Qualitative and Quantitative Tools and

Techniques for Social Science Research

DR. S. SRINIVASARAGAVAN
PROFESSOR & HEAD
DLIS, BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI-620 024
 Different Approaches in Research Methodology

• Qualitative approach
• Quantitative approach
• Pragmatic approach (Mixed method)
 Qualitative Approach

• Associated with the social constructivist paradigm

• About recording, analyzing and attempting to uncover the deeper meaning and significance
of human behavior and experiences

• Researchers are interested in gaining a rich and complex understanding of people’s

experience

• Focus is not on obtaining information which can be generalized to other larger groups.
Quantitative Approach

• It usually involves collecting and converting data into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be

made and conclusions drawn.

• Quantitative data is defined as the value of data in the form of counts or numbers where each data-set has an

unique numerical value associated with it.

• This data is any quantifiable information that can be used for mathematical calculations and statistical analysis,

such that real-life decisions can be made based on these mathematical derivations.

• Quantitative data is used to answer questions such as “How many?”, “How often?”, “How much?”. This data

can be verified and can also be conveniently evaluated using mathematical techniques
 Pragmatic Approach

• Pragmatic researchers grant themselves the freedom to use any of the methods,

techniques and procedures typically associated with quantitative or qualitative research

• They recognize that every method has its limitations and that the different approaches can

be complementary.

• They may also use different techniques at the same time or one after the other.
 Tools and Techniques

• A tool is a device or computer app that enables do something.

• A technique is a process or procedure that a researcher follows.

• Tools and techniques in research are the statistical methods of collection, analysis,

interpretation, presentation, and organization of data.

 Major Tools

• Data Collection Tools

• Data Analysis Tools

• Reference Management Tools

 Data Collection Tools
• Devices/instruments used to collect data, such as
• A paper questionnaire or computer- assisted interviewing
system.
• Case Studies
• Checklists
• Interview Schedules/Recordings
• Observation - personal /dairy/ audio/video surveillance
• Surveys - Instruments/Personal - etc. are all tools used to collect
data.
Raimo Streefkerk (2019): A Rule of Thumb for Deciding Whether to Use
Qualitative or Quantitative Data is:

• Use quantitative research if you want to confirm or test something (a theory or

hypothesis)

• Use qualitative research if you want to understand something (concepts, thoughts,

experiences)
Data Collection Approaches for Qualitative Research Usually Involves

• Direct interaction with individuals on a one to one basis

• Direct interaction with individuals in a group setting

• Qualitative research data collection methods are time consuming, therefore data is usually collected
from a smaller sample than would be the case for quantitative approaches

• Information is richer and has a deeper insight into the phenomenon under study
 Contd….

• The qualitative research methods of data collection does not involve the collection of data

that involves numbers or a need to be deduced through a mathematical calculation.

• It is based on the non-quantifiable elements like the feeling or emotion of the researcher.

An example of such a method is an open-ended questionnaire.

 The Main Tools for Collecting Qualitative Data:

(I) Individual interviews:

• Structured Interviews

• Semi-structured Interviews

• Unstructured Interviews
 Best Data Collection Tools for Interviews

• Audio Recorder

• Digital Camera

• Camcorder

A camcorder is used for collecting data through interviews. It provides a combination of both an audio
recorder and a video camera. The data provided is qualitative in nature and allows the respondents to
answer questions asked exhaustively. If you need to collect sensitive information during an interview,
a camcorder might not work for you as you would need to maintain your subject’s privacy.
 Contd….

• (II) Focus groups

• It falls under the primary category for data based on the feelings and opinions of the respondents. This research
involves asking open-ended questions to a group of individuals usually ranging from 6-10 people, to provide feedback.

• (III) Observations

• Structured or unstructured:

• In structured or systematic observation, data collection is conducted using specific variables and according to a pre-
defined schedule.

• Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is conducted in an open and free manner in a sense that there would be no
pre-determined variables or objectives.
 Contd….

(iv) Participatory Action Research

(v) Case Studies
(vi) Anecdotal records
(vii) Sociometry
(viii) Literature Review: Survey of
published works by other authors.
Others

• In depth interviews
• Online forum
• Groups
• Online communities
• Web survey chat
• Blogs
• Social media
Data Collection Approaches For Qualitative Research
Usually Involves:

• Systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data and performing

statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques

• Quantitative methods are presented in numbers and require a mathematical calculation to

deduce.
 The Main Tools for Collecting Quantitative Data
• Inquiry Forms

• Questionnaire and Survey, Pooling, experiments

• Checklist and Rating Scales

• Score Card

• Schedule (questions, statements (on which opinions are elicited) and blank
spaces/tables for filling up the respondents)

• Opinionnaire and attitude Scales

• Psychological Tests Achievement Test Aptitude Test Intelligence Test Interest

inventory Personality measures etc.

• Digital Tools and Email

• Formblogs like web tools

Digital Tools for both QN & QL Data Collection

• Google Form
• Survey Monkey
• Easy Polls
• Microsoft Forms
• Magpi
• Survey Sparrow
• Typeform Paperform
 Data Analysis Tools and Techniques for Qualitative and
Quantitative Research

• Tools: SPSS, MS Excel, Biblioshyny, Bibexcel, R Programming.

• Research Data analysis: Descriptive Analysis, Diagnostic Analysis, Predictive Analysis, Prescriptive Analysis.

• Qualitative Data Analysis: Qualitative content analysis, Narrative analysis, Discourse analysis, Thematic analysis, Grounded theory

(GT), Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA)

• Quantitative research: Correlation/regression, Descriptive, Thematic, Narrative.

• Content analysis and Document analysis - Narrative Analysis , Coding and Classification

• Triangulation(Triangulation means using more than one method to collect data on the same topic)

• Frequency and percentage Analysis

• Trend Analysis

• Utilization of Corroborative evidences (to confirm or support ) An example of corroborate is to provide details that explain what happened

at a crime scene.
 The Statistics Hold the Major Two
Branches

• Descriptive Statistics
• Inferential Statistics
 Descriptive Statistics
• The descriptive statistics has the ability to judge and conclude the data in a descriptive form to further
outline a structure of an experiment.
• Distribution- the frequency of different outcomes (or data points) in a population or sample
• Central tendency- Mean, Median, Mode,
• Variability-Standard deviation, Minimum and maximum values, Range, Kurtosis, Skewness
 Inferential Statistics
• Inferential statistics is used to analyse the results and draw conclusions. Experts described inferential statistics as the
mathematics and logic of how this generalization from sample to population can be made (Kolawole, 2001).
• Inferential statistics focus on making generalizations about a larger population based on a representative sample of that
population.
Procedure for Performing an Inferential Test:
There are many steps to do inferential statistics:
• Start with a theory
• Make a research hypothesis
• Operationalize the variables
• Identify the population to which the study results should apply
• Form a null hypothesis for this population
• Collect a sample of children from the population and run the study
• Perform statistical tests to see if the obtained sample characteristics are sufficiently different from what would be expected
under the null hypothesis to be able to reject the null hypothesis.
 Reason For Using Inferential Statistics

• Many top level journals will not publish articles that do not use inferential statistics.
It allows analyst to generalize findings to the larger population.
• It can determine not just what can happen, but what tends to happen in programs.
• Inferential statistics helps assess strength of the relationship between independent (causal) variables, and dependent
(effect) variables.
• It can assess the relative impact of various program. Inferential statistics can only be used when statistician have a
complete list of the members of the population.
• Using a pre-established formula, statistician determine that sample size is large enough.
Inferential statistics can help to determine strength of relationship within sample.
• Statistician can assess the strength of the impact of independent variables (program inputs) on outcomes (program
outputs).
• In inferential statistics, it is difficult to obtain a population list and/or draw a random sample.
Inferential Statistics

• The Following Types Of Inferential Statistics Are Extensively Used And Relatively Easy To Interpret:
• One sample test of difference/One sample hypothesis test
• Confidence Interval
• Contingency Tables and Chi Square Statistic
• T-test or Anova
• Pearson Correlation
• Bi-variate Regression
• Multi-variate Regression
 Characteristics oF Quantitative and Qualitative
Research
Quantitative Qualitative

Objective Subjective

“Hard” science “Soft” science

Literature review must be done early in study Literature review may be done as study progresses or
afterwards
Test theory Develops theory

One reality: focus is concise and narrow Multiple realities: focus is complex and broad

Measurable Interpretive

Researcher is separate Researcher is part of process

Context free Context dependent

Hypothesis Research questions

“Counts the beans” Provides information as to “which beans are worth counting”
 Reference Management Tools

• Mendeley: A tool for reference management and for collaborating and sharing your work.

• RefWork: RefWorks is a web-based bibliography and database manager that allows you to create your

own personal database by importing references from text files or online databases and other various

sources

• Zotero: Zotero is, at the most basic level, a reference manager. It is designed to store, manage, and cite

bibliographic references, such as books and articles.

• EndNote: A tool for managing and publishing bibliographies, citations, and references.
 REFERENCING

• Whenever you include a piece of information in your

writing that is not your own, you must reference the
information.
• You can either take a direct quote from information, or
paraphrase. Direct quotes mean you use the exact
words as the source.
• You indicate a direct quote using “quotation marks”.
• Generally direct quotes are used only in short
sentences. Paraphrases are used when you get the
general ideas from a source. In this instance you do
NOT use “quotation marks”, but rather, after the
phrase, sentence or paragraph, you reference.
Online Sources

• In-text citations remain the same for online sources as it is with books, e.g. (Surname,
publication date)
• In the reference list, the format is the same as with a book, however at the end you add
the retrieval date(that is the date you sourced the information from the cite) and the URL.
• Authors Surname, Christian Name Initial, (Date), ‘Title’, Publication place, Date
retrieved, URLE.G.
• E.g.: Brown, P., (1992), ‘Cashews: The Nut for Life’, Coburg, 29/02/11,
www.cashews4life.com.au
Oxford System
• The Oxford System works on the same basis as the Harvard System, however instead of

in-text citations, footnotes are used. Immediately after a quote or paraphrase a number is

placed at the end which then corresponds to a footnote at the bottom of the page.

• The footnotes are the reference to the bibliography at the end of the paper.

• The Bibliography is exactly the same as a reference list in the Harvard System.
Harvard System

• In-text citation is a citation of a reference immediately after the quote or paraphrase. For example, Peter
said “Cashews are tasty” (Brown, 1992).

• The in-text citation only gives the surname of the author and the publication date. The reference list
provides the rest of the details.

• The reference list provides more detail about the source of information.

• The author, title, publication date and place. Authors Surname, Christian Name Initial, (Date), ‘Title’,
Publication place.

• E.G. Brown, P., (1992), ‘Cashews: The Nut for Life’, Coburg.
Example for Qualitative And Quantitative
References

• https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Research/Understanding-dementia-research/Types-of-research/The-four-main-

approaches

• ormpl.us/blog/data-collection method#:~:text=Case%20Studies%2C%20Checklists%2C%20Inter views

%2C,ways%20and%20for%20different%20purposes.

• 7 Data Collection Methods & Tools For Researchhttps://www.formpl.us/blog/data-collection-method#:~:text=Case

%20Studies%2C%20Checklists%2C%20Inter views%2C,ways%20and%20for%20different%20purposes. By

Formplus Blog

• https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-quantitative- research/Qualitative vs. quantitative research

THANK YOU
Dr. S. Srinivasaragavan
maduraiseenoo@yahoo.co.in