The merits and shortcomings of quantitative and qualitative research

The merits and shortcomings of quantitative and qualitative research Research methods are technique(s) for gathering data (Harding, 1986) and are generally dichotomized into being either quantitative or qualitative. It has been argued that methodology has been gendered (Oakley, 1998), with quantitative methods traditionally being associated with words such as positivism, scientific, objectivity, statistics and masculinity. In contrast, qualitative methods have generally been associated with interpretive, non-scientific, subjectivity and femininity. Quantitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative analysis is a process that is often the precursor to quantitative, statistical work; a process to make the tacit underpinnings of an issue explicit; a process you can use to deepen your understanding of complex social and human factors that cannot be understood with numbers; a process that helps you figure out what to count and what to measure (Kerlin, 1999, p. 1). A common way of conducting quantitative research is using a survey. Surveys usually involve filling in a questionnaire. There are, of course, many different kinds of quantitative research besides the survey. Observational research involves watching or observing various behaviors and patterns. More complicated forms of quantitative research are experimental research or mathematical modelling research (Peter J.P. Donnelly J.H, 2000). In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Quantitative research is used widely in social sciences such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science. Research in mathematical sciences such as physics is also quantitative by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify, which of such hypotheses are true. Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative research is a generic term for investigative methodologies described as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field, or participant observer research. It emphasizes the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found. Interaction between variables is important. Detailed data is gathered through open ended questions that provide direct quotations. The interviewer is an integral part of the investigation (Jacob, 1988). This differs from quantitative research which attempts to gather data by objective methods to provide information about relations, comparisons, and predictions and attempts to remove the investigator from the investigation (Smith, 1983). According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples. According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is used to denote approaches which are supported by a set of hypotheses concerning the way the social world functions. It deduces many of its basic principles from the perspective that there are fundamental differences between the science of human world and science of natural world and consequently needs to use distinctive methods. Here, attention is focused upon looking at the world through the eyes of studied objects and upon evolving concepts and theories which are grounded in the collecting data. So, qualitative research connected with own accounts of the individuals of their attitudes and behavior. The significance of qualitative research consists in setting stress on describing, understanding complex phenomena. It investigates, for instance, the relationships and patterns among factors or the context in which the activity happens. It is concentrated on understanding the full many-dimensional picture of the subject of investigatio n. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses (informative guesses). The aim of qualitative research is to deepen our understanding about something, and usually this means going beyond the numbers and the statistics. Qualitative research helps us to give reasons why the numbers tell us what they do. It is often contrasted to quantitative research and they are very often used together to get the bigger picture of what we are trying to find out. Qualitative research helps us flesh out the story. Face-to-Face Interviews and Focus Groups The most common forms of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Face-to-face interviews are just that: Meeting someone in person and discussing various issues. The informant or person you are interviewing may be an expert in a particular field (e.g. the editor of a newspaper) or they may be someone who is affected by the issues you are researching (e.g. someone who is HIV positive or who reads the media). Focus groups involve discussions with two or more participants. While questions for focus groups need to be prepared to guide and focus the discussions, the responses are often free-ranging, as the participants are encouraged to explore the issues at hand in an in-depth way. While focus groups and interviews will help you develop explanations for quantitative data, sometimes they can provide you with quantitative data themselves Basic Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Techniques Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in: their analytical objectives the types of questions they pose the types of data collection instruments they use the forms of data they produce the degree of flexibility built into study design The key difference between quantitative and qualitative methods is their flexibility. Generally, quantitative methods are fairly inflexible. With quantitative methods such as surveys and questionnaires, for example, researchers