Overview of Research Methods and Nutrition Surveys

Qualitative Research

Gathers data about lived experiences, emotions or behaviors, and the meanings individuals attach to them. Enables researchers to gain a better understanding of complex concepts, social interactions or cultural phenomena. Useful in the exploration of how or why things have occurred, interpreting events and describing actions.

Quantitative Research

Gathers numerical data which can be ranked, measured or categorized through statistical analysis. Assists with uncovering patterns or relationships, and for making generalizations. Useful for finding out how many, how much, how often, or to what extent.

Mixed Methods Research

Integrates both Qualitative and Quantitative Research. Provides a holistic approach combining and analyzing the statistical data with deeper contextualized insights. Enables Triangulation, or verification, of the data from two or more sources.

Document Analysis

Interrogation of correspondence (letters, diaries, emails etc) or reports

Oral history or life stories

Remembrances or memories of experiences told to the researcher

Surveys or Questionnaires

Asking the same questions to large numbers of participants or using Likert scales which measure opinions as numerical data

Observation

Involves counting the number of times a specific phenomenon occurs, or the coding of observational data to translate it into numbers

Document Screening

Sourcing numerical data from financial reports or counting word occurrences

Experiments

Testing hypotheses in laboratories, testing cause and effect relationships, through field experiments, or via quasi- or natural experiments

Thematic analysis

To understand general themes in the data and how they are communicated

Content analysis

Can be quantitative (i.e. frequencies of words) or qualitative (i.e. meanings of words)

Statistical analysis

To analyze data collected in a statistically valid manner (e.g. from experiments, surveys, and observations)

Meta-analysis

To statistically analyze the results of a large collection of studies. Can only be applied to studies that collected data in a statistically valid manner