STUDY NOTE NO.

Subject: Practical Research 1

Week: 2 Day: 3-4
Content Standard: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Learning Competency: The learner describes characteristics, processes, and ethics of research.

Qualitative research gathers information that is not in numerical form. For example, diary accounts, open-ended
questionnaires, unstructured interviews and unstructured observations. Qualitative data is typically descriptive data and as
such is harder to analyze than quantitative data.

Qualitative research is useful for studies at the individual level, and to find out, in depth, the ways in which people think
or feel (e.g. case studies).

Analysis of qualitative data is difficult and requires an accurate description of participant responses, for example, sorting
responses to open questions and interviews into broad themes. Quotations from diaries or interviews might be used to
illustrate points of analysis. Expert knowledge of an area is necessary to try to interpret qualitative data and great care
must be taken when doing so, for example, if looking for symptoms of mental illness.

Quantitative research gathers data in numerical form which can be put into categories, or in rank order, or
measured in units of measurement. This type of data can be used to construct graphs and tables of raw data.

Experiments typically yield quantitative data, as they are concerned with measuring things. However, other research
methods, such as observations and questionnaires can produce both quantitative and qualitative information.

For example, a rating scale or closed questions on a questionnaire would generate quantitative data as these produce either
numerical data or data that can be put into categories (e.g. “yes”, “no” answers). Whereas open-ended questions would
generate qualitative information as they are a descriptive response.

Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods

Methods include focus groups, in-depth interviews, Surveys, structured interviews & observations, and
and reviews of documents for types of themes reviews of records or documents for numeric
information

Primarily inductive process used to formulate Primarily deductive process used to test pre-
theory or hypotheses specified concepts, constructs, and hypotheses that
make up a theory

More subjective: describes a problem or condition More objective: provides observed effects
from the point of view of those experiencing it (interpreted by researchers) of a program on a
problem or condition

Text-based Number-based

More in-depth information on a few cases Less in-depth but more breadth of information
across a large number of cases

Unstructured or semi-structured response options Fixed response options

No statistical tests Statistical tests are used for analysis

Can be valid and reliable: largely depends on skill Can be valid and reliable: largely depends on the
and rigor of the researcher measurement device or instrument used

Time expenditure lighter on the planning end and Time expenditure heavier on the planning phase and
heavier during the analysis phase lighter on the analysis phase

Less generalizable More generalizable

References:
https://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/soc2web/Content/phase05/phase05_step03_deeper_qualitative_and_quantitative.
htm
http://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html