Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies: A Comparison

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Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies A
Comparison

• Used with permission from John R. Slate
• The University of Texas at El Paso

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• BOTH PARADIGMS HAVE ROOTS IN 20TH-CENTURY
  PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING.

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• THE QUANTITATIVE PARADIGM IS REGARDED AS
• The TRADITIONAL,
• The POSITIVIST,
• The EXPERIMENTAL,
• Or the EMPIRICIST PARADIGM.

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• THE QUALITATIVE PARADIGM IS REGARDED AS
• THE CONSTRUCTIVIST OR NATURALISTIC APPROACH
  (Lincoln Guba, 1981),
• THE INTERPRETATIVE APPROACH (Smith, 1983),
• THE POSTPOSITIVIST OR POSTMODERN PERSPECTIVE
  (Quantz, 1992).

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• ONTOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES (REALNESS OF DATA
  COLLECTED)

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• QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHERS VIEW REALITY AS
  "OBJECTIVE" AND INDEPENDENT OF THE RESEARCHER.
• THESE "OBJECTIVE" PHENOMENA ARE MEASURED VIA
  QUESTIONNAIRES, INSTRUMENTS, ETC.

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• FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH,
• THE ONLY REALITY IS THAT WHICH IS CONSTRUCTED BY
  THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS.
  
• THUS, MULTIPLE REALITIES EXIST IN ANY GIVEN
  SITUATION.

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• EPISTEMOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
• RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCHER AND OBJECT OF
  RESEARCH

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• QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE
  DISTANT AND INDEPENDENT OF WHAT IS BEING
  RESEARCHED.
• THUS CONTROL FOR BIAS IS MADE.

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• QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS INTERACT WITH THOSE
  THEY STUDY,
• OFTEN SEEKING TO MINIMIZE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
  HER/HIM SELF AND THE OBJECT OF RESEARCH.

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• AXIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
• ROLE OF VALUES IN THE STUDY

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• QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHERS ATTEMPT TO KEEP THEIR
  VALUES OUT OF THE STUDY,
• BY USING IMPERSONAL LANGUAGE AND REPORTING THE
  FACTS, ARGUING CLOSELY FROM THE EVIDENCE GATHERED
  IN THE STUDY.

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• QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS ADMIT THE VALUE-LADEN
  NATURE OF THE STUDY
• ACTIVELY REPORT THEIR VALUES AND BIASES,
• AS WELL AS THE VALUE NATURE OF THE INFORMATION
  GATHERED FROM THE RESEARCH.
• THE LANGUAGE OF THE STUDY IS OFTEN FIRST PERSON
  AND PERSONAL.

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• RHETORIC DIFFERENCES (LANGUAGE OF THE RESEARCH)

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• QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHERS USE IMPERSONAL AND
  FORMAL LANGUAGE
• USING ACCEPTED TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS RELATIONSHIP,
  COMPARISON, AND VARIANCE. CONCEPTS
• DEFINITIONS ARE WELL-DEFINED FROM ACCEPTED
  DEFINITIONS.

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• QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS OFTEN USE DIFFERENT
  TERMINOLOGY,
• ALTHOUGH WORDS SUCH AS UNDERSTANDING, DISCOVER,
  THEMES, AND MEANING ARE EMERGING AS QUALITATIVE
  TERMS.

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• NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

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• IN QUANTITATIVE STUDIES,
• THE PROBLEM EVOLVES FROM THE LITERATURE, SO A
  BODY OF LITERATURE EXISTS ON WHICH THE RESEARCHER
  CAN BUILD.
• VARIABLES OFTEN ARE KNOWN,
• THEORIES MAY EXIST WHICH NEED TO BE TESTED AND
  VERIFIED.

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• IN QUALITATIVE STUDIES,
• THE RESEARCH PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED BECAUSE
  LITTLE EXISTS ON THE TOPIC.
• VARIABLES ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN, AND
• THE RESEARCHER WANTS TO FOCUS ON THE CONTEXT
  WHICH MAY SHAPE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE
  PHENOMENON BEING STUDIED.

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• IN MANY QUALITATIVE STUDIES,
• A THEORY BASE DOES NOT NECESSARILY GUIDE THE
  STUDY BECAUSE THOSE AVAILABLE ARE INADEQUATE,
  INCOMPLETE, OR SIMPLY MISSING.

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• METHODOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES

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• QUANTITATIVE RESEARCHERS
• TEND TO USE A MORE DEDUCTIVE FORM OF LOGIC
• THROUGH TESTING HYPOTHESES IN A CAUSE-AND-EFFECT
  ORDER.
• STATIC DESIGN
• CONCEPTS, VARIABLES, AND HYPOTHESES OFTEN ARE
  CHOSEN PRIOR TO THE STUDY AND REMAINS FIXED
  THROUGHOUT THE STUDY.

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• QUANTITATIVE
• ONE DOES NOT VENTURE BEYOND THESE PRE-DETERMINED
  HYPOTHESES (i.e., RESEARCH IS CONTEXT-FREE).

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• QUANTITATIVE
• RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY USUALLY ARE ESTABLISHED
  VIA QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES.

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• QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS
• TEND TO USE A MORE INDUCTIVE FORM OF LOGIC.
• THIS PROVIDES CONTEXT-BOUND INFORMATION LEADING
  TO PATTERNS OR THEORIES WHICH HELP EXPLAIN A
  PHENOMENON.

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• QUALITATIVE
• RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY USUALLY ARE ESTABLISHED
  VIA TECHNIQUES SUCH AS TRIANGULATION,
• IN WHICH DIFFERENT SOURCES OF INFORMATION ARE
  POOLED TOGETHER.