Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a form of research in which you ask someone an open question that has an open ended answer. Qualitative research aims to collect opinions and interests. Results are usually descriptive, long and do not come in the form of statistics.

Pros;

  • More detailed- Because the question is open ended the answer provided tends to be longer and more detailed; more detailed answers tend to include personal feelings and opinions as well as specific and accurate details.

 

  • Do not limit choice of questions- This means that because the questions are open ended there are more questions that can be asked, they are not limited by having to have a yes or no answer which means different areas of a topic can be more widely explored.

 

  • Less expensive – This type of research tends to be less costly because you can simply go out in public with a piece of paper and a pen and ask your questions and get the answers; no expensive equipment is needed.

 

  • More emotional responses- Responses tend to be more personal because with an open ended question people can answer there opinion in as much length or as much detail as they wish.

 

Cons;

  • Biased- Can be biased because this type of research asks for peoples personal opinions rather than statistics.

 

  • Take longer to transcribe etc. – This type of research can be more time consuming because the questions are open ended because of these answers can be long meaning they are harder to transcribe and so on.

 

  • Cant generalise results- With this type of research you cannot generalise results because you have asked an open ended question this means that there are too many personal responses available and therefore these answers cannot be categorised and generalised.

 

  • Can be difficult to get answers when based on a sensitive topic- People may refuse to answer questions on a sensitive topic which means it can be hard to find people that are willing to answer the question.

 

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is a form of research in which you ask closed questions that only have a yes or no answer. Quantitative research is usually used to gather statistics and measure the quantity of something. This form of research is usually used to gather information from a large population.

 

Pros;

  • Clear – Provides clear evidence in a straight forward way, usually in a numerical form such as a percentage or number.

 

  • Quick and Instant – Because this type of research uses a closed question people are willing to answer the question and a closed question also ensures answers are short and primarily one worded; this makes the answers easy to record.

 

  • Can be anonymous- Because the answers do not need to quoted it is unusual anyone’s identity is revealed.

 

Cons;

  • Can be costly- Takes time and money to turn information into statistics.

 

  • Have little detail- Because the questions asked is closed, answers are primarily one worded which means they lack detail.

 

  • Non emotive- Because they are closed questions, answers never tend to be personal which means no emotional or personal details are shared by conducting this type of research.