Quantitative, Qualitative and

Mixed Method Research

 Quantitative Research
• What is quantitative research?
– Quantitative research collects and uses numerical
data to explore, describe, explain, or predict trends
or phenomena.
– Quantitative research emphasizes objectivity and
the control of contextual factors that may impact
the results.
– Quantitative research states hypotheses and relies
on statistical analysis to support conclusions made
regarding the hypotheses.
The Role of Quantitative Methods in Business
and Management
Quantitative methods play an important role both in
business research and in the practical solution of business
problems. Managers have to take decisions on a wide
range of issues, such as:
– How much to produce
– What prices to charge
– How many staff to employ
– Whether to invest in new capital equipment
– Whether to fund a new marketing initiative
– Whether to introduce a new range of products
– Whether to employ an innovative method of production
Methods used in Quantitative Research

• Experiments

• Survey research

• Questionnaires
 Experimental Research
• Experimental research is the oldest form of
quantitative research.
• Experiments rely on hypothesis testing (testing
variable relationships).
• The basic use of experiments is to test how
introducing an intervention (a variable) affects what
happens.
• Experiments are used in explanatory research and
are based on causal logic (or cause-and- effect logic).
 Survey Research
• Survey research is the most widely used quantitative design in
the social sciences.
• Common uses of survey research include the census, polling on
political issues or public opinions, and market research.
• Questionnaires are the primary data collection tool in survey
research.
• Questionnaire construction and delivery to respondents are very
involved processes.
• Survey items (questions in the questionnaire) are designed to
help in testing the hypotheses or answer the research questions.
• Question construction is at the heart of survey research.
 Types of Questions
• Multiple choice: A question with several response
options (typically four to five) is provided, and
respondents select a single response.
• E.g. When are you most likely to confide
something personal to your roommate?
When I have a problem and need advice
When something good has happened
When I have a secret I want to share
Never
 Types of Questions
• Dichotomous: Provide a statement with two
response options (such as yes/no or
true/false).
• E.g. I talk to my roommate about personal
matters.
True
False
 Types of Questions
• Checklist: Provide a question with several
response options and direct respondents to
check all that apply.
• E.g. I talk to my roommate about personal
matters when (please select all that apply) . . .
I need to confide in someone about a secret
I need to seek advice about a problem
I want to share good news
Never
 Types of Questions
• Rating scale: Provide a statement or question with
response options on a continuum and instruct
respondents to select a single response.
• E.g. How often do you talk to your roommate about
personal matters?
Very frequently
Somewhat frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
 Types of Questions
• Likert scale: Provide a statement with responses that
indicate level of agreement and ask respondents to
select a single response.
• E.g. When I have a problem, I greatly value the
advice of my roommate.
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
 Qualitative Research
• Qualitative research can provide insight which is not
possible to analyze and evaluate with purely
quantitative data
– A means for exploring and understanding the meaning
individuals or groups ascribe to social or human problems
– Study human behavior and social world
• Data collection is time consuming
• Benefits of these methods include richness of data
and deeper insight into phenomena under study
 Qualitative Research
• Qualitative research answer questions on:
– Why people behave the way they do
– How opinions and attitudes are formed
– How people are affected by the events that go on
around them
– How and why cultures have developed
– The difference between social groups
 Differences between Quantitative and
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Subjective – concern with opinion, Objective
experiences and feelings of individuals

Holistic Reductionist – identify as a set of variables

Phenomenological Scientific
Descriptive Experimental
Inductive – generate theories Deductive – test proposed theories
Small sample – direct data collection, Representative sample
interview, observation

Results – generalizability is not an aim Usually generalizability is an important aim

Methods used in Qualitative Research

• Direct interaction with individuals

– One to one interaction
– Or interactions with a group
• Interviews
• Focus Group Discussion
• Observation
 Interviews
• Structured interviews
– Same questions in same way
– Limited range of responses (e.g. questionnaires)
• Semi structured interviews or focused
interviews
– Series of open ended questions
– Provide opportunities to both researchers and
respondents to discuss certain topics in more
details
 Interviews (Cont.)
• Unstructured interviews or in-depth interviews
– Discussing limited number of topics
– Phrase questions in the interviewee’s previous
response
• Qualitative interviews are semi structure or
unstructured
• Qualitative interviews should be fairly informal
• Require careful consideration and preparation
 Focus group discussion
• Collect information from groups of people rather
than a series of individuals
• FGD can be used when
– Resources are limited
– To identify a number of individuals who share a
common factor
– It is desirable to collect the views of several people
within the population sub group
– Group interaction among participants has the potential
for greater insights to be developed
 Focus group discussion (Cont.)
• Characteristics of a focus group
– Group size: usually 6-10 people
– Several FGD should be run in any research, it would be
wrong to rely on the views of just one group
– Members of each group should have something in
common
– May use pre formed groups e.g. pressure groups
– Data collection and analysis is time consuming
– Requires certain skills
• Facilitation, moderating, listening, observing and analyzing
 Observation
• Might be the only method to collect
information in certain conditions
• Observation of people VS. observation of
environment
• Observation can also serve for verifying or
nullifying information collected through other
methods
 Observation (Cont.)
• Techniques for collecting data
– Written descriptions
– Video recording
– Photographs
– Documentation
 Mixed Methods Research
• Mixed methods research (MMR) involves collecting
and integrating quantitative and qualitative data in a
single project and therefore may result in a more
comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon
under investigation.
• This is a problem- centered approach to research in
which methods and theories are used instrumentally,
based on their applicability to the present study.
• Mixed methods designs value both quantitative and
qualitative approaches to research.
 Mixed Methods Research
• MMR necessarily involves at least one
quantitative research question or hypothesis,
at least one qualitative research question, and
generally at least one mixed methods
question.
 Mixed Methods Research
• The MMR question(s) directly addresses the
mixed methods nature of the study by asking
something about what is learned by
combining the quantitative and qualitative
data, or it may ask something about how the
mixed methods design aided the research
project.
 The reasons fro using Mixed Methods
Research
• Clarify and explain relationship found to exist
between variables.
• Explore relationships between variables IN DEPTH.
• Mixed method studies can help to confirm or
cross-validate relationships discovered between
variables, as when quantitative and qualitative
methods are compared to see if they converge on
a single interpretation of a phenomenon.
 References
• https://www.slideshare.net/NajibullahSafi/an-
introduction-to-qualitative-research
• https://www.slideshare.net/ToobaSalman/qua
ntitative-
• https://www.slideshare.net/khairulshafee/mix
ed-method-research-methodology
research-56914253