In this video, we are going to
explore qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research methodologies. We
will also explain how to choose the right methodological approach for your dissertation,
thesis or research project step by step. So, grab a cup of coffee, grab a cup of tea
whatever works for you and let us jump into it. Hey, welcome to Grad Coach TV where we demystify
and simplify the oftentimes intimidating world of academic research. My name is Emma, and today
we are going to have a look at the three types of research. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed
methods and how to choose the right approach. We will look at things from a fairly high level and
will not go into the weeds in terms of specific data analysis methods. If you want to learn about
particular analysis methods, we have got separate videos covering both qualitative and quantitative
methods. I will include the links to those below. If you are new to Grad Coach TV, be sure to hit
that subscribe button for more videos covering all things research related. Also, if you are
looking for hands-on help with your research check out our one-on-one coaching services
where we help you craft your research project step by step. It is like having a friendly
professor in your pocket whenever you need it. If that sounds interesting to you, you
can learn more and book a free consultation at www.gradcoach.com. Alright, with
that out of the way let us get into it. If you are new to the wonderful world of research
some of the first lingoes you will likely hear thrown around are the terms qualitative,
quantitative and mixed methods research. But what exactly are these? Well simply put qualitative,
quantitative and mixed methods reflect the three types of research that you can undertake.
These are not specific data collection or analysis techniques but instead, they reflect the
broader research strategies that will influence which data collection and analysis techniques
you can adopt. For example, if you undertake quantitative research, you will oftentimes
use surveys as your data collection method and statistical analysis as your data analysis
technique. In other words qual, quant and mixed methods are overarching strategies, not specific
techniques or methods. Anyhow, I am getting ahead of myself. Let us take a step back and unpack each
of the three types of research piece by piece. First up let us look at qualitative and
quantitative research. At the most basic level, qualitative research utilizes data that is
not numbers based. In other words, qualitative research focuses on words, concepts, perceptions
or ideas. In contrast with this quantitative research makes use of numbers and statistics.
That is a very simplistic explanation though as it is just considering the type of data each one
uses. So, let us dig a little deeper. Qualitative research is used to investigate the softer side
of things. For example, to explore and understand people's perceptions, ideas or feelings. Therefore
it is more subjective in nature. Qualitative research is often used to gain a deeper
understanding of the complexity of a situation to draw a rich picture of what is going on especially
what is going on under the hood. Therefore qualitative data can be used to develop hypotheses
and theories from the ground up. In other words, an inductive approach. For example, you could use
a qualitative approach to explore what factors or product attribute customers consider when
deciding which laundry detergent to purchase. This could involve undertaking interviews and
focus group sessions to get people talking about their ideas, perceptions and feelings
regarding laundry detergent. Contrasted to this quantitative research focuses on the hard numbers.
Typically quantitative research is used to measure differences between groups and or relationships
between variables, as well as to test hypotheses. Therefore it is more objective in
nature and takes a deductive approach. For example, you could use a quantitative approach
to measure what percentage of people prioritize price or any other variable when choosing
a laundry detergent. You could also assess how this percentage varies between neighbourhoods,
cities or different demographic groups. So, as you can see, qualitative and quantitative approaches
can both be used to research different aspects of the same topic or area of interest. Right,
moving on to mixed methods. Mixed methods-based research as you would expect attempts to bring
these two types of research together drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data. Quite
often mixed methods-based studies will use qualitative research to explore a situation
and develop a set of hypotheses. Then once those hypotheses are established, they will
use quantitative methods to test them. It can also work the other way around. For example, they could
use a quantitative approach to get a view of the bigger picture, the what, and then use qualitative
methods to explore the underlying reasons, the why, for a specific trend or observation
in the quantitative data. So, as you can see while qualitative and quantitative research
are distinctly different, they are not at odds with each other. It is not a competition
of qualitative versus quantitative where one is better than the other. On the contrary, they can
be used together, in other words, mixed methods to develop a high-quality piece of research.
Of course, this is easier said than done so we usually recommend that first-time researchers
stick to a mono method approach, either qual or quant unless the nature of their study
genuinely warrants a mixed methods approach. The key takeaway here is that it is important to
understand that each research type has a different purpose. For example, to explore and understand
situations qualitative, to test and measure quantitative or to do both mixed methods. They
are not simply interchangeable tools for the same job. Each approach has its purpose.
Right, with that out of the way let us look at how you can go about choosing the right
methodological approach for your research. If you are undertaking a dissertation, thesis
or research project chances are you will need to craft a comprehensive research design
and methodology. This is not a task to be taken lightly as you will need to clearly and
strongly justify every design choice you make. To choose the right approach you will need to
consider three important factors. Based on these factors you can select your overarching approach.
Qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Once you have made that decision you can flesh out
the finer details of your research methodology such as the sampling strategy, data collection
methods and analysis techniques. We will not cover the latter in this video but you can find
loads of information over on the Grad Coach blog. I will include the link below. The three factors
you need to carefully consider are one, the nature of your research aims and research questions.
Two, the methodological approaches taken in the existing literature and three, practicalities and
constraints. Let us take a look at each of these. Factor number one, the nature of your research. As
I mentioned earlier each type of research whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed has a different
purpose and helps address a different type of question. So, it is logical that the key deciding
factor in terms of which approach you adopt is the nature of your research aims and research
questions. But what types of research aims exist? Broadly speaking research aims can fall
into one of three categories. Exploratory, in other words getting a better understanding
of an issue and potentially developing a theory or set of hypotheses regarding
it. Confirmatory, in other words confirming a potential theory or hypothesis
by testing it empirically. A mix of both, for example, developing a set of hypotheses
and then testing them. So, what does this mean for you? Well, as a rule of thumb exploratory
research tends to adopt a qualitative approach whereas confirmatory research tends to use a
quantitative approach. This is not set in stone but it is a reliable heuristic. Naturally
then research that combines a mix of both or seeking to develop a theory from the ground
up and then test that theory, would utilize a mixed methods approach. Let us take a look
at an example in action. If your research aims were to understand the perspectives of war
veterans regarding certain political matters you would likely adopt a qualitative methodology,
making use of interviews to collect data and one or more qualitative analysis methods to
make sense of the data. If on the other hand, your research aims to assess the distribution
of left versus right-leaning veterans per state or compare the political leanings between vets
and non-vets, you would adopt a quantitative methodology using numbers-based data from a survey
to address your research aims. So, the first and most important thing you need to consider when
deciding which methodological approach to use, is the nature of your research aims and research
questions. Specifically, you need to assess whether your research is exploratory or
confirmatory in nature or involves a mix of both. The importance of achieving solid alignment
between these three factors and your methodology cannot be overstated. If they are misaligned you
are going to be forcing a square peg into a round hole. You will be using the wrong tool for the job
and your research will become a disjointed mess. A quick tip, if your research involves a mix of
both exploratory and confirmatory aims but you have a tight word count limit, you may want
to consider trimming down the scope a little and focusing on one or the other. A mono method
approach executed well has a far better chance of earning marks than a poorly executed mixed methods
approach. So, do not try to be a hero unless there are strong reasons to take a mixed method
approach. Right, let us look at the next factor. Factor number two, the disciplinary norms.
Choosing the right approach for your research also involves looking at the approaches used by other
researchers in the field and studies with similar research aims and objectives to yours. Oftentimes
within a discipline, there is a commonly accepted methodological approach or set of approaches used
in studies. While this does not mean you should just follow the herd simply because, you should
at least consider these approaches and evaluate their merit within your context. A major benefit
of reviewing the research methodologies used by similar studies in your field is that you
can often piggyback on the data collection techniques that other more experienced
researchers have developed. For example, if you are undertaking a quantitative study, you
can often find tried and tested survey scales with high Cronbach's alphas. These are usually included
in the appendices of journal articles so you do not even have to contact the original authors.
By using these scales you will save a lot of time and ensure that your study stands on the
proverbial shoulders of giants by using high-quality measurement instruments. Of
course, when reviewing existing literature keep point number one front of mind. In other
words, your methodology needs to align with your research aims and research questions. Do not
fall into the trap of adopting the methodological norm of other studies just because it is popular.
Alright, now let us look at the last factor. Factor number three, practicalities. When choosing
a research methodology there will always be a tension between doing what is theoretically best,
in other words, the most scientifically rigorous research design and doing what is practical given
your constraints. This is the nature of research and there are always trade-offs as with anything
else. But what constraints you ask? Well, there are a few when you evaluate your
methodological options you will need to consider the following constraints and ask yourself some
important questions. Number one, data access. What data will you need to access to pull off your
analysis and how likely is it that you will get this access. Also, are there any ethical clearance
requirements you will need from your university? Number two, time. How much time will you need
to undertake interviews or focus groups in the case of qualitative or collect a sufficient number
of survey responses in the quantitative or both? If you are wanting to undertake longitudinal
research, what sort of timeline will you need and will your university allow this. Number three,
money. What financial resources will you need to execute your research design? Will you need
to spend money on participation incentives, travel costs, snacks and drinks, meeting
facilities or other services? Number four, equipment and software. What equipment might
you need for collecting data? For example, lab equipment or recording equipment. What
software will you need to analyse the data and how will you get access to this. And
lastly number five, your knowledge and skills. What is your current level of competence and
experience in terms of the data collection and analysis methods you plan to use, and
what will you still need to learn? How long will this take and how confident are you in
your ability to acquire the necessary skills? What will your backup plan be if you cannot
develop the necessary skills? As you can see there is a wide range of practicalities and constraints
that you need to think about when you are deciding on your research design and methodology. As
I mentioned these practicalities create a tension between the ideal methodology and the
methodology that you can realistically pull off. This is perfectly normal and it is your job
to find the option that presents the best set of trade-offs. If you carefully consider these
three factors and design your methodology in a way that strikes a good balance between research
rigour and practicality or viability, you will be headed in a good direction. Remember you can learn
more about the various research design choices including data collection and analysis methods
over on the Grad Coach blog at gradcoach.com/blog. Alright, so that wraps it up for today. If you
enjoyed the video hit the like button and leave a comment if you have any questions. Also, be
sure to subscribe to the Grad Coach channel for more research-related content. If you
need a helping hand with your research, remember to check out our private coaching service
where we work with you on a one-on-one basis, chapter by chapter to help you craft
a winning dissertation or thesis. If that sounds interesting to you book a
free consultation with a friendly coach at gradcoach.com. That is all for this episode
of Grad Coach TV. Until next time, good luck.
