Quantitative And Qualitative Research
Modern times have come with many health challenges due to the emergence of new strains of diseases and also the re-emergence of diseases that are considered as eradicated. There have been issues of climatic changes which have resulted in global warming due to environmental pollution. This has to lead to changes in the disease trends due to mutations of the causative agents (Ragin, 2005, p.1140). The nursing profession has been compelled to invent new methods of nursing care to provide efficient care and minimize the suffering of the patients. This has resulted in the need for evidence-based nursing care. To gather the evidence for the efficient methods to be applied, the nursing profession has resulted in research undertakings. Much fund has now been channeled to research processes to fill the knowledge gap created as a result of the changes in disease trends. Many nursing organizations have also come up to provide resources for the research undertakings. They provide sponsorships for research and give guidelines on the research process among others. Depending on the kind of data the researcher intends to get, different research approaches are used. These approaches include; case studies, clinical trials, cohort studies, and others. The research approaches can either be gathering quantitative data which employs mathematical models and hypothesis solving or can be qualitative which intends to learn more on human behavior and perceptions and the reasons behind certain human behaviors. An understanding of the differences and the processes involved in each research type is needed by the health professionals. This essay discusses quantitative and qualitative research methods by comparing and contrasting the two methods.
Quantitative research method
Quantitative research deals with quantifiable properties about a phenomenon or phenomena. This method intends to use mathematical variables like modes, median, and frequencies to give some insights into different hypotheses or theories about phenomena. Quantitative research employs different measurements which enable a connection to be achieved between various observations in research and the mathematical expressions that are used. It aims at establishing the relationship between a variable that is independent and another which is dependent (Hopkins, 2008, para. 1).
The designs used in quantitative research are either descriptive whereby the research subjects are measured just once or they can be experimental that involves measuring the subjects before application of a certain procedure or after it is applied to determine any notable change. In descriptive studies, the researcher does not attempt changing the situation of the phenomena of study but the measurements are just taken in the condition they are found at. Experimental studies involve the researcher applying an intervention measure to the subject of study then taking measurements afterward to determine the effect of the applied intervention on the subjects of the study.
Descriptive studies in quantitative research are also referred to as observational since the research just notes the state of the subjects of study without any interventional measures (Duffy, 2007, p. 132). There are various descriptive studies in social studies and these include the following; case studies that involve the study of only one subject like the study of the role of pediatric nurses in caring for autistic children in one of the hospitals in the UK. The second is the case series which involves the study of different cases like comparing different hospitals in the UK to determine the patient-nurse ratio. Cross-sectional studies look at different variables at any given time to determine the relationship between them. In cohort studies which are also known as prospective for they consider future occurrence, some variables like smoking habits among a group of people are assessed at the beginning of the study then followed over an established period to establish the outcome like lung cancer development among the smokers. The final descriptive study method is the case-control method which is also known as retrospective study since it dwells on cases and tries to establish the effect a certain exposure had on the development of these cases as opposed to the controls or noncases (Rundal, 2004, p.2). For example, a sample of lung cancer patients is compared with a control of healthy people. The effects of cigarettes on the lungs depend on their surface of contact and cause lung cancer. In the nursing profession, descriptive designs are aimed at gaining enough statistics that can be used to support the application of a particular interventional measure or for the formulation of policies in the health sector to improve care to the patients.
Experimental studies are often referred to as interventions or longitudinal studies by health professionals due to the application of a certain procedure and measurements to determine the impact of the procedure on the study subjects. Several approaches are used in experimental studies and they include the following; time series that involves obtaining various measurements on the variables being investigated at the beginning, the same variables are measured at the end of the treatment process. This design faces a major problem in its application in that other factors other than the intervention being investigated may affect the outcome of the second measurements (University of Alberta, 2006, para. 2-6). For example, due to confounding factors like for the case of obesity genetic ties of the patient. The subjects of the study may also change their habits due to the realization that they are being studied thus affecting the reliability of the data obtained for generalization. For instance, on determining the effect of physical exercises on treatment and prevention of obesity among adolescents, the subjects may decide to change their dietary intake and thus affecting the test performance. The crossover method provides an alternative to the time series. It involves giving the subjects two modes of treatment where one is the real while the other is the control treatment. A time period is given after which the treatment schedules are crossed over. A thorough analysis is then performed on the data obtained.
The data obtained after the research process must be valid which implies that the findings are reliable and give clear information on the subject of investigation (Kathleen, 2004 p.86). Errors of quantitative research may include sampling error, random design, or hypotheses error based on its nature and the stage at which it is occurring. These errors should be mitigated at their respective stage. That is sampling, design stage, or during hypotheses testing.
Qualitative research method
According to Thomson (2007, p. 1), qualitative research involves obtaining detailed word of mouth descriptions of the characteristics, cases, settings, people, or systems obtained by interacting with, interviewing, and observing the subjects of the study. The researcher’s understanding of human behavior and the reasons to govern them depends on the information collected. This method investigates the reasons as to why and how the subjects make certain decisions which are characteristics of their behaviors. It utilizes much smaller samples that are focused on the interests of the research rather than large samples (Pardum, 2005, p.38). This research aims to gain a deeper understanding of a particular research problem based on the views and perspectives of the native population that it engages. This research method is effective in finding information that is culturally specific on the behaviors, opinions, and social contexts of a given population. It provides the researcher with more information about the human side of the issue being studied and thus is very effective in the identification of intangible factors like the social norms of a particular society, the gender roles of the different members, the social-economic status, their ethnicity and religion that may not be readily available during the research (Fielding and Schreier, 2001, p.20). Qualitative research is rarely used for generalization since a social context or certain phenomenon is studied. For example, the study of the health-seeking behavior among the residents of a city in the UK. The data obtained is specific to that city since it is determined by many local factors like religion, social-economic activities, and availability of health resources in the city which is much different from what can be obtained if another city was studied.
Qualitative research employs different methods during its undertaking. Depending on the type of data the researcher intends to obtain, the most common qualitative methods are the following; participant observation that involves the researcher intermingling with the research subjects and observing their behaviors, and gaining an insight into the reasons governing those behaviors (Sofaer, 2007, p. 1110). This method is better suited for the collection of data on behaviors that are naturally occurring in their normal settings. The second method is focus groups which involve obtaining a group with the interests of importance to the researcher and studying them over a given period. This method is most commonly used for obtaining information of a group of people’s cultural norms which gives a general overview of the study issues to the cultural group that is usually represented (Taylor & Francis, 2004, p.30) The other method is the application of in-depth interviews that involve conducting a thorough interview on selected participants who gives personal opinions about the given topic of study. It explores topics that are sensitive like sexuality issues where the participant offers personal experiences, past histories, and perspectives.
Qualitative data is analyzed through coding and the application of quantitative methods for interpretation. Also, recursive abstraction can be employed where the data are summarised, then further summarised again and on and on until a compact summary is obtained (Pope and Mays, 2006, p.20). Also, interpretive techniques can be employed where the researcher examines the data generated then forms an impression about the data, and finally report his/her impression in a structured manner or quantitatively.
Differences between quantitative and qualitative research approaches
While both approaches are used in nursing research studies usually shed some light on various issues affecting the nursing profession, many differences guide the researcher in selecting the appropriate approach. These differences include the following; on the general framework, quantitative research aims at confirming or proving certain hypotheses of research on different phenomena while qualitative method intends to explore the phenomena being studied (Devers and Frankel, 2008, p.115). The research instruments applied in quantitative are much rigid in inquiring and grouping the responses to the research questions while qualitative employs more flexible instruments (Mays and Pope, 2004, p.110). The quantitative method applies more structured methods like questionnaires and surveys while the qualitative uses semi-structured methods like focus groups and participant observation.
The objectives of data analysis also differ. The quantitative method aims at quantifying variations while qualitative seeks to describe the variations (Corner, 2006, p. 720). Quantitative predicts the causal relationships of various variables of research and qualitative intends to give a deeper description and explanation of the relationship between the variables. Quantitative describes the traits being studied of a given population while qualitative gives data on individual experiences and opinions generated from the experiences.
The quantitative method uses close-ended questions during the research while qualitative employs the open-ended type of questions that usually gives the subject freedom to give personal answers (Hopkins, 2002, p.25).
The sample size for quantitative research is big representing a given population of interest as compared to the small sample size used in the qualitative study which is chosen to meet a given quota. Quantitative design data is statistical in form of various tabulations while that of qualitative is nonstatistical (Devers and Frankel, 2005, p.265)…
The data obtained for the quantitative method is applied in recommending a certain final course of action on the issue being studied but qualitative data offer initial understanding and evidence-based base to be used for making further decisions.
Conclusion
Due to the challenges facing the modern world, there is a need for more research to be done to provide profound answers to these challenges. Quantitative and qualitative methods are the most used research methods and they differ in the way they are used. Quantitative research is the systematic investigation of properties that can be quantified and their relationships with phenomena and it intends to use mathematical variables like modes, median, and frequencies to give some insights on different hypotheses or theories about phenomena. The qualitative method involves obtaining detailed word of mouth descriptions of the characteristics, cases, settings, people, or systems obtained by interacting with, interviewing, and observing the subjects of the study. There are many differences between the two methods like the use of open-ended questions in the qualitative method while quantitative employ a close-ended type of questions among others. However, the major difference is their flexibility with the quantitative method being fairly nonflexible as compared with qualitative that employ open-ended approaches. Notwithstanding the method applied, these research approaches offer significant insight into nursing knowledge and should be encouraged.
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