How does the literature review differ in quantitative vs qualitative studies?

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.

Common quantitative methods includeexperiments, observations recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed-ended questions.

Common qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts and theories.

Definitions and explanations

Qualitative research

The 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:

• Unstructured interviews: Participants are asked open-ended questions.
• Case studies: A person, organization, event or group is studied in detail.
• Focus groups: Discussions among small groups of people regarding a topic so as to obtain their opinions, which may be used in subsequent research.
• Literature review: Assessing the studies published by other researchers.
• Behavioral observations

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 research

Quantitative 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:

• Structured interviews: respondents are asked a series of pre-determined questions in the same order.
• Survey questionnaire: A questionnaire with closed or multiple choice questions distributed among a sample (in person or over the internet or telephone).
• Experiments: situations where variables are controlled and adjusted to determine cause-and effect relationships
• Content analysis: performing systematic analysis of communication patterns.

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