Quantitative vs Qualitative Measurement

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Please see response below. I also attached a highly informative and in-depth discussion of qualitative and quantitative research and measurement. Although it is from an education perspective, the author provides an excellent coverage of the literature on the debate between quantitative and qualitative measurement and research.

RESPONSE:

1. Compare quantitative measurement with qualitative measurement. Include a discussion on the types of data for each. Support the discussion with solid academic references.

Let's take a closer look at the differences between the two types of measurement through discussion, research and illustrative examples, which you can draw on for your final copy.

Qualitative and quantitative methods of measurement have been debated for years. However, it is not necessary to pit these two paradigms against one another in competing positions. For example, Patton (1990) advocates a "paradigm of choices" that seeks "methodological appropriateness as the primary criterion for judging methodological quality." This will allow for a "situational responsiveness" that strict adherence to one paradigm or another will not (p. 39). Indeed, others argue that qualitative and quantitative research can be effectively combined in the same research project (Strauss and Corbin, 1990; Patton, 1990). For example, Russek and Weinberg (1993) claim that by using both quantitative and qualitative data, their study of technology-based materials for the elementary classroom gave insights that neither type of analysis could provide alone.

Qualitative research paradigms use qualitative measures (e.g., interviews, focus groups), whereas quantitative research paradigms use quantitative 'objective' measures (e.g., questionnaires, surveys, standardized tests). Qualitative measures collect 'subjective' data, whereas quantitative measurements collect 'objective' data.

Thus, as reported by Bodgan and Bilken (1982) and others (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), qualitative researchers have a special responsibility to their subjects and their readers. Unlike quantitative data, since there are no statistical tests for significance in qualitative studies, the researcher bears the burden of discovering and interpreting the importance of the 'subjective' data, of what is observed, and of establishing a plausible connection between what is observed and the conclusions drawn in the ...