Quantitative Versus Qualitative Essay

1010 Words5 Pages
Quantitative Versus Qualitative Essay Eva Hutchens Texas A&M University – Central Texas Quantitative Versus Qualitative Essay When conducting research using a quantitative method the author will identify a research problem based on current trends in a particular field of study. Researching a trend usually implies that the author will conduct a study to find out an overall tendency in people and how those tendencies vary among individuals. Also, in some quantitative studies it may be needed that the researcher explains how one variable affects another variable (Creswell, 2012, p.13). When using a qualitative approach to research it is usually because the variables are not known and there is a need to explore the research problem further. The qualitative research seeks to explore a problem and develop a thorough understanding of the central research problem (Creswell, 2012, p. 16). There are times when using a mixed approach of both quantitative and qualitative methods can be used effectively in research. According to Kivkovic (2012), using both methods is a more holistic approach to researching business problems (p. 98). Another study, conducted by Venkatesh, Brown, and Bala (2013), posits that combining both approaches to research allows both exploratory and confirmatory questions to be addressed in the same research (p. 24). In the following paragraphs both a quantitative and qualitative research article will be compared and contrasted in relation to the problem statement, purpose statement, and research questions in each study. Problem Statement In the quantitative problem statement the author presents the topic, research problem, justification of why the problem should be studied, lack of existing knowledge on the subject, and the audience that will benefit from the problem being researched. The same components are present in the qualitative

More about Quantitative Versus Qualitative Essay

Open Document