Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

At the end of this module, I can:

 Differentiate quantitative and qualitative research.
 Provide examples of research in areas of interest.

 Observation is a good tool in research. This can be QUANTITATIVE and

QUALITATIVE.
QUANTITATIVE OBSERVATION deals with numerical characteristics, whereas
QUALITATIVE OBSERVATION represents verbal descriptions. Both observations give
meanings.

Inside the classroom, the teacher made a remark, “you got 75 passing mark!” The teacher
also commented that “your classmate seems uninterested to study the lessons.”
There are two different observations the teacher described in her remark. These are “75
passing mark” and “your classmate seems uninterested to study.” These two are examples of
quantitative and qualitative observations, respectively. Quantitative observations are usually
characterized by a numerical measure such as the passing mark of 75. Qualitative observation,
meanwhile, describes a certain phenomenon or event and can be observed through the senses.
Usually, qualitative data are in words such the statement made by the teacher that the student
seems uninterested to study the lessons.
Every researcher needs data for his or her research. Since research is a systematic, a
researcher employs one or more techniques to gather data for the study. These techniques can be
classified into two broad categories- QUANTITATIVE and QUALITATIVE methods.
QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES (from the root word quantity) collect data in the form of
numbers (quantitative observation). Some examples are height, weight, and age of a person; the
daily, monthly, or annual income of an employee; your grades in your academic subjects.
QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES (from the root word quality) collect data in the form of words
or statements (qualitative observations).

CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHES

QUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVE
Subjective Objective
Research questions answer what and why Research questions answer how many or
strength of relationship or difference
 Literature review may be done as the study Literature review is usually done before the
progresses study
Develops theory Tests theory
Interpretive Measurable
Basic element of analysis is words/ideas Reports statistical analysis
Basic element of analysis is numbers
Researcher is part of the process Research is separate
Describes meaning, discovery Establishes relationships and causation

Qualitative research usually describes meaning based on the subjective data collected
through interviews and observations. The analysis in this kind of research is also based on the
context of the subjects. This is the reason why qualitative research helps develop a theory. On the
other hand, quantitative research is more objective. The data collected are usually numerical and
based on the assumptions of the hypothesis. Quantitative research is more structure and is thus
useful in testing a theory.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative research is more subjective than quantitative research. This usually involves
gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data based on observations made about the participants of
the study. These data can be in the form of ideas, actions, symbols, metaphors derived usually
from in-depth observations and interviews. Qualitative research aims to interpret meanings,
descriptions, and symbols. The researchers ask the participants to respond to some questions and
further probe the answers by giving follow-up questions to get thorough response to a certain
question. There is no definite number of participants that qualitative research requires.
Ex:
1. Students’ images of chemistry
2. Gender and cultural gaps in the classroom
3. Science practices of the Mangyan tribe
Looking at these examples of qualitative research topics, you may infer that the data that can be
gathered will not be numerical data but symbols and verbal descriptions. These set of data can be
best collected through interviews and observations. Take for example the topic “Science
practices of the Mangyan tribe.” These practices can only be known if the researcher observes
the tribe on location. Observing their daily activities on the actual place and interviewing the
people of the Mangyan tribe are the best techniques to help you collect data about the science
practices of the Mangyan tribe.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
In quantitative research, research questions are usually geared toward measuring hypothesis
using statistical tools. Quantitative research is more objective than qualitative research. The
methods are also predetermined and structured. Good statistical treatments are important in
deciding possible outcomes or conclusions for the success of the research. Quantitative research
follows a certain sample size in the use of the subjects or respondents of the study.
Ex:
1. Predictors of science performance
2. Growth performance of organic fertilizer
3. Population rate in Metro Manila in the next 20 years

Looking at these examples, you may say that the kind of data that can be generated is numerical.
The primary data is obtained from an experiment or from an existing document. Like for
instance, population rate, you may get the data from the available statistics and predict the rate in
the next 20 years using a statistical formula. Likewise, a numerical data can be obtained if you
are aiming to find the growth performance of organic fertilizer by taking the strength of the
leaves or the stem of “experimented” plants.

QUANTITATIVE and QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGIES

Quantitative Methodologies Qualitative Methodologies
Preference for precisely describing procedure Preference for narrative/literary descriptions
of procedures
Data reduced to numerical scores Preference for narrative descriptions
Preference for random sampling for obtaining Preference for expert informant samples
meaningful samples
Preference for statistical summary of results Preference for narrative summary of results
Willingness to manipulate aspects, situations, Unwillingness to tamper with naturally
or conditions in studying complex phenomena occurring phenomena

One of the significant differences in the quantitative and qualitative methods is the use of
language. Note that the data that you collect through quantitative methods are numerical scores,
while the qualitative method involves verbal and narrative descriptions. This means that the
manner of writing and presenting data in quantitative and qualitative methods is different.
Likewise, the variables studied in a quantitative method can be manipulated or experimented
depending on the nature of the research problem. In qualitative methods, the subjects cannot be
manipulated because you study them based on their natural setting.
 5 MOST COMMON QUALITATIVE RESEARCH APPROACHES
1. Ethnography – basically derived from anthropology
- In this approach, the ethnographer studies the entire culture of a particular group.
Although ethnography was initially concerned with geographic location and ethnicity, the
definition has expanded to include pretty much any organization of group; thus,
ethnographic approach is participant observation, in which the researcher becomes
immersed in the culture under study as an active participant, taking extensive notes about
observations and impressions.

2. Phenomenology – explores the world of participants by gaining thoughts, insights, and

perceptions to a particular phenomenon. The researcher tries to investigate an
individual’s thoughts and perceptions and find the common ground in every experience.
This is what we called essence in which every researcher wants to identify and describe.
In phenomenology, the participants relive their experiences in order to obtain the very
essence of these thoughts and perceptions. Some of the possible topics that can be studied
using phenomenology are the experiences of athletes who played in the national and
international events, student-artists who joined art competitions, students who volunteer
in relief operations and probably teachers who are teaching in remote areas.

3. Narrative research- narrates the life experiences of an individual told to the researcher
or from available document or material. Narrative research highlights special events in
the individual’s life. This could either be biography or autobiography. In biography, the
researchers narrate the experiences of other person, while in autobiography, the written
account of the individual who is the subject of the study.

4. Grounded Theory – aims to generate a theory from the data which are analyzed and
interpreted inductively. The theory that can be generated does not start from the
beginning but only surfaced after all the data have been analyzed inductively. This is the
result of thorough interviews and observations. Some of the topics that can be used using
grounded theory study are the system of disciplines of skilled workers and how coaches
maintain discipline among his team players.

5. Case study- presents detailed analysis of a specific case. Usually, a case is an individual,
or one group of people or one school. The researcher focuses only on one particular case.
For example, you can perform a case study on a student who excels both in math and
science, or on student who is poor in reading and yet a black belter in taekwondo.