Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

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Table of Contents

Positivism and Constructivism
Inductive and Deductive Approaches
Research Methods
Research Instruments

A qualitative research is a subjective research study which focuses on concepts, meanings and characteristics of different phenomena. A qualitative study is usually done to find out the most common trends regarding a particular subject.

It uses individual methods to collect and analyze information from different sources using individual interviews, small focus groups and observation. This study is done to uncover underlying causes which make a certain problem occur and how they affect subjects involved. A qualitative research normally has a small sample of respondents who are chosen to represent a specific focus group.

These respondents contribute information regarding issues faced by the group being surveyed. The study uses unstructured techniques to collect more data and information about a problem being studied. In a qualitative study, researchers test a general hypothesis to determine its impact. The quality of findings which are gathered by the study are heavily influenced by the researcher’s own skills and competence.

A quantitative research is a study which is objective in nature. It is more concerned with generating data to explain why a particular phenomenon is occurring. This type of study also looks at the frequency in occurrence of a particular phenomenon and how people feel regarding its occurrence. A quantitative research uses a large number of respondents randomly chosen by researchers. The respondents chosen to participate in the study have characteristics which are similar to the population sample being studied.

This study gathers data and information through structured processes such as questionnaires and general interviews. The study focuses on statistical relationships between different phenomena to come up with generalized results, which can be used to solve problems in other populations. In this study, researchers test a specific hypothesis to come up with results, which are not heavily influenced by the researcher’s skills.

Positivism and Constructivism

Positivism is a school of thought which argues that scientific knowledge is the only form of reliable knowledge because it is supported by valid measurable evidence. Positivism theory argues that ideas which have been taken through measurable scientific processes are more valid than those which are not influenced by science.

Positivism focuses on empirical evidence which outlines how a process has been conducted to come up with rational and objective results. This theory further argues that empirical processes used to conduct different studies and experiments need to be tested to determine their accuracy and reliability.

Positivism was developed in the 19th century by August Comte, a French philosopher. Comte was driven by philosophical and scientific ideas, which advocated for the use of strong empirical methods to uncover additional information about a phenomenon. Positivism theory has been used to advance knowledge in law, social sciences and politics because of its strong emphasis on rationalism.

Constructivism is a school of thought which argues that international systems of governance are formed by social processes, which are heavily influenced by human actions. Therefore, these capabilities have a direct impact on the way states relate with other states in international relations.

Core concepts of constructivism are identity, ideologies, debates and social interactions, which have an impact on international issues such as human rights, global security, international trade and regional cooperation. Constructivist theories have been widely used in international relations, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism.

The theory shows that social issues are influenced by people’s intentions and actions, which make up different social systems. It further argues that international issues are heavily influenced by different values, strong ideas and national identities, which combine to shape the way international systems function. Therefore, many ideas related to this school of thought have been used to explain different political and social events that have happened in different parts of the world in the past two decades.

Inductive and Deductive Approaches

An inductive approach is a research approach which allows a researcher to give subjective explanations regarding a specific phenomenon using real life examples.It is more flexible because it does not require a researcher to use a pre-determined process when collecting data and information regarding a phenomenon being studied.

The researcher is free to use different statistics and information to come up with a multi-dimensional conclusion which explains the problem being studied. An inductive approach assumes that knowledge is gathered effectively, based on the way a researcher experiences a specific phenomenon he is studying.

This approach helps a researcher to come up with a theory based on the research problem being studied. It is linked with interpretivism because the processes used in the study move from specific perspectives to generalized theories and observations. An inductive approach when used to conduct a research study makes a researcher to reach generalized conclusions, which have an element of uncertainty.

A deductive approach is used by a researcher who has a general idea about a phenomenon, to uncover more details that enable him understand the issue better. It has close relationships with positivism theory because it is influenced by specific outcomes gathered through a measurable research process. This research approach makes it possible for a researcher to come up with a hypothesis using different data and information to confirm its validity and relevance.

This enables the researcher to use theory, observation and confirmation processes to come up with strong conclusions which explain the topic under study. A deductive approach makes a researcher to have a more logical conclusion, which is backed up by reliable facts from the research process. This approach also allows a researcher to come up with specific findings which give factual evidence about issues related to a particular phenomenon.

Research Methods

The most commonly used research methods are explained below:

Surveys

Surveys are used to gather information regarding a specific phenomenon being studied. It targets specific respondents out of a sample population to uncover specific information related to a research study. Surveys are used to gather responses from different people and these responses help a researcher to come up with conclusions, which explain why a particular issue is happening.

Surveys are usually done by collecting and analyzing data and statistics, to show their effect on the specific phenomenon being studied. They are also used to evaluate patterns of opinion as revealed by respondents of a particular study.

Participant Observation

This is a research method through which a researcher observes a social situation within a particular area to gather more data about a phenomenon being studied. The researcher takes time to understand more about issues experienced by research subjects, in environments where they occur.

Therefore, a researcher gets access to a social group and studies different issues which affect the population living there. Afterwards, a researcher analyzes and interprets all issues he witnessed, which contribute more knowledge to the study.

Interviews

This is the interaction between a researcher and a respondent, where the researcher asks the respondent direct questions. Interviews allow researchers to engage respondents through face to face communication. A researcher is able to know more information about an issue because of the willingness by a respondent to share what he knows.

Therefore, a researcher can be more flexible because he can ask the interviewee new questions related to information he or she has shared. The interviewer can observe the personal demeanor of an interviewee during the process, to ascertain what influences him to act that way and how this influences the research process.

