Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies: A Comparison

1. Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies: A Comparison Used with permission from: John R. Slate The University of Texas at El Paso

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

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

4. 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).

5. ONTOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES (REALNESS OF DATA COLLECTED):

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

7. 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.

8. EPISTEMOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES • RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCHER AND OBJECT OF RESEARCH

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

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

11. AXIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES • ROLE OF VALUES IN THE STUDY

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. RHETORIC DIFFERENCES (LANGUAGE OF THE RESEARCH):

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

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

17. NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

18. 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.

19. 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.

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

21. METHODOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES:

22. 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.

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

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

25. 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.

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