2- to 3-paragraph comparison of qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
Comparing Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
Comparing Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
Qualitative research is the approach to specific situation(s) using interviews, focus groups, observations, document review, as the researcher describes things as they are. Quantitative use numerical descriptions such as the frequency and average the researcher measure things as they are. Quantitative also analyses the strength of relationships between two or more variables.
Qualitative procedures demonstrate a different approach to scholarly inquiry than methods of quantitative research (Creswell, 2009). Qualitative approach tends to focus on pursuing answers to a question; this is performed using a systematic approach predefining a set of procedures to answer questions. Qualitative inquiry employs different philosophical assumptions, strategies of inquiry, and methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation (Creswell, 2009). Types of software used for collecting qualitative data include NVIVO, ATLA, and MAXQDA.
Quantitative research consist of collecting numerical data to explain a particular phenomenon that is analyzed using mathematically based methods (Creswell, 2009).Other approaches to quantitative research involve studies that use statistical analyses in obtaining key findings. Defining surveys and experiments are examples of quantitative methods. Survey design provides numeric description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population (Creswell, 2009). Advantages of quantitative approach is that it’s possible to measure the reactions of a great many people to a limited set of questions, thus facilitating comparison and statistical aggregation of the data (Patton, 2002). This provides broad general set of findings presented succinctly and parsimoniously. By contrast, qualitative methods typically produce a wealth...