Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research: The Differences Explained | Scribbr 🎓
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, Jessica from Scribbr distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research, ideal for testing hypotheses, involves larger sample sizes and numerical data analyzed through statistical means. Qualitative research, conversely, is exploratory, yielding rich, descriptive data from fewer participants, analyzed through summarization and interpretation. Jessica also introduces mixed methods research, combining both approaches, and illustrates their application through an example of gauging student satisfaction. The video briefly covers data collection methods for each approach, encouraging viewers to explore further through linked resources.
Takeaways
- 🔢 Quantitative research focuses on testing hypotheses using numerical data and larger sample sizes, analyzed through mathematical and statistical methods.
- 📝 Qualitative research aims to formulate hypotheses, relying on textual data and smaller sample sizes, with analysis involving summarizing, categorizing, and interpreting.
- 🔍 The choice between quantitative and qualitative research depends on the research goal: testing a theory (quantitative) or exploring an idea (qualitative).
- 🤝 Mixed methods research combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches, providing a more comprehensive understanding of a research question.
- 🎯 In a quantitative study example, a survey of 300 students could reveal average satisfaction levels with professors.
- 🗣️ For a qualitative approach, interviews with 15 students might uncover specific desires such as more individual guidance from professors.
- 🔄 Mixed methods can start with interviews to generate hypotheses, then surveys to test these on a larger scale, or vice versa.
- 🌐 Quantitative data collection methods include online, in-person, or phone surveys, experiments, and observations.
- 🗂️ Qualitative data collection involves interviews, focus groups, case studies, and literature reviews.
- 👍 The video encourages viewers to like if they learned something and to ask questions for further clarification.
Q & A
What is the primary difference between quantitative and qualitative research?
-Quantitative research focuses on testing hypotheses and involves numerical data and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is geared towards formulating hypotheses and involves textual data and interpretive analysis.
What type of data is typically collected in quantitative research?
-In quantitative research, data is collected in the form of numbers and graphs, which are then analyzed using mathematical and statistical methods.
How does the sample size differ between quantitative and qualitative research?
-Quantitative research requires a larger sample size, whereas qualitative research typically involves fewer respondents due to its in-depth nature.
What is the main goal of using quantitative research?
-Quantitative research is used when the goal is to confirm or test a theory or hypothesis, often using statistical analysis to draw conclusions.
In what scenarios would one choose qualitative research over quantitative?
-Qualitative research is chosen when the aim is to understand or explore an idea, often yielding insights through open-ended questions and in-depth analysis.
Can you explain the mixed method approach in research?
-The mixed method approach combines both quantitative and qualitative research. It can start with qualitative research to gain insights and then use quantitative methods to test these insights on a larger scale, or vice versa.
How does the data analysis process differ between the two research methods?
-In quantitative research, data is analyzed through statistical methods, while in qualitative research, data is analyzed by summarizing, categorizing, and interpreting the textual information.
What is an example of a question that could be asked in a quantitative research survey?
-An example of a quantitative research survey question could be, 'On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your professors?'
How can qualitative research help in understanding student satisfaction?
-Qualitative research, such as interviews, can reveal in-depth insights like 'students would like to have more one-on-one guidance from their professors,' which might not be captured in quantitative data.
What are some common methods for collecting quantitative data?
-Common methods for collecting quantitative data include online surveys, in-person surveys, phone surveys, conducting experiments, and observations.
What are some methods for collecting qualitative data as mentioned in the script?
-Methods for collecting qualitative data include interviews, focus groups, case studies, and literature reviews.
How can the mixed method approach be applied in a study about student satisfaction?
-In a study about student satisfaction, the mixed method approach could involve conducting interviews to understand student preferences and then testing these preferences through a larger survey to confirm their validity across a broader student population.
