9/16 – 9/22

Hi Everyone,

Whew! That was a lot to digest.

Module 3 is about qualitative research. You will find many overlapping concepts and ideas with quantitative research, so the idea here is that you will be able to use the new knowledge you gained last module here.

Module 3: EDUC_612_Fall_2019_Module_3

In-class presentation: 2 Collecting Qualitative Data

Perspective Activity (in class): 1 Influence of Perspective Activity_2019

Supplementary Readings:

Todd

16 Responses to 9/16 – 9/22

  1. Todd Twyman says:

    Why is qualitative research often considered less useful or scientific than quantitative? And, what can a qualitative research do to overcome the negative bias?

    • arri8338 says:

      Qualitative research is considered less scientific because it is more objective and open to the researchers interpretation than quantitative. Quantitative uses numbers that can be statistically interpreted. This reduces the possibility of researcher bias. To overcome this, qualitative research needs to be very specific in its execution. The researcher needs to remain as neutral as possible and not make assumptions about results, but rather educated determinations on what the data is actually saying. With qualitative research it is of utmost importance for the research to keep themselves in check, trying not to find what they are looking for but rather see the results for what they actually are.

    • ashe7470 says:

      Social sciences, such as Psychology, and Sociology, are sometimes termed as pseudo-science. They use qualitative research to evaluate phenomenon, not measurable, and are of an opinion and not of fact.

      As stated by Morgan (1998), “a science must use procedures for gathering data that are reliable across observers; and when scientists have disagreements, they must know, at least in principle, how to decide the issue by data.” If another research study can’t re-create, or come up with the same results, then the initial findings of the study can’t be considered valid. Ethnographic, narrative, and case research studies involve specific data gathering methods that can’t be used in a different scenario. Qualitative can’t recreate the results the way quantitative studies can.

      Bias can be overcome by incorporating the mixed methods approach. Qualitative can be used to go more in-depth to give some insight as to why the quantitative findings are relevant. I’d assume a professional researcher could see the value in both.

      Morgan, M. (1998). Qualitative Research. Science or Pseudo-Science? The Psychologist, 11(10). 481-483.

    • Jeannelle says:

      Qualitative and quantitative are both helpful depending on the study; however, many people consider qualitative less useful. Qualitative researchers study in natural settings and attempt to understand the why and how. There are plenty of reasons on why people assume that quantitative is better than qualitative research.

      One reason is that quantitative research can be measured and uses statistical data and percentages, while qualitative uses methods such as collecting observations, photos, videos, cultural records, or documents that are useful to visualize and understand participants personal experiences. Numbers give concrete answers and can appear easier to detach one’s opinion in quantitative research compared to qualitative (McLeod, 2019). Another reason is the sample size. Qualitative research studies are relatively small and not all the participants are asked the same questions. Researchers use focus groups or individuals in qualitative study compared to quantitative study. Qualitative studies are often less expensive than quantitative because of the smaller sample size and the time frame isn’t as long (“Qualitative Research Methods,” n.d.). Although you can’t measure emotions, qualitative questions provide descriptive and meaningful data by collecting participants’ feelings, opinions, and experiences, which can result into deeper insights into the issue or topic of the study. Some qualitative research may seem bias because the sample sizes can be purposely selective and researchers may add in their opinion based on their experiences, values, and culture. In education, national and state policymakers tend to want to see quantitative rather than qualitative due to the measures of teacher and student performances (Rahman, 2016).

      To overcome negative bias in qualitative studies, researchers should be aware of their participants and sample size. Make sure that participants in the group are equal. For example, if there’s research about male and female teachers, but the participants are mostly females, be aware that bias can happen when certain groups are left out. Also, researchers should try to focus on more than one viewpoint to avoid bias results in qualitative studies. To minimize bias, researchers should review all the data and fix the errors (Finch, 2017). There are pros and cons to qualitative and quantitative; however, depending on the topic and researcher, both methods are useful.

