Synthesis of Research Problem, Method, and Design

Synthesis of Research Problem, Method, and Design

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research follow the positivist tradition of research, there is an 'objective, associated with an external world that exists independently with human perception, which is amenable to quantitative measurement'. For the positivist there is a single truth that can be discovered by scientific investigation. To this end positivism is used in the quantitative method to collect numerical data, facts and universal laws to conduct research. This method is associated with the field of natural science and can be experimented on it as if in a laboratory to give the same outcome each time the researcher remains completely objective and free from bias and prejudice and therefore cannot influence the outcome of the research. The aim is to develop reliable 'hard facts' about society that are immutable, and can be used for a variety of purposes including policy making by governments and businesses.

The aim of this method of research is to draw out relations between variables and test the hypotheses against statistical procedures based on the data collected. From this data researchers are able to draw out generalizations about the information that may be extrapolated to fit the entire population. It can be argued that qualitative research is unsuitable for the research of human beings and society. Positivist or quantitative methods are also criticized for trying to be systematic, objective and precise; they fail to take into account the changing and fluid nature of human behavior and social life (Pastore 2012). These cannot be measured or predicted statistically explained through scientific laws that are meant to predict the same outcome every time they are produced. Furthermore natural sciences cannot replicate social experiences or human emotion and reproduce the results through constant repetition in a laboratory. Human beings are individuals with their own perception of reality which changes through experience.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research seeks to describe social phenomena and behavior; it follows the epistemological position of interpretive. This position requires social scientist to understand the subjective realities of social interaction. Realities are subjective and relate to a person or researchers emotions, bias and prejudices. Qualitative research cannot be conducted in a laboratory; it involves collecting, interpreting and analyzing information by observing and listening to people. It attempts to seek descriptions and characteristics of things including feelings, attitudes, symbols and signs.

The Different Uses for Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology

If a researcher was collecting data on young people being stopped and searched by the police in a certain area of a city, then the methodology required would be influenced by the information that the researcher would collect. If the data to be used for purely statistical purposes showing how many youngsters and of which ethnicity are stopped then quantitative data would be the methodology used. In the United Kingdom quantitative data is used to compile crime statistics which is then used to compile social policies. This method allows the figures to be monitored on a yearly basis as the data is collected in a ...