quantitative and qualitative data

what is quantitative data

data that is able to be presented in numerical form and is more objective in nature

what is qualitative data

more contextual data that is often presented in written, verbal and visual formats and therefore open to intepretation

positivists views on data

• more likely to use methods that generate quantitative data

• looking to establish trends and patterns of behaviour displayed

interpretivist views on data

• more likely to use methods that generate qualitative data

• look for meaning and motivations behind behaviour of groups

list quantitative methods

• experiments

  • lab and field 

• questionnaires

  • closed questions 

• opinion polls and surveys 

• structured interviews

• non-participant structred observations 

• offical statistcs 

• content analysis  

use of quantitative data

• reporting social trends 

  • office of national statistics

    • informs social policies and budgeting

• opinion polls

  • measured social attitudes

  • voting intentions

  • fear of crime

• education

  • league tables

  • exam results

  • university entrance

• practice sector and charities

  • marketing

  • funding projects in specific areas

qualitative methods

• participant observations

• unstructred interviews

• questionnaires with open questions

• personal documents

• historical document

• case studies

• ethnographic approaches

• journalist, diaries, forms of media

use of qualitative data

• understanding people’s perception, meanings and motivations of behaviour

• comparing view points across time, revealing changes in social attitudes

• accessing hard to reach groups that are under-represented

what do structural theories prefer

quantitative data

what do social action theories prefer 

qualitative data 

what is quantitative data best at

better for large-scale research that can be repeated and meaured over time - e.g. census

what is qualitative data best at

for gaining in insight into the lives and expeirnces indivduals that are often ignored in society

methological pluralism

the combination of methods in an attempt to increase reliability and validity of a piece of research