ask all participants identical questions in the same order. The response categories from which participants may choose are closed-ended or fixed. The advantage of this inflexibility is that it allows for meaningful comparison of responses across participants and study sites. However, it requires a thorough understanding of the important questions to ask, the best way to ask them, and the range of possible responses. Qualitative methods are typically more flexible that is, they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between the researcher and the study participant. For example, qualitative methods ask mostly open-ended questions that are not necessarily worded in exactly the same way with each participant. With open-ended questions, participants are free to respond in their own words, and these responses tend to be more complex than simply yes or no. In addition, with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond more elaborately and in greater detail than is typically the case with quantitative methods. In turn, researchers have the opportunity to respond immediately to what participants say by tailoring subsequent questions to information the participant has provided. Merriam (1988) provided a basis for differentiating qualitative and quantitative research techniques based on their characteristics. Characteristics of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Point of Comparisons Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Focus of research Quality (nature, essence) Quantity (how much, how many) Philosophical roots Phenomenology, symbolic interaction Positivism, logical empiricism Associated phrases Fieldwork, ethnographic, naturalistic, grounded, subjective Experimental, empirical, statistical Goal of investigation Understanding, description, discovery, hypothesis generating Prediction, control, description, confirmation, hypothesis testing Design characteristics Flexible, evolving, emergent Predetermined, structured Setting Natural, familiar Unfamiliar, artificial Sample Small, non-random, theoretical Large, random, representative Data collection Researcher as primary instrument, interviews, observations Inanimate instruments (scales, tests, surveys, questionnaires, computers) Mode of analysis Inductive (by researcher) Deductive (by statistical methods) Findings Comprehensive, holistic, expansive Precise, narrow, reductionist However, there is a range of flexibility among methods used in both quantitative and qualitative research and that flexibility is not an indication of how scientifically rigorous a method is. Rather, the degree of flexibility reflects the kind of understanding of the problem that is being pursued using the method. Merits of Quantitative Analysis The use of surveys permit a researcher to study more variables at one time than is typically possible in laboratory or field experiments, whilst data can be collected about real world environments. The usefulness of a survey is that the information you get is standardized because each respondent the person who fills out the questionnaire is answering the exact same questions. Once you have enough responses to your questionnaire, you can then put the data together and analyze it in a way that answers your research question or what it is you want to know. Since case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analyzed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyze a problem. Quantitative data can determine when students have achieved or failed a task, and they can provide national ranking, percentiles, and allow researchers to conduct comparison analyses. Nevertheless, they cannot provide the total picture of why a particular student has either succeeded or failed (Burnaford et al., 2001; Gall et al., 1996 and Mc Bride Schostak, 2000). In quantitative research, the researcher neither participates in nor influences what is being studied; thus, he/she examines the circumstances objectively. In some qualitative research, the researcher may play a more subjective role and participate by being immersed in his/her research. That is, the observer may be the teacher or the facilitator. This role is often the case with when action research, case studies, and focus groups are used in educational research. Advantages of surveys Good for comparative analysis. Can get lots of data in a relatively short space of time. Can be cost-effective (if you use the Internet, for example). Can take less time for respondents to complete (compared to an interview or focus group) Specific concrete example; Can help with problem solving; Are often interesting to read. Demerits of Quantitative Analysis A key weakness of quantitative analysis is that it is very difficult to realise insights relating to the causes of or processes involved in the phenomena measured. There are, in addition, several sources of bias such as the possibly self-selecting nature of respondents, the point in time when the survey is conducted and in the researcher him/herself through the design of the survey itself. It could be argued that the quantitative researcher is more precise, but the response would be that with people it is not possible to be so precise, people change and the social situation is too complex for numerical description. Quantitative research has a tendency to clarify where clarification is not appropriate. (Mc Bride Schostak, 2000, pp. 1-2) Disadvantages of Surveys Responses may not be specific. Questions may be misinterpreted. May not get as many responses as you need. Dont get full story. Can take time to