Qualitative versus Quantitative
Overview
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Qualitative
Deals with descriptions.
Data can be observed but not measured.
Colors, textures, smells, tastes,
appearance, beauty, etc.
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Quantitative
Deals with numbers.
Data which can be measured.
Length, height, area, volume, weight,
speed, time, temperature, humidity,
sound levels, cost, members, ages, etc.
Qualitative → Quality
Example:
Freshman Class
Objective /
purpose
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friendly demeanors
civic minded
environmentalists
positive school spirit
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To gain an understanding of underlying
reasons and motivations
To provide insights into the setting of a
problem, generating ideas and/or
hypotheses for later quantitative
research
To uncover prevalent trends in thought
and opinion
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Role of
Researcher
Sample
Scientific
Method
Research
Questions
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Outcome
Researcher & biases may be known to
participants in the study, & participant
characteristics may be known to the
researcher.
 Usually a small number of nonrepresentative cases.
 Respondents selected to fulfill a given
quota.
Exploratory or bottom–up: the researcher
generates a new hypothesis and theory from
the data collected
What? Why?
Unstructured or semi-structured techniques,
e.g. individual depth interviews or group
discussions
 Non-statistical
 Identify patterns, features, themes.
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Quantitative → Quantity
672 students
394 girls, 278 boys
68% on honor roll
150 students accelerated in mathematics
To quantify data and generalize results
from a sample to the population of
interest
To measure the incidence of various
views and opinions in a chosen sample
Sometimes followed by qualitative
research which is used to explore some
findings further
Researcher & biases are not known to
participants in the study, & participant
characteristics are deliberately hidden from
the researcher (double blind studies).
 Usually a large number of cases
representing the population of interest.
 Randomly selected respondents. When
possible.
 Randomly assigned, when possible.
Confirmatory or top-down: the researcher
tests the hypothesis and theory with the
data
How many? Strength of association?
Structured techniques such as online
questionnaires, on-street or telephone
interviews
 Statistical data is usually in the form of
tabulations (tabs).
 Findings are conclusive and usually
descriptive in nature.
Exploratory and/or investigative
 Generalizable to population of interest.
Findings are not conclusive and cannot  Used to recommend a final course of
Designs
Examples of
Method
Perspective
Data
Final Report
be used to make generalizations about
the population of interest.
 Develop an initial understanding and
sound base for further decision making
The design emerges as the study unfolds.
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Case Study
Ethnography
Phenomenology
Heuristic
Grounded Theory
Subjective: individual interpretation of
events is important, e.g., uses participant
observation, in-depth interviews etc.
 Wide-angle lens; examines the breadth
& depth of phenomena
Data is in the form of words, pictures or
objects
Narrative report with contextual description
& direct quotations from research
participants.
action
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All aspects of the study are carefully
designed before data is collected.
Experimental
Quasi-experimental
Correlational
Surveys
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Objective: seeks precise measurement &
analysis of target concepts, e.g., uses
surveys, questionnaires etc.
 Narrow-angle lens; tests a specific
hypotheses
Data is in the form of numbers and statistics
Statistical report with correlations,
comparisons of means, & statistical
significance of findings.
References
Creswell, J.W. (1994). Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Sage Publications: Thousand
Oaks, CA.
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2008). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (p.
34). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Lichtman, M. (2006). Qualitative research in education: A user’s guide (pp. 7-8). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Roberts, D. (2012). Qualitative vs quantitative data. Retrieved
http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/math/algebra/AD1/qualquant.htm
Snap Surveys Ltd. (2012). Qualitative vs quantitative research. Retrieved from
http://www.snapsurveys.com/techadvqualquant.shtml