Research Methods

When should you choose qualitative methods?

When you:

• Lack of prior research.

• Are uncertain about key variables.

• Novel or emerging topics.

• Existing theories don’t apply to the specific group/sample.

What are the key characteristics of qualitative methods?

• Observations and interviews for data collection.

• Focus on interpreting meaning in specific contexts.

• Generalization to form a theory.

Give an example of a research question for qualitative methods.

How do first-year university students experience the transition from high school to college life?

When should you choose quantitative methods?

• When you have a specific theory to test.

• When identifying factors affecting outcomes.

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention.

• To understand reliable predictors of outcomes.

What are the key characteristics of quantitative methods?

• Hypothesis-driven.

• Data collected using surveys or instruments.

• Analyzed using statistical procedures.

Give examples of research questions for quantitative methods.

• What factors influence the starting salary of recent graduates?

• Does mindfulness training vs. physical activity training improve attention?

What distinguishes a quantitative study from a qualitative study? Mention three characteristics.

• Quantitative study:

  • Uses numbers and statistics for analysis.

  • Focuses on testing hypotheses deductively.

  • Collects structured data (e.g., surveys, experiments).

• Qualitative study:

  • Uses words and interpretations for analysis.

  • Focuses on exploring meaning and context inductively.

  • Collects unstructured data (e.g., interviews, observations).

How might a constructivist researcher attempt to examine why more men (vs. women) have an emotional attachment to their cars? How would a positivist researcher approach the same question?

• Constructivist researcher:

  • Would explore subjective meanings behind men's emotional attachment through interviews or focus groups.

  • Focus on social, cultural, and personal experiences shaping this attachment.

  • Use open-ended questions to understand individual perspectives.

• Positivist researcher:

  • Would hypothesize and test measurable factors (e.g., car usage frequency, cultural influences).

  • Use structured surveys or experiments to quantify emotional attachment.

  • Analyze data statistically to identify patterns or causal relationships.

Define qualitative research and quantitative research and highlight the differences between them. Provide one example of each technique

• Qualitative research:

  • Definition: Explores meanings, experiences, and perspectives, often through non-numerical data.

  • Example: Conducting in-depth interviews to understand people's experiences with electric vehicles.

• Quantitative research:

  • Definition: Tests hypotheses using numerical data and statistical analysis.

  • Example: Using a survey to measure the percentage of men vs. women who feel emotionally attached to their cars.

Differences:

• Qualitative: Focuses on context, subjective experiences, and open-ended data.

• Quantitative: Focuses on objectivity, structured data, and numerical analysis.

Discuss the advantages of conducting research, rather than relying on intuition and common sense.

• Systematic and objective: Research uses evidence and reduces bias compared to intuition.

• Generalizability: Findings from research can often be applied to broader populations.

• Causal relationships: Research uncovers cause-and-effect links that intuition cannot confirm.

• Reliability: Research methods provide consistent, repeatable results.

• Deeper insights: Allows for exploring complex phenomena with data and evidence, rather than assumptions.

What are the three primary ways to collect qualitative data?

1. Ask people (interviews, focus groups, surveys)

2. Watch people (observation, netnography)

3. Test people (experiments)

What is the objective of qualitative interviews?

To gain a fine-textured understanding of beliefs, attitudes, values, and motivations in relation to people's behaviors within specific social contexts.