Qualitative versus Quantitative Research Data Collection Methods (Coursework Sample)

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research Data Collection Methods
Student's Name
Professor/ Instructor's Name
Course Title
Date
Qualitative versus Quantitative Research Data Collection Methods Qualitative research differs from quantitative research. While qualitative research might not consist of a lot of data collection, the modicum data collected is analyzed to the fullest. In contrast, the size of the research material matters more than the quality of the data gathered in quantitative research. As such, the more the facts collected, the better. Consequently, different data collection methods are used for qualitative research and quantitative research. These different approaches are outlined in this paper. Primarily, interviews are an integral data collection method for the qualitative researcher. They ask the interviewee questions aimed at understanding their view on the subject, the comprehension that the person got from the experience, as well as other details regarding the topic of discussion (Tewksbury, 2009). Observation of people is also another way that qualitative researchers attain their information. People react differently to various situations. Thus, when given a particular scenario, they tend to solve the issues through their own unique methods (Tewksbury, 2009). The place that the action takes place is also an aspect that these researchers focus on. They immerse themselves in different settings to know how, why and when a particular thing happened. They then analyze media content (Tewksbury, 2009). However, the key source of information for qualitative researchers is guided conversations as it is the most productive method of getting information (Tewksbury, 2009). In contrast, quantitative researchers use surveys to gather information in interviews. The person being interviewed is restricted from giving their personal experience on the matter as the interviewer's key objective is to attain numerical figures (Froelicher & Shishani, 2009). The quality of the information is hardly important for such an interviewer. In addition, a quantitative researcher's questions are more structured and standard, such that, no further information is necessary after asking a question (Froelicher & Shishani, 2009). Quantitative researchers also use experiments. Furthermore, they observe and record well-defined events, for instance, in the case of tallying the number of patients waiting in an emergency at a specific time of the day (Froelicher & Shishani, 2009). Moreover, quantitative researchers obtain information from management information systems. Their reason for research is purely to attain numbers and nothing more. As such, the information amassed may be relevant but arduous to understand. Qualitative research is used more frequently in comparison with quantitative research as it gives more insight into the matt...