Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how there are varying ideas regarding the definitions of qualitative and quantitative research and their applications in research. The paper explains that qualitative research methods are those generally placed under the heading of ethnography, while quantitative research falls under the category of empirical or statistical studies. The paper discusses how when deciding what is the best method of research, the researcher must first determine which method best suits his or her research. The paper concludes that both methods are necessary in research and the interpretation of data in order to ensure that all aspects have been researched properly.

From the Paper:

"Researchers have reported qualitative and quantitative research have philosophical roots in the naturalistic and the positivistic philosophies, respectively. Practically all qualitative researchers, regardless of their theoretical differences, reflect some sort of individual phenomenological point of view. Most quantitative research approaches, despite the consequences of their theoretical differences, tend to highlight that there is a common reality on which people can concur. The dispute between qualitative and quantitative researchers is based upon the differences in assumptions about what reality is and whether or not it is measurable. The debate further rests on differences of opinion about how one can best identify with what we "know," whether through objective or subjective methods."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Denzin N. K. ( 1994). Evaluating qualitative research in the post structural moment: The lessons James Joyce teaches us. Qualitative Studies in Education, 7(4), 295-308.
• Denzin N. K., & Lincoln Y. S. (Eds.). ( 1984). Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Henwood, K. (2004). 3 Reinventing Validity. In Mixing Methods in Psychology: The Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Theory and Practice, Todd, Z., Nerlich, B., Mckeown, S., & Clarke, D. D. (Eds.) (pp. 37-57). New York: Psychology Press.
• Kerlinger F. ( 1964). Foundations of behavioral research. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
• Newman, I., & Benz, C. R. (1998). Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

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