How qualitative research differs from quantitative research
NUR 504 Week 1 Discussions 2
Identify and discuss two major ways in which qualitative research differs from quantitative research. Is one better than the other? Provide reference(s).
ADDITIONAL INFO
How qualitative research differs from quantitative research
Introduction
We all know that quantitative and qualitative research is valuable, but it’s not always easy to tell the difference between the two. Here are some key differences between quantitative and qualitative research to help you understand which type is right for your project.
How it’s defined
Qualitative research is a process that uses subjective data to answer research questions. It’s used to gain understanding of the context of a situation, and it’s used to understand why people do what they do.
Qualitative researchers collect their data through interviews and observations, which are then analyzed in order for them to draw conclusions about the topic being studied. They also ask open-ended questions that allow people’s thoughts on something or someone else (e.g., “What does this mean?”)
Types of qualitative research
There are a few different types of qualitative research, each with its own benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones:
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Focus groups: These are groups that meet together to discuss a particular topic or issue in depth. You can use focus groups to get feedback from people who have similar experiences and opinions. It’s also useful for finding out how your organization can better serve its customers by improving their experience with your product or service, for example by making it easier for them to find what they need during checkout or delivery time windows (if applicable).
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In-depth interviews: This type involves one-on-one conversations between participants and researchers with the sole purpose of learning more about specific topics than would be possible through other types of qualitative research techniques (such as surveys). An interviewee will typically be asked questions related directly back towards their answers during previous surveys; however there may also be some open ended questions added into those discussions as well so that both parties have chance at being heard equally throughout each discussion session—therefore creating space within which each participant feels comfortable sharing insights without fear of judgment from others present within 100% privacy settings.”
How it differs from quantitative research
Qualitative research is a form of social science that uses qualitative methods to gain insight into the meaning and context behind people’s actions, beliefs and behaviors. Qualitative researchers apply their knowledge of human behavior in order to study these issues. Qualitative data collection involves observing people in natural settings as they go about their daily lives or taking an active role in studying them (e.g., asking questions). Quantitative research collects numerical data through surveys or interviews with participants who are randomly selected from a larger group such as an organization’s employees or students at a university campus
Qualitative research advantages and disadvantages
Qualitative research has many advantages, including:
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It’s more expensive than quantitative research.
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It can take longer to complete.
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It requires a different kind of expertise from that needed for quantitative approaches such as field work or focus groups. However, these disadvantages are outweighed by the fact that qualitative methods provide richer information about people and their experiences than other types of research do (and often yield results more quickly).
Understanding of how qualitative differs from quantitative
Qualitative research is more focused on the meaning of the research. For example, if a researcher wants to understand how people feel about something, they can write a questionnaire or interview participants and ask them questions about their feelings. Quantitative research is more focused on data collection—how many people have said this or that? How many times did this happen? Quantitative researchers often use surveys or polls in order to gather information from large numbers of people at once.
Whereas quantitative approaches tend to focus on outcomes such as number of responses per question (and sometimes even those responses themselves), qualitative approaches tend to focus more heavily on context; what happened beforehand; why did you say something when asked that way? Why are we asking these questions now anyway? What kind of answers would we get if we asked differently?
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand the differences between quantitative and qualitative research. While there are many advantages to both types of studies, it’s important to recognize their differences so that you can make informed decisions about which approach is right for your project.
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