      Reference(s)
      Finch, C. (2017, September 26). How to Eliminate Bias in Qualitative Research. Retrieved from
      https://sciencing.com/how-to-eliminate-bias-in-qualitative-research-13649884.html

      McLeod, S. (2019). What’s the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?.
      Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html

      Qualitative Research Method. (n.d.). Retrieved from
      https://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/soc2web/Content/activeinformation/tools/toolscontent/qualitativemethods.htm#description

      Rahman, S. (2016, November 10). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Qualitative and
      Quantitative Approaches and Methods in Language “Testing and Assessment” Research: A Literature Review. Journal of Education and Learning, Vol. 6, pp. 102-112. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120221.pdf

    • Qualitative research is considered less scientific than quantitative because the way the information is gathered and then coded is more subjective in nature. Things seem more open to interpretation and subsequently misinterpretation. The solutions is to add participants in each stage of the process for the sake of validity. Have more people to code, review and participate (creating additional data sources). I believe these solutions seem obvious, but also problematic. It seems like more people could create more confusion, but peer review is a good calibrator. Peer review can help glean new incite and additional understanding. The best advice I found (baselinesupport.campuslabs.com, 2019) is to check for alternative explanations. One would hope you’re doing this all along. It seems like these solutions only serve to underscore how less scientific qualitative research is to some degree, but peer review is a scientific process. Also the scientific process is all about how we as humans make sense of the world around us. It is undoubtedly a subjective process. So qualitative research is a scientific process. The only thing that I am bothered by in qualitative research is there seems to be less ability to make predictions. To some it must feel like, well what’s the point? You’re telling me something that is directly observable or described, generalized by an imperfect human. I can interpret this in my own way too. I found the truest statement on senseinfodesign.com (2018), “numbers alone don’t suggest the reasons why a design works or doesn’t work, nor show human experiences or specify whether the context of use affect the performance of a solution in any way.” So to combat negative bias the research should emphasize how their data captures a unique perspective to some degree. Human experience is far too unique and varied to be dissected into hard numbers, especially when you’re developing programs that cater to unique populations and individuals.

      Resource:

      baselinesupport.campuslabs.com. Avoiding bias in qualitative data analysis. Retrieved Semtember 21, 2019 from https://baselinesupport.campuslabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/204305695-Avoiding-bias-in-qualitative-data-analysis

      http://senseinfodesign.com. (2018) Why Clients (and Designers) Don’t Trust Qualitative Research Retrieved Semtember 21, 2019 from http://senseinfodesign.com/why-clients-and-designers-dont-trust-qualitative-research

    • long5976 says:

      Qualitative research is often considered less useful than quantitative because it is more objective. Qualitative is not about the hard numbers and is more about observations and behaviors. Robinson states that “Qualitative research has a more difficult task when trying to establish the reliability and validity of its data.” Robinsons article also stresses the importance of consistency when measuring your qualitative data. If it is not consistent then it will likely be less reliable.

      I think the bias of qualitative data can be the incorporation of the mixed method approach. Qualitative data can show the research being done with quantitative data is valid. It can also be more specific in showing why the data reads the way it does.

      Robinson, P.D. (2014). Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. Synonym. Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/understanding-reliability-validity-qualitative-research-4169.html

    • reus7018 says:

      Qualitative research is often considered “less than” quantitative because it does not use the same mathematical measures or objectivity that quantitative research does. It should be noted that just because they are different doesn’t make one better than the other. They simply have different strengths. Qualitative research can interpret the meaning of events, circumstances, and or/systems and look for the “why” in a way qualitative research cannot. I think it is important to remember that while the data in qualitative research is not initially numerical, any sort of qualitative data can be given a numerical value and statistical inferences can be made (Trochim). To further overcome the stereotypes about qualitative research, I believe it is very important for the sample to be representative of the population the researchers are studying. While this is important in all research, I believe it is critical in being able to make generalizations in qualitative research and to make sure the behavior you’re observing is actually representative of the group. Second, I believe it is critical to clearly define your terms, so that the way you describe the results aren’t just due to your own biases/seeing what you want to see.

