qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods

However, it is important to note that quantitative methods are not necessarily the most suitable methods for investigation. This is particularly useful if you are in an environment where numbers are highly valued and numerical data is considered the ‘gold standard’. The development of Likert scales and similar techniques mean that most phenomena can be studied using quantitative techniques. Such scales are called Likert scales, and enable statements of opinion to be directly translated into numerical data. If you wish to carry out statistical analysis of the opinions of a group of people about a particular issue or element of their lives, you can ask them to express their relative agreement with statements and answer on a five- or seven-point scale, where 1 is strongly disagree, 2 is disagree, 3 is neutral, 4 is agree and 5 is strongly agree (the seven-point scale also has slightly agree/disagree). However, even phenomena that are not obviously numerical in nature can be examined using quantitative methods.

Examples include changes in achievement at various stages of education, or the increase in number of senior managers holding management degrees. Some phenomena obviously lend themselves to quantitative analysis because they are already available as numbers. If there are no numbers involved, then it’s not quantitative research. The data produced are always numerical, and they are analysed using mathematical and statistical methods. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is perhaps the simpler to define and identify. * Taken from: Aliaga and Gunderson ‘Interactive Statistics ‘3rd Edition (2005) It provides in-depth information about human behaviour.

Qualitative research seeks to answer questions about why and how people behave in the way that they do. Quantitative research is “ explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods (in particular statistics).”* Understanding Statistical Distributions.Observational Research and Secondary Data.Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods.Understanding and Addressing Conspiracy Theories.Decisions to Make Before Applying to University.

Understanding Your Preferences to Aid Learning.Ethical consideration in relation to research in problem-solving instructions were discussed as well as suggestion for future research. Advantages, disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses of both methods were discussed. In doing this, six articles relating to problem-solving were examined to show the usefulness of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to educational research. This study critically examined the usefulness of both qualitative and quantitative approaches in researching problem-solving ability in science education curriculum. Though qualitative and quantitative research methods lies on separate continuum, they all aimed at identifying educational problems using different approach. In order to find out appropriate teaching methods that are necessary for teaching science students problem-solving skills, different research approaches are used by educational researchers based on the data collection and analysis used at a given time. Research in science education is to discover the truth which involves the combination of reasoning and experiences.

Qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods