Published on July 10th, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

Qualitative Research or Quantitative Research?

Now that you have decided to conduct some research, you will need to choose between a qualitative research method or doing some quantitative research for your project. Nonetheless, your choice will be defined by the type of project you are about to handle. So, tThere are two methods approaches to compare: qualitative research vs quantitative research.

Qualitative Research

This approach simply refers to investigative research. It is normally used for understanding perceptions and views. It is known to provide solutions to various problems and aids in creating concepts for potential quantitative research. It is worth pointing out that this type of research helps to find out new thoughts and opinions of different individuals after a complete analysis that is aimed at investigating problems. Simply put, this method is usually tailored to uncover the behavior of the target audience and its general connection to a particular topic, product, or service.

This approach, however, involves the use of different methods – structured or semi-structured – for the collection of data. These include individual interviews, group discussions, journal exercises, diaries and so forth. Also, it could involve the observation of body postures, gestures, and body language. These are then studied in order to determine any problems and, eventually, provide viable solutions.

Quantitative Research

The quantitative approach is mainly used to spell out any problems via developing numerical data or, simply, data that can easily be changed into usable statistics. It examines opinions, attitudes, and behaviors, among others, so as to finally figure out the outcome. Quantitative research uses quantifiable data to give a concise conclusion about facts and show various research patterns.

The data collection methods for quantitative research are somewhat structured. They include online polls and surveys – which might also comprise paper surveys, mobile surveys, telephone interviews, website interceptors, or systematic observations.

Why, then, does qualitative research work?

It is true that qualitative research strategies are derived from different sciences and are capable of producing perfect results. Apart from that, qualitative research works because of the following;

It helps in overcoming the self-consciousness that may put off impetuous reactions and retorts.
It provides you with a great chance to engage respondents in projective strategies.
The opportunity to investigate lets you figure out a little more than simply getting the initial rationales and responses.
By recording, observation, and interpretation of non-verbal communication, it plays a significant role in the course of interviews and discussions.
It aids in mutual interaction among all the respondents simply because it relies on perceptions, comments, views, ideas, and people’s opinions.

The Bottom Line

We have seen that the qualitative research approach is one surefire way of achieving your research goals. It is tailored in such a way as to reveal the behavior of your target audience, and you get to fully comprehend your audience’s connection to the product, service, or a particular topic. In most cases, you will get results that can be relied upon since it makes use of in-depth analysis to get detailed results.

Tags: Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, research

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.