Describe circumstances in which you would mainly use qualitative research rather than quantitative and vice versa explain .
Qualitative and quantitative research methods have existed side by side as long as social research has been done.
I would like to reflect a little bit on the differences and similarities of these two research methods before I get on to actually discussing the circumstances in which I would use these two research methods.
I have done several years of research with the Gond tribe in Central India in Bhopal and the Noongar people in the South West of Western Australia most of my examples will be drawn from my own experiences.
Quantitative research methods are considered by some to be more reliable and scientific.This method has its roots embedded in logical positivism this is a theory which believes that a research conducted using the quantitative method only is reliable because it can be tested.
The purpose of using the quantitative method is to validate and test a meaningful proposition. This methodology applies social science theory to the social reality, this is also called deductive logic. Research studies utilising quantitative methodology try to distance themselves from subjectivity although the question is are they able to do so completely?.
They try to be as objective as possible.This type of methodology interprets the data into definitions and numerical indices.
Hypotheses are tested and predictions validated through the use of statistical procedures and inferences drawn from them(Weinbach& Grinnell, 1987).
The types of research design utilised by the quantitative research methodology is varied it could be surveys, interviews, questionnaires, or census data.
They usually implement descriptive research designs which have proved to be quite intrusive at times.
The theoretical basis for this type of research method is psychology and sociology.
The qualitative research method on the other hand has for its ultimate purpose a detailed account of the subject being researched.