Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Question 1

Worldview or paradigm

Answer 1

The way people in a particular society think about the world. Sets of beliefs and practices, shared by communities of researches, which regulate inquiry within disciplines.

Question 2

Positivism

Answer 2

The basis of empirical analytical (quantitative) research. The main assumption underlying positivism is that a reality exists that can be observed, measured, and known as fact.

Question 3

Postpositivists

Answer 3

Are still interested in reality and seek to understand it, but their views are tempered by the belief that no absolute truth exists.

Question 4

Constructivism

Answer 4

The basis for naturalistic (qualitative) research,. Constructivists believe that reality is not fixed but is a construction of the people perceiving it and that many constructions are possible, thus no ultimate truth exists.

Question 5

Epistemology

Answer 5

Deals with what we know, that is, “truth”. The origins, nature, and limits of knowledge are included. The why and how we know some things and what constitutes our knowing.

Question 6

Ontology

Answer 6

The science or study of being or existence and its relationship to nonexistence. Deals with what is real (versus fictions or appearance) and the nature of reality (or matter)

Question 7

Main difference between positivist and constructivist

Answer 7

Positivist view- one reality exists and humankind seeks to learn the laws of nature, whereas in the perceived or constructivist view reality is constructed differently by different people.

Question 8

Quantitative research

Answer 8

Encompasses the study of research questions or hypotheses that describe phenomena, test relationships, assess differences, and seek to explain cause-and-effect interactions between variables and tests for intervention effectiveness.

Question 9

Empirical analytical

Answer 9

Quantitative research approaches that test hypotheses.

Question 10

Theory

Answer 10

A set of interrelated concepts that provides a systematic view of a phenomena.

Question 11

Inductive reasoning

Answer 11

A process of starting with the details of experience and moving to a general picture

Question 12

Credibility in qualitative research

Answer 12

Refers to the faithfulness to the description of the
phenomenon in questionIt
addresses the issue of whether there is consistency between
the participants’ views and the researcher’s representation
of them.

Question 13

Dependability / Auditability

Answer 13

Is an integral component of
rigour and involves the researcher giving the reader
sufficient information to determine how dependable the study and the researcher are. A study may be deemed
auditable when another researcher can clearly follow the trail used by the investigator and potentially arrive at the
same or comparable conclusions

Question 14

Transferability

Answer 14

Refers to whether or not findings

can be applied outside the context of the study situation.

Question 15

Confirmability

Answer 15

Requires the researcher to demonstrate how
conclusions and interpretations have been reached. It is
concerned with establishing that findings are clearly derived
from the data. Confirmability is
usually established when credibility, transferabiiity and
dependability are achieved.

Question 16

Goodness

Answer 16

Goodness
needs to be evident in the philosophical background and
study design, providing explicit explanations regarding
the study context, data collection and management and
the interpretation and presentation process. Goodness,
therefore, is a principle that should be present during
all stages of the research study and explicit in the final
written report.

Question 17

Deductive reasoning

Answer 17

Starting with the general picture

Question 18

Empirical factors

Answer 18

Refer to those elements that can be observed through the sense.

Question 19

Conceptual definition

Answer 19

Like a dictionary definition, conveying the general meaning of the concept. Goes beyond the dictionary meeting, it defines the concept as it is rooted in the theoretical literature.

Question 20

Operational definition

Answer 20

Specifies how the concept will be measured, what instruments will be used to capture the variable.

Question 21

Concept

Answer 21

An image or symbolic representation of an abstract idea

Question 22

Conceptual framework

Answer 22

A structure of concepts, theories, or both pulled together as a map for the study

Question 23

Theoretical framework

Answer 23

Provides structure for concepts that exist in the literature, a ready-made map for the study