6/26/2023 0 Comments Charmstone methodsQuantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand frequencies, averages and correlations (in descriptive studies) or cause-and-effect relationships (in experiments). Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the researcher’s judgement, so you have to reflect carefully on your choices and assumptions and be careful to avoid research bias. Using non-probability sampling methods.From open-ended surveys and interviews, literature reviews, case studies, ethnographies, and other sources that use text rather than numbers.You can use it to interpret data that was collected: Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. For example, survey responses could be analyzed qualitatively by studying the meanings of responses or quantitatively by studying the frequencies of responses. Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you collect and how you prepare it for analysis.ĭata can often be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Usually requires more expertise and resources to collect data.You might influence your research subject in unexpected ways.More control over confounding variables.Accessible – you can gather more data on a larger scale.Allows you to describe your research subject without influencing it.If it’s practically and ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions about cause and effect. To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variable, precisely measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variables. The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design. In experimental research, you systematically intervene in a process and measure the outcome. The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method. In descriptive research, you collect data about your study subject without intervening. Requires extra processing to make sure it works for your analysis.No control over how data was generated.You can collect data that spans longer timescales and broader geographical locations.Requires training in data collection methods.More expensive and time-consuming to collect.You have control over the sampling and measurement methods.Can be collected to answer your specific research question.But if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or identify patterns on a large scale, secondary data might be a better choice. If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary data. in a government census or previous scientific studies). Secondary research is data that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. through surveys, observations and experiments). Primary research is any original data that you collect yourself for the purposes of answering your research question (e.g. You can also take a mixed methods approach, where you use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Requires statistical training to analyze data.Can be used to systematically describe large collections of things.Difficult to standardize research, at higher risk for research bias.Can’t be analyzed statistically, and not generalizable to broader populations.Flexible – you can often adjust your methods as you go to develop new knowledge.If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or your research involves hypothesis testing, collect quantitative data. Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the type of knowledge you want to develop.įor questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study something that can’t be described numerically, collect qualitative data. For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis to interpret patterns and meanings in the data.For quantitative data, you can use statistical analysis methods to test relationships between variables.Second, decide how you will analyze the data. experimental: Will you take measurements of something as it is, or will you perform an experiment? secondary: Will you collect original data yourself, or will you use data that has already been collected by someone else? quantitative: Will your data take the form of words or numbers? Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer your research question: When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make.įirst, decide how you will collect data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design. Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Try for free Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples non-probability samplingĮliminate grammar errors and improve your writing with our free AI-powered grammar checker.
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