Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Qualitative data

Expressed in words and may take the form of a written description of thoughts, feelings and opinions of participants. Methods of data collection are those that are concerned with the interpretation of language

Strengths of qualitative data

Offers the researcher richer detailed data. Gives the participant/respondent more license to develop ther thoughts, feelings and opinions on a given subject. Higher external validity, provides the researcher with a more meaningful insight to the participants viewpoint

Limitations of qualitative data

Difficult to analyse. Hard to identify patterns and comparisons in the data. Conclusions often rely on subjective interpretations of the researcher, these may be subject to bias, mostly if the researcher has preconceptions about what they are excepting to find

Quantitative data

Expressed numerically. Gather numerical data. Open to being analysed statistically and can be easily converted into graphs, charts, etc

Strengths of quantitative data

Simple to analyse, comparisons between groups can be easily drawn. Numerical data tends to be more objective and less open to bias

Limitations of quantitative data

Narrower in scope, meaning the data fails to represent real life. Low external validity