GRADUATE PROGRAM OF THE SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Social Science Cluster, Cycle 1- 2022-2023

SSED 701 Qualitative Research in Social Science

Prof. Dr. Gregorio R. Sismondo

Name: MARIA PAGASA C. MOJADO
Course: MAED Social Science

Reflection 2

Directions: Read the questions carefully. Find the answers using search engines from the web or books.
Make sure that your answers are explained in a brief manner but concise and in your own words. Please
append/cite your citations. Submit this assignment in typewritten format. You may write your answer after
What are the differences between these two research methods? each question. Each of your answers in
this assignment will be graded based on the following criteria.

Rubrics: Organization of ideas-3 points, relevance or correctness of the answer based on the question- 3
points, originality of the answer-3 points, citation/s is/are provided-1 point

1. Elucidate the meaning of qualitative and quantitative research. (10 points)

The practice of gathering and objectively examining numerical data in order to

characterize, forecast, or govern topics of interest is known as quantitative research.
Quantitative means quantity and quantity means number. It focuses on quantifiable factors.
While collecting, studying, and understanding non-numerical information, such language is
known as qualitative research. Qualitative research can assist us in better understanding how
individuals see and interpret the human experience. Qualitative means quality and quality
means characteristics. It focuses on the experience quality and aims to characterize or convey
the core of a person's experience.

What are the differences between these two research methods?

Qualitative research differs in numerous ways; it often tackles distinct issues that result from
various philosophical views of the world, tries to attain different goals, and employs various methods
and designs.The qualitative emphasis on experience quality seeks to define or capture the essence of an
individual's experience. Quantitative research, on the contrary hand, focuses on quantifiable factors,
such as how much, how many, and how frequently. Qualitative research, in its philosophical
underpinnings, incorporates more subjective human experience rather than strictly objective external
reality. It is associated with constructivism or interpretivism in education. Quantitative research is
founded on positivism, which claims that physical and social processes are objectively measurable and
can be objectively seen and measured throughout time and space. Qualitative research seeks to grasp,
describe, uncover meaning, or generate hypotheses or theories. The goal of quantitative research is to
forecast, control, confirm, and test hypotheses. The qualitative research design is more adaptable,
dynamic, and emergent than the quantitative research design, which is more organized and planned. It
should be noted that qualitative research's flexible structure does not imply that it is less disciplined or
easier to design or implement; on the contrary, well-designed valid and scholarly qualitative research
has a flexible structure and is designed to be implemented with the same care and attention to detail as
well-designed valid and scholarly quantitative research. The fundamental data gathering tool in
qualitative research is the researcher, who offers his unique perspective to data selection and
interpretation. In quantitative research, external tools such as test questionnaires or other approaches
designed to measure and quantify a certain phenomena are used.

2. What are the criticisms in qualitative and quantitative methods of research? Provide at least two
for each and briefly explain them. (10 points)

The criticism in qualitative research are;

1. It is hard to establish how broadly the results may be applied because the groups are
smaller and could not be typical of the larger population.
2. The conclusions lack objectivity;
3. It is difficult to determine how much the researcher's personal views influenced the
research.

This research has fewer participants because it is qualitative. It can only

supervise a limited number of people as everyday life is monitored and an open-ended
interview is done. Being a qualitative study, it focuses on the quality and subjectivity of
the participants. Last but not least, because it is a linguistic style of research where the
 research seeks the participants' everyday experiences, it might be challenging to
determine where the researcher's own point of view begins.

The criticism in quantitative research are;

1. Analysis of the correlations between variables produces a static, non-personal

perception of social interaction;
2. The measurement technique gives the misleading sense of accuracy and precision.

This research can utilize a substantial number of respondents or the entire population of
their respondents based on their sampling approach. However, certain points in the given
variables may not address the other components of their research due to the limited input or
the closed-ended nature of the questionnaire or interview. It's possible that the research's
techniques didn't support its conclusions. It's probable that the measurements and analyses of
the data in this case were flawed.

3. Briefly explain the meaning of the following views or social theories:

3.1. Interpretivism (10 pts)

Interpretivism, a prominent philosophical school of thought, aims to understand the

social world via meaningful interpretations of the meanings that people produce and repeat
as part of their everyday interactions with one another in order to make sense of the world
they live in. Interpretivist approaches are those that put a lot of emphasis on the importance
of human qualities and engagement in both social and cultural life. The intents and
meanings underlying people's actions, such as their interpersonal relationships and conduct,
are examined by interpretivists. The German word verstehen includes the concepts of
perceiving, knowing, and grasping the nature and significance of an event. This is how
interpretivists decipher the intent or expression of others. The word was coined by Weber
 to describe the social scientist's endeavor to comprehend both the motivation and the
setting of human activity.

3.2. Positivism (10 pts)

The philosophical perspective of natural scientists who deal with the visible reality
within society and produce generalizations is known as positivism. Positivism focuses more strictly on
taking into account pure data and facts without being affected by human interpretation or prejudice and
relates it to the significance of what is offered generally. Positivism is a philosophical and sociological
viewpoint that relies on factual information, such that discovered via research and trials, to shed light on
how society functions. Reality may be studied logically and as a true object since it exists outside of the
mind and without it. They assert that social facts—which determine society norms—are separate from
and independent of people.

3.3. Phenomenology (10 pts)

The study of consciousness patterns in the primary person is known as phenomenology.

The aim of perception, or the fact that it is an experience of or about something, is its essential
structure. By virtue of its meaning or content (which symbolizes the item) and the essential enabling
circumstances, an experience is directed toward an object. The term "phenomenology" is widely used in
current philosophy of mind to describe sensory qualities like seeing, hearing, and so on: what it feels like
to have certain sorts of sensations. Our awareness, on the other hand, is frequently significantly more
content-rich than merely sensation. Similar to this, phenomenological tradition gives phenomenology a
much broader focus, emphasizing the significance that various objects and persons have in our
encounters as they take place and are experienced in our "surrounding world."

References:
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Chowdhury, M. (2014) Interpretivism in Aiding Our Understanding of the Contemporary

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