QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH Editor: Stephen Murray

images and the subjective



Quantitative research generally deals in numbers,

logic and the objective

to means of completing explanations

Qualitative research assumes that people have

meaningful
actions or experiences
that can be interpreted

OF DATA
*BEST TO START WITH...

in obtaining insights for
motivational /social (group) or emotional and

attitudinal (individual) factors
In IR: primary data of events or personalities supporting explanations and argument

(Cf. In marketing: for new product launch, new service development or repositioning current product

1 particular topic or concept
Relaxed, informal atmosphere
1-3 hour duration

Goal:
Learn and

understand what people say and why?

vocational training in Papua
Ethnographic studies on indigenous populations in

Oaxaca, Mexico
 
Qualitative Research Types:
Case studies
Developmental research
Historical research
Ethnograph studies

Case Studies:

Purpose: to do an in depth study

In brief: Background, current status and/or environmental factors that interact for each group (individual, institution or community)

individuals / group / community
It may give a detailed explanation

of a complete life cycle or part of it
Number of cases studied may be small but the number of variables studied are usually more in-depth (e.g. if compared to a survey)

Developmental Research:  
Conducted to research on the development of individuals / group / institution / community  
TWO TYPES: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal

Historical Research:
Used to gain information on an event, development and/or previous educational experience
Process may involve studying previous situation, checking on current situation, and to predict if the same situation will occur again
Conclusion on previous event is done based on collected facts and evidences to answer why and how the event and repercussions occurred
Useful to solve questions that involve sensitive issues
Important for systematically & objectively collecting and defining facts and evidences

evidence
Collect evidence / reference materials
Primary source / original

(observation or witnesses of events or authentic objects – e.g. artifacts, speech text, records etc.)
Secondary source (materials or information collected from primary sources – e.g. paintings, films, news reports, documents
Critique of evidences
External critique: confirming if collected sources are genuine and reliable (authenticity of paintings, signatures, chemical analysis etc.)
Internal critique: conducted after authenticity of source of information is confirmed – involves evaluation of collected evidences– is it important? Required?  
Able to explain the researched phenomenon?
Prepare the report

Ethnographic Research:

In-depth study of natural behaviours in a culture or social group
Purpose – to understand relationships between behaviour and culture
Example: In education – to understand schooling process (e.g., immigrant children) Involves widespread observations (participant & nonparticipant)

Here often starts research without hypothesis – hypothesis is developed in the process of observations, and the researcher explores and test his hypothesis

of probing questions
Usually face to face
Interviewer encourages the interviewee to

talk more
Goal:
To collect as much as memory, attitudinal and
behavioral data from the subject

is needed
-Discussion of sensitive, confidential issues
-When strong, social norms exist
-Interviews

with competitors

encourage the respondent to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes,

or feelings onto an ambiguous situation

They are all indirect techniques that attempt to disguise the purpose of the research

*Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_marketing_research

to show response to the concept they are told within

2-3 sec.

required to complete sentences or stories in their own words

People

who are concerned about ecology …
When I think of a city …
I drink a Coca-Cola, usually when .
Starbucks reminds me of…

up some house wares at Walmart

WALMART

the behavior of someone else
Useful for emphatic approaches for conflict

resolution

Sales Supervisors are asked to become Sales Represantatives, and vice versa.

or opinions by asking them to answer for a third

party :

“your neighbour”
“most people”
“typical person”

a picture and are asked to tell a story describing

it

Moderator bias
4. Interpretation bias
5. Uncovering subconscious information
6. Discovering innovative information
7.

Obtaining sensitive information
8. Involve unusual behavior or questioning
9. Overall usefulness

Relatively high
Low

Relatively medium
Relatively low
Low

High

Low

No

Highly useful

Relatively medium
High

Relatively high Relatively medium Medium to high

Medium

Medium

To a limited extent
Useful

Relatively low
Medium

Low to high
Relatively high
High

Low

High

Yes

Somewhat useful

Focus Groups

Depth Interviews

Projective Techniques

Criteria

A POPULATION
DESIGNED TO GAIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION

manipulates and controls one or more independent variables and

observes

the dependent variable for variation concomitant to the manipulation of the independent variables.*

and problems
Depth probing of hidden attitudes, feelings or behaviour

Focus Groups

In depth Interviews

Projective Techniques

whereby response options are pre-determined
Usually to be administered to significantly

large numbers of people.


Descriptive Causal
(Surveys) (Experimentation)