Quantitative,
Qualitative,
and
Mixed Methods Research:
What Methodology Suits one’s Research Better
By
Prof. Jonathan Acuña-Solano
School
of English
Faculty of Social Sciences
Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Post 221
“Selecting
a research methodology is not a simple task. The type of research methodology
selected has a significant impact on how data will be collected, analyzed, and
presented” (Laureate Education, 2015) . As a researcher,
based on what one’s research intentions are, the choosing of the “right”
methodology is crucial. One needs to carefully pick out the methodology that
can help comprehend our teaching reality better, our students’ perception of
the world, the predictability of reactions when a number of variables are put
together, and so on. Though, “historically, researchers selected either
quantitative or qualitative approaches” (Laureate Education, 2015) , the possible use of
what is now termed as mixed methodologies
is there for the researcher to make use of.
“Research
methodologies are approaches used to conduct research. Selecting a research
methodology is dependent upon two major factors: the nature of the research you
plan to conduct and the research question you intend to investigate” (Laureate Education, Academic Research, 2013) . Whereas quantitative
research aims at gathering large pieces of data “that can be easily organized
and manipulated into reports for analysis” (Qualitative and quantitative research for small business, n.d.) , qualitative
research is “a subjective approach that focuses on examining issues and
understanding phenomena related to the values, attitudes, and perceptions of a
research subject or group” (Laureate Education, Academic
Research, 2013) .
Both methodologies intend to make what is invisible to the naked eye of the
teaching professional visible enough to study and understand it.
No doubt
that quantitative and qualitative research approaches complement each other. A
quantitative researcher may aim at trying to understand the cause-effect
relationships variables have in given populations; on the other hand, a
qualitative researcher’s intention is to analyze the individuals of those given
populations’ perceptions of a phenomenon that is going on among group members.
However, though this is not exactly recent, many researchers in education may
also make use of a mixed methods approach for their research projects. As
stated by Creswell (2003), “mixed methods
research has come to age. To include only quantitative and qualitative methods
falls short of the major approaches being used today in the social and human
sciences.” It is for this reason that a mixed methods research design can be
much more benefitial in certain types of projects.
Within my field of expertise and
work, English Language Teaching (ELT) a mixed methods approach is viable.
“Recognizing that all methods have limitations, researchers felt that biases
inherent in any single method could neutralize or cancel the biases of other
methods” (Creswell, 2003) . In other words, though there has been
a sort of rivalry between defenders of any of the two research methods, the
fact is that they can complement each other when data is analyzed and
triangulated to give it real validity. We can perfectly enhance research
studies with “sequential procedures”
that can help researchers “elaborate on or expand findings of one method with
another method,” with “concurrent procedures,
in which the researcher converges quantitative and qualitative data in order to
provide a comprehensive analysis of the research problem,” and with “transformative procedures” that are used
as “a theoretical lens” that can overarch a perspective “within a design that
contains both quantitative and qualitative data” (Creswell, 2003) .
To conclude, as a researcher in
the field of education, any teaching professional can embark him/herself in
research projects. One cannot look down on oneself by saying that we
professionals cannot carry out a research project, because the fact is that we
are entitled to do it, especially when we see the reality many of our learners
live in our classrooms. Moreover, there are phenomena that we want to
comprehend to assist them on their learning by exploring what they experience
as students or by introducing variables that can yield a different output when
applied to large numbers of learners. Any of us faculty members or instructors
can become active researchers in our classrooms or in our institutions to help
our pupils create their knowledge much more successfully.
References
Creswell, J. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative,
Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc. Retrieved from
http://ucalgary.ca/paed/files/paed/2003_creswell_a-framework-for-design.pdf
Laureate Education, I. (2013). Academic Research. Retrieved from Faculty Development: https://lnps.elearning.laureate.net/bbcswebdav/institution/LPS1/
Laureate Education, I. (2015). Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Research. Retrieved from Faculty Development: http://global3.laureate.net/#/home/faculty
Qualitative and quantitative research for small business. (n.d.). Retrieved from British Library: http://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre/articles/qualitative-and-quantitative-research-for-small-business
Thursday, February 25, 2016
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One thing to understand about qualitative research is it’s almost never about the numbers, but rather the overall meaning. You’re essentially capturing a specific aspect of social or psychological life.
Qualitative Analysis