Outlines
📊 Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Jessica from Scribbr introduces the differences between quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research is suitable for testing hypotheses and involves numerical data, larger sample sizes, and statistical analysis. In contrast, qualitative research is used to formulate hypotheses, involves textual data, fewer respondents, and data analysis through summarization, categorization, and interpretation. The video suggests choosing quantitative research for confirming or testing theories and qualitative research for exploring or understanding ideas. A mixed method approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research, is also discussed.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Quantitative research
💡Qualitative research
💡Hypotheses
💡Sample size
💡Statistical analysis
💡Mixed method research
💡Interviews
💡Focus group
💡Case study
💡Literature review
💡Data collection
Highlights
Quantitative research is used to test hypotheses and involves numerical data and graphs.
Qualitative research is used to formulate hypotheses and involves data expressed in words.
Quantitative research requires a larger sample size for data analysis.
Qualitative research requires fewer respondents and focuses on in-depth analysis.
Quantitative data is analyzed through mathematical and statistical methods.
Qualitative data is analyzed by summarizing, categorizing, and interpreting.
Choose quantitative research to confirm or test a theory or hypothesis.
Choose qualitative research to understand or explore an idea.
Mixed method research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Example of quantitative approach: Surveying students on satisfaction with professors.
Example of qualitative approach: Conducting interviews to understand student satisfaction.
Mixed method approach can start with interviews to formulate a hypothesis, then test with surveys.
Alternatively, start with surveys for a broader view, then use interviews for deeper understanding.
Quantitative data collection methods include surveys, experiments, and observations.
Qualitative data collection methods include interviews, focus groups, case studies, and literature reviews.
The video provides a brief overview of data collection methods for both approaches.
For more detailed information, refer to the article in the video description.
Transcripts
When doing research you often have to choose between
quantitative and qualitative research.
In this video, I'll explain the differences between the two.
Hi, I'm jessica from Scribbr, here to help you achieve your academic goals.
Let's start with the differences between quantitative and qualitative research.
Quantitative research allows you to test hypotheses
so you can expect to see data collected with this approach will mainly be expressed in numbers and graphs.
It also requires a larger sample size.
These numbers are then analyzed through math and statistical analysis.
On the other hand
qualitative research allows you to formulate a hypothesis.
So yes, opposite to quantitative research, this approach will yield data that's expressed in words
and also require fewer respondents.
The data is then analyzed by summarizing
categorizing and interpreting.
Alright, now we know the differences, but when to use which?
It's very simple.
If your goal is to confirm or test a theory or a hypothesis
you're most likely going to opt for the quantitative approach
But if you want to understand or explore an idea
then you should go for the qualitative approach.
There's also a third approach
which combines quantitative with qualitative.
And this is called the mixed method.
Let's see how it applies in a concrete example, shall we?
Say we wanna find out how satisfied students are in their studies.
I'll show you how both approaches can answer this question.
If I'm taking the quantitative approach
I can survey 300 students at the University
and ask them questions like "on a scale from 1 to 5
how satisfied are you with your professors?"
With the collected data, I will run the statistical analysis
and draw conclusions that might sound something like
"on average students rate their professors 4.4 out of 5."
But if I want to go for a qualitative approach
then I can conduct interviews with 15 students
and ask them open-ended questions such as
"How satisfied are you with your studies?" or
"What can be done to improve the study program?"
Then, I transcribe the interviews and try to find patterns or recurring themes
For example, something like "students would like to have more one-on-one guidance from their professors."
For the mixed method approach, you first conduct interviews with the students
through that you gain new insights and come up with a hypothesis
For example, you learned through interviews that students prefer individual assignments over group projects.
Then you test whether this apply to a larger scale of students using survey research.
It's also possible to do it the other way around.
You can start off with a survey to see the bigger picture
then use interviews to understand the reason behind it.
Now, I will go over a data collection for both approaches in this video very briefly
but if you want to know more, just check the article in the description
To collect quantitative data, you can, for example
survey people online, in person, or over the phone
Conduct experiments or observe subjects.
On the other hand, collecting qualitative data can be quite different.
You can do an interview, get a focus group, do a case study, or a literature review.
And that's it for this video
If you've learned something give this video a like, and if you have any questions ask away and I will reply. See you in our next video!
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