      Trochim, William. “The Qualitative Debate.” Research Methods Knowledge Base. 20 Oct. 2006. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

    • Anessa Jones says:

      Qualitative research is often considered less useful or scientific than quantitative due to it not having as much numerical information than what quantitative research typically provides (Psychab, 2011 & Afshin, 2011). With numerical information, Psychab (2011) points out that data is “easier to statistically analyze”, providing more precision and accuracy. Precision, accuracy, and statistics are associated with numbers, thus meaning it is scientific. The articles also mention that quantitative studies typically have a hypothesis (something also associated in categorizing something as “scientific”) and higher control environments. With this and other steps the quantitative method follows, quantitative research upholds a scientific method more than qualitative research, as qualitative research lacks these items. Qualitative research is also often considered more as “creative” research, and the word “creative” is not necessarily something typically associated with being “scientific” (Afshin,2011).

      However, in order to overcome negative bias, Garza (2005), Psychab (2011) and Afshin (2011) mention that qualitative research can incorporate methods that increase its validity and reliability. These include: replicability (being reproduceable), falsifiability (ability to be proven wrong/testable), precision (presenting accuracy and exactness), and parsimony (utilizing simple explanation) (Pyschab, 2011). Afshin (2011) also specifically mentioned how the use of triangulation (using more than one method to collect data) provides depth and accuracy to the qualitative research. With incorporating these methods, qualitative research data can show its strength rather than just a presentation of data collected.

      References:

      Afshin. (2011, November 25). “Qualitative research isn’t scientific”. Retrieved from https://afshinpsychology.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/qualitative-research-isnt-scientific/

      Garza, G. (2005). The science of qualitative research: Validity and reliability re-framed in terms of meaning. Science and Qualitative Research, 1-14.

      Psychab. (2011, November 25). Qualitative research isn’t as scientific as quantitative methods! Retrieved from https://psychab.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/qualitative-research-isnt-as-scientific-as-quantitative-methods/

    • nord7527 says:

      When researching online I couldn’t find a lot of realible sources that claimed whether or not qualitative research is less useful than quantitative research is. Most articles I read stated the pros and cons to both based on what the person/company wanted to research. But I did find people who were stating that qualitative research leaves room for a lot more opinions than quantitive. A common theme in most was that the best research uses mixed methods because you see the more mathematical/science part of the data as well as backed up with a narrative and deeper meanings behind things. From the lens of a market researchers it was stated, “Typically, a robust and complete market research effort involves qualitative and quantitative methods, since they both offer valuable perspectives and can be combined to generate valuable insights.” I agree with the points that the article pointed out. Qualitative research can hopefully overcome the negative bias by producing research studies that bring to light new insights that could also be backed up by data to prove a point. Then maybe they will be received better in the scientific world.

      Steber, Colson. 2017. https://www.cfrinc.net/cfrblog/quantitative-vs-qualitative-market-research

    • hint6915 says:

      Qualitative research is often considered less useful when compared to quantitative studies because it focuses on a particular phenomenon as it operates in a particular context (McLeod, 2019). This means that the results from a qualitative research study are not very applicable to other situations. Because of that, while the results and findings of a qualitative study might be useful to the researcher or people in the same area the study was conducted, it will not be very useful for people in other situations or populations because their context will be different. However, using a quantitative approach has it’s drawbacks as well, including confirmation bias, not taking place in natural settings, and not allowing participants to explain their choices or answers, which might provide useful insight to the study (McLeod, 2019). I think the best way to overcome some of these negative aspects of both forms of study is to use them together so that the researcher can collect and share useful data, while also gaining insight to the culture and people within the study.

      McLeod, S. A. (2019, July 30). Qualitative vs. quantitative research. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html

    • sana6202 says:

      In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research is sometimes considered to be incapable of being both valid and reliable. This is due to a variety of reasons, with one of the biggest contributing factors being researchers bias. Critics tend to believe that many researchers are incapable of conducting a qualitative study without pulling conclusions based upon their own biases. In an article written by Dr. Helen Noble and Joanna Smith, they suggest that “qualitative research is frequently criticized for lacking scientific rigor with poor justification of the methods adopted, lack of transparency in the analytical procedures and the findings being merely a collection of personal opinions subject to researchers bias” (2015). In order to create more credibility with findings from a qualitative study, Noble and Smith suggest the following: account for biases which may have influenced results, demonstrate clarity in terms of thought processes and why you came to each conclusion, have other researchers who did not assist in conducting the study participate in analyzing the data, etc. (Noble & Smith, 2015).