develop; Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills; Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand. Merits of Qualitative Techniques The approaches of the qualitative research differ from the methods of the quantitative research. Quantitative methods have their aim in dividing into clearly defined parts, or variables. When we research an issue which we know how to quantify, for example, what can be quantified for sure, we may leave out the factors which are crucial to the real understanding of the phenomena under study (Andrew, 2007). Qualitative methods are helpful not only in giving rich explanations of complex phenomena, but in creating or evolving theories or conceptual bases, and in proposing hypotheses to clarify the phenomena. Besides, value of the qualitative research consists in validity of the information received; people are minutely interviewed so as the obtained data would be taken as correct and believable reports of their opinions and experiences. Its major disadvantage is that small group of interviewed individuals can not be taken as representative (Andrew, 2007). Case studies involve an attempt to describe relationships that exist in reality, very often in a single organization. Case studies may be positivist or interpretivist in nature, depending on the approach of the researcher, the data collected and the analytical techniques employed. Reality can be captured in greater detail by an observer-researcher, with the analysis of more variables than is typically possible in experimental and survey research. Another type of qualitative analysis is site visits. Site visits help you understand your research better; site visits (e.g. when you visit an organization, a manufacturing plant, a clinic or a housing project) are very useful and sometimes even necessary ways of gaining additional insight and making your theoretical information concrete in your mind. They allow you to observe what is going on, and to ask questions you may not have thought about. Qualitative research has a phenomenological focus that can provide an enriched and detailed description of the participants actions and/or viewpoints (Veronesi, 1997). Advantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can allow for in-depth knowledge sharing; Helps to develop the bigger picture; Helps with analysis of results; Good for networking (e.g. you may be referred to other people to interview). Advantages of Focus Groups Good for community participation (grassroots input); Helpful in developing ideas and sharing latent, or hidden, knowledge spontaneously; Enables you to get information from a number of individuals simultaneously. Advantages of Site Visits and Observation Demerits of Qualitative Analysis Case studies can be considered weak as they are typically restricted to a single organization and it is difficult to generalize findings since it is hard to find similar cases with similar data that can be analyzed in a statistically meaningful way. Disadvantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can be time consuming; May be difficult to arrange an interview time; Can be difficult to compare and analyze information. Disadvantages of Focus Groups Can be difficult to set up; Participants may need to be paid; Need to be sensitive to who the facilitator is; May need a translator; Sometimes difficult to organize and analyze information. Disadvantages of Site Visits and Observation Take time; Can be expensive (depending how far you need to travel); With observation in particular, you need to be careful how you interpret what you see. With site visits, you may want to make sure you have a guide so that you can ask questions However, the disadvantage of the quantitative as well as qualitative research is that they do not always underpin understanding of multi-dimensional pictures (Andrew, 2007).

People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet

People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet Computers have been around for quite a long time, and now they are in most homes in the United States. The most popular activity on the computer is the Internet. The Internet can be used to gain information, chat, watch videos, listen to music, and play games. In today’s society, many people are becoming addicted to the Internet. This has become a problem because people spend most of their time on the Internet instead of investing their time in productive activities. People are also using the Internet as their main source of communication and information. This causes problems because it affects social lives. The Internet also causes people to become lazy. They can find information on any topic so they do not have to think as much as they would if they did not have access to the Internet. People spend too much time on the Internet. This leads to the detriment of their studies, careers, and social and community participation (Davidson 1). Maria from Matawan, New Jersey spends an average of five hours on the computer everyday. One psychiatrist states, â€Å"You may be ‘addicted’ to the Internet if you need to spend more time online to achieve the same level of satisfaction. You may even be experiencing sleep deprivation, facing marital difficulties, losing friendships, and neglecting your job or school work to the point of risking being fired or flunking out† (Goldsborough 1). Maria feels that she loses control over the time when she is on the Internet. She stays up late every night chatting with her friends, watching videos, and playing online games. One author explains how addictive and