Qualitative and Quantitative Research.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research.

1. Qualitative Research.

   • Usually focuses on a participant's thoughts and feelings about an aspect of their life or a particular experience.
     • An example might be an in-depth interview about childhood experiences, where the researcher records the conversation and then writes up case notes, summarising what has been said.
   • Qualitative data is often described as more meaningful information, since it is true to its original source and reflects behaviour in a real-life context.
   • STRENGTHS.
     • Rich and Detailed.
     • Meaningful.
     • High Validity.
   • LIMITATIONS.
     • Difficult to replicate.
     • Difficult to analyse.
     • Low reliability.
       • Very personal, subjective account.

2. Quantitative Research.

   • Involves measuring behaviour in a numerical way.
     • An example might be the score out of 20 on a memory test.
   • Quantitative data is sometimes described as less meaningful since it usually involves narrow focus on a very specific aspect of behaviour, and the measurement of tens takes place out of the context in which that behaviour usually occurs.
   • STRENGTHS.
     • Easy to analyse.
     • Can replicate.
     • More objective.
   • LIMITATIONS.
     • Less meaningful.
     • Low in ecological validity.

3. As a general rule...

   • Unstructured interviews, case studies, open questionnaires and some observational studies involve the collection of qualitative data.
   • Experiments, correlational studies, structured observations, structured interviews and closed questionnaires involve the collection of quantitative data.
   • Quite often, researchers gather data using a qualitative method and then convert the information into quantitative data for the purpose of analysis.
     • As an example, having recorded an in-depth interview about childhood experiences, a researcher might analyse the recording to see how many times certain themes occur, for example, sibling rivalry, discipline methods used by parents, peer influences, and so on.