So in this video i want to talk about difference between quantitative and qualitative research. Uh since i’ve seen comments uh more than once saying that i talked too much in some of my videos. I decided to make it short. This time. The goal was to call the video a five minute definition of qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research. But i decided it’s not realistic for me. So let’s try to make it in seven minutes. I’ll consider 10 a success as well. Okay so let’s start. I’ll give you first. I’ll give you an example of a hypothetical study and then based on that example. I’ll compare several aspects of qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research so our example will involve a study of jaywalking jaywalking. So basically crossing a street illegally. In a place where. You’re not supposed to cross the street so imagine that there is this busy street street. Uh in your city uh and it is known for uh for this fact that people cross uh constantly cross the street there there is no crossing. They’re not supposed to do that. Uh but yet they do and of course. This is very dangerous. So we want to conduct a study so you have qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researchers uh looking at that situation and both deciding to conduct a study of this phenomenon of course their study will be completely different so let’s imagine imagine. The qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher first the qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher will probably not be interested in a very large sample. Uh in a minute i’ll go to these these actual elements and distinctions between the two types of research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research. But uh he or she won’t be interested in a large sample. Uh but rather we’ll probably pick you know 15 or 20 or 30 people and uh will mainly focus on these people’s uh opinions and beliefs and perceptions so we’ll most likely ask them why they cross the street here so he or she will want to generate an in-depth understanding difference between quantitative and qualitative research of a selected group of participants uh beliefs and reasons for why they do what they do and the quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher on the other hand will probably want to collect a large sample.
So we’ll observe or maybe will distribute a questionnaire among a large sample of people a large group of people who cross the street every day at different times of the day in different days of the week and different weather difference between quantitative and qualitative research. Maybe so the goal will be to generate to have a large sample large group of people to generate a lot of numbers a lot of statistical data and then analyze that data so looking at that data perhaps look for different different trends and patterns trying to understand perhaps the reason why they cross the street or even predict uh. How many will cross the street in this year so to make a case that it’s a dangerous place and perhaps you know a crossing for pedestrians is needed. Uh qual quantitative researchers and difference between quantitative and qualitative research may actually predict the future in a way which is quite interesting so based on the numbers from the past from from the present they can predict what will happen in the next month and the next year so you can see there are completely different uh different kinds of studies both are interesting uh so uh and both are needed okay so now let’s compare a separate specific elements of qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research so first the first element the first difference that i want to discuss between qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is the general focus so the focus of qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is of course on quality but what does it mean quality so quality as in the exact nature of a given experience so they want to understand they want to generate an in-depth understanding of a given experience difference between quantitative and qualitative research of a given phenomenon or whatever it is they are investigating so in our case they would want to understand uh probably why people cross the street their personal reasons or beliefs maybe they would something would emerge from that so maybe some suggestions that they’re in fact this crossing in this place is needed but the focus is on that nature of that experience as seen by individual participants and on the other hand the focus of quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is on quantity so again on numbers on frequencies so like i said with our example so rather than understand uh the individual perspectives of a small group of people who cross the street in that place.
The quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher will want to generate a bigger larger data set based on numbers and frequencies so to show. How many people cross the street when they do it and this kind of thing not necessarily why they do it and this is very similar to the next element. Which is the goal of of investigation. The goal of inquiry so the goal of quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researchers is to uh to test test hypothesis. Sometimes if they have a hypothesis to measure to predict and to control so again this is a very controlled environment so they can separate in their data analysis difference between quantitative and qualitative research. They can separate different variables. They can investigate. They can investigate different relationships between variables which means characteristics so for example. Uh from the top of my head it could be investigating the relationship between uh. Let’s say the status or professional situation or educational status of those who cross the street there or maybe the relationship between the different times of the day and something else. So generally you can take these different elements these different characteristics and run a number of tests to see whether there is a correlation between these characteristics and the goal of qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher. Research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research in general is to understand generally to understand as i said before to generate an in-depth understanding of of a situation of beliefs or attitudes uh an end of understanding and sometimes it can be to uh to generate hypothesis so the focus of quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is to have having this hypothesis to test it the focus of qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research may be to generate a hypothesis so based on the findings maybe based on what the participants tell you you can put forward a possible hypothesis which maybe a quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher will test with their study that has of course a bigger number of participants so they will actually be able to test that hypothesis.
