Quantitative vs Qualitative Research Design Essay

Family involvement plays a major role when helping students prosper in the school setting. In order for children to be successful, as a teacher, we have to provide support to the parent’s to make an effort in wanting to play apart in that success. Communication plays a major part in the effective relationship between families and school. Giving the parents a sense of idea as to how their child is doing in school is built through the student’s academic needs.

This paper primarily concerns qualitative research, but we were asked to compare both qualitative and quantitative methods. During comparison, there are many noted differences in both study designs, but not many similarities. Qualitative research uses a subjective approach with a large sample population. It collects non-statistical data, using an unstructured or semi-structured technique (Nieswiadomy & Bailey, 2018). Quantitative research uses an objective approach and large, random, sampling to ask opinions in a structured way. The findings of quantitative studies are conclusive and used to recommend a final course of action (Nieswiadomy & Bailey, 2018). While it is hard to see similarities between the two, both methods aim to find a solution to a problem or question, the researcher doing the study may affect the outcome and an analysis of the collected data must be done (Souza, 2017). What many don’t realize is the connection amongst the two. You can say, both types of research build upon one another, meaning quantitative studies can quantify results found in qualitative research (Souza, 2017).

Qualitative research is subjective data and is often used in the social sciences (Sarantakos 2013, p. 48). Qualitative research is devoted to gathering facts, this can be completed through personal experiences, behaviours, and observations (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46). The purpose of qualitative research is to gather an in depth understanding of human behaviour and the explanations for the behaviour (Martijn & Sharpe 2006, p. 1). An issue with only using a qualitative method is efficacy, qualitative studies cannot address relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46).

The second is Communication between the Home and School. In order to help families create settings within the home to support their children as students we, the teachers, can provide suitable materials which give information and assistances on how the parents can help at home. Through pamphlets, e-mails, and phone calls teachers can inspire and encourage parents to converse and work with their child. Through our involvement with the families, parents become more aware of their child’s school platform, they interact on a more positive level with their children they are more skilled to reinforce the teacher's objectives in order to achieve better schoolwork. When we give parents information to become more knowledgeable partners with the school, their child sees that their parents and teachers are communicating with one another about their schoolwork, which allows them to become more aware of their parents involvement and abilities. This will open up the opportunity for the child and parents to talk openly about the child’s schoolwork and the decisions the child makes at school.

For quite a while there has been some discussion around which method of distinctions between Qualitative research and quantitative research. This has been fired in later years with some thinking that a combination of the two is best practice especially in social

Researchers are sometimes using Quantitative and Qualitative research methodologies interchangeably, or all three of the methodologies including the mixed approach, Creswell (2009). However, the most distinctive differences between the two is the application used, or the design, using words for qualitative analysis, and

Quantitative and qualitative methods are the forms of collecting evidence and information. In quantitative research, concepts are assigned numerical value, and concerned with measuring social, or criminal justice reality (Hagan, 2010, p. 14).  In qualitative research, concepts are viewed as sensitizing ideas or terms to enhance understanding of reality under investigation (Hagan, 2010, p. 14).  Qualitative research explains an idea, which attempts to show understanding or empathy. This is where the researchers surround themselves within the subject matter and begin to develop an empathetic understanding. The quantitative approach favors studying “phenomena that can be measured, observed, and examined empirically” (Hagan, 2010, p. 14).

A qualitative study addresses the complexity of human experience, focusing on the big picture (Rebar & Gersch, 2015); while a quantitative study breaks a problem down into small pieces and focuses on specific parts to see how they all relate (Rebar & Gersch, 2015). Qualitative methods focus on subjective information, and never try to predict or control the phenomenon of interest (Rebar & Gersch, 2015); on the other hand, quantitative methods focus on statistics and objective information, and can yield predictions and control (Rebar & Gersch, 2015).

There has been many different changes throughout my family history that really does surprise me sometimes. In the beginning of my childhood, I was not really that close to my parents; more so my mother. However, after my mother left; my family became extremely close. As soon as I left for college, my father got engaged and once again our relationship dwindled. In my paper, I will discuss the things that makes us a family, how we work together, and how our roles have developed in accordance with the family system theory.

It is apparent throughout research parents have a high impact on the outcomes of adolescent emotional regulations and the behavior during adolescents (Feldman, 2011; Jabeen, Haque, & Riaz, 2013; Millings et al., 2012). Jabeen et al. (2013) states "parents play a crucial role in the social and emotional development of children" (pg.85). This part parent's play can be effected as stated above and the fluidity of parenting styles and their effects on adolescents should be observed. Through research looking at performance in school by Areepattamannil (2010), finds that supportive parenting yields higher achievement in school and is nearly as close in relationship to socioeconomic status.

“Whilst quantitative research may be mostly used for testing theory it can also be used for exploring an area and generating hypotheses and theory. Similarly qualitative research can be used for testing hypotheses and theories even though it is mostly used for theory generation” (Hughes, 2006). Both of these designs may be similar with testing theory, they are also similar in the tools that they use and how the data is analyzed. “Qualitative data often includes quantification (eg statements such as more than, less than, most as well as specific numbers). Quantitative (ie questionnaire) approaches can collect qualitative data through open ended questions” (Hughes, 2006). These similarities are what make these two study designs compatible for each other.

Quantitative and qualitative research approaches are used to answer questions in nursing. The research question determines the research design that could best answer the question. A quantitative research is measurable and uses deductive reasoning to analyze data. It tests theories, while a qualitative research is subjective, and it generates theories or uses inductive reasoning to analyze data (Creswell, Klassen, Clark & Smith as cited in The University of Tennessee at Martin, 2017). Control is one of the characteristics of an experimental quantitative research design. It allows the researcher to manipulate the variables to provide the most convincing evidence about the effectiveness of the variable or intervention being tested (Polit and Beck, 2018). When trying to prove the causality of a phenomenon, it is necessary to have a control group to ascertain that the independent variable is indeed causing the effect on the dependent variable. The control group helps the researcher weed out extraneous factors affecting the outcome. For example, in an experiment that's trying to determine if adding Metformin to chemotherapy is more effective than chemotherapy alone in preventing endometrial cancer recurrence, most often the researcher will randomize the subjects to minimize bias, uses a placebo and blinds the subject and the investigator, to take away the psychological effect or factor of knowing that one is taking the actual drug and the other is

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).

Qualitative Research Versus Quantitative Research Quantitative research data is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data is utilised to obtain information around the world. Quantitative research is all about quantifying the relationships between variables such as height, weight. It is obtained by such things as questionnaires, official statistics and planned interviews and then from the numerical data we can identify trends and correlations and get an idea of the attitudes of large numbers of people which can be very helpful. It is obtained mostly in the form of numbers. They were originally developed in the natural sciences to study natural phenomena.

(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.