NATURE OF

RESEARCH
A GROUP 5 REPORT
- THE NATURE OF THE RESEARCH WILL
DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF THE STUDY
AND WHICH APPROACH IS BEST TO EMPLOY.
THE APPROACH TO RESEARCH DEPENDS ON
THE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE
ANSWERED.

- THE TWO APPROACHES IN CONDUCTING

RESEARCH CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS EITHER
QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
- The main purpose of qualitative
research is to explore, understand, and
interpret human behavior and issues. It
involves an interpretive and naturalistic
approach to its subjects.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
- The aims of quantitative research are to
test hypotheses, determine cause-and-effect
relationships, and make predictions. This
type of research is normally done by
defining specific variables that are to be
studied in a rigorous but controlled manner.
 TABLE 2-2
A COMPARISON BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND
C R I T E R QUALITATIVE
IA Q U A L I T ARESEARCH
T I V E Q UAN T I TAT I V E
Philosophical Foundation • inductive; holistic • deductive; reductionist
Aim • study and analyze complex • test predetermined
human hypotheses
Methodology • flexible and can be modified • predetermined; step-by-step;
at will; exploratory, or confirmatory, or top-down
bottom-up
Variables • no distinct variables; studied • distinct set of variables
as a whole
Position of Researcher • integral part of the research • detached; highly objective
process; can be subjective
Assessing Quality of Outcomes • indirect quality assurance; • validity and reliability tested
trustworthiness of the reader directly through statistics
to the author
Utility of Results • transferability • generalizability
QUESTIONS???