In My Dissertation, I Decided To Adhere To The Guidelines

I was asked to identify if this research study was quantitative or qualitative and found that it was quantitative in nature. According to Hagan (2010) the definition of quantitative is, “Investigations that involve heavy use of statistical procedures; statistical manipulations of data considered primary in an effort to discover patterns of behavior” (p. 14). Based on this and the fact that the researchers conducted their own research and provided statistics, I believe my finding is factual and sound.

Methods used in psychological research are used to obtain quantitative or qualitative data. Quantitative data is more often than not derived from methods such as experiments and statistics analysing data using surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Qualitative data tends not to be aimed at finding exact measurements in its findings, but is more concerned with evidence collection and analysis through practices such as observation and ethnography (using observations through involvement in activities over a period of time) (Brownlow 2011).

Quantitative and qualitative methods differ from one another as to their research design elements as listed below:

It is common for researchers to compare qualitative and quantitative research methods. Quantitative methods originate from positivist and post- positivist research paradigms. Also, the methods objectively examine statistical data to determine cause and affect and often use generalizable data. There are various methods used in quantitative research such as surveys,

Quantitative research methods are objective as it uses measurements and analysis of statistical data to answer the study question. The researchers’ opinions do not affect the outcome of the study, ensuring that the study is unbiased. Another advantage is quantitative research uses numbers and statistics which is understood universally (Houser,2008).

“Quantitative research involves numbers and measuring quantitative or amounts”. (Whitehouse, M, 2010:425). Methods that involve quantitative data may

According to Schneider, Elliot, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber (2004), qualitative research methods, search for the meaning and understanding of human experiences in a naturalistic setting. A researcher obtains subjective facts in order to explore the experiences of each participant (Schneider, Elliot, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2004). As a result, qualitative research is a means in which a researcher gains an insight into the participant's point of view concerning their personal experiences; in order gain an understanding of the information given. Therefore this allows a researcher to collect subjective information to create a description of the phenomenon (Vishnevsky & Beanlands 2004).

Also, using a mixture of quantities and qualitative data could result in more power for their results in the study. For example, they could interview the boys on why they feel one way or another, and concentrate on the reasons for their aggressive actions and thought process. Using only qualitative or quantitative data shows only one side of the evidence.

The key distinctions between qualitative and quantitative data are qualitative data is subjective, ask What?, Why?, literature review may be done after study is complete, develops theory, focus is complex, facts are biased and values are involved, qualitative data is about discovery, describing, understanding, sharing results to who are concerned about the study. Basic with analysis is part of, the researcher conducting the study is part of the process, and participants are involved, reasoning is dialectic and inductive, describes the meaning of what was discovered in the study conducted, uses communication and observation, and strives for trends and theories easy to understand. Study conducted has a flexible approach in a natural setting, provides information worth counting (Anderson, 2006). Quantitative data provides objectives, ask questions how many?, literature review must be done early in the study, tests theory, focus is

The method used for the study was quantitative, this was chosen rather than a qualitative as this deals with facts and figures and is an investigatory type of study. This can be either experimental or non experiment. Experimental is the method used in this study which looks at cause and effect, and involves dependent and independent variables. (Balnaves and Caputi, 2001) A qualitative study can be described as interpretive which deals with personal thoughts and feelings (Flick, 2009).

In any mixed methods study, you should clearly indicate that you are collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Methods of data collection are typically associated with either numbers or numeric data and words or text and image data. Mixed methods researchers collect both quanti­tative and qualitative data.

Quantitative research involves collecting data, which can be expressed numerically. The design is well structured with pre-determined outcomes. It frequently involves testing a hypothesis, which then can be analysed from the data deductively using statistical methods. Using numerical data is easier to analysis mathematical, so larger sample sizes can be utilised compared to qualitative research, therefore giving a better representative of the population; along with simplifying the process of making a generalisation. Another advantage is that studies can easily compare to similar findings (Kruger, 2003). The disadvantages are the results are limited and might not provide a proper understanding of the topic. Also, statistics and leading questions can be used to give a false representation of the data when summarising.

There are also some differences between these study designs, which may cause some problems for the inexperienced researcher. “Quantitative research is objective; qualitative research is subjective. Quantitative research seeks explanatory laws; qualitative research aims at

Quantitative research is considered to be the use of numbers. In the use of a quantitative study, the researcher test objective theories by examining the conjunction among variables. The variables used can be measured on instruments, so that numbered data can be used and analyzed (Creswell, 2008). Qualitative research is mainly used to explore and understand human or social problems. The process of qualitative studies includes questions and procedures; and the data is collected byway of participant’s settings. It allows the researcher to study an issue in great detail and depth, as well as not allowing data collection to be constrained by predetermined data. Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative methods and it involves philosophical assumptions. This form of study includes collecting and analyzing data from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. It is believed that mixed methods research is a great method for practicing researchers who would like to bridge the schism between quantitative and qualitative research (Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2004a). Even though these methods are different, they all involve philosophical assumptions and distinct methods or procedures (Cresswell, 2009).

(i) Quantitative vs Qualitative Research: Qualitative research methods is based on values and not numbers while quantitative is based on numeric and Quantifiable data to generalize in its conclusion.