What is Quantitative Research?

Quantitative Research refers to the systematic investigation in the case in which a

person doing the researcher collects the data from the different respondents that are
based on numerical figures and data obtained is then analyzed for obtaining the results
using different mathematical, statistical and computational tools.
In its purpose, it is conclusive as it quantifies the problem under consideration and
provides statistical results to measure its impact.

Top 4 Methods / Types of Quantitative Research

#1 – Survey Research

Using survey research as the method of research, an organization conducting a survey

asks different survey questions from the respondents using the various types like online
surveys, online polls, paper questionnaires, etc. and then collects data and analyzes
collected data in order to produce the numerical results.

#2 – Causal-Comparative Research

The Causal-Comparative Research method is used to draw conclusions with respect to

the cause and effect equation between the two or more than two variables, where the
one variable will be dependent on other variables, which will be independent.

#3 – Experimental Research

This analysis is done for the purpose of proving or for disproving the statement. It is
generally used in the field of natural sciences or in the field of social sciences as in
those areas; various statements are there which required to be proved as right or wrong

#4 – Correlation Research

Correlation Research was conducted for establishing a relationship between the two
closely associated entities to know the impact of one on the other and the changes
which were eventually observed. It is carried for giving value to the naturally occurring
relationships. For this research minimum, two different groups will be required.

Example

An example could involve the survey conducted by the hospital of a town, where the
hospital wants to know how satisfied their patients are with respect to the treatment
taken and their health after that treatment.
The sample of the survey includes all those persons who have availed the treatment of
the hospital within the last few days. Quantitative research can help the hospital to
explore the variety of problems, and the questions which the patients coming to them
are facing.

A clear understanding of the issues identified can help the hospital and the other
professionals involved in the health care to tailor their services to match according to
the needs of the individuals and, along with that, develop a concordant relationship.

Using the survey, a hospital can collect the quantitative data and the metrics on
the goodwill of the hospital in the customer’s mind on the basis of the multiple
parameters like service quality, pricing, the experience of the customer, etc.
This data can be taken by asking the different questions which provide the data in the
form of the numbers which can be analyzed by the researcher and worked upon.

Advantages

1. The data in the Quantitative research is collected and presented in the numbers,
so the result obtained from it will be reliable as the numbers state the truth and
do not lie. Wherever the situation of the conflicts arises, the researchers prefer
quantitative research as it gives an honest picture of the research conducted
without any discrepancies and is thus extremely accurate.
2. It involves the statistics; it provides a wider scope of the data collection for the
researchers.
3. Quantitative research is not based on the thinking or the perception of the
individual or group of individuals conducting the research rather;, it is based on
the numbers; thus, it removes the risk of personal biases being shown in the
result of the research.
4. The data collected in the Quantitative research is less time consuming as the
research is conducted on a group of respondents that represent a population and
there is the involvement of the statistics for conducting and presenting results, so
it is quite straightforward, thus less time-consuming.

Limitations/Disadvantages

The different Limitations and drawbacks of Quantitative research include the following:

1. The Survey instruments used for the research are vulnerable to errors like the
mistakes in measurement or the flawed sampling techniques as the numerical
data is involved. If the error occurs when the research will not give the correct
results for which the research is conducted.
2. Generally, the Quantitative research method requires extensive statistical
analysis that becomes difficult to perform, especially if the person conducting the
research is from a non – statistical background.
3. In this method, a structured questionnaire is involved, which has close-ended
questions. Due to this, limited outcomes can only be derived from the research,
 and thus the results cannot always represent actual occurrences. Also, the
respondents of the research have limited options for their responses as their
responses will be based on the selection of the question and their options as
made by the researcher.

Important points to note

1. In Quantitative research, data is collected and presented in the numbers, and the
various statistical tools are used to obtain the results from the research.
2. The different factors which are related to the research topic should be studied
before collecting the feedback from the respondents.

Conclusion

Quantitative Research is the systematic investigation where the data is collected from
the respondents which are based on the numerical figures and the various statistical,
mathematical and computational tools are used in order to get the results from the
research.

After understanding the numbers obtained from the research carefully, the researcher
predicts the future of the product or the service for which the research is conducted and
then makes the changes accordingly. The results that are achieved from the
quantitative research method are statistical, logical, and unbiased.

Qualitative Research: Definition, Types, Methods and Examples

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research is defined as a market research method that focuses on obtaining

data through open-ended and conversational communication.

This method is not only about “what” people think but also “why” they think so. For
example, consider a convenience store looking to improve its patronage. A systematic
observation concludes that the number of men visiting this store are more. One good
method to determine why women were not visiting the store is to conduct an in-depth
interview of potential customers in the category.

For example, on successfully interviewing female customers, visiting the nearby stores
and malls, and selecting them through random sampling, it was known that the store
doesn’t have enough items for women and so there were fewer women visiting the
store, which was understood only by personally interacting with them and understanding
why they didn’t visit the store, because there were more male products than female
ones.

Qualitative research is based on the disciplines of social sciences like psychology,

sociology, and anthropology. Therefore, the qualitative research methods allow for in-
depth and further probing and questioning of respondents based on their responses,
where the interviewer/researcher also tries to understand their motivation and feelings.
Understanding how your audience takes decisions can help derive conclusions in
market research.

Types of qualitative research methods with examples

Qualitative research methods are designed in a manner that help reveal the behavior
and perception of a target audience with reference to a particular topic. There are
different types of qualitative research methods like an in-depth interview, focus groups,
ethnographic research, content analysis, case study research that are usually used.

The results of qualitative methods are more descriptive and the inferences can be
drawn quite easily from the data that is obtained.

Qualitative research methods originated in the social and behavioral sciences. Today
our world is more complicated and it is difficult to understand what people think and
perceive. Online qualitative research methods make it easier to understand that as it is
more communicative and descriptive.

The following are the qualitative research methods that are frequently used. Also, read
about qualitative research examples:

1. One-on-one interview:

Conducting in-depth interviews is one of the most common qualitative research

methods. It is a personal interview that is carried out with one respondent at a time. This
is purely a conversational method and invites opportunities to get details in depth from
the respondent.

One of the advantages of this method provides a great opportunity to gather precise
data about what people believe and what their motivations are. If the researcher is well
experienced asking the right questions can help him/her collect meaningful data. If they
should need more information the researchers should ask such follow up questions that
will help them collect more information.
These interviews can be performed face-to-face or on phone and usually can last
between half an hour to two hours or even more. When the in-depth interview is
conducted face to face it gives a better opportunity to read the body language of the
respondents and match the responses.

2. Focus groups:

A focus group is also one of the commonly used qualitative research methods, used in
data collection. A focus group usually includes a limited number of respondents (6-
10) from within your target market.

The main aim of the focus group is to find answers to the “why” “what” and “how”
questions. One advantage of focus groups is, you don’t necessarily need to interact
with the group in person. Nowadays focus groups can be sent an online survey on
various devices and responses can be collected at the click of a button.

Focus groups are an expensive method as compared to the other online qualitative
research methods. Typically they are used to explain complex processes. This method
is very useful when it comes to market research on new products and testing new
concepts.

3. Ethnographic research:

Ethnographic research is the most in-depth observational method that studies people
in their naturally occurring environment.

This method requires the researchers to adapt to the target audiences’ environments
which could be anywhere from an organization to a city or any remote location. Here
geographical constraints can be an issue while collecting data.

This research design aims to understand the cultures, challenges, motivations, and

settings that occur. Instead of relying on interviews and discussions, you experience
the natural settings first hand.

This type of research method can last from a few days to a few years, as it involves in-
depth observation and collecting data on those grounds. It’s a challenging and a time-
consuming method and solely depends on the expertise of the researcher to be able to
analyze, observe and infer the data.

4. Case study research:

The case study method has evolved over the past few years and developed into a
valuable qual research method. As the name suggests it is used for explaining an
organization or an entity.

This type of research method is used within a number of areas like education, social
sciences and similar. This method may look difficult to operate, however, it is one of
the simplest ways of conducting research as it involves a deep dive and thorough
understanding of the data collection methods and inferring the data.

5. Record keeping:

This method makes use of the already existing reliable documents and similar sources
of information as the data source. This data can be used in new research. This is
similar to going to a library. There one can go over books and other reference material
to collect relevant data that can likely be used in the research.

6. Process of observation:

Qualitative Observation is a process of research that uses subjective methodologies to

gather systematic information or data. Since, the focus on qualitative observation is
the research process of using subjective methodologies to gather information or data.
Qualitative observation is primarily used to equate quality differences.

Qualitative observation deals with the 5 major sensory organs and their functioning –
sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. This doesn’t involve measurements or numbers
but instead characteristics.

Qualitative research: data collection and analysis

A. Qualitative data collection

Qualitative data collection allows collecting data that is non-numeric and helps us to
explore how decisions are made and provide us with detailed insight. For reaching
such conclusions the data that is collected should be holistic, rich, and nuanced and
findings to emerge through careful analysis.

1. Whatever method a researcher chooses for collecting qualitative data, one

aspect is very clear the process will generate a large amount of data. In
addition to the variety of methods available, there are also different methods
of collecting and recording the data.
For example, if the qualitative data is collected through a focus group or one-to-one
discussion, there will be handwritten notes or video recorded tapes. If there are
recording they should be transcribed and before the process of data analysis can begin.

2. As a rough guide, it can take a seasoned researcher 8-10 hours to transcribe the
recordings of an interview, which can generate roughly 20-30 pages of
dialogues. Many researchers also like to maintain separate folders to maintain
the recording collected from the different focus group. This helps them
compartmentalize the data collected.
3. In case there are running notes taken, which are also known as field notes,
they are helpful in maintaining comments, environmental
contexts, environmental analysis, nonverbal cues etc. These filed notes are
helpful and can be compared while transcribing audio recorded data. Such
notes are usually informal but should be secured in a similar manner as the
video recordings or the audio tapes.
B. Qualitative data analysis

Qualitative data analysis such as notes, videos, audio recordings images, and text
documents. One of the most used methods for qualitative data analysis is text analysis.

Text analysis is a  data analysis method that is distinctly different from all other
qualitative research methods, where researchers analyze the social life of the
participants in the research study and decode the words, actions, etc. 

There are images also that are used in this research study and the researchers analyze
the context in which the images are used and draw inferences from them. In the last
decade, text analysis through what is shared on social media platforms has gained
supreme popularity.

Characteristics of qualitative research methods

1. Qualitative research methods usually collect data at the sight, where the
participants are experiencing issues or problems. These are real-time data and
rarely bring the participants out of the geographic locations to collect
information.
2. Qualitative researchers typically gather multiple forms of data, such as
interviews, observations, and documents, rather than rely on a single data
source.
3. This type of research method works towards solving complex issues by
breaking down into meaningful inferences, that is easily readable and
understood by all.
 4. Since it’s a more communicative method, people can build their trust on the
researcher and the information thus obtained is raw and unadulterated.
Qualitative research method case study
Let’s take the example of a bookstore owner who is looking for ways to improve their
sales and customer outreach. An online community of members who were the loyal
patrons of the bookstore were interviewed and related questions were asked and the
questions were answered by them.

At the end of the interview, it was realized that most of the books in the stores were
suitable for adults and there were not enough options for children or teenagers.

By conducting this qualitative research the bookstore owner realized what the
shortcomings were and what were the feelings of the readers. Through this research
now the bookstore owner can now keep books for different age categories and can
improve his sales and customer outreach.

Such qualitative research method examples can serve as the basis to indulge in further
quantitative research, which provides remedies.

When to use qualitative research

Researchers make use of qualitative research techniques when they need to capture
accurate, in-depth insights. It is very useful to capture “factual data”. Here are some
examples of when to use qualitative research.

 Developing a new product or generating an idea.

 Studying your product/brand or service to strengthen your marketing strategy.
 To understand your strengths and weaknesses.
 Understanding purchase behavior.
 To study the reactions of your audience to marketing campaigns and other
communications.
 Exploring market demographics, segments, and customer care groups.
 Gathering perception data of a brand, company, or product.

Qualitative research methods vs quantitative research methods

The basic differences between qualitative research methods and quantitative research
methods are simple and straightforward. They differ in:

 Their analytical objectives

 Types of questions asked
  Types of data collection instruments
 Forms of data they produce
 Degree of flexibility

Attributes Qualitative research methods Quantitative research methods

This research method focuses on

Analytical Quantitative research method focuses on describing
describing individual experiences and
objectives the characteristics of a population.
beliefs.

Types of
Open-ended questions Closed-ended questions
questions asked

Use semi-structured methods such as

Data collection Use highly structured methods such as structured
in-depth interviews, focus groups,
Instrument observation using questionnaires and surveys
and participant observation

Form of data
Descriptive data Numerical data
produced

Degree of Participant responses affect how and Participant responses do not influence or determine
flexibility which questions researchers ask next how and which questions researchers ask next