Preliminary Understanding of

Quantitative & Qualitative

Research
Examine the two research studies on Reasons for
discipline problems in school and decide which
is quantitative and which is qualitative. Justify your
answers.
Researcher B interviews a
Researcher A identifies
factors that influence/
affect discipline, develop a
questionnaire and
administer it to a sample
of problem students. He
then analyses the data and
identify significant factors
or rank the factors in order
of dominance.

sample of problem students

individually or as a small
group. He interacts with them
and observes their behaviours.
He also examines counsellors
reports and school report
cards. He records all the
information obtained and
analyses it for patterns that
emerge.

Quantitative Research

Qualitative Research

Philosophy

Positivism:
Knowledge can only come from
positive affirmation of theories
through strict scientific method

Phenomenology
Knowledge is discovered through an open,
unbiased description of experience

Purpose/
Goal

To study relationship, cause and effect

To test hypotheses & to make
predictions

To study social phenomena or things as

they appear in our experience.
To explain, interpret and describe
phenomena

Focus

Quantity (Variables - How much &

How many)

Quality (Features- What)

Design

Structured, predetermined
(Developed prior to study)

Flexible, emerging
(Evolves during study)

Method

Experiment, quasi-experimental,
survey, etc

Ethnography, case study, etc

Sample

Large, random, representation

Small, purposeful

Data
Collection

Tests, questionnaires, controlled

intervention

Interviews, observation, documents,

artifacts

Analysis

Deductive (by statistical methods)

Inductive (narrative and interpretation by

researcher)

Findings

Specific, precise & numerical

Holistic, detailed & descriptive

Researche
r

Detached

Immersed

DEDUCTIVE APPROACH IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
4. Confirm or revise
theory based on the
hypotheses tested
3. Conduct the study to
collect data
2. Design an empirical study
to test hypotheses
1. Formulate hypotheses based
on available theory/theories

INDUCTIVE APPROACH IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
4. Formulate and
generate theory based
on rich descriptive
data
3. Formulate tentative
hypotheses & gather
further information
2. Look for patterns in the
forms of themes, categories
that emerge
1. Conduct observation
(Participant/non-participant)