Qualitative Vs Quantitative

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This is to discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative research

Go http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html to see a really good table

Essentially, qualitative and quantitative research methods are complementary, and work best when used together. Quantitative research aims to gather "facts"; the "who/what/where/why" of a situation or problem. Qualitative research aims to find out "why".

Unlike qualitative research, whereby data often contains the participant’s personal beliefs, concerns and ideas in long responses, quantitative research gains numerical statistics, which can be greatly relied on in giving reliable data. Qualitative research is sometimes not as reliable as opinions are not numerical and do not have the substance. For example:

  • Quantitative: 97% of participants were happy with the outcome
  • Qualitative: Many participants believed that the success of the event was due to the good media coverage.
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References

McBride, R and Schostak, J (1995) Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research. Enquiry Learning Unit. Accessed 18 March 2008, Available at: http://www.enquirylearning.net/ELU/Issues/Research/Res1Cont.html

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