Because you can’t really do it with a small group of people this also leads us to the general approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research so the approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research of qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is inductive which means you’re not working with the previously established hypothesis in mind your building the findings from the data. You’re letting the findings emerge from the data as you’re entering the field with a relatively blank mind and the goal is to generate understanding based on what you find so this is induction as an inductive approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research and in quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research. The approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research is usually deductive. Which means that you have something a previously established or formulated hypothesis. So a starting point and from there. You want to see whether you’re right or wrong. You want to test that hypothesis. The sampling techniques is another element sampling and qualitative. Research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is usually purposeful which means that you are selecting a group of participants with a specific purpose in mind so in our example of jaywalking. It may be not that obvious but generally if you are a quality research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher. Let’s let’s say you’re going to a particular school and you want to investigate. Uh the points of view of particular group of teachers because you believe they have certain experience or characteristics that are useful for your study for for your main goal of the study to answer the research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research questions and sampling and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is usually random which means that you want to have a big group of people you want that sample to be representative. Ideally of a larger population. So of course if you want to make claims about the preferences of let’s say british people you want ask difference between quantitative and qualitative research. You won’t distribute a questionnaire among all the british people but if you have a large enough sample that is representative which means that the group of 1000 or 500 people who represent the patterns in the population of british people difference between quantitative and qualitative research.
This means that the sample is representative. So you can based on your findings you can put forward some claims about british people. In general and now philosophical assumptions so qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research is based on interpretivism on constructivism. So generally i do have another video in which i explain. In more depth in more detail the differences between positivism and interpretivism but generally qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researchers. They believe tend to believe that individual the world uh is constructed by by us by how we see it so so generally in a nutshell difference between quantitative and qualitative research. It’s important to understand individual perspectives. If you want to understand the world you want you need to understand. Individual perspectives of individual people and quantitative approach difference between quantitative and qualitative researches tend to be based on positivism. Which is the other way around . So positivists perceive the world as a more stable structure. Not necessarily depending on what we think about it for this reason. People people’s opinions generally get in the way of of real real science and real knowledge difference between quantitative and qualitative research. So if you want to know about the world you need to study it objectively and scientifically rather than ask people about their opinions so in our example of course it’s quite evident if you are a qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researcher you want to ask people why they are doing what they are doing why they are crossing the street. You believe that what they tell you will be very important in fact and it will probably will uh and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative researchers on the other hand in our example they will think that it is more important to generate a large data set to as i said to compare these different variables and characteristics to compare the patterns frequencies rather than ask people about their opinions because at the end of the day difference between quantitative and qualitative research. What is more important is to generate this this numerical data and this statistical data of course they are right as well so it will depend on. Uh what approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research you believe is right for your study but there is no right or wrong approach difference between quantitative and qualitative research in general because both of them are right in in some way to some extent and finally of course the most uh arguably the most obvious difference between these two uh qualitative and quantitative traditions are their design and their methods so first the design uh tends to be some call it some refer to this flexible design and qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research because in fact it tends to be quite flexible meaning that sometimes new methods are added during the study so you may based on your initial findings.
You made this decide to develop additional method to add additional method to generate more understanding so it’s very dynamic a very dynamic process sometimes and and very flexible and the design of quantitative studies tends to be fixed or structured so of course if you want to conduct a proper valid study based on these complex statistics and numbers difference between quantitative and qualitative research. You do have to plan it well in advance and usually for this reason. The design is much more fixed simply because it needs to be fixed. It needs to be planned very very well and finally methods of course methods are different. Uh again i won’t go through all the methods in this video but the methods and qualitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research are uh the methods that will enable you to understand individual perspectives. So they are they can be interviews. Focus groups diaries observations so something that will help you understand individual perspectives difference between quantitative and qualitative research. And of course usually these methods involve you talking to participants because that’s the best way to know what they think of course and in quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research the methods of course are different. Usually they are surveys. Uh questionnaires so methods that again help you gather uh some observations as well but more different types of observations, difference between quantitative and qualitative research and more structured observations so generally methods that will help you generate these this numerical statistical data again so so that you have a large data set and a lot of different variables a lot of different characteristics that i mentioned so so the methods because of the different goals because of the different philosophical traditions and assumptions.
The methods of course are completely different in these studies as well so that’s all in terms of differences between qualitative and quantitative research and difference between quantitative and qualitative research. I have no idea how i did in terms of my timing. Hopefully it wasn’t too long if you learned something new. If you enjoyed this video please like the video to help it get found on youtube. And if you’re new to this channel consider subscribing you.
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