Qualitative versus Quantitative

Background

Qualitative researchers:

• reject the idea that social sciences (such as education and training) can be studied with the same methods as the natural or physical sciences;
• feel that human behavior is always bound to the context in which it occurs; therefore, behavior must be studied holistically, in context, rather than being manipulated;
• employ an "insider's" perspective; this makes qualitative research an intensely personal and subjective style of research.

Quantitative researchers:

• argues that both the natural and social sciences strive for testable and confirmable theories that explain phenomena by showing how they are derived from theoretical assumptions;
• reduce social reality to variables in the same manner as physical reality;
• attempt to tightly control the variable in question to see how other variables are influenced.

Activity

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Identify the following as related to either qualitative or quantitative research:

Type?	Statement
Qualitative Quantitative	1. A study which the researcher carefully designs all aspects of the study before actually collecting any data.
Qualitative Quantitative	2. You know in advance what you are looking for.
Qualitative Quantitative	3. The design emerges as the study unfolds.
Qualitative Quantitative	4. How do teachers in special education classes react to distance learning.
Qualitative Quantitative	5. What is the relationship between time spent on the simulator and operator error rate?
Qualitative Quantitative	6. The researcher deals with data in the form of words.
Qualitative Quantitative	7. The researcher deals with data in the form of numbers and statistics.
Qualitative Quantitative	8. The investigator is the data gathering instrument.
Qualitative Quantitative	9. Research methods involve the comparison of pre-test and post-test data.
Qualitative Quantitative	10. Data collection and data analysis take place simultaneously.

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