MAN 542 Keiser University Business Research Methods Discussion

Write a reply to each post. Each reply must be a minimum of 150 words with 2 references each.

Post 1

According to K?l?çoglu (2018), qualitative methods are involved in qualitative research that deals with meaning and words, whereas quantitative methods are applied with quantitative research that deals with statistics and numbers. Qualitative methods allow a researcher to explore experiences and ideas in depth. Primary qualitative methods are interviews with open-minded questions, literature reviews, and observations (Sabharwal & Malish, 2018). Quantitative methods allow a researcher to test the hypothesis of a study by systematically collecting and analyzing information. The primary quantitative methods are observations recorded in numbers, surveys that comprise closed-end questions, and experiments.

Qualitative techniques

The primary qualitative methods of research introduced are interviews, focus groups, literature review sampling, and ethnography. Interviews entail asking open-minded questions face to face to respondents. Focus groups entail discussing among a group of individuals regarding a particular theme purposely to gather opinions that can be used for research. A literature review technique entails surveying published works by other researchers (Sabharwal & Malish, 2018). Ethnography is a qualitative method that entails participating in an organization or community for an extended period to observe behavior or culture when conducting research. Also, sampling is qualitative technique where a researcher does not need to collect data from an entire population to obtain valid findings but only a sample of the population is selected for a given study.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Methods

Qualitative methods are of significance to a researcher as they offer more detailed data explaining sophisticated issues. The qualitative methods are cost-efficient. Also, they are multiple methods for gathering information when it comes to sensitive subjects.

There are two weaknesses regarding qualitative methods (Bullock et al., 2017). First, the methods are more challenging to analyze as they do not fit neatly in standard classes. Also, the methods when used in research to gather data are usually time-consuming.

Example Sharing

When conducting research, it is essential to decide which research methods to take into account. This is intending to makesure the required outcome in the analysis is achieved. For instance, quantitative methods aim to test or confirm a hypothesis or theory. The use of qualitative methods helps one understand the thoughts, experiences, and thoughts of a subject. This made it easier to carry out a study that I had previously been assigned by the organization I work for.

References

Bullock, R., Little, M., & Millham, S. (2017). The relationships between quantitative and qualitative approaches in social policy research. Mixing Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Research, 81–99. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315248813-4

K?l?çoglu, A. (2018). Qualitative research for educational science researchers: A review of an introduction to qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 23(4), 949-951. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2036457752?acc…

Sabharwal, N. S., & Malish, C. M. (2018). Mixed Methods Approaches and Qualitative Methodology for Higher Education Policy Research. Oxford Research Encyclopediaof Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.465

Post 2

Evaluation and comparison of qualitative and quantitative methods are frequent tasks for many students and researchers regardless of their experiences and degrees. Research remains fundamental in various fields, including social sciences, medicine, healthcare, or management. Compared to qualitative methods, which are characterized by their goals and the necessity to understand some specific aspects of social life, quantitative research aims to measure and identify something (McCusker & Gunaydin, 2014). The task of a person who works within the frames of qualitative research is to understand the worth of personality and succeed in self-assessment or reflection, while qualitative researchers deal with statistics and introduce a general idea supported by personal interest (Choy, 2014). Therefore, it is wrong to believe that only qualitative research focuses on people and their interests. The way of how quantitative researchers gather and analyze data may be interesting to a wide range of public.

There remain numerous mentalities toward qualitative and quantitative examination. For example, Barczak (2015) admits that it is wrong to believe that writing a qualitative project is easier than writing a quantitative project. Both types of work have their challenges and benefits, and much depends on a person and the already developed skills. A deductive approach is used in terms of quantitative studies, and an inductive approach helps to build a theory in a qualitative approach (Barczak, 2015). There is no good or bad research method for students. The main idea is that some people can be better predisposed to some kind of work and less interested in another approach. As a result, many people continue paying their attention to the possibility to use both qualitative and quantitative methods and introduce strong mixed methods research.

References

Barczak, G. (2015). Publishing qualitative versus quantitative research. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(5), 658–658. DOI:10.1111/jpim.12277

Choy, L. T. (2014). The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: comparison and complimentary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(4), 99-104. DOI: 10.9790/0837-194399104

McCusker K, Gunaydin S. Research using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion. 2015;30(7):537-542. DOI:10.1177/0267659114559116