research methods quantitive and qualitative data

Question 1

What is quantitative data?

Answer 1

• Data that is able to be presented in numerical form and is more objective in nature.
• It can be analyzed and conclusions drawn are more likely to be reliable
• It can be repeated to see trends overtime

Question 2

What is qualitative data?

Answer 2

• Is more contextual data that is often presented in written therefore opening to interpretation
• Offers researchers more of an sights into the lives of others

Question 3

What type of data are positivists more likely to use and why?

Answer 3

• Positivists are more likely to use quantitative data as they are looking towards trends and patterns of behavior displayed by people in society

Question 4

What type of data are interprevisits more likely to use and why?

Answer 4

• Interpretivists are more likely to use qualitative data that fits the purpose of research
• They look for the meaning and motivations behind the behavior of groups and this is more likely to be found in qualitative data

Question 5

What are the methods of quantitive data?

Answer 5

• Lab and field experiments
• Questionnaires
• Closed questions
• Opinion polls and surveys
• Structured interviews
• Non participant structured observations
• Official statistics
• Content analysis

Question 6

What are the uses of quantitative data?

Answer 6

• Reporting social trends
• Opinion polls: measures social attitudes such as Brexit
• Education: exam results
• Private sector and charities: marketing and funding projects

Question 7

What are methods of qualitative data?

Answer 7

• Participant observations
• Unstructured interviews
• Questionnaires with open questions
• Personal documents
• Historical documents
• Case studies
• Ethnographic approaches
• Journals, Diaries, forms of media

Question 8

What are the uses of qualitative data?

Answer 8

• Understanding peoples perceptions, meanings, motivations of behavior
• Comparing viewpoints across time and changing views in societal attitudes
• Assessing hard to reach groups that are under-representated in society
• Useful in incoming further research

Question 9

What is methodological pluralism?

Answer 9

• Combination of methods in attempt to increase reliability and validity of piece of research
• Willis’ Learning To Labour: use of unstructured interviews, group interviews, questionnaires, and observation of behaviors
• Use of open and closed questionnaires to establish behaviors and find out the motivations behind those behaviors