The differences in qualitative and quantitative
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Discuss the differences it would make in your hypothesis and research questions, as well as the instrument you would use and the types of analysis that would differ, depending on the type of data collected based on whether you were doing quantitative or qualitative research.
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Discuss the differences it would make in your hypothesis and research questions, as well as the instrument you would use and the types of analysis that would differ, depending on the type of data collected based on whether you were doing quantitative or qualitative research.
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Quantitative research involves objectivity, rationalism, value-neutrality, logical reasoning, and detachment according to Nicholls (2009a). He cites Pest et al. as describing studies within this method as being "conducted under rigorously controlled conditions, and hundreds, sometimes thousands, of individual observations are made to verify that what is being seen is not the result of the researcher's bias or an artifact of testing" (p. 3). Quantitative researchers follow a different philosophy then that of their qualitative counterparts. Lawal (2009) claims that positivism is the philosophical paradigm of the traditional quantitative approach, and that effort is focused "toward building scientific knowledge through objective, systematic observation and control" (p. 56). Parahoo (as cited by Lawal, 2009) argues that positivists study humans as inanimate objects, and make no allowances for the uniqueness and complexity of the human individual. Nicholls (2009a) states that "quantitative research is grounded in positivism, deductive reasoning, and the idea of a single objective reality" (p. 8). This single objective reality emerges through deductive reasoning following the cause and effect process of quantitative research.
In contrast, Nicholls (2009a) claims that "qualitative research is grounded in a diverse collection of philosophical traditions that have in common their belief in multiple realities" (p. 8). These many realities emerge through inductive reasoning and the creation of theory and meaning of phenomena, to include the rich and diverse uniqueness of humanity. The post-positivist researchers found limitations in the quantitative philosophy of disregard to personal, cultural, social, spiritual, and economic aspects that influence phenomena studied. Researchers pose that experimental quantitative research conforms to the complex social world that currently exists with its diverse social differences brought about by gender, class, ethnicity, race, and linguistic status. Researchers state that "multiple kinds of knowledge, produced by multiple epistemologies and methodologies, are not only worth having but also demanded if policy, legislation, and practice are to be sensitive to social needs" ...
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