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This document discusses the differences between quantitative and qualitative research designs and how to choose the best design based on the type of information needed. Quantitative research uses statistical analysis of representative samples to make conclusions about populations, while qualitative research describes events in natural settings through observation and interviews to understand behaviors. Key factors in choosing a design include whether causality needs to be established, the level of needed control over variables, and whether results need to generalize to populations. An example is provided comparing how quantitative and qualitative methods may approach studying the cause of increased employee turnover at a company.
This document discusses the differences between quantitative and qualitative research designs and how to choose the best design based on the type of information needed. Quantitative research uses statistical analysis of representative samples to make conclusions about populations, while qualitative research describes events in natural settings through observation and interviews to understand behaviors. Key factors in choosing a design include whether causality needs to be established, the level of needed control over variables, and whether results need to generalize to populations. An example is provided comparing how quantitative and qualitative methods may approach studying the cause of increased employee turnover at a company.
This document discusses the differences between quantitative and qualitative research designs and how to choose the best design based on the type of information needed. Quantitative research uses statistical analysis of representative samples to make conclusions about populations, while qualitative research describes events in natural settings through observation and interviews to understand behaviors. Key factors in choosing a design include whether causality needs to be established, the level of needed control over variables, and whether results need to generalize to populations. An example is provided comparing how quantitative and qualitative methods may approach studying the cause of increased employee turnover at a company.
Greg L. Lowhorn Regent University Introduction It is often difficult to choose etween !uantitative and !ualitative research design. "t ti#es$ a researcher #ay choose a design ecause he or she is #ore fa#iliar with one #ethod or the other or a colleague reco##ends a %articular design. However$ our research will e #ore hel%ful if we #a&e our decision ased on well'considered$ suitale design rather than si#%ly choosing a design that is #ore fa#iliar or co#fortale to the researcher. (he %ur%ose of this %a%er is to introduce graduate students and new researchers to !uantitative and !ualitative research design and to hel% the# choose the est #ethod ased on the ty%e of infor#ation needed and analytical ca%aility. Quantitative Design ) "nalysis Quantitative Research estalishes statistically significant conclusions aout a %o%ulation y studying a re%resentative sa#%le of the %o%ulation. * (he %o%ulation consists of the entire grou% eing studied. It does not #atter if the %o%ulation is road or narrow$ only that it includes every individual that fits the descri%tion of the grou% eing studied. +ince it is i#%ractical to conduct a census ,include everyone in the %o%ulation- ecause of constant turnover and resource constraints$ a re%resentative sa#%le is chosen fro# the %o%ulation. If chosen %ro%erly$ the sa#%le will e statistically identical to the %o%ulation and conclusions for the sa#%le can e inferred to the %o%ulation. . Quantitative research usually is one of two ty%es: e/%eri#ental or descri%tive. 0/%eri#ental research tests the accuracy of a theory y deter#ining if the inde%endent variale,s- ,controlled y the researcher- causes an effect on the de%endent variale ,the variale eing #easured for change-. 1 2ften$ surveys$ correlation studies$ and #easures of e/%eri#ental outco#es are evaluated to estalish causality within a credile confidence range. * Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. ,. nd
ed.-. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications. . 7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. Exploring Marketing Research. ,8 th ed.-. 9ort 4orth: (he Dryden 6ress. 1 Ca#%ell$ D.(. ) +tanley$ 3.C. ,*:;1-. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research. Boston: Houghton <ifflin Co#%any. Descri%tive research #easures the sa#%le at a #o#ent in ti#e and si#%ly descries the sa#%le=s de#ogra%hy. "lthough this is not seen as a statistically roust or difficult e/ercise$ a good descri%tion of the variales hel%s the researcher evaluate the statistical out%ut in the %ro%er conte/t. > +o#e researchers thin& that !uantitative research is etter than !ualitative research at estalishing causality ecause of the %recise #easure#ents and controlled environ#ent of e/%eri#ents? however !ualitative studies can also e used to estalish causality ut with less e/ternal validity. Laoratory e/%eri#ents are used when all e/traneous variales need to e controlled so that the s%ecific action and effect of the inde%endent variale can e controlled. In addition$ it #ay e i#%ortant to e ale to re%licate the study and a laoratory setting #a&es these things %ossile. 9ield e/%eri#ents are conducted when it is i#%ortant to #easure what the research ele#ent actually does$ rather than what they say they will do. "s can e seen with conce%t studies$ what a %erson says they will do and what they actually do can e very different. @ Reliailit! and "alidit! Reliaility is the aility of se%arate researchers to co#e to si#ilar conclusions using the sa#e e/%eri#ental design or %artici%ants in a study to consistently %roduce the sa#e #easure#ent. ; 9or e/a#%le$ a %erson who ta&es a ris& toleration survey will achieve the sa#e score regardless of whether he or she ta&es it in the #orning or evening$ in 3anuary or 3uly$ etc. Aalidity refers to the aility of an instru#ent to #easure what it is su%%osed to #easure. 8
If I conducted a survey to #easure the degree of financial ris& a %erson was willing to tolerate and the survey #easured the res%ondent=s IQ instead$ it would not e valid. #nternal "alidit! refers to the veracity of the study$ how well it was constructed and run$ accuracy of definitions and theories e#%loyed$ accurate #easure#ent of variales$ and the researcher=s degree of confidence that the change in the de%endent variale was effected y the inde%endent variale. B External "alidit! is a study=s aility to have the results generaliCed to the %o%ulation. : In !uantitative studies this is done y ensuring that sa#%ling was done in an a%%ro%riate way$ such as rando#iCing selection so that every ele#ent in a %o%ulation has a chance to %artici%ate or to use selective techni!ues$ such as stratified or snowall sa#%ling$ to ensure that various grou%s are ade!uately > Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-. @ 7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. ; De Aaus$ D. ,.55*-. Research Design in $ocial Research. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications. 8 7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. B Huitt$ B. ,.551-. Internal and 0/ternal Aalidity: General Issues. Educational %s!cholog! #nteractive, "aldosta $tate &niversit!. Retrieved fro# htt%:DDchiron.valdosta.eduDwhuittDcolDintroDresearch.ht#l on 9eruary *;$ .551. : Huitt$ B. ,.551-. re%resented. *5 (he eli#ination of e/traneous variales as causative factors increases e/ternal validity. ** Qualitative Design ) "nalysis Qualitative Research descries an event in its natural setting. *. It is a suEective way to loo& at life as it is lived and an atte#%t to e/%lain the studied ehavior. *1
Rather than design an e/%eri#ent and artificially control the variales$ !ualitative researchers use anthro%ological and ethnogra%hic #ethods to study the %artici%ants. "s little intrusion as %ossile should occur in !ualitative research and a researcher will fre!uently oserve the %artici%ants unnoticed. *> Instead of %roviding a road view of a %heno#enon that can e generaliCed to the %o%ulation$ !ualitative research see&s to e/%lain a current situation and only descries that situation for that grou%. +ince only a current situation is oserved$ all !ualitative research is done in the field. " %ossile e/ce%tion is the focus grou%$ which is conducted with 1'*5 %ersons and uses a scri%t of !uestions. (he #oderator as&s the !uestions and the recorder records the res%onses. "lthough a focus grou% is conducted in a controlled environ#ent$ the o%en ended !uestions and lac& of rigid sa#%le selection #a&e it see# #ore li&e a field e/ercise. *@ 4hereas !uantitative research see&s to validate a theory y conducting an e/%eri#ent and analyCing the results nu#erically$ !ualitative research see&s to arrive at a theory that e/%lains the ehavior oserved. In this way$ it can e said that !uantitative research is #ore deductive and !ualitative research is #ore inductive. *; Reliailit! and "alidit! "s in !uantitative research$ the aility to re%roduce results is i#%ortant in !ualitative research. #nternal validit! is auto#atically estalished in !ualitative research ecause the grou% acts as its own %oint of reference. *8
*5 7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. ** 9lic&$ U. ,.55.-. An #ntroduction to Qualitative Research. ,. nd ed.-. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications. *. "usaha$ R. ) 4oelfel$ <.L. ,.551-. Qualitative vs. Quantitative <ethods: (wo 2%%osites that <a&e a 6erfect <atch. 'ournal of the American Dietetic Association. *51,@-. @;;'@8@. *1 4alsh$ F. ,.551-. Qualitative Research: "dvancing the +cience and 6ractice of Hos%itality. (ornell )otel * Restaurant Quarterl!. >>,*.-. ;;'8@. *> Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-? de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-. *@ 7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. *; (rochi#$ 4.<.F. ,.555-. Deduction and Induction: Deductive and Inductive (hin&ing. Retrieved fro# htt%:DDtrochi#.hu#an.cornell.eduD&Ddedind.ht# on <arch 15$ .551. *8 de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-. External validit! cannot e estalished in the traditional sense with !ualitative sense ecause it is not trying to reach a general conclusion aout the %o%ulation. Instead$ validity for !ualitative research is est descried as rigorous$ credile$ and trustworthy. Design and +tudy Location De%ending u%on the researcher=s need for oEectivity$ location and ty%e of e/%eri#ent can e chosen in order to #a/i#iCe validity. (he following grid shows when each ty%e of design is co#%atile with each ty%e of locationD#ethod. Laoratory 9ield Quantitative Qualitative " 6ractical 0/a#%le Ges$ control needed$ causality can e estalished Ges$ oservation$ control not needed$ correlation Ho ,e/ce%t for si#ilarities with focus grou%s- Ges$ all oservations are in the field$ e/%lain current %heno#enon (o illustrate different a%%roaches$ consider the e/a#%le of a co#%any e/%eriencing a sudden increase in turnover. (he #anager is unsure why turnover has suddenly s%i&ed and co##issions a study to deter#ine its cause. If a researcher wants to deter#ine the cause of the increased turnover$ he or she #ay analyCe the situation differently de%ending on the research #ethod chosen. Quantitative: (he researcher would start y gathering de#ogra%hic data so he or she could descrie the e#%loyee %ool. (hen$ a data gathering instru#ent such as a survey #ay e used to as& s%ecific !uestions aout %ersonal characteristics$ cause for ter#inating e#%loy#ent$ etc. (he data would e nu#erically analyCed to see if a correlation e/isted etween variales and$ if so$ regression #ay e used to %redict future turnover ased on the %resence of the sa#e inde%endent factors ,variales- that were studied. Qualitative: If !ualitative research #ethodology was chosen$ the researcher #ay choose to conduct a case study$ using %ersonal interviews and oservation to try to deter#ine the cause,s- of increased turnover. +ince ethnogra%hic considerations are ta&en$ the researcher tries to deter#ine this grou%=s version of reality$ rather than acce%ting one generic version of reality li&e the !uantitative researcher would do. +ince this is a study aout why this co#%any has e/%erienced an increase in turnover$ the results could only e inferred for this co#%any or$ at the #ost$ to co#%anies that are very #uch li&e this one. *B Conclusion De%ending u%on the desired outco#e of the research$ social scientists #ay choose etween !uantitative or !ualitative designs. +ince they see& to e/%lain events fro# different %ers%ectives$ oth are valid ways to evaluate a %heno#enon in the %ro%er conte/t. By e/a#ining the current situation$ the research !uestion$ and the critical factors of each design$ the researcher can #a&e a #ore infor#ed choice and enhance oth reliaility and validity of the study. *B Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-? de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-? 9lic&$ U. ,.55.-.