Research methods

Quantitative research method places focus on the goals measurement using statistical, numeric or mathematical tools in the process of collecting data. Additionally, quantitative research concentrates on the collection of information across different groups and testing it statistically to explore a specific phenomenon. The design of the research is either descriptive or experimental in approach, and its focus is mainly on numeric data which is unchanging. Qualitative research, on the other hand, is a type of scientific research that is mainly investigative in such a manner that aims at answering a question, gathers proof, produces finding that had not been determined in advance and also produces findings that can be used not only in the study but in other areas beyond the study (Green& Thorogood, 2018).

Advantages or Disadvantages of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

There are different advantages and disadvantages that the two research methods have while being used in conducting a study. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are approaches used to research different fields. The approaches have advantages and disadvantages. For instance, one advantage of qualitative data is that it provides one with information on people’s attitudes, behaviors, feelings, and beliefs at a greater depth (Green& Thorogood, 2018). Additionally, another advantage of qualitative research is that it concentrates on the collection of information across different groups and testing it statistically to explore a specific phenomenon. However, one disadvantage of qualitative data is that it is time-consuming and needs a lot of resources to collect the required data. Besides, data analysis is slow and complicated resulting in indecisive conclusions.

On the other hand, one advantage of the quantitative research method is that it makes data collection and analysis easy and accurate. This is because it uses empirical formulas in the collection and the analysis of objective data. A second advantage of the quantitative research method is that it allows for the comparison of two variables in a study to ensure credibility (Pope, & Stanistreet, 2017). The primary goal of conducting a quantitative study is to ascertain the relationship between one variable and another within a particular population. The design of the research is either descriptive or experimental in approach, and its focus is mainly on numeric data which is unchanging. However, one disadvantage of the quantitative research method is that it does not represent the opinions or feelings of a given phenomenon or individuals on the topic under study. The reason that is attributed to this hiccup is that there is minimal contact within the researcher and the respondents during the entire research process.

Conclusions

An example of qualitative research is where there is a shopping store and the only patients in screening activities are men. An excellent method of determining why women are not frequenting the hospitals for breast cancer screenings is utilizing qualitative research method where an in-depth interview can be conducted. Individually, examples of potential female patients can be interviewed to help find a reason for not visiting the facility. An example of quantitative is where research is done to ascertain the length of time spent by a physician to attend to a sick person from the time they enter the hospital. Here, a questionnaire can be designed aimed at gathering information concerning the patient’s levels of satisfaction.

References

Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2018). Qualitative methods for health research. Sage.

Pope, D., & Stanistreet, D. (2017). Quantitative methods for health research: a practical, interactive guide to epidemiology and statistics. John Wiley & Sons.