Difference Between Qualitative And Quantitative Research

Introduction

There are many kinds of methods which can be used by a researcher for conducting any study. Qualitative and quantitative are two different kinds of research methods which can be utilised by a researcher for finding valuable data. These two methods are highly developed and include different options for gathering valuable information regarding the topic of the research. Both of these methods can be applied by following different steps and philosophies. Moreover, there are different approaches applied by the researcher for fulfilling the names of the research. For those focusing on quantitative aspects, seeking quantitative dissertation help can provide additional guidance. So it can be stated that these two methods are completely different from each other. Based on the requirement of the research institute is the correct method for interpreting the results.

Main Body

In qualitative research, the researcher focuses on the quality of the data. On the other hand, while doing quantitative research, the researcher focuses on the quantity or number of data. So, in this case, the researcher only focuses on how much data is collected for the study. Phenomenology philosophy is applied in qualitative research, and quantitative research is followed by positivism philosophy. In qualitative research, the researcher properly follows observation or ethnography technique. On the other side, qualitative research is conducted by doing experiments or correlations. The goal of qualitative research is to understand and define every objective of the research. It is done to answer all the research questions in an appropriate manner. On the other side, the goal of quantitative research is the hypothesis and predicts the outcomes of the study (Bernard, 2017). Unlike qualitative research, the structured or predetermined design is followed by the researcher. On the other hand emergent of flexible design is followed for conducting qualitative research. Furthermore, the small sample size is followed by the researcher while conducting qualitative research and the large or random sample size is elected by the researcher for doing quantitative research.

Although comprehensive and detailed findings can be obtained by conducting qualitative research despite those numerical or precise findings can be obtained by quantitative data. For doing qualitative research, interviews can be taken for collecting data (Jovanovic, 2018). Research can also follow documentation observation techniques for collecting data while doing the qualitative study. Moreover, for a quantitative study, the researcher can prepare questionnaires for taking surveys on interviews. These questionnaires need to be submitted to all the participants of the study, and as per their responses, some statistical tests are done by the researcher. Deductive type of statistical method is used for doing a quantitative study wherein the type approach is used for doing qualitative research. Qualitative research is generally text-based, while the quantitative study is generally number based. Statistical tests need to be done for doing quantitative research, but it is not essential for doing qualitative research. Qualitative research is more generalised than quantitative study, and the "human behaviour model" is used in a qualitative study (Larue et al. 2017). Unlike qualitative study, the "natural science model" is used for doing quantitative research. More time is required for doing a qualitative study. On the other hand, less time is required for doing a quantitative study. Primary data needs to be taken for doing qualitative research. Unlike that, qualitative research can also be completed by taking help from existing journals and articles, which is also called secondary data.

Quantitative research is done by preparing some fixed questions. So the collected response is limited in size. On the other hand, qualitative research is not done by sitting on a few questions. The researcher can do whatever he or she wants to ask the participant. So, deep analysis and a lot of information can be found by conducting qualitative research. In-depth analysis can be done by conducting a qualitative study. The truthfulness of the hypothesis can be tested by conducting quantitative research, but it cannot be done by conducting qualitative research (Abbott, 2016). So it can be stated that hypotheses are settled for conducting the quantitative study, and research questions are settled for conducting.

Acute data can be found by conducting mixed research, where both of these two types of research are conducted by the researcher. According to the above discussion, it has been analysed that both these pieces of research can be helpful to gather a lot of information regarding the topic of the research. By conducting a mixed-method, the researcher can use both of these two methods for collecting valuable information regarding the topic. These two types of research include different types of features which can be utilised by a researcher for gathering valuable information on the topic. Qualitative research can be done by reviewing old, old journals, articles and research papers (Li et al. 2018). Thorough analysis needs to be done for gathering correct information regarding the concerned topic of the research.

The researcher properly observes each of the incidents properly for collecting valuable information associated with the concerned topic. After observation, the researcher properly interprets the outcomes of the study for answering all the questions of the research. Accurate data can be found by conducting qualitative research. Moreover, no numerical data can be found by conducting qualitative research. Thematic analysis can be done by conducting qualitative research, but it is impossible to do thematic analysis for conducting the qualitative study (Riffe et al. 2019). Moreover, it can be stated that these two techniques of conducting research are different from each other, but these two types of techniques are modified. All these two techniques are developed, and it could fulfil all the needs of a study.

Conclusion

Qualitative research is basically unstructured, and it can be done by following more than one method. On the other hand, quantitative study is done by following proper structure. The proper design needs to be created for doing quantitative analysis. On the other hand, by following the qualitative study, the researcher can ask any details related to the concerned study by taking an instructed interview. Moreover, it can be concluded that all these two types of researcher can be used for collecting valuable information about any topic. The researcher needs to carefully choose the method before starting the project.

Reference List

• Abbott, L., 2016. The Relationship Between Qualitative and Quantitative Pain Descriptors of Prolonged Standing Induced Low Back Pain.
• Bernard, H.R., 2017. Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Jovanovic, F., 2018. A comparison between qualitative and quantitative histories: the example of the efficient market hypothesis. Journal of Economic Methodology, 25(4), pp.291-310.
• Larue, R.T., Defraene, G., De Ruysscher, D., Lambin, P. and Van Elmpt, W., 2017. Quantitative radiomics studies for tissue characterization: a review of technology and methodological procedures. The British journal of radiology, 90(1070), p.20160665.
• Li, B., Hu, M. and Goldstein, G., 2018. Comparison between qualitative and quantitative measurement in assessing thermal comfort in an elementary school.
• Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Fico, F. and Watson, B., 2019. Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research. Routledge.