How does the literature review differ in quantitative vs qualitative studies?
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research | Differences, Examples & MethodsPublished on April 12, 2019 by Raimo Streefkerk. Revised on February 7, 2022. Show When collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative researchdeals with words and meanings. Both are important for gaining different kinds of knowledge. Quantitative researchQuantitative research is expressed in numbers and graphs. It is used to test or confirm theories and assumptions. This type of research can be used to establish generalizable facts about a topic.Common quantitative methods includeexperiments, observations recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed-ended questions. Qualitative researchQualitative research is expressed in words. It is used to understand concepts, thoughts or experiences. This type of research enables you to gather in-depth insights on topics that are not well understood.Common qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts and theories. Definitions and explanationsQualitative researchThe purpose of carrying out qualitative research is to obtain extensive understanding of the experiences, perspectives, thoughts and trends so as to obtain deeper insights of the problem being examined. Qualitative research is typically presented in words. It is an exploratory form of research that seeks to examine very complex phenomenon that cannot be analyzed using quantitative research. In this form of study, more significance is given to the views of the respondents. Qualitative data is collected using unstructured or semi-structured methods. These include:
Qualitative research usually involves a small group of respondents who offer insights into the problem. The goal is to obtain sufficient information so as to generate a hypothesis that can be used in subsequent quantitative studies. Quantitative researchQuantitative research is carried out to test or confirm theories or assumptions. This kind of research is conducted when generalizable facts regarding a phenomenon are required. Quantitative research is carried out to quantify attitudes, perspectives, behaviors and other given variables so as to support or reject hypotheses regarding a given phenomenon. The findings obtained from the study sample can then be generalized to be applicable to a wider population. The objective of a quantitative research is to determine cause and effect relationship among two variables, for which computational and statistical techniques are performed. Often, this research is called empirical research. Quantitative research seeks to present explicit facts about what has been measured and how it has been measured so as to discover patterns in the behaviors, feelings, motivation, etc. of people. This is why the data collection involved in this form of research is structured in comparison to qualitative approaches. Some examples of quantitative data collection methods are:
Once data is collected, the researcher assigns them to different categories, or ranks them. Graphs and tables of the data gathered can be created so as to facilitate the researcher in analyzing it and performing comparisons. What is the use of literature in quantitative and qualitative research?What are the augments for and against literature review in quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative & Qualitative Research Literature Review |