Which method do you prefer as a researcher and why?

Maryeinis Paola Díaz Álvarez

Leonardo Fabio Castillo Angulo

Carlos F. Vazquez M.

Professor Research Methodology I

Fundacion Universitaria Colombo Internacional

4° semester

2023
 Which method do you prefer as a researcher and why?

"A quantitative method is all about statistics and helps you see high-level trends. The
qualitative data you collect allows you to understand how your consumers act, feel or think in a
specific way. Closed-ended questions are preferred for quantitative research , as they help control
how people can respond. The responses collected allow comparisons to be made. For example,
60% of millennials agree with remote work.

On the other hand, qualitative research gives you more meaningful information about
your consumers' perceptions, motivations, behaviors, and attitudes. It doesn't provide statistics or
numbers, but answers questions about why or how to fix a problem. Often, open-ended questions
are used to gather more information. Diary studies, surveys and field research are good examples
of qualitative research." (Teijeiro, A. 2022.)

As a researcher, I prefer qualitative methods because they give me the opportunity to

explore social and human phenomena in depth, allowing me to capture the complexity and
subtlety of participants' experiences.

By focusing on data quality and contextual understanding, a more complete and

enriching vision of the phenomena studied is obtained. Furthermore, qualitative methods are
flexible and adaptable, allowing the approach to be adjusted as new relevant aspects are
discovered during the research process. In contrast, quantitative methods tend to simplify reality
by reducing data to predefined numbers and categories, which can lose important nuances and
limit deep understanding of the phenomena studied.

For example, if we were investigating the experience of students in a tutoring program,

a qualitative approach would allow us to conduct in-depth interviews with participants to
understand their perceptions, emotions, and challenges in detail. This would provide us with
valuable information about interpersonal dynamics, emotional impact, and individual barriers
that may not be fully captured through a quantitative approach based on multiple-choice
questionnaires.

In summary, the qualitative approach offers a more holistic and rich perspective that can
generate more meaningful and applicable knowledge in the field of research.
 References

De Redacción, E. E. (2023, 7 septiembre). Guía de la investigación cualitativa frente a la

cuantitativa | Delighted.

Delighted. https://delighted.com/es/blog/qualitative-vs-quantitative-research

Teijeiro, A. (2022). Cualitativo vs. cuantitativo: ¿Cuál es la diferencia? Toluna.

https://tolunacorporate.com/cualitativo-vs-cuantitativo-cual-es-la-diferencia/?lang=es#:~:text=So
n%20a%C3%BAn%20m%C3%A1s%20poderosos%20cuando,todos%20los%20detalles%20que
%20necesita.