Documentary Research

This is a research method where the researcher uses other published and electronic sources to uncover more details about an issue being studied. The researcher selects various published materials, and analyzes their relevance to the study being conducted. The researcher then synthesizes gathered information which he uses as evidence to support his study’s hypothesis.

Documentary research is favored by many people in academic studies because it exposes the researcher to a wide variety of resources, which help him uncover more information about the study. A documentary research helps a researcher to compare different published sources to come up with more arguments which strengthen the main hypothesis.

Research Instruments

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are normally used to gather information from respondents regarding different phenomena being studied. It consists of a series of questions which are given to a selected sample of respondents who are affected by the issue being studied. An interviewer should use open ended questions because they allow respondents to give out more information regarding an issue being studied. The researcher then analyzes the responses given after the questionnaires have been handed in to evaluate their contribution to the study.

Unstructured Interview

This is a form of interviewing where a researcher can modify questions to suit the respondent’s level of education, understanding, culture, personality or intelligence. This form of interview allows an interviewer to engage the listener and evaluate the level of knowledge he or she has regarding questions that need to be answered in the interview.

An unstructured interview allows the interviewer to come up with new questions, which help to uncover more information. The interviewer analyzes all the information gathered to make his conclusions on the study.

Tests

Some researchers use tests to gather specific results about a particular phenomenon. Tests are used in qualitative research studies to gather more information about causes and effects of a particular phenomenon, which is experienced by a specific sampled population.

Tests are normally conducted by medical researchers to find out more details about the incidence of disease, malnutrition, maternal death and pollution in a specific area. Tests make it possible for researchers to get specific details about an issue being studied through the use of empirical processes, which show how certain phenomena occur.

Scales

Scales are used to measure different attributes in a subject being studied by a researcher. Scales are used to measure time intervals and other variables which influence the way different events occur in a particular population. They make it possible for researchers to analyze data which has been collected to come up with specific conclusions about how it affects the phenomenon being studied.

Research Ethics

Research ethics are moral principles which a researcher needs to be aware of before conducting a specific study. Research ethics make it possible for a researcher to perform his duties properly to ensure the process used to conduct the study is credible, accurate and reliable. A researcher needs to seek the consent of all people he wants to include in a research study before it is conducted.

The research process should be done with a clear objective to ensure results which are obtained are not misused or altered to suit a researcher’s own interests. It is important for a researcher to use accurate data analysis and collection tools to make it easy for interested parties to scrutinize the research design. This ensures that research findings are accurate and credible. This helps to strengthen the reliability of findings uncovered by the research.

Researchers need to ensure that all participants who choose to take part in a research process sign consent forms to show evidence of their involvement. However, it is advisable that participants remain anonymous to make them more willing to share information with the interviewer. This ensures that outside sources who get access to the gathered data are not able to reveal identities of respondents who participated in the study.

Researchers have a moral duty to ensure that all humans and animals used to conduct a particular study are not harmed. Tests and other procedures need to be assessed to ensure they conform to the required standards before they are administered. Researchers should not offer inducements in form of cash or gifts to potential respondents because this affects the credibility of their studies negatively. Researchers need to observe all legal processes that are related to research to ensure they conduct studies which are fair and accurate.

Research Process

A research process can be described as a set of procedures which are used to gather more information about a specific phenomenon using scientific methods. A researcher structures a plan of action which he uses to locate different sources of information and data for his study. He follows an approach which outlines steps that he needs to follow while gathering and analyzing data obtained from the study.

The researcher plans all the processes that need to be used and allocates adequate time for each process that is going to be used to conduct the study. A researcher needs to identify a topic of interest and plan on techniques he is going to use to gather more data about that topic. A topic needs to be narrowed down to a specific issue with a sizable scope, which the writer is able to handle comfortably.

A researcher should have basic information about the topic he has chosen by conducting a background study. A background study is mainly done through reviewing books, journals, websites and other publications which reveal more about the topic to be studied.

This will help the researcher to determine how much information exists about a topic he has chosen to research on. A researcher needs to refine his topic to ensure that it is more appropriate to the kind of study he wants to conduct. If a topic has too much information, the researcher should narrow it down to make it more specific.

After refining the topic, the researcher needs to collect and organize materials which will help him to conduct the study. He needs to assess their relevance and credibility to ensure that they provide relevant information to the research study. Afterwards, he should take notes and compile all the information gathered from different sources in a logical format to help him carry out the remaining part of the study. After all these processes have ended, a researcher can begin working on the research project.

Data Analysis

This is a process through which gathered data in a research study is assessed, edited and proofread to make it more accurate and logical. It helps to make the data easy to interpret by different people who have a direct interest in its findings. Data analysis makes it possible for data to be aggregated.

Therefore, a researcher is able to reveal processes used to come with findings of the study more clearly. During the process of data analysis, a researcher is able to use different techniques to edit the data gathered to make it more coherent and logical. This makes it possible for him to evaluate if there are any gaps in information and how they affect research findings.

Data analysis also enables a researcher to choose the most effective format through which results of the study gathered can be displayed. It also makes it possible for a researcher to look keenly at the quality of measurements done by different research instruments used to conduct the study.

This allows a researcher to look at the variance of statistical tools used to measure different variables to assess whether they contribute positively to the study. Therefore, data analysis enables a researcher to find out if the study conducted has satisfied the specific objectives outlined in the research proposal.

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