Qualitative and Quantitative Research



Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Comment # 1

The empirical investigation of a social problem through the use of computer techniques, statistics and mathematical procedures is known as Quantitative research. The focal point of such form of research is to measure the relationship between the relationships of the variables studied in the research (McMillan & Schumacher, 2009). Though, there is no best prescribed manner in which a quantitative research should be carried out, but by describing a few guidelines and structuring a well balanced set of research questions, this problem can be largely curbed. Firstly, the type of quantitative research question should be identified. Be it comparative or relation based. This would help clear a wide array of aspects in the mind of the researcher (Bryman, 2012). Then, the variables to be studied in the research should be critically evaluated, and the most appropriate form of research question basing on the decision and nature of the variables should then be chosen. All of this would help analyze the problem which is being addressed by the research. It is because of this inclusion of numeric and measurement in the research that quantitative research is often referred to as being labeled as true science. The use of statistical means, as well as traditional mathematical tool is used to measure the results, and in most of the cases the result is utterly conclusive. It is because of such conclusiveness that physical scientists make the most use of quantitative research and although there may be different variants of this form of research, but in reality there are only minor differences which are only found in aspects of generating a hypothesis to be either disapproved or proved. However, it doesn't leave any room for uncertainty, as the results yielded are either proved or unproved. Thus, it draws a concrete line and ensures that there are no grey areas left which might allow suspicion to creep in.

Comment # 2

It is imperative for a researcher to set guideline before starting a research so that they clearly understand how the entire process should go about, what should be analyzed, what data should be focused and how should it be collected. All of this is important to ensure that the research is designed in an effective manner, such that the end result is effective and valid in nature. The very strength of quantitative research lies in the potency of numbers. The numbers help describe the behavior and attitude of the consumers under study. Through the use of various techniques, the researcher can analyze the population on a larger scale and collect data which is relevant to their study (Babbie, 2012). Since, the entire focus of this research is solely based on numbers, thus in order to effectively translate the findings to the masses, the findings are usually converted in graphs and charts which are relatively easier to comprehend. However, quantitative research is extremely systemic in its approach. It is only used for objects which can be clearly identified ...