Qualitative Research Response Post Respond to 1 other discussion question. Reply must be a minimum of 100 w Scholarly literature recognizes three main
Qualitative Research Response Post Respond to 1 other discussion question. Reply must be a minimum of 100 w
Scholarly literature recognizes three main research methods – quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Quantitative research is the oldest of these methods and it was based on science and discoveries. Today, the researchers’ choice of research method and design is determined by the purpose of the research and by the raised questions.
As a newer method, qualitative research has a number of advantages to quantitative research. Scholars recognize five main methodologies of qualitative research: ethnography, narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, and case study (Sauro, 2015). These methods collect non-numerical and more abstract data, where measurement is not the goal. Data collection is exercised through observations, interviews, individual stories, and documents. Choy (2014) lists the following advantages of qualitative research: homogeneous exploration, open-ended questions that allow for raising more issues and reaching new ideas, and probing behaviors based on individual values, beliefs and assumptions (Choy, 2014, p. 101). The qualitative method allows for a deeper analysis of human perceptions. It encourages the exploration of a wide range of resources. The freedom of in-depth description of experiences would often generate new concepts. The qualitative method of research is not limited to surveys and allows for studying the views of a larger variety of social capital (p. 102).
In sum, the biggest advantage of qualitative research is in studying human relationships and in its flexibility. It prevents judgmental analysis and misconceptions because it relies on open questions, which can modify any initially set hypothesis or terms. In qualitative research, asking the right questions is more important than receiving quantified answers to initially set and potentially biased questions.