sinister the Internet really is: â€Å"It’s easy to get hooked on the Web. A page leads to a link, to a page, to a link, to a page, and before you know it, two hours have flown by† (Walker 2). Maria plans on staying on the Internet for a few minutes. Before she knows it, those minutes turn into hours. Another author explains how the Internet can affect relationships: â€Å"An excessive amount of Internet use has an effect on family and partner relations and on communication within the family† (â€Å"Three-Factor† 1). Maria’s grades and friendships seem to suffer because of the amount of time that she spends on the Internet. Spending time on the Internet becomes the substitute for activities and events that are happening in her life. Instead of going out, she chooses to sit in her house in front of the computer. When it comes to doing her homework, she ends up not doing it because she gets distracted by the computer. When her friends ask her to go out, she rejects the invitation because she would rather stay home searching the Internet. This causes her grades in school and her social life to suffer. We are using the Internet as our main communication source. Facebook and Myspace are highly addictive social-networking websites that captivate teens and young adults. Jessica from Hazlet, New Jersey belongs to the social-network Facebook. People who belong to this site have access to hear from old friends, receive new messages, check out new photos, read blogs, and search for new profiles (â€Å"New† 1). Jessica uses Facebook to communicate with friends, family, and classmates. Other ways she communicates through the computer include Myspace, Twitter, online chat rooms, instant messaging, and many others. This is harmful to her social skills. Instead of making friends in person, she meets people on the Internet. This does not give her a chance to communicate face-to-face. It can also be dangerous to meet new people on the Internet because one may not turn out to be who they claim to be. Klavans, Director of Columbia University’s Center for Research on Information Access, states, â€Å"With chat rooms, you can take on a new personality. It’s like when you are on an airplane and you have a conversation with the person next to you. You can pretend to be someone else for a couple of hours. With the Internet, that can last all night† (Keenan 1). Anything can be said through typing, but these words might not always be the truth. These websites make Jessica hide behind a computer screen instead of interacting face-to-face with others. One author explains why students prefer communicating through the Internet over communicating face-to-face. â€Å"Students enjoy communicating via the Net because they have more time to create clever lines. With the distance the computer provides, they do not have to deal with the stress or awkwardness of face-to-face conversations† (Keenan 2). We can find information about any subject on the Internet, which prevents us from thinking. Danielle from Edison, New Jersey always searches the Internet when she has a homework assignment. One author states that people should not become too dependent on the Internet: â€Å"The Internet is very helpful, allowing people to find information to help them with their careers or studies, but one should not always rely on this for everything† (Goldsborough 2). Danielle can find all the answers to the questions she is assigned and all the information she needs to write her essays through the Internet. When it comes to tests and assignments in class, she does not have access to the Internet so she does not always do her best. She is so accustomed to having all of the answers right in front of her. One author explains how some students become addicted to all of the information on the Internet: â€Å"Some students are information junkies who spend their time checking sports scores, reading home pages or combing through the billions of bits of information readily available on the Internet† (Keenan 2). Danielle feels that she has become dependent on all the information the Internet has to offer. This has caused her to not think as much as she should. Computers have changed our lives in many ways, but people should not take advantage of all the possibilities the Internet has to offer. People are becoming addicted to the Internet. They spend too many hours on the Internet a day instead of going out into the real world. They are also becoming dependent on the Internet. They are using it as their main source of communication and information. They should try to limit the amount of time that that they are spending on the Internet by using their time more wisely. Works Cited Davidson, Jeff. â€Å"Internet Addiction Is Not Pretty†. Public Management. Oct. 2008: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . Goldsborough, Reid. â€Å"When The Internet Becomes Too Much. Office Solutions. Apr. 2008: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . Keenan, John. â€Å"Students Stuck in Cyber Web. † Insight on the News. 29 July, 1996: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . â€Å"New Teen Addictions: Facebook, Myspace†. Oakland Tribune. 23 Sep. , 2007: 3. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . â€Å"Three-Factor Model of Internet Addiction: The Development of The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire†. Behavior Research Method. Ma y 2008: 3. Web. 21 Sep 2009.. Walker, Celeste Perrino. â€Å"Help For The â€Å"Terminally Addicted. †-Internet Addiction. † Vibrant Life. Jan. -Feb. , 1998: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009.

