QUALITIES

OF A GOOD
RESEARCHER
1.Curious – a good researcher
is usually curious about why
people do things a certain way,
why certain problems exist,
and why no solution is present
about different problems of life.

2. Effective and efficient- a

good researcher works in a
way that will be easier and does
not take too much time for
research study to be completed,
no matter how a research study
may be.

3. Creative- a good researcher

finds different ways to deal with
different issues that may slow
him/her down in his/her research
process.
4.Honest – a good researcher
is interested in telling the
truth, not in using lies, to
complete a study.
5. Interested in improving life-
a good researcher has interest
in people(especially in
qualitative research). A good
researcher understands the
human suffering and is
interested in addressing the
problems of humanity. He/She
is therefore not bothered with
the time and effort needed to
conduct and complete a
research study that will truly
make a difference in the lives
of people.
6. Meticulous- a good
researcher pays attention to
details to make sure that
carelessness does not creep
in and affect negatively his/her
research study.
7. Systematic- a good
researcher has a way to plan
his/her research, implement
the plan, and make sure the
plan works. If the plan does
not work, a good researcher
Can easily come up with a Plan
B that is almost equally good.
QUALITATIVE and
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
1. Definition of Quantitative
Research
Quantitative research is a
research concept that refers to
the type of research that
Relies heavily on numbers more
than any other way. We use
quantitative research to try to
understand what a large number
of people think about a certain
topic. For instance, we
aggregate people’s opinion
through a survey. In this type of
research, we use number
(statistics) to understand major
trends, perceptions, or
opinions of a large number of
people. The purpose of
quantitative research is to try
to generalize our findings(or
results) over a large group of
people.

2. Characteristics of
Quantitative Research
* Objectivity- The data must
be objective. You cannot give
your personal opinion on things.
Everything must be based on
the research participants’ data.
You must remove your bias or
preconceived ideas.
* Use of Numbers- all
quantitative research must
primarily and mainly use
numbers
It uses different ways that
help collect data that is
measurable by numbers. It is
based on statistical analysis.
It is centered on
frequencies(or number of
occurrence of certain factors)
* Use of quantitative data
collection methods- There is a
specific plan to collect
quantitative data. This tool, (for
example), a survey is used
mainly to collect numerical or
statistical data.
* Focus on predetermined set of
concepts- In quantitative
research, you are required to
focus only on one set of
concepts that you preselect to
measure in your research study.
These measurable concepts are
called variables.

3. Definition of Qualitative
Research
- It is about a research type that
allows the researcher to
explore a complex issue that
does not have clear present
variables. It is a research
approach that allows the
researcher to interpret the life
of people in order to understand
their problems better and
deeper in order to generate
solutions that are relevant to
their situation. In qualitative
research, we understand that
people are all different. They
may experience phenomena
differently than we do. So,
instead of representing their
life in numbers, we need to go
them, observe them in their
natural settings, and hear
their personal stories. The
problem is found in those
experiences and the solutions
to the problem are found there
too.
4. Characteristics of Qualitative
Research

*Rich- It gives you the ability to

explore a problem in-depth,
using multiple perspectives on
the same problem.
*Open- If something is not clear
when you collect or analyze
data, you can check it
with more data collection
until you feel satisfied
with the results.
*Subjective- It is not free
from bias(or our own
preconceived ideas).
When we observe people
or interview them, we use
our own background
experiences and preconceived
ideas to lead our
understanding. Thus we
cannot present a qualitative
research that does not have
some level of bias. This fact is
recognized in the field of
qualitative research.
*A great approach to deal with
complex issues- with
qualitative research, we are
not limited by a specific
number of variables, as is the
case of quantitative research.
We can dig as deep as we
want in our research, without
as much restriction as what
we usually have in
quantitative research.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- We find strengths and
weaknesses in both
quantitative and qualitative
research. We should never
develop the idea that one is
approach is better than the
other. Each approach has its
specific purpose and
orientation. The weaknesses
of quantitative research can be
complemented with qualitative
research and vice versa.
*Strengths of quantitative
research- It captures data and
reality from a large group of
people at once. It is objective. It
does not support the researcher’s
bias. It helps test theories and
variables statistically.
It has well-structured data. It
has been around longer than
qualitative research; therefore,
many people know it more than
qualitative research.
*Weaknesses of quantitative
research- It is limited by the
factors or variables that a
researcher can study at a time.
It does not put personal
experience into consideration,
no matter how important that
might be. It is therefore based
only on truth expressed by the
majority; the minority voice
does not count. It can be hard
for people who are not good
with statistics. This sometimes
leads to erroneous results.
*Strengths of qualitative
research- it helps study
complex issues or problems. It
is based on data from natural
settings; which can reflect
more closely the reality of the
research participants. It takes
into account the real life of
people by using their stories
and their settings. It provides
multiple perspectives about the
same problem from multiple
sources.

*Weaknesses of qualitative
research- It is based on a
limited number of participants.
It is subjective; the
researcher’s bias may affect
the data. It can be cumbersome
 because data does not follow
the same structure, as in
quantitative research.

CONCLUSION
Research is an interesting
scholarly activity that everyone
at school needs. It helps us solve
different types of problems in
order to improve life or the way
we do our work. Everyone can
be trained in research.
However, everyone must make
an effort to improve his/her
own research skills.