Quantitative and Qualitative research

-In Miles and Huberman's 1994 book Qualitative Data Analysis, quantitative researcher Fred Kerlinger is quoted as saying, "There's no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0" (p. 40). -To this another researcher, D. T. Campbell, asserts "all research ultimately has a qualitative grounding" (p. 40).- This back and forth banter among qualitative and quantitative researchers is "essentially unproductive" according to Miles and Huberman. -They and many other researchers agree that these two research methods need each other more often than not.

It is important for researchers to realize that qualitative and quantitative methods can be used in conjunction with each other-Quantitative and qualitative methods are studied within the context of positivistic and phenomenological paradigms .-Some of the basic tools for qualitative or quantitative research are related to data collection methods which can be case studies, questionnaires or interviews (Simon et al, 1985).

Quantitative research methods focus on statistical approaches .Quantitative methods emphasise on objective measurements and numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires or surveys quantitative data involves numbersquantitative research is deductiveall quantitative research requires a hypothesis before research can beginIn quantitative research, the researcher is ideally an objective observer that neither participates in nor influences what is being studied.quantitative research is generally better for confirming and clarifying.To quantify data and generalize results from a sample to the population of interest To measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample Sometimes followed by qualitative research which is used to explore some findings further

Qualitative methods are based on content analysis, comparative analysis, grounded theory, and interpretation (Strauss, 1990).qualitative research focuses on understanding social phenomena through interviews, personal comments etc.

typically qualitative data involves wordsqualitative research is inductiveIn qualitative research, a hypothesis is not needed to begin research In qualitative research, however, it is thought that the researcher can learn the most about a situation by participating and/or being immersed in it.qualitative research is usually better for exploring, understanding, and uncovering,To gain an understanding of underlying reasons and motivations To provide insights into the setting of a problem, generating ideas and/or hypotheses for later quantitative research To uncover prevalent trends in thought and opinion