Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods: Paradigms, Logic, and Data Analysis Techniques

Qualitative research

Most useful when a researcher wants to explore people's feelings, meanings, and experiences.

Quantitative research

Not suitable for studying experiences in depth.

Experimental research

Not suitable for exploring values and meanings.

Deductive logic

A study that starts with a theory, gathers data to test it, and looks for cause-and-effect relationships.

Inductive logic

Not applicable in studies that start with a theory.

Post-positivism

A paradigm that focuses on cause and effect, data, and testing theories while remaining distant from the research.

Social Constructivism

A paradigm that emphasizes how people create shared meanings in their culture.

Phenomenology

An approach that explores people's shared experiences to understand the meaning of a phenomenon.

Grounded Theory

A method where a researcher builds a theory by collecting and analyzing data many times.

Hermeneutical approach

Involves interpreting participants' meanings while acknowledging the researcher's own influence.

Reflexivity

Practiced when a researcher examines their own influence on the study and acknowledges it.

Bracketing

The practice of consciously trying to remove personal opinions from the study.

Axiology

The study of values and how they influence research.

Saturation

The stage when a researcher keeps collecting information until no new themes appear in the data.

Thematic analysis

Grouping similar ideas in data and identifying patterns or big ideas.

Mixed Methods

Combines surveys with open-ended interviews to understand both numbers and personal stories.

Semi-structured interview

Uses a conversation format with set questions but allows flexibility for follow-ups.

Focus group

A design where a researcher gathers a group of participants to talk together and observes how they interact.

Transcendental approach

Aims to describe experiences as given by participants.

Ontology

The philosophical assumption that explores the existence of different realities.

Epistemology

The philosophical assumption that deals with the nature of knowledge.