SOCW 6301 Week 3 Assignment

SOCW 6301 Week 3 Assignment

Assignment: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Questions

According to Creswell (2009), quantitative research is a “means for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables that can be measured and analyzed using statistical procedures.” Qualitative research, Creswell posits, is a “means for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to social or human problems.”

Consider the phenomenon of pain. Ethics committees and institutional review boards do not allow researchers to inflict equal doses of pain on subjects to examine their physiological response. In quantitative research, pain can be measured physiologically by blood pressure, changes in blood chemistry, muscle contractions, and pain scales (which are still subjective, but at least quantifiable). Researchers using a qualitative perspective may ask participants about their experience of being in physical pain, whether being in pain has changed them in any way, or what they have learned from experiencing physical pain.

For this Assignment, consider differences in how you might frame a research question in order to explore it using quantitative or qualitative research methods.

Submit a 2-page paper that highlights one of the research questions you shared in your Discussion post. Design a quantitative research question related to this problem and a qualitative research question related to the same problem. Please use the resources to support your answer.

References
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Sampling Structures

Probability and nonprobability are the two general categories of sampling. Probability sampling uses random selection, whereas nonprobability sampling does not. For example, if you wanted to study the effects of divorce on the psychological development of adolescents, you could gather a population of a certain number of adolescents whose parents were divorced. Then, out of that population, you could randomly select 25 of those people. If you wanted to use nonprobability sampling, you would choose specific people who had met predetermined criteria. For this Discussion, consider how samples would be chosen for both probability and nonprobability sampling structures.

Post your explanation of the following:

•        Using your research problem and the refined question you developed in Week 4, develop two sampling structures: probability and nonprobability.
•        Explain who would be included in each sample and how each sample would be selected.
•        Be specific about the sampling structures you chose, evaluating both strengths and limitations of each.

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Questions

You’re about to embark on a research project. You have your topic in mind, and you’re ready to start collecting data. But first, you need to formulate your research questions. This may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are two main types of research questions: quantitative and qualitative. quantitative research questions are used to collect data that can be analyzed using statistical methods. Qualitative research questions are used to collect data that cannot be analyzed using statistical methods. In this blog post, we will explore the differences between quantitative and qualitative research questions and provide examples of each. By the end, you should have a better understanding of which type of question is best suited for your project.

What is Quantitative Research?

Quantitative research is a type of scientific inquiry that uses measurable data to answer questions about the world. In contrast, qualitative research uses non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations, to understand human behavior.

Both quantitative and qualitative research are important tools for social scientists. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each is better suited to answer certain types of questions. For example, quantitative research is often used to test hypotheses or measure relationships between variables. Qualitative research is better suited for exploring new topics or understanding complex phenomena.

It is important to choose the right type of research for your question. If you are not sure which type of research to use, you can talk to a statistician or methodologist for help.

What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is a type of social science research that uses observational techniques to gather data about people, their behaviors, and the societies they live in. Qualitative research is often used to study topics such as child development, family dynamics, or social and cultural trends.

Qualitative research is typically conducted through in-depth interviews and observation. Data gathered from qualitative research is usually more rich and detailed than data gathered from quantitative research methods. However, qualitative data can be more difficult to analyze than quantitative data.

Types of Quantitative Research Questions

There are three types of quantitative research questions: exploratory, confirmation, and relationship.

Exploratory research questions are used to gain a better understanding of a topic. They are often used when a researcher is unsure of what they are looking for, or when there is little previous research on the topic. For example, an exploratory question might be “What are the motivations for taking part in online communities?”

Confirmation research questions are used to test whether a hypothesis is true. They are often used to examine cause and effect relationships. For example, a confirmation question might be “Do people who use social media have more friends than those who don’t?”

Relationship research questions are used to examine the relationships between two or more variables. For example, a relationship question might be “What is the relationship between income and job satisfaction?”

Types of Qualitative Research Questions

Qualitative research questions are often used to explore phenomena that are complex or dynamic in nature. They are typically more open-ended than quantitative research questions and allow researchers to collect rich, detailed data.

There are four main types of qualitative research questions: descriptive, exploratory, evaluative, and instrumental.

Descriptive questions are used to gather information about a phenomenon that has already been observed. These questions typically focus on the who, what, where, when, and how of the phenomenon under study.

Exploratory questions are used to generate new insights or understanding about a phenomenon. These questions are often more open-ended than descriptive questions and may be used to generate hypotheses for further investigation.

Evaluative questions are used to assess the worth, value, or merit of something. These questions often seek to compare two or more things in order to determine which is better or worse.

Instrumental questions are used to explain the causal relationships between variables. These questions seek to identify how changes in one variable lead to changes in another variable (or variables).

How to Develop Good Research Questions

If you’re embarking on a research project, it’s important to develop good research questions. This process will help you focus your research and get more specific information. Here are some tips for developing good research questions:

1. Start with a broad topic and then narrow it down.
2. Make sure your research question is clear and concise.
3. Be sure to consider the feasibility of your research question. Can you actually answer it given the resources you have?
4. Try to formulate a hypothesis, or an educated guess, about what you think the answer to your research question might be. This will help guide your research process.
5. Don’t be afraid to revise your research question as you learn more about the topic. The goal is to end up with a specific, focused question that you can actually answer.

Conclusion

Quantitative and qualitative research questions are both important in academic research. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to choose the right type of question for your particular project. If you’re not sure which type of question to use, talk to your supervisor or a research methods expert. With careful planning and execution, you can use either type of question to get the information you need to produce high-quality academic research.