Modes of Enquiry

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Modes of Enquiry

• A Comparison of the Qualitative and Quantitative
  Approaches

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Modes of enquiry

• QUANTITATIVE MODE
• ASSUMPTIONS
• Objective reality of
• social facts
• Primacy of method
• Possible to identify variables
• Possible to measure variables

• QUALITATIVE MODE
• ASSUMPTIONS
• Social construction of reality
• Primacy of subject matter
• Complexity of variables
• Difficulty in measuring variables

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Modes of enquiry

• QUANTITATIVE
• PURPOSE
• Generalization
• Prediction
• Causal explanation

• QUALITATIVE
• PURPOSE
• Contextualization
• Interpretation
• Understanding participant perspectives

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MODES OF ENQUIRY

• QUANTITATIVE
• APPROACH
• Hypothesis based
• Manipulation and control
• Uses formal instruments
• Experimentation
• Deductive
• Component analysis
• Seeking norms and consensus
• Reducing data to numerical indices

• QUALITATIVE
• APPROACH
• Theory generating
• Emergence and portrayal
• Researcher as instrument
• Naturalistic
• Inductive
• Pattern seeking
• Looking for pluralism and complexity
• Descriptive

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Modes of enquiry

• QUANTITATIVE
• RESEARCHER ROLE
• Detachment and impartiality
• Objective portrayal

• QUALITATIVE
• RESEARCHER ROLE
• Personal involvement and partiality
• Empathetic understanding

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