A Good Man By Flannery O Connor Essay - 1049 Words

Micah Gonzales Vernon English 1302.03 31 March 2015 A Good Man is Hard to Find In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find, the author, Flannery O’Connor states many points in this short story. It is to be said that O’Connor is a very religious, catholic, in fact (Vol. 2 pg. 97). O’Connor has stated her religious views in most of her fiction stories. O’Connor was also known for her stories on violence. Readers sometimes find O’Connor’s fictions to be weird with such turning points in her stories. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† has many turning points and moods. The story starts off random with an elderly woman not wanting to travel to Florida, instead Tennessee. The grandmother tags along with her family to Florida hesitantly, despite her feeling so-so after reading about a criminal being on the loose. Readers get to know each character in the story when Flanner O’Connor goes into detail about the family’s road trip to Florida. The grandmother seems to be very ol d fashioned with the way puts herself to her grandchildren. She seems very kind and caring but also a little bit selfish. Grandmother also seems to have a kind of personality that makes some points of the story silly. Violence is also a big point in this short story. While going through Georgia, the family stops by a small rundown restaurant (O’Connor 6-9). Red Sam, the owner of the restaurant seems to get into great conversation about how times in their current day was so much different than back in their day, talkingShow MoreRelatedA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1235 Words   |  5 PagesA good man is hard to find is a short story written by, Flannery O’Connor, in which the she describes the story of a family going out for a trip to Florida. The grandmother in the family seems to be apparently the main character in the story and the main one who tries to convince the family that is dangerous to go out when there’s a man named the Misfit who is ready to attac k and kill anyone in his way. No one in the family seemed to believe her, and yet; they all decided to travel. In their wayRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1239 Words   |  5 PagesTuesday July 26, 2016 Good Man What’s a good man? Can it be descriptive?. And can that person be identified as a good man who is hard to find?. The story of â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† talks about a grandmother whose name is not mentioned directly in the story. Mystery has it, that she has been explaining her story as if she was the good man or who knows what she could be talking about referring someone or telling someone that good men are hard to find. The author Flannery O’connor wrote this storyRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1795 Words   |  8 PagesJada Brandon 11-26-2015 English 261 Final exam A Good Man is Hard to find in this Story Considered as one of the best short story authors in her era, Flannery O Connor wrote many short stories before her death in 1964. A faithful Catholic, religion was a primary theme in her works; she wrote mostly about southern life with religious themes recurring in her work. One of her most famous stories was the 1955 short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The story depicts the heartless execution ofRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor946 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1955, Flannery O’ Connor published the short story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† which became her best-known short story. Although many appreciated her work it received much criticism for its peculiar character, The Misfit. His callous violent behavior made people uncomfortable with her work describing it as consistently distorted and manipulative. The Misfit’s unsentimental and cruel behavior characterizes true psychological disturbance similar to that of Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahm er. Read MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor2114 Words   |  9 Pages A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis In the short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O Connor uses characterization, flashbacks, the five-part plot structure, and point of view to set up the plot efficiently. The story is told through the Grandmother’s point of view most of the time in order to understand her, and her thoughts in her final moments with the misfit. In seeing how the grandmother views the world around her the reader is able to understand the type of person she is. O’ConnorRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1059 Words   |  5 PagesPicture this: three children, two parents, a grandmother, and a cat walk into a barbecue joint. This sounds like the beginning of a hilarious joke; however, it is the start of a devastating family vacation. Written by Flannery O Connor in 1953, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† portrays wrongful humor and violence through the use of symbolism and imagery. Looking closely at the story one can see the grandmother’s dress, the six grave stones, and the woods, just to name a few, all symbolize and foreshadowRead MoreFlannery O Connor s A Good Man1275 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor has written multiple books about the two topics she knows best, southern living and the Catholic religion. Most of her writings focus on humanity s biggest question. â€Å"What is required to attain salvation?† Growing up as a devout Roman-Catholic, O’Connor is able to shed some light into a question that even scholars in the Christian faith are unable to answer. Although O Connor has multiple books, the one that answers the many questions surrounding salvation best, is A Good ManRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1369 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor is one of the most controversial and well known modern day Southern Gothic authors in America. When she came into prominence in 1955 with her first collection of short stories titled A Good Man is Hard to Find, it was met with criticism for b eing overtly violent and grotesque. One reviewer from Time magazine said the short stories were â€Å"witheringly sarcastic† and â€Å"written in a style as balefully direct as a death sentence† (Simpson 44). The reviewer went even further on to callRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1927 Words   |  8 PagesWe have recently read a story written by Flannery O’Connor titled â€Å"A good man is hard to find.† The story was about a family who were on their way to Florida for vacation. On their way, they had an accident that caused their vehicle to tumble ten feet down a ditch. While they were waiting for help, a group of escaped convicts from a Federal Penitentiary witnessed the accident and approached the family. It is unknown to the readers whether or not the intention of these convicts for approaching theRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor874 Words   |  4 PagesLife Gothic genres are often characterized by themes including hypocrisy, death, racism, among others. The plainspoken, comic- cartoon-ish, blunt, and obvious short story writer, Flannery O’Connor, in her short story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† bring about the perfect example of Gothic fiction. The story is about an escaped mentally-ill criminal dubbed The Misfit- who crossed path with a fatal family. The main characters, The Grandmother, June Star, The Misfit and even Bailey among others