Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches

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Chapter 2

• Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches

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Key Ideas

• Definition of quantitative and qualitative
  Research
• Development of quantitative research
• Development of qualitative research
• Differences between quantitative and qualitative
  in the process of research
• Design procedures within your approach
• Use of quantitative or qualitative approach

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Definitions of Qualitative and Quantitative
Research

• Quantitative Research
• A type of educational research in which
  the researcher decides what to study, asks
  specific, narrow questions, collects numeric
  (numbered) data from participants, analyzes these
  numbers using statistics, and conducts the
  inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner.

• Qualitative Research
• A type of educational research in which
  the researcher relies on the views of
  participants, asks broad, general questions,
  collects data consisting largely of words (or
  text) from participants, describes and analyzes
  these words for themes, and conducts the inquiry
  in a subjective, biased manner.

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The Development of Quantitative Research
Historical Trends

• Statistical Procedures
• Test and Measurement Practices
• Research Designs

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Historical Trends Quantitative Statistical
Procedures

• Correlational procedures
• Comparing groups
• Cause/Effect relationships

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Historical Trends Quantitative Testing and
Measurement

• Testing mental abilities (late 19th century)
• Measuring achievement (e.g. SAT)
• Predicting achievement from standardized
  measurements

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Historical Trends Quantitative Research Designs

• Educational Surveys (late 19th century)
• Simple Experiments (early 20th century)
• Multiple groups and tests (by 1935)
• Longitudinal designs
• Books on research design (e.g. Kerlinger 1964)

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The Development of Qualitative Research Major
Themes

• Philosophical Ideas
• Procedural Developments
• Advocacy Practices

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Historical Trends Qualitative Philosophical Ideas

• Naturalistic Inquiry or Constructivism
• consider the participants point of view
• describe participants view within a setting or
  context
• This is an alternative perspective to traditional
  research

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Historical Trends Qualitative Procedural
Developments

• Central Phenomenon rather than research question
  or hypothesis
• Methods such as interviews, observations and
  interviews
• Designs such as case studies, grounded theory and
  narrative

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Historical Trends Qualitative Advocacy Practices

• The qualitative researcher is not objective,
  politically neutral observer
• The qualitative researcher is an observer of the
  human condition
• The meaning of the research is plural, political
  and open
• The project is collaborative and participatory

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Characteristics of Quantitative and Qualitative
Research in the Process of Research
Steps in the Research Process
Quantitative Characteristics
Qualitative Characteristics

• Exploratory/
• Understanding
• a Central Phenomena

• Descriptive/Explanatory

• Major Role
• Justify Problem

• Minor Role
• Justify Problem

• Specific and Narrow
• Measurable/Observable

• General and Broad
• Participants Experience

• Pre-determined
• Instruments
• Numeric Data
• Large numbers

• General, emerging form
• Text or image data
• Small Number

• Text Analysis
• Description and Themes
• Larger Meanings of Findings

• Statistical
• Description of Trends
• Comparisons/Predictions

• Flexible and Emerging
• Reflexive and Biased

• Standard and Fixed
• Objective and Unbiased

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Ways in Which Quantitative and Qualitative
Research are Similar

• They both follow the steps in the process of
  research
• Format for reporting the research problem is the
  same
• Both have data collection steps

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How Procedures or Research Designs Relate to
Quantitative and Qualitative Research and Steps
in the Process of Research
Two Approaches
Steps in the Research Process
Research Designs
Quantitative Qualitative
Quantitative Qualitative

• Experimental
• Correlational
• Survey

Quantitative Qualitative
Quantitative Qualitative

• Mixed
• Action

Quantitative Qualitative

• Ethnography
• Grounded Theory
• Narrative

Quantitative Qualitative
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Quantitative Designs and Uses
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Qualitative Designs and Uses
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Combined Designs and Uses
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How Do You Choose Whether to Use the Quantitative
or Qualitative Approach?

• Match the approach to the problem
• Fit the approach to your audience
• Relate the approach to your experiences