      Noble H, Smith J. Issues of Validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing 2015; 18:34-35.

  2. Leslie Cox says:

    Qualitative data is considered less scientific or informative than quantitative because the data is from potentially bias interviews, observations, feelings, and personal accounts, et cetra. While it may not employ the use of numbers and statistical data, it can provide insight into our affective behaviors. This could be used in marketing, improving conditions at an institution, or as simple informing researchers about menu choices.

    In education, I can see the use of quantitative data for testing measures (GPA calculations) and determining eligibility for services (how far below standard deviation). On the other hand, people are not numbers and we can use qualitative data to see the person for whom they truly are.

    Overcoming this bias could include using both modalities as the numbers can only increase evidence but descriptive and categorized data may show patterns otherwise hidden. Plus numbers might be interesting, but visuals and first-hand accounts aren’t just anecdotal evidence, it provides reliable, relatable and repeatable evidence. Data from interviews, surveys, and observations are a glance into our higher-order behaviors, such as problem-solving and judgment.

    Knigge, L., & Cope, M. (2004). Grounded visualization: integrating the analysis of
    qualitative and quantitative data through grounded theory and visualization.
    Environment and Planning, 38, 2021–2037. doi: DOI:10.1068/a37327

    Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2016). Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data.
    Los Angeles: Sage.

    (this will not keep formatting)

    • Jeannelle says:

      Hi Leslie,

      There are always pros and cons to something, same goes for qualitative and quantitative. I liked how you mentioned that people aren’t numbers. Both studies are useful and important, some researchers use a mix of both. It also depends on the type of person and the collected data. For quantitative research, some people like seeing the numbers, stats, and percentages for proof so that’s understandable. Qualitative research is interesting because you can get more involved with the participants and get a view on the who, what, why, how aspect on their personal experiences and stories.

      Thanks for sharing.

  3. mcmu7019 says:

    Qualitative research is often considered less scientific because some consider it to be more “subjective” while quantitative is more “objective” (Goodwin L. & Goodwin D., 1984). Because the researcher interprets the data, whether it be collected from observation, interview, open ended surgery questions, it is thought that there may be some bias in the interpretation.

    The article “Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Research or Qualitative and Quantitative Research? Nursing Research” claims that using both in one research is a good way of legitimizing both research styles. They can be used to cross check each ones research, to add an extra layer of validity.

    Goodwin, D., Laura, & Goodwin, L., William. (1984). Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Research or Qualitative and Quantitative Research? Nursing Research, 33(6), 378–384. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-198411000-00022

  4. Teal Saffle says:

    Qualitative research has a struggling reputation compared to quantitative research because it relies on the interpretation of experiences, attitudes, values, and perceptions rather than quantifiable numbers that can be seen as rock-hard evidence. Though it may seem contradictory, I think that adding quantitative aspects to a qualitative study would give it more respect in the research community. In other words, use the qualitative method to gather powerful information, but throw in some research that will provide numerical precision and use the two in tandem to ultimately create a well-rounded study that promotes objectivity.

  5. treg6997 says:

    Qualitative research is observed which can be difficult to measure. It measures moods, and feelings, the how or why something is the way it is. How do you assign a number to a why, or even a person? Quantitatively they can be a 1 out of 100 who scored poorly on a test. We can compare them against whole populations statistically. It lessens the researchers bias. The numbers don’t lie but people can (or at least be biased in their opinions.) This could be one of the reasons it could be considered “less scientific.” Qualitative data can also focus more on case studies with individuals instead of looking at the big picture of a population. To compare one case study to another could be as difficult as comparing apples to oranges.
    However if qualitative studies are done on large populations it may paint a bigger picture of how or why something is not just for one person or even a few, but a large demographic. Also the way the questions are asked can make them more reliable if there is less to interpret from answers. If answers are anonymous it may help with reliability as well. If a participant in a survey thinks that the researcher knows who they are they may want to make their answers look more favorable so they won’t be judged.

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