror (Bernard Loomis). Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques (Wiki, Par. 1) Qualitative research is a method that investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, and when (Wiki, Par. 1). The differences between the two types of research are very argumentative, but in my opinion no matter what type of research an individual is conducting in the end he/she is doing research. All research ultimately has a qualitative grounding (Donald Campbell). Theres no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0 (Fred Kerlinger) These gentlemen were at both ends of the spectrum in the debate of qualitative versus quantitative research. From the small amount of research Ive done on both of these topics quantitative research produces the numbers behind the observations of qualitative research. Another argument between the two types of research is that the aim for qualitative research is a complete, detailed description, and the aim for quantitative research is to classify features, count them, and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed ( Neill, p.1). Some argue that qualitative research is subjective in which individuals interpretation of events is important, qualitative research uses participant observation, and in-depth interviews, etc (Neill, p.1). Others argue that quantitative research is objective in which it seeks precise measurement & analysis of target concepts by using surveys, questionnaires, etc (Neill, p.1) Both types of research methods

have their advantages and disadvantages, but as I stated earlier both methods are in place to more effectively and efficiently guide a researcher to conquer the unknown.

Works Cited
Neill, James. "Qualitative versus Quantitative Research:." . N.p., 28/Feb/2007. Web. 28 Feb 2012. <http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html>.

"Wikipedia." Qualitative Research. N.p., Apr 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research>.

"Wikipedia." Quantitative Research. N.p., Apr 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_research>.