Qualitative and Quantitative Research: How to

Choose the Best Design

Greg L. Lowhorn
Regent University
Introduction
It is often difficult to choose etween !uantitative and !ualitative research design. "t
ti#es$ a researcher #ay choose a design ecause he or she is #ore fa#iliar with one
#ethod or the other or a colleague reco##ends a %articular design. However$ our
research will e #ore hel%ful if we #a&e our decision ased on well'considered$ suitale
design rather than si#%ly choosing a design that is #ore fa#iliar or co#fortale to the
researcher. (he %ur%ose of this %a%er is to introduce graduate students and new
researchers to !uantitative and !ualitative research design and to hel% the# choose the
est #ethod ased on the ty%e of infor#ation needed and analytical ca%aility.
Quantitative Design ) "nalysis
Quantitative Research estalishes statistically significant conclusions aout a
%o%ulation y studying a re%resentative sa#%le of the %o%ulation.
*
(he %o%ulation
consists of the entire grou% eing studied. It does not #atter if the %o%ulation is road or
narrow$ only that it includes every individual that fits the descri%tion of the grou% eing
studied.
+ince it is i#%ractical to conduct a census ,include everyone in the %o%ulation- ecause
of constant turnover and resource constraints$ a re%resentative sa#%le is chosen fro# the
%o%ulation. If chosen %ro%erly$ the sa#%le will e statistically identical to the %o%ulation
and conclusions for the sa#%le can e inferred to the %o%ulation.
.
Quantitative research usually is one of two ty%es: e/%eri#ental or descri%tive.
0/%eri#ental research tests the accuracy of a theory y deter#ining if the inde%endent
variale,s- ,controlled y the researcher- causes an effect on the de%endent variale ,the
variale eing #easured for change-.
1
2ften$ surveys$ correlation studies$ and #easures
of e/%eri#ental outco#es are evaluated to estalish causality within a credile
confidence range.
*
Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. ,.
nd

ed.-. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications.
.
7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-. Exploring Marketing Research. ,8
th
ed.-. 9ort 4orth: (he Dryden 6ress.
1
Ca#%ell$ D.(. ) +tanley$ 3.C. ,*:;1-. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research.
Boston: Houghton <ifflin Co#%any.
Descri%tive research #easures the sa#%le at a #o#ent in ti#e and si#%ly descries the
sa#%le=s de#ogra%hy. "lthough this is not seen as a statistically roust or difficult
e/ercise$ a good descri%tion of the variales hel%s the researcher evaluate the statistical
out%ut in the %ro%er conte/t.
>
+o#e researchers thin& that !uantitative research is etter than !ualitative research at
estalishing causality ecause of the %recise #easure#ents and controlled environ#ent of
e/%eri#ents? however !ualitative studies can also e used to estalish causality ut with
less e/ternal validity. Laoratory e/%eri#ents are used when all e/traneous variales
need to e controlled so that the s%ecific action and effect of the inde%endent variale can
e controlled. In addition$ it #ay e i#%ortant to e ale to re%licate the study and a
laoratory setting #a&es these things %ossile. 9ield e/%eri#ents are conducted when it
is i#%ortant to #easure what the research ele#ent actually does$ rather than what they
say they will do. "s can e seen with conce%t studies$ what a %erson says they will do and
what they actually do can e very different.
@
Reliailit! and "alidit!
Reliaility is the aility of se%arate researchers to co#e to si#ilar conclusions using the
sa#e e/%eri#ental design or %artici%ants in a study to consistently %roduce the sa#e
#easure#ent.
;
9or e/a#%le$ a %erson who ta&es a ris& toleration survey will achieve the
sa#e score regardless of whether he or she ta&es it in the #orning or evening$ in 3anuary
or 3uly$ etc.
Aalidity refers to the aility of an instru#ent to #easure what it is su%%osed to #easure.
8

If I conducted a survey to #easure the degree of financial ris& a %erson was willing to
tolerate and the survey #easured the res%ondent=s IQ instead$ it would not e valid.
#nternal "alidit! refers to the veracity of the study$ how well it was constructed
and run$ accuracy of definitions and theories e#%loyed$ accurate #easure#ent of
variales$ and the researcher=s degree of confidence that the change in the
de%endent variale was effected y the inde%endent variale.
B
External "alidit! is a study=s aility to have the results generaliCed to the
%o%ulation.
:
In !uantitative studies this is done y ensuring that sa#%ling was
done in an a%%ro%riate way$ such as rando#iCing selection so that every ele#ent
in a %o%ulation has a chance to %artici%ate or to use selective techni!ues$ such as
stratified or snowall sa#%ling$ to ensure that various grou%s are ade!uately
>
Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-.
@
7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-.
;
De Aaus$ D. ,.55*-. Research Design in $ocial Research. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications.
8
7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-.
B
Huitt$ B. ,.551-. Internal and 0/ternal Aalidity: General Issues. Educational %s!cholog! #nteractive,
"aldosta $tate &niversit!. Retrieved fro# htt%:DDchiron.valdosta.eduDwhuittDcolDintroDresearch.ht#l on
9eruary *;$ .551.
:
Huitt$ B. ,.551-.
re%resented.
*5
(he eli#ination of e/traneous variales as causative factors
increases e/ternal validity.
**
Qualitative Design ) "nalysis
Qualitative Research descries an event in its natural setting.
*.
It is a suEective way to
loo& at life as it is lived and an atte#%t to e/%lain the studied ehavior.
*1

Rather than design an e/%eri#ent and artificially control the variales$ !ualitative
researchers use anthro%ological and ethnogra%hic #ethods to study the %artici%ants. "s
little intrusion as %ossile should occur in !ualitative research and a researcher will
fre!uently oserve the %artici%ants unnoticed.
*>
Instead of %roviding a road view of a %heno#enon that can e generaliCed to the
%o%ulation$ !ualitative research see&s to e/%lain a current situation and only descries
that situation for that grou%. +ince only a current situation is oserved$ all !ualitative
research is done in the field. " %ossile e/ce%tion is the focus grou%$ which is conducted
with 1'*5 %ersons and uses a scri%t of !uestions. (he #oderator as&s the !uestions and
the recorder records the res%onses. "lthough a focus grou% is conducted in a controlled
environ#ent$ the o%en ended !uestions and lac& of rigid sa#%le selection #a&e it see#
#ore li&e a field e/ercise.
*@
4hereas !uantitative research see&s to validate a theory y conducting an e/%eri#ent and
analyCing the results nu#erically$ !ualitative research see&s to arrive at a theory that
e/%lains the ehavior oserved. In this way$ it can e said that !uantitative research is
#ore deductive and !ualitative research is #ore inductive.
*;
Reliailit! and "alidit!
"s in !uantitative research$ the aility to re%roduce results is i#%ortant in !ualitative
research.
#nternal validit! is auto#atically estalished in !ualitative research ecause the
grou% acts as its own %oint of reference.
*8

*5
7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-.
**
9lic&$ U. ,.55.-. An #ntroduction to Qualitative Research. ,.
nd
ed.-. (housand 2a&s: +age 6ulications.
*.
"usaha$ R. ) 4oelfel$ <.L. ,.551-. Qualitative vs. Quantitative <ethods: (wo 2%%osites that <a&e a
6erfect <atch. 'ournal of the American Dietetic Association. *51,@-. @;;'@8@.
*1
4alsh$ F. ,.551-. Qualitative Research: "dvancing the +cience and 6ractice of Hos%itality. (ornell
)otel * Restaurant Quarterl!. >>,*.-. ;;'8@.
*>
Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-? de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-.
*@
7i&#und$ 4.G. ,.55*-.
*;
(rochi#$ 4.<.F. ,.555-. Deduction and Induction: Deductive and Inductive (hin&ing. Retrieved fro#
htt%:DDtrochi#.hu#an.cornell.eduD&Ddedind.ht# on <arch 15$ .551.
*8
de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-.
External validit! cannot e estalished in the traditional sense with !ualitative
sense ecause it is not trying to reach a general conclusion aout the %o%ulation.
Instead$ validity for !ualitative research is est descried as rigorous$ credile$
and trustworthy.
Design and +tudy Location
De%ending u%on the researcher=s need for oEectivity$ location and ty%e of
e/%eri#ent can e chosen in order to #a/i#iCe validity. (he following grid
shows when each ty%e of design is co#%atile with each ty%e of locationD#ethod.
Laoratory 9ield
Quantitative
Qualitative
" 6ractical 0/a#%le
Ges$ control
needed$
causality can
e
estalished
Ges$ oservation$
control not needed$
correlation
Ho
,e/ce%t for
si#ilarities with
focus grou%s-
Ges$ all
oservations are
in the field$ e/%lain
current
%heno#enon
(o illustrate different a%%roaches$ consider the e/a#%le of a co#%any
e/%eriencing a sudden increase in turnover. (he #anager is unsure why turnover
has suddenly s%i&ed and co##issions a study to deter#ine its cause.
If a researcher wants to deter#ine the cause of the increased turnover$ he or she
#ay analyCe the situation differently de%ending on the research #ethod chosen.
Quantitative: (he researcher would start y gathering de#ogra%hic data so he or
she could descrie the e#%loyee %ool. (hen$ a data gathering instru#ent such as a
survey #ay e used to as& s%ecific !uestions aout %ersonal characteristics$ cause
for ter#inating e#%loy#ent$ etc. (he data would e nu#erically analyCed to see
if a correlation e/isted etween variales and$ if so$ regression #ay e used to
%redict future turnover ased on the %resence of the sa#e inde%endent factors
,variales- that were studied.
Qualitative: If !ualitative research #ethodology was chosen$ the researcher #ay
choose to conduct a case study$ using %ersonal interviews and oservation to try
to deter#ine the cause,s- of increased turnover. +ince ethnogra%hic considerations
are ta&en$ the researcher tries to deter#ine this grou%=s version of reality$ rather
than acce%ting one generic version of reality li&e the !uantitative researcher
would do. +ince this is a study aout why this co#%any has e/%erienced an
increase in turnover$ the results could only e inferred for this co#%any or$ at the
#ost$ to co#%anies that are very #uch li&e this one.
*B
Conclusion
De%ending u%on the desired outco#e of the research$ social scientists #ay choose
etween !uantitative or !ualitative designs. +ince they see& to e/%lain events
fro# different %ers%ectives$ oth are valid ways to evaluate a %heno#enon in the
%ro%er conte/t. By e/a#ining the current situation$ the research !uestion$ and the
critical factors of each design$ the researcher can #a&e a #ore infor#ed choice
and enhance oth reliaility and validity of the study.
*B
Creswell$ 3.4. ,.551-? de Aaus$ D. ,.55*-? 9lic&$ U. ,.55.-.