Hi class, I have always had a difficult time differentiating the concepts of Qualitative research and Quantitative research. So having this as the prompt of this weeks discussion board is beneficial for me. To sum up, quantitative research is about measuring and analyzing numerical data statistically. Qualitative methods are ideal for answering “how” and “why” questions about human experiences and perspectives. According to Cadena-Iiguez, Quantitative methods are not at odds with the qualitative and should be complementary (2017). They can be chosen based on the research question and goals.
Deciding between using qualitative and quantitative research depends on how the data is being used. If one was to choose qualitative methods over quantitative it may be to understand underlying motivations, attitudes, and behaviors. Or used to generate new theories or hypotheses in a given topic. According to Simply Psychology, Qualitative research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data, such as language (2023).
References:
Simply Psychology. (2023, December 18). Qualitative vs Quantitative Research: What’s the Difference?
