Qualitative

and

Quantitative

Research

Methods
By Lee Johnson,
Qualitative studies focus on subjective information, such as feelings,
experiences or opinions: data that cannot be scientifically quantified.
Quantitative research is the opposite, shunning subjectivity in favor of
objectivity. Quantitative research focuses on statistics and quantifiable
information. Learning about different methods used to study a topic
quantitatively and qualitatively can help you decide which form of
research is better for your study.

1.

Qualitative

Research:

Participant

Observation

Participant observation means that the participant in the

research is observed by the researcher, usually in a natural
setting. For example, qualitative researchers studying autistic
children often immerse themselves in the child's world by
spending time in the home playing with the child, eating dinner
with the family and interviewing parents about the child's
behavior. Disadvantages include the smallscale nature of the
study, which means it's difficult to generalize about the entire
population. In overt research, the "observer effect" could play
a part; participants might act differently because they're being
watched.

Qualitative Research: In-Depth Interview

In-depth interviews allow the researcher to collect detailed

information about one individual participant. This gives the
researcher the option of asking about anything relevant, and also
allows greater control over the direction of the conversation than
would be possible in a focus group, which is another qualitative
research method that examines groups instead of individuals. Indepth interviews are very useful for gathering personal histories
and perspectives. Aside from the inability to generalize from indepth interviews, the "observer effect" can also hide results
with this method. For example, participants who are attracted
to the interviewer may be inclined to hide negative aspects of
their personalities or actions in order to appear more appealing.

Quantitative Research: Questionnaire

Quantitative research commonly uses questionnaires as a

method of gaining information from a large number of

subjects. To enable generalization and quantification of the
results, the questions included are often closed-ended, offering
only "yes" or "no" as options for an answer, for example. Or
the instrument may provide a choice between a limited number
of options. An advantage of this method is that many
participants can be studied at once, and the information
gathered can be easily collated. A disadvantage is the closed
nature of the questions. For example, a question may ask if
the test-taker is going to vote for the Republicans or the
Democrats in the next election, providing no option for those
who wish to vote for an independent.

Quantitative Research: Experimental

Scientific experiments can be used in many ways to produce

quantitative results for a study. Experimental studies test the
effect of a variable on an outcome. For example, to test the
efficiency of a new diabetes drug, participants would be
randomly split into two groups. One group would be given the
drug, and the other would be given a placebo. A numerical
result, such as blood sugar level, would be recorded after the
test to determine whether the drug had an effect. Performing
experiments can provide strong support for a hypothesis,
because of the scientific methodology, but each experiment
is limited to testing that one variable. For example, in the
hypothetical study described above, the participants could
have wildly different diets, which also affects blood sugar levels.
Therefore, the results might not really say anything about the
drug's effectiveness. However, if all variables are properly
controlled -- for example, if the participants were required to eat
a set diet during the experiment -- the results can provide
compelling support for a hypothesis, or can disprove it
altogether.