Nerdy Science Blog

At first blush it may seem that qualitative and quantitative research are similar endeavors, but in fact these two fields of study are worlds apart. In order to understand the differences between these two important forms of research it is a good idea to define each one, then contrast how quantitative and qualitative research would approach a similar subject.

What is Qualitative Research?
Qualitative research seeks to determine the causes of human behaviors, from life choices which result in shortened lives and unhappy marriages to the complex behaviors related to wars and other conflicts. Qualitative research is all about getting to the root of the problem and trying to determine what causes these kinds of destructive behaviors.

In order to achieve its goal qualitative research uses a number of powerful tools, including focus groups, in depth interviews and questionnaires. The data collected using these methods is then analyzed and studied in an attempt to determine why people act the way they do. The reports generated by qualitative research may touch on abstract concepts like metaphors, symbols and other descriptive language.

What is Quantitative Research?
Quantitative research, on the other hand, is focused on hard facts and figures and with data which can be objectively analyzed and quantified. The objective of this kind of research is to use mathematical models in an attempt to provide real data, with numbers that can be crunched and results that can be verified.

For example, a quantitative research study may report on the number of Arizona households who are living below the poverty line, while a qualitative research study may rely on focus groups, interviews and other techniques to determine the main factors that cause those households to be impoverished.

Likewise a quantitative study may report the number of workers whose incomes are more than a third below the average for their communities, while a qualitative study of the same subject would focus on factors such as educational level, intelligence, race and gender in an effort to determine why those workers are earning substandard wages.